Spicing up Zamora

[TKS!]

Hi,

First post from a long time lurker...

Just to say i have been a BIG fan of Conan for many years and am overjoyed with the Mongoose line.

I bought the rulebook, RoK and Pirate Isles even though i dont use the rules sysyem (although its very good compared to most D20 products )

My group spent some time in spider haunted Zamora and i have 'added' several cultural bits mainly plundered from another great setting, namely http://www.talislanta.com/whatstal.htm. Is anyone on the boards familiar with the setting? The reason i ask is that several of the cultures from the book (mainly the Armites and Kasmirans) can be slotted ino Zamora with little trouble.

If anyones interested i can post some details to show you just what i mean

Also, has anone else adapted other settings an co-opted them into Conan?

A

 

[SetWorshipper]

I use Lankhmar:City of Adventure (TSR 9162 1985) along with the Shadizar box set.

My favorite part is the mini book that came with it. It contains dozens of different city geomorph maps ready for customization of random encounters, guard patrol paths and times, and locations. Than it has higher level city district maps you can easily customize with law enforcement activity, random events, places to write recent events, factions, npc homes, etc.

I'm sure the old school 1st edition DMs remember it. Only mod definitely had to make was to remove the wharf since Shadizar has no ocean front. The gods can even be used for small cults or they could be demons worshipped in town as well.

 

[TKS!]

Zamoran Revenant

“My client has paid me fifty gold coins to do you an injury. Offer me a hundred to buy back the contract, and you may go in peace.”

Most people are fools. If they had brains, they’d settle their problems on their own, and settle them for good. But they’re amateurs. They don’t want to get their hands dirty, so they hire someone like you. It usually starts as just a little thing: maybe they want to hire a Revenant to deliver an insult to someone they don’t like, or to rough up a local merchant who sold them inferior goods. It almost never ends there. Someone usually ends up dead, and you’re the one who must do the killing. It is, after all, your job. You’re a professional, and they pay you well. Yes, the chief assassins always take a cut of your fees. They assign the contracts, and make all the arrangements.

Your job is to fulfill the contract. If a disguise is needed, you’ll play the part of mercenary, trader, traveler, or priest - whatever it takes to get the job done. Whenever you go someplace new, you leave a coded message in a public place, next to the clients’ notes. You meet with the local chiefs so they don’t end up crossing each other. Whenever you visit Shadizar, you pay the chiefs their tithe and make your reports. It’s just good business. And maybe, if you do your job well, you’ll rise up through the ranks like they did. That’s where the real money is at, being a chief assassin. That’s the life you want. But the one you have isn’t so bad, either. It beats working in the iron mines.

 

[High Lord Dee]

What better way to spice up Shadizar than to use some of the elements from The Book of Erotic Fantasy from Valar Project Inc? It is a 190 page d20 supplement. It covers the issues of sex, love, seduction, marriage, and pregnancy for the d20 system. Most of the material goes way over the edge so caution is advised.

I plan on using several of the concepts in the book but here are a few that I would recommend:

Appearance: The seventh stat
Appearance will be used in addition to charisma. There are some great examples in the book but my experiences in reading stories from Hyboria over the last 20 years is that sex and lust is more prominent in Hyboria than any other fantasy setting. Many a rogue has killed for naught but a smile from a Brythunian wench.

This game mechanic will create skill checks and saves for members of the opposite sex that will keep the players true to the setting regardless of their real life value systems.

There are several skills and feats that have been created due to the new stat. Sexually transmitted diseases also now become a concern along with several cool spells.

HLD

 

[Raven Blackwell]

What better way to spice up Shadizar than to use some of the elements from The Book of Erotic Fantasy from Valar Project Inc?

I read that book on a dare and frankly I'd rather add d20:The Bible to my game- it'd be less painful. Now sex is great and all, but I ain't writing pornography for my players. There are magazines for that if that's what they are into.

In a more on topic point- White Wolf's now defunct Sword & Sorcery line of book put out a sourcebook called Shalizar: City of Sin a little bit before Vincent D's work. Now it's a higher fanatsy version of Shadizar- and nothing like Vincent's book so you know plagarism isn't the case here- but it manages to capture the idea of a city without moral restraint without actually going into explicit detail about it. Also includes little factions and cults that go on under the nose of such a 'liberal' city. Way too light hearted and high-magic for strictly canon Conan games but it can give ideas for an adventure actually based on the prociples of action-adventure than trolling in gutter for cheap thrills.

 

[High Lord Dee]

Woah there! Although I agree Raven that 95% of the book is way beyond the needs of adding spice to the campaign (especially the photos....mostly yuk!). Again, I liked the concept of the seventh skill: Appearance. I have played other RPG systems and find that the charisma concept is lacking a bit because charisma and appearance are two completely seperate concepts and affect the skills environment differently. Even a disfigured, war wary Dwarf can have tremendous leadership skills but would not turn the head of some of the fairer sex when walking into a Zamoran tavern. That concept, as true to R.E.H., should be a part of the Hyborian world. I know, I know, there are not Dwarves in Hyboria but you get my drift.

Another aspect the book can bring is to create a bit of interest and influence on some of the typical Hyborian "wenches" that will be crossed (especially in Shadazar the Wicked!). Think about how many times Conan got lead down the wrong path by the opposite sex.

I try to get my hands on as many d20 books as I can to see what may improve the basic system. Mostly disappointment was this book but again, I will be using some of the features in my campaign and I will let you know how it goes. If it gets to "creepy" then it dies on the vine and we move on to something else.

d20 Bible? Hmmmm.....I would probably pick that one up too :wink:

HLD

 

[René]

I try to get my hands on as many d20 books as I can to see what may improve the basic system. Mostly disappointment was this book but again, I will be using some of the features in my campaign and I will let you know how it goes.

Yes, please do! I was pondering something similar like Appearance, but never got beyond pondering.

 

[Yogah of Yag]

High Lord Dee: I like your avatar pic. Who is the artist?

 

[thulsa]

d20 Bible? Hmmmm.....I would probably pick that one up too :wink:

Well, there's Testament by Green Ronin, a mighty fine book. Roughly 1/4th of it covers Israel and the cult of Yahweh (ie Old Testament stuff), the other parts detail Canaan, Egypt and Mesopotamia.

While it's too high-fantasy for a Conan game, there are certainly a lot of ideas to be had by browsing through the book. Most of the interior art is top-notch, too.

- thulsa

 

[High Lord Dee]

High Lord Dee: I like your avatar pic. Who is the artist?

Boris

Here is a link to some less known artists if you are looking for an avatar or some art for your campaigns:

http://www.conan-art.com/

For the really good stuff here is THE link for great Fantasy artwork:

http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/

HLD