Draft of rules overhaul for use in my upcoming Viking campaign. This will take place in a fantasy version of the real world (Norway 930 AD) instead of in Hyboria so I've done a lot of mucking around with the rules in order to change the flavor, make all classes dependent on more ability scores, rebalance some things and encourage more Vikingish fighting styles (light armor, heavy use of shields, lots of spear-chucking and lots of shield sundering).
Probably a lot of this isn't appropriate for a Conan game since the Conan stories have very different flavor than the Norse sagas, but I wanted to check here if any of the changes below would unbalance the game in some way that I'm not forseeing.
Race:
In the Conan RPG different cultural groups get different abilities.
Half-troll: As Hyperborian or Nordheimer (your choice) except favored classes are Barbarian or Scholar for both.
Default Norse: As Hyborian except +1 to defensive value when using a shield instead of weapon familiarity with greatswords.
Default Human: As Hyborian except free knowledge of one extra language or writing system instead of weapon familiarity with greatswords.
People from other cultures: Pick a race that fits your culture or just use default human.
Ability Score Remapping (done to keep non-casters from dumping their mental stats hard)
-Intelligence represents the ability to reason, Wisdom represents instinctual knowledge (for intelligence and wisdom think Jack London’s portrayal of civilized and savage ways of thinking respectively) and Charisma represents force of personality.
-Wisdom modifier affects initiative, not dex.
-Charisma modifier affects will saves, not wis.
-Dodge Value = Base dodge (from your class) + Dex modifier + Wisdom modifier – 2
-Parry Value = Base parry (from your class) + Str modifier + Int modifier – Dex penalty (if applicable) – 2
Miscellaneous:
-I’m rolling the Faith and Code of Honor system into a very simple Code of Conduct set-up. If you character has a strict Code of Conduct that comes from any source (their faith, their honor, the voices in their head) they get +2 to will saves as long as they follow that Code of Conduct and an xp penalty if they break it. Code of Conducts are completely optional but should limit player behavior in some way and not be “The Code of What I Was Going to do Anyway.”
-I’m not using the Reputation system or the High Living rules. Instead things that are “worthy of song” from a Viking point of view (such as giving away gold to your friends/family) will give you extra experience.
-To make the skills system easier, anything that is a class skill for any of your classes is always a class skill.
-I’ll be more flexible with Fate Point use and let you use them to get an automatic 20 at just about anything.
-Don’t roll for HPs instead d10 classes always get you 6 HPs, d8 classes always give you 5 HPs, and d6 classes always give you 4 HPs.
Combat System Tweaks
-Scrap max dexterity bonus values for armor. Instead armor gives you a penalty to your Parry Value of Total Armor Check Penalty/3 and to your Dodge Value of Total Armor Check Penalty/2 (round down)
-Having lots of armor makes it hard to move around and attack effectively. Take a -1 penalty to hit (including magical attack rolls) for every three points of non-shield armor check penalty (round down).
-No sorcery failure for casting in armor that you’re proficient in using, but you need at least one hand free to cast spells with a Somatic component.
-Damage reduction can’t reduce damage to less than one. Getting hit always hurts even if you have good armor.
-As written the Ranged Finesse feat is worthless. Now it works just like a regular finesse attack except you can only use it within 30 feet of the target (or 45 feet if you have the Farshot feat).
-Shields can always be used to up your Dodge Value in melee, not just against ranged weapons.
-Don’t loose shield bonus to AC even when flatfooted/feinted
-Power attack gives 1.5 bonus to two-handed weapons and .5 bonus to light weapons.
-To the hilt combat maneuver works against things with a DR if you make a finesse attack.
- -2 penalty to dodge value if there’s people or inanimate objects on four sides of you, -4 if none of those things are your allies.
- -4 penalty to your parry value if you have no weapon, -2 to your parry value if you have no weapon but have Improved Unarmed Attack feat, a broken weapon or some non-weapon hard object that you’re trying to block with (like a chair).
-Massive damage saves now require you to make a fort save with a DC of ½ of the damage dealt if the damage dealt is 20 HP or higher to avoid instant death. This tones them down a bit.
- -4 To rolls to avoid a sunder with shields (its not exactly easy to move a shield out of the way when someone’s trying to break it).
-If a sword gets sundered, unless its damaged by double its HP it gets bent instead of broken. Straightening out a bend sword takes a move action and provokes AoOs.
Non-Scholar Class Changes
-Barbarians don’t get the track feat for free.
-Borderers and Nomads get 5 skill points per level. Borderers get camouflage (same as D&D rangers) at level 13.
-Soldiers get 3 skill points per level.
-Nobles get 6 skill points per level.
-The Soldier’s Formation Combat ability now gives the +1 bonus to everyone within the range described in the ability who is using the same fighting style as him (heavy cavalry, light cavalry, heavy infantry or skirmisher) whether they have the formation ability or not. I’ll also let people come up with new Formation Combat abilities like archery or wild charge if they want something along those lines.
-Noble Special Regional Features for Vikings +1 bonus to attack roll with broadswords and one other weapon used by Norse nobility of the player’s choice, +1 to fort saves, +1 to either Knowledge: Geography, Genealogy, Law and Government, Local, Religion, or Sagas. For non-Viking nobles pick an appropriate set of Special Regional features for your cultural background from the table.
-A lot of the Noble social abilities don’t really fit Vikings. If you want you can have new ones that give you things like Athing legal loophole master, an ability to recognize who strangers and what their reputation is or something like that.
Magic/Sorcerers:
-No requirement to spend a certain number of skill points on knowledge skills.
-Whenever Scholars get “New Sorcery Style” they can instead choose an advanced spell in a style that they already know.
-Sorcerers can take Steely Gaze, Menacing Aura, and Poison Use as bonus feats as well as the ones listed and can take any bonus feat instead of Iron Will at 5th level.
-No rule of defense/defensive blast. Instead people who witness a horrifying act of Sorcery make a Terror of Unknown will saves with a DC of 10 + ½ of the Sorcerer’s scholar level or become frightened (-2 to the will save if below half HPs). Once a character passes a will save against a sorcerer they never have to make a terror save vs. spells cast by the sorcerer again. Note: this can trigger the Barbarian’s Crimson Mist ability.
-No rule of obsession.
-No rule of success.
-Energy drain works against other sorcerers only.
-You don’t need a master to gain new spells, but you have to learn them from SOMEWHERE! I’ll be nice about providing sources for you to learn spells from.
-I’ll give situational bonuses/penalties to PP gain to sacrificing things on the fly. For example you’ll gain more PP if you sacrifice a virgin princess than a tavern wench, bonuses for sacrificing a matching black animals to Odin by hanging them, waiting until the stars are right etc. etc. etc. Killing random horses won’t get you much of anything PP-wise.
Viking magic sorcerous styles (kinds of magic you’ll run into, many include new spells added by me):
Curses: Pretty self-explanatory, viewed negatively.
Galdr: Magic that’s based on ritual chanting and is good for reversing the power of other magic or protecting people against hostile magic. It is viewed positively by Vikings, especially if the practitioner is a female.
Hamfarir: Shape changing and animal related magic, viewed with distrust.
Runes: Runic magic that has a wide variety of effects but usually have very lost casting times. It is generally viewed positively by Vikings, especially if the practitioner is male.
Seithr: Witchcraft and various forms of mind-control, illusion and miscellaneous witchery. It is viewed very negatively, especially if the practitioner is male.
Spa: Prophesy and dream-related magic, which is viewed positively, especially if the practitioner is female.
Weather witching: Viewed positively.
Other forms of magic exist but are not generally used by Norse sorcerers.
Knowledge skills categories available to Viking characters: Arcana, Geography, Genealogy, Law and Government, Local, Religion, Sagas
Note: In my game /there’s no knowledge: nature (just take survival) or knowledge: dungeoneering (not many Viking dungeons).
Language System: You speak your native language for free, everything else costs skill points (Viking youths did not start off speaking four languages, no matter how smart they were). Right now you can find Norse speakers from Ireland to Russia so you don’t need that many other languages. Learning another language that’s in a different language family from any you already know costs 2 skill points, learning a language that is in the same language family as one you already know costs 1 skill point, learning to speak a specific dialect of a language that you already know without any accent costs 1 skill point, learning how to read one writing system (Latin alphabet, Runic alphabet, Arabic alphabet etc.) costs 2 skill points with every subsequent writing system you learn costing only 1 skill point. People with the scholar class start off literate in one writing system, everyone else is illiterate unless they pay the skill points for it (this is the Dark Ages after all).
Useful language: Proto-Norse for reading old inscriptions.
Weapons and armor easily available in Viking lands:
Notes on high quality weapons and armor:
Akbitanan weapons are basically heirloom-quality weapons for the purposes of this game. Up costs by 50% across the board while in Viking lands.
High quality armor and shields have -1 armor check penalty and cost double (that’s it).
Dagger
Hatchet
Knife
Club
Mace
Spear, Hunting: Change armor piercing to 2, change damage to 1d10, change range increment to 20 feet. Can be thrown while using a shield.
Spear, war: Change damage to 1d12, change armor piercing to 3, change range increment to 10 feet. Can’t be thrown while using a shield.
Staff
Bow, Hunting: Change armor piercing to 2
Javelin: Change to one-handed weapon. Can use used while wearing a shield.
Sling
Axe
Pommel
Sword, Short
Battleaxe
Broadsword
Warhammer (1d6 damage seems weak until you run into an opponent with the Iron Can’t Bite rune, no change)
Bardiche (cut damage to 2d8)
Bill (cut damage to 2d6)
Club, War
Pollaxe
Sword, War
Greatsword (cut damage to 2d8)
Longbows do not yet exist.
Composite bow count as Hyrkanian bows and are not available in Viking lands but do exist. Other forms of bows do not exist.
Scimitars etc. are available to foreigners but not in Viking lands.
Leather Jerkin
Mail Shirt (change cost to 600 SP, were rare in Viking lands)
Quilted Jerkin
Scale Corselet (made of bone or horn plates)
Mail Hauberk (change cost to 1200 SP, were rare in Viking lands).
Mail Hauberk and Scale Corselet (change cost to 1300 SP, were rare in Viking lands)
Scale Hauberk (made of bone or horn plates)
Steel Cap
Bucklers are only available to foreigners, Vikings didn’t use small metal shield
Shield, Large
Targe (fits description of smaller Viking shields)
Probably a lot of this isn't appropriate for a Conan game since the Conan stories have very different flavor than the Norse sagas, but I wanted to check here if any of the changes below would unbalance the game in some way that I'm not forseeing.
Race:
In the Conan RPG different cultural groups get different abilities.
Half-troll: As Hyperborian or Nordheimer (your choice) except favored classes are Barbarian or Scholar for both.
Default Norse: As Hyborian except +1 to defensive value when using a shield instead of weapon familiarity with greatswords.
Default Human: As Hyborian except free knowledge of one extra language or writing system instead of weapon familiarity with greatswords.
People from other cultures: Pick a race that fits your culture or just use default human.
Ability Score Remapping (done to keep non-casters from dumping their mental stats hard)
-Intelligence represents the ability to reason, Wisdom represents instinctual knowledge (for intelligence and wisdom think Jack London’s portrayal of civilized and savage ways of thinking respectively) and Charisma represents force of personality.
-Wisdom modifier affects initiative, not dex.
-Charisma modifier affects will saves, not wis.
-Dodge Value = Base dodge (from your class) + Dex modifier + Wisdom modifier – 2
-Parry Value = Base parry (from your class) + Str modifier + Int modifier – Dex penalty (if applicable) – 2
Miscellaneous:
-I’m rolling the Faith and Code of Honor system into a very simple Code of Conduct set-up. If you character has a strict Code of Conduct that comes from any source (their faith, their honor, the voices in their head) they get +2 to will saves as long as they follow that Code of Conduct and an xp penalty if they break it. Code of Conducts are completely optional but should limit player behavior in some way and not be “The Code of What I Was Going to do Anyway.”
-I’m not using the Reputation system or the High Living rules. Instead things that are “worthy of song” from a Viking point of view (such as giving away gold to your friends/family) will give you extra experience.
-To make the skills system easier, anything that is a class skill for any of your classes is always a class skill.
-I’ll be more flexible with Fate Point use and let you use them to get an automatic 20 at just about anything.
-Don’t roll for HPs instead d10 classes always get you 6 HPs, d8 classes always give you 5 HPs, and d6 classes always give you 4 HPs.
Combat System Tweaks
-Scrap max dexterity bonus values for armor. Instead armor gives you a penalty to your Parry Value of Total Armor Check Penalty/3 and to your Dodge Value of Total Armor Check Penalty/2 (round down)
-Having lots of armor makes it hard to move around and attack effectively. Take a -1 penalty to hit (including magical attack rolls) for every three points of non-shield armor check penalty (round down).
-No sorcery failure for casting in armor that you’re proficient in using, but you need at least one hand free to cast spells with a Somatic component.
-Damage reduction can’t reduce damage to less than one. Getting hit always hurts even if you have good armor.
-As written the Ranged Finesse feat is worthless. Now it works just like a regular finesse attack except you can only use it within 30 feet of the target (or 45 feet if you have the Farshot feat).
-Shields can always be used to up your Dodge Value in melee, not just against ranged weapons.
-Don’t loose shield bonus to AC even when flatfooted/feinted
-Power attack gives 1.5 bonus to two-handed weapons and .5 bonus to light weapons.
-To the hilt combat maneuver works against things with a DR if you make a finesse attack.
- -2 penalty to dodge value if there’s people or inanimate objects on four sides of you, -4 if none of those things are your allies.
- -4 penalty to your parry value if you have no weapon, -2 to your parry value if you have no weapon but have Improved Unarmed Attack feat, a broken weapon or some non-weapon hard object that you’re trying to block with (like a chair).
-Massive damage saves now require you to make a fort save with a DC of ½ of the damage dealt if the damage dealt is 20 HP or higher to avoid instant death. This tones them down a bit.
- -4 To rolls to avoid a sunder with shields (its not exactly easy to move a shield out of the way when someone’s trying to break it).
-If a sword gets sundered, unless its damaged by double its HP it gets bent instead of broken. Straightening out a bend sword takes a move action and provokes AoOs.
Non-Scholar Class Changes
-Barbarians don’t get the track feat for free.
-Borderers and Nomads get 5 skill points per level. Borderers get camouflage (same as D&D rangers) at level 13.
-Soldiers get 3 skill points per level.
-Nobles get 6 skill points per level.
-The Soldier’s Formation Combat ability now gives the +1 bonus to everyone within the range described in the ability who is using the same fighting style as him (heavy cavalry, light cavalry, heavy infantry or skirmisher) whether they have the formation ability or not. I’ll also let people come up with new Formation Combat abilities like archery or wild charge if they want something along those lines.
-Noble Special Regional Features for Vikings +1 bonus to attack roll with broadswords and one other weapon used by Norse nobility of the player’s choice, +1 to fort saves, +1 to either Knowledge: Geography, Genealogy, Law and Government, Local, Religion, or Sagas. For non-Viking nobles pick an appropriate set of Special Regional features for your cultural background from the table.
-A lot of the Noble social abilities don’t really fit Vikings. If you want you can have new ones that give you things like Athing legal loophole master, an ability to recognize who strangers and what their reputation is or something like that.
Magic/Sorcerers:
-No requirement to spend a certain number of skill points on knowledge skills.
-Whenever Scholars get “New Sorcery Style” they can instead choose an advanced spell in a style that they already know.
-Sorcerers can take Steely Gaze, Menacing Aura, and Poison Use as bonus feats as well as the ones listed and can take any bonus feat instead of Iron Will at 5th level.
-No rule of defense/defensive blast. Instead people who witness a horrifying act of Sorcery make a Terror of Unknown will saves with a DC of 10 + ½ of the Sorcerer’s scholar level or become frightened (-2 to the will save if below half HPs). Once a character passes a will save against a sorcerer they never have to make a terror save vs. spells cast by the sorcerer again. Note: this can trigger the Barbarian’s Crimson Mist ability.
-No rule of obsession.
-No rule of success.
-Energy drain works against other sorcerers only.
-You don’t need a master to gain new spells, but you have to learn them from SOMEWHERE! I’ll be nice about providing sources for you to learn spells from.
-I’ll give situational bonuses/penalties to PP gain to sacrificing things on the fly. For example you’ll gain more PP if you sacrifice a virgin princess than a tavern wench, bonuses for sacrificing a matching black animals to Odin by hanging them, waiting until the stars are right etc. etc. etc. Killing random horses won’t get you much of anything PP-wise.
Viking magic sorcerous styles (kinds of magic you’ll run into, many include new spells added by me):
Curses: Pretty self-explanatory, viewed negatively.
Galdr: Magic that’s based on ritual chanting and is good for reversing the power of other magic or protecting people against hostile magic. It is viewed positively by Vikings, especially if the practitioner is a female.
Hamfarir: Shape changing and animal related magic, viewed with distrust.
Runes: Runic magic that has a wide variety of effects but usually have very lost casting times. It is generally viewed positively by Vikings, especially if the practitioner is male.
Seithr: Witchcraft and various forms of mind-control, illusion and miscellaneous witchery. It is viewed very negatively, especially if the practitioner is male.
Spa: Prophesy and dream-related magic, which is viewed positively, especially if the practitioner is female.
Weather witching: Viewed positively.
Other forms of magic exist but are not generally used by Norse sorcerers.
Knowledge skills categories available to Viking characters: Arcana, Geography, Genealogy, Law and Government, Local, Religion, Sagas
Note: In my game /there’s no knowledge: nature (just take survival) or knowledge: dungeoneering (not many Viking dungeons).
Language System: You speak your native language for free, everything else costs skill points (Viking youths did not start off speaking four languages, no matter how smart they were). Right now you can find Norse speakers from Ireland to Russia so you don’t need that many other languages. Learning another language that’s in a different language family from any you already know costs 2 skill points, learning a language that is in the same language family as one you already know costs 1 skill point, learning to speak a specific dialect of a language that you already know without any accent costs 1 skill point, learning how to read one writing system (Latin alphabet, Runic alphabet, Arabic alphabet etc.) costs 2 skill points with every subsequent writing system you learn costing only 1 skill point. People with the scholar class start off literate in one writing system, everyone else is illiterate unless they pay the skill points for it (this is the Dark Ages after all).
Useful language: Proto-Norse for reading old inscriptions.
Weapons and armor easily available in Viking lands:
Notes on high quality weapons and armor:
Akbitanan weapons are basically heirloom-quality weapons for the purposes of this game. Up costs by 50% across the board while in Viking lands.
High quality armor and shields have -1 armor check penalty and cost double (that’s it).
Dagger
Hatchet
Knife
Club
Mace
Spear, Hunting: Change armor piercing to 2, change damage to 1d10, change range increment to 20 feet. Can be thrown while using a shield.
Spear, war: Change damage to 1d12, change armor piercing to 3, change range increment to 10 feet. Can’t be thrown while using a shield.
Staff
Bow, Hunting: Change armor piercing to 2
Javelin: Change to one-handed weapon. Can use used while wearing a shield.
Sling
Axe
Pommel
Sword, Short
Battleaxe
Broadsword
Warhammer (1d6 damage seems weak until you run into an opponent with the Iron Can’t Bite rune, no change)
Bardiche (cut damage to 2d8)
Bill (cut damage to 2d6)
Club, War
Pollaxe
Sword, War
Greatsword (cut damage to 2d8)
Longbows do not yet exist.
Composite bow count as Hyrkanian bows and are not available in Viking lands but do exist. Other forms of bows do not exist.
Scimitars etc. are available to foreigners but not in Viking lands.
Leather Jerkin
Mail Shirt (change cost to 600 SP, were rare in Viking lands)
Quilted Jerkin
Scale Corselet (made of bone or horn plates)
Mail Hauberk (change cost to 1200 SP, were rare in Viking lands).
Mail Hauberk and Scale Corselet (change cost to 1300 SP, were rare in Viking lands)
Scale Hauberk (made of bone or horn plates)
Steel Cap
Bucklers are only available to foreigners, Vikings didn’t use small metal shield
Shield, Large
Targe (fits description of smaller Viking shields)