Conan Adventures in An Age Undreamed Of - RPG

[thulsadoom]

Oh, I was referring to darthgall’s comment above where he posted a link to trollworld.com. I was joking and it was a poor joke at that.

[thulsadoom]

Aug 20, 2018 21:07:48 GMT -5 boot said:

Thulsa, you still playing Pathfinder in your world of Xoth?

You might be interested to know that I have incorporated two of your adventures into may Conan sandbox. I'm using Song of the Beast-Gods, heavily modified, as the basis for a city on the border of Argos and Shem. Instead of what you have in the adventure, I have the place being run by what's left over of the witch coven from the 2011 Conan film. I expanded Marique's story, and they even have her remains (smashed remains, dug from the Skull Cave) in the palace.

Plus, I'm using The Necromancer's Knife, from The Spider God's Bride, as the priestly part of town--going with your suggesting of having them worship Nergal.

This, I used as a base, altered it quite a bit, then added a lot of stuff I created on my own.

I hope to be starting it soon with my players.

I think maybe I took the same name as someone else used to use... those adventures sound intriguing but they aren’t mine!

[Von K]

Aug 22, 2018 10:37:52 GMT -5 deepermagic said:

I didn't realize anyone took over WEG. I just figured it sort of died away. They ought to re-release some of the old stuff (though it is fun to treasure hunt for them in used book stores).

I was blown away by the ease and fun of Star Wars. The Force was kind of wonky, but boot is right, character creation is a snap. I can't quite remember, but I might have tweaked how the fighting/action initiative worked. But it certainly delivers up an quick fun action packed game that doesn't get bogged down. Thinking about it again, it really probably wouldn't be that hard to create a custom Conan d6 game... I might have to pull out some of my old d6 books.

The late Stewart Wieck had plans to reboot the d6 system after his company Nocturnal Media acquired WEG. He was actively asking d6 fans back in 2017 what they would like to see in the new version and regretfully informed them that the Star Wars rpg license was off the table, being in the hands of FFG. Plans for the reboot seem to have gone on hiatus after his passing but Nocturnal Media is now in the hands of his brother Steve Wieck, who may still be interested in developing the d6 system.

[Von K]

Aug 23, 2018 11:15:52 GMT -5 thulsadoom said:

I think maybe I took the same name as someone else used to use... those adventures sound intriguing but they aren’t mine!

I think Boot believes you to be Thulsa who developed a Swords and Sorcery setting called the World of Xoth. I too kind of wondered if you were he.

[thulsadoom]

And then you both saw me asking questions about the 2d20 system etc., and it probably all seemed to fit into place.

At first when he started talking about Xoth I thought he must have been addressing someone else and typed my name accidentally, but it all makes sense now.

[boot]

Aug 26, 2018 21:51:49 GMT -5 thulsadoom said:

And then you both saw me asking questions about the 2d20 system etc., and it probably all seemed to fit into place.

At first when he started talking about Xoth I thought he must have been addressing someone else and typed my name accidentally, but it all makes sense now.

If you are interested, you can check out Thulsa's stuff at Xoth.net.

[thulsadoom]

This is incredible, thanks for this.

[boot]

I've purchased all of Thulsa's Xoth adventures. They're a snap to convert to Mongoose Conan since they use Pathfinder. The Spider-God's Bride is, especially, a steal. 10 adventures, and Thulsa provides a free Mongoose Conan conversion guide.

If you want to have adventures in the City States of Shem, then Spider-God's Bride is a great resource.

[thulsadoom]

It looks like the stuff there would work great with D&D 3.5, too.

I never tried the Mongoose game

Please tell me a little about it.

[boot]

My opinion is that the Mongoose Conan game is the best Conan RPG ever published. It is certainly the best version of d20 3.5, which it uses as a base. So, if you know 3.5, you get the basics of Mongoose Conan. Skills. Feats. Levels. Hit Points.

Except there are a lot of brilliant but subtle changes to customize it for the Hyborian Age.

Armor doesn't make your character harder to hit. Instead, it absorbs damage if you get hit.

Armor and weapons routinely take damage, so that your PCs will have to spend some time and coin on equipment upkeep.

Shields are used defensively, to boost AC, and as weapons. All shields are stated both ways.

Weapons have a penetration value, so weapon selection is not just about the weapon that does the most damage. You need the right tool for the job. This is why Pirates prefer cutlasses (high damage but low penetration) while you won't usually see a war hammer off the battlefield where foes where armor (high penetration, but low damage).

A character has two main defenses: He can Parry, or he can Dodge. So, each character has different AC's based on his Dodge or Parry ability.

Choice of weapon can heavily influence combat technique: Pros and Cons of Thrown or missile weapons vs. melee weapons. Reach weapons vs. weapons with standard 5' threat range. One handed vs. two handed weapons. One weapon fighting vs. two weapon fighting. Standard attack vs. Full Attack.

There are two basic forms of attack to choose from: Standard brute force based attacks and Finesse fighting, where an attacker tries to avoid his foe's armor.

There are lots of triggering devices to make combat extremely interesting. When attack roll equals Parry Defense exactly, the Weapon Breakage rule kicks in to replace the successful hit as if the attacker had just made a successful sunder attack. Damage is placed on the defender's weapon or shield instead of reducing the defender's hit points. This makes the Dodge defense easier on equipment and allows equipment to deteriorate from use.

When the attack throw is less than half a target's Dodge defense, the target is allowed an immediate, free action to move 5 feet in any direction the target (with a DEX 13+) desires. The Dance Aside rule can sometimes make for some interesting tactical movement decisions.

The Weapon Length rule gives an advantage to a character using a bigger, longer weapon than his foe. For example, a character armed with a dagger would have a -2 penalty placed on his Parry defense if facing a foe using a two-handed greatsword. Likewise, the foe with the greatsword would benefit from a +2 bonus to his Parry defense when defending himself from the dagger wielder. This rule encourages the use of Dodge--jumping out of the way of that greatsword rather than Parrying it with a dagger!

The Lock Weapons rule gives both the attacker and defender a choice to lock weapons whenever the attack throw exactly equals the Parry defense.

The point is: Combat can be very, very interesting.

Natural 20? CRITICAL THREAT

Attack = Parry AC? SUNDER and LOCK WEAPONS (Remember Weapon Length can modify Parry AC).

Attack < Half Parry AC? RIPOSTE (4th level for Soldiers. 6th+ level for other classes).

Attack < Half Dodge AC? DANCE ASIDE (Defender DEX 13+)

Every attribute is important to your character.

STR provides bonuses to standard attacks, damage, and penetration. It also modifies the Parry AC and Fortitude Save. It is also the basis for the physical skills.

DEX provides bonuses to ranged attacks and the Finesse fighting style. It also modifies the Dodge AC and the Reflex Save. It is the basis for a large selection of skills.

CON provides bonus to hit points.

INT provides skill points that are modifiers on skills, and points obtained through High INT can be used on cross-class skills as if they were class skills. INT bonus is also used in Sorcery. It is the basis for a large selection of skills.

WIS provides bonus to the Willpower Save (which is the primary defense against most sorcery), and it serves as the basis to several common sense skills. WIS bonus is also used in Sorcery.

CHR provides bonus to social skills (and can be used in combat with the Bluff skill for feints or the Intimidate skill). The bonus is also used in Sorcery.



I would say that the biggest con of the game is that there is a lot to learn. The learning curve, especially for those not familiar with d20 based games, is fairly steep. But, once you learn, the game pays off in spades! It is oh-so-worth it!

[thulsadoom]

Thanks for that, it sure sounds like a blast! I especially like the dodge/parry stuff... makes it sound a lot more engaging than the normal to-hit vs. armor class thing in D&D.

Is it a low-magic kind of place, that game’s world? That’s something else I love about the Conan stories... people who are legitimate, real magic users (conjuring/summoning etc. as opposed to using flash powder/poisons) are very rare. As opposed to a lot of D&D or games like Skyrim where half the people you meet can lob fireballs and lightning at you.

Where can one buy the base rulebook for the system now?

[boot]

Aug 28, 2018 21:38:52 GMT -5 thulsadoom said:

Thanks for that, it sure sounds like a blast! I especially like the dodge/parry stuff... makes it sound a lot more engaging than the normal to-hit vs. armor class thing in D&D.

Oh, it definitely is. The Combat is amazing, just as written. I use a House Rule that I call the GUSTUD Rule. When a foe rolls a natural 1 on his attack, I roll a 1D6.

1. Grapple
2. Unarmed Attack
3. Sunder (an attempt to break your foe's weapon)
4. Trip
5. Unarmed Attack
6. Disarm

The natural 1 indicates that the foe has opened himself up to this special type of Attack of Opportunity. But, this isn't a straight benefit for the attacker. Sometimes these attempts can turn on the attacker.

Results 2 and 5 are to simulate the head butts, knees, elbow shots, backhands, and punches that happen in melee.

The others are self-explanatory, but every one has a rule where, if the attacker is unsuccessful, the the defender (the character that originally rolled the 1) gets to try.

So, if the Pict rolls a natural 1, and the GM rolls a 4 on the GUSTUD chart, then the Pict has opened himself up to a trip by you during the melee.

You get to attempt the trip for free.

But, if you fail the trip, then the Pict, in turn, can attempt to turn the tables and trip you. In effect, if this happens, you went in to trip, but the Pict was too quick. You go to shove him across your planted leg, and he, instead, raises his knee and shoves it into your gut, knocking you down!

Is it a low-magic kind of place, that game’s world? That’s something else I love about the Conan stories... people who are legitimate, real magic users (conjuring/summoning etc. as opposed to using flash powder/poisons) are very rare. As opposed to a lot of D&D or games like Skyrim where half the people you meet can lob fireballs and lightning at you.

Of course, this is up to the GM, but the game is written for the Hyborian Age. In other words, the answer to your question is, "Yes."

There's no healing magic. I play entire adventures where no sorcery is used at all. In some parts of the world, sorcery must be hidden. People are scared of it.

Sorcery in this game is dark and evil. It is twisted nature. It's a totally different system than what you might be used to in D&D. Plus, the spells in the game are more like what you see in Conan stories. You won't see any Web spells or spells like Detection from Evil. Lots of the sorcery takes a lot of time to cast, but when it does, it is powerful. And, Sorcerers do things that seem like sorcery but really aren't. As with Tsotha-lanti's poison ring from The Scarlet Citadel. The sorcerer reached out and just touched Conan's arm. The suspicious who fear sorcery, that looks like an amazing spell. In reality, it is lotus juice poison that paralyzes Conan. A needle juts out from palm side of the ring, and the poison acts almost immediately.

Socerers can use all sorts of academical items to deceive.

Sorcery in this game all depends on the perception of it. That's a huge component. There may be two characters who cast spells by the game rules. One is a priest of Mitra. The other is a necromancer.

The priests spells could be seen as miracles granted by their god, the Mighty Mitra!

Where a necromancer spell might be seen by the hordes to be sinister, unnatural sorcery, where a crowd gathers and tars and feathers the sorcerer.

By the game rules, they did the same things. But, it is roleplayed differently.

And, when I say that sorcery is dark, I'm talking that there are rules for virgin sacrifices and such. Rituals. If done properly, it means bonuses to the sorcerer in casting spells.

For example, there may be a ritual dance required by the followers of Set. The dance must be performed in an exacting fashion, and at the right moment, as the cult followers look on, the dagger is used to plunge into the heart of a virgin sacrifice born on the equinox of an odd year.

The dance would be played out with a skill roll. If the roll meets the required difficulty, the dance was pleasing to Set, and when the dagger is plunged into the sacrifice, a bonus is given to the Sorcerer for a period of time--a bonus that allows him to throw spells that he normally cannot.

Forget everything you know about normal D&D magic. This is a whole different thing.

There is no Mage or Sorcerer class. Anybody who learns the Secrets of Skelos can become a Sorcerer. Class-wise, the Scholar class makes the best Sorcerers, because Scholars are learned folk who know a lot about a specific subject.

Remember Thulsa Doom from the 1982 Conan movie? You can easily create that character using the Mongoose rules. It is easy to multi-class. That character was a Soldier/Scholar. He was a warrior, but also knew about sorcery.





There are nine core classes in the Mongoose game.

There are the Finest: Noble, Soldier, and Scholars.

Nobles are the elite of society.  They make good leaders and have a social component to them.

Soldier covers any type, from the king's men, to mercenary, to ruffian.

Scholars are learned people who know a lot about something. They make great experts. They're the best Sorcerers, but they also make good master smiths or merchantmen--anybody who knows a lot about a particular area. Historian. Priest. Whatever.



Then, there are the Fierest: Barbarians, Borderers, and Nomads.

Barbarians are Conan, of course! But, also Picts, or the savages from the Black Kingdoms, etc.

Borderers are akin to Rangers. They've got one foot in society and one foot in the wilderness. They live in border regions, like the Aquilonian border with the Pictish wilderness.

Nomads, you know what they are. Typically Hyrkanians or maybe Zuagir.



Lastly, there are the Fallen: Thief, Pirate, and Temptress.

Thief. Note that anyone who steals is a thief in this game, but taking this class brings in a lot of skills typically used by thieves.

Pirates. As in Barrachan Pirates.

Temptresses. A very interesting class that fits the Hyborian Age well. These are typically women who use their sexual charms to control men. They may dabble some in sorcery. They are manipulators. This class is perfect for the roleplayer who loves to chew up a world. Think of Conan stories--there are lots of Tempresses who abound.





It is very easy to multi-class in this game, and by doing so, you can use the nine core classes above to make just about any character you could want. A traditional Knight or Cavalier could be created using the Noble/Soldier combo. A hermit might be a Scholar/Barbarian. A druid type might be a Scholar/Borderer. A ship's navigator might be a Scholar/Pirate.

An Assassin might be a Soldier/Thief. A local savage scout might be a Barbarian/Borderer. A shaman might be a Barbarian/Scholar. An Explorer might be a Borderer/Pirate, or a Guide might be a Borderer/Scholar. An outlaw could be a Borderer/Thief. A Sea Captain might be a Noble/Pirate. A Privateer could be a Pirate/Soldier. A Smuggler might be a Pirate/Thief. A Shield Maiden might be a Temptress/Soldier. A Bounty Hunter might be a Thief/Borderer. A Crime Lord might be a Thief/Noble.

You get the idea. These can all be combined in many, many ways, and of course you can specialize your character by your picks in Feats and Skills. Two 1st level Thieves with the exact same attributes could be completely different characters by their Feat and skill choices.

Where can one buy the base rulebook for the system now?

There are three rulebooks. All of them are excellent books. I prefer the 2nd edition rules, though the Atlantean edition is a beautiful full color book (2E is B&W).

Conan The Roleplaying Game

Conan The Roleplaying Game - Atlantean Edition

Conan The Roleplaying Game - Second Edition

The first book also has a Pocket Edition, which is just the rules, missing some fluff.

Any of the books are fine. The First edition will be the least expensive to find. Second edition is the most expensive.

I just did a search, and I found a 2E book on Amazon Marketplace, used, for $69.95. New 2E books are $154.49.

Use 1E books, on Amazon market place, are only $16.57. New ones at $65.00.

Atlantean Editions are hard to find. They say "Atlantean Edition" on the cover.




Check around on eBay and the usual spots.  It depends on what you want and what you are willing to spend.

[thulsadoom]

Aug 28, 2018 23:00:19 GMT -5 boot said:

And, when I say that sorcery is dark, I'm talking that there are rules for virgin sacrifices and such. Rituals. If done properly, it means bonuses to the sorcerer in casting spells.

For example, there may be a ritual dance required by the followers of Set. The dance must be performed in an exacting fashion, and at the right moment, as the cult followers look on, the dagger is used to plunge into the heart of a virgin sacrifice born on the equinox of an odd year.

The dance would be played out with a skill roll. If the roll meets the required difficulty, the dance was pleasing to Set, and when the dagger is plunged into the sacrifice, a bonus is given to the Sorcerer for a period of time--a bonus that allows him to throw spells that he normally cannot.

Oh, now this is awesome!


And your in-house rule sounds like it it would make it flow like a scene in a movie. Make it fun, whereas in D&D it’s like hit roll—yes/no—damage roll—the other guy’s action—next turn. Maybe not exactly but you know what I mean.

I bet I could actually find a group of people that play it here.

Thanks so much for taking the time to tell me about it, I really appreciate that.

[boot]

Aug 29, 2018 0:23:08 GMT -5 thulsadoom said:

And your in-house rule sounds like it it would make it flow like a scene in a movie. Make it fun, whereas in D&D it’s like hit roll—yes/no—damage roll—the other guy’s action—next turn.

Exactly.

A lot of this depends on the GM, as with most RPGs. But, the tools are here to make combat extremely exciting. In my games, the combat is breath taking and cinematic. The options are cool, too. You can actually play a viable character just wearing a loin cloth in this game by doing what you can (picking Feats and class) that boost his Dodge AC.

A street urchin wearing rags but wielding two daggers can be a formidable foe.

If you're in a combat with a fully armored Poitainian Knight, and you find that the weapon you have is not penetrating his armor when you hit, then you've got to figure out another way to fight him. Maybe use a trip. Maybe switch to the Finesse fighting style where you try to avoid his armor and stick your blade into the softer parts at the joints and less protected areas (harder to hit, but armor ignored if you do). You might want to throw your weapon down and grapple him--get in close to where his sword is no use to him, and the two of you are fighting hand-to-hand, scratching each others eyes out. Maybe try a disarm. Or a Sunder, trying to break his weapon so that he cannot hurt you as easily.

There are lots of options.

I bet I could actually find a group of people that play it here.

Thanks so much for taking the time to tell me about it, I really appreciate that.

Sure. It's a great game. It oozes Conan and the Hyborian Age. It's also a low-level game as well as a low-sorcery game. The game is designed to be played in the Level 1-10 area. Commoners, an NPC class, range from 1-10 only. Savage Picts or Belit's Corsairs range in the 1st to 3rd level area. Powerful leaders, like mercenary leaders, landed nobles, church head priests and such start around level 8 and move up from there. The game goes to level 20, but once a character gets over level 10, he starts to enter "Legendary" status.

If you have any more questions, then let me know.

[thulsadoom]

What about these Fate points?