[CONAN] GM's Closet for the Conan RPG

[Water Bob]

The Conan RPG is a d20 variant set of rules meant to be used for adventures set during Conan's Hyborian Age. The game was produced by Mongoose Publishing, but it is out of print now (as Mongoose no longer holds the Conan License). Although no game is without detractors, the majority of d20 players consider the game a superior set of d20 rules. The game was produced in three editions: The first edition was simply called CONAN THE ROLEPLAYING GAME. An updated edition was published and referred to as the Atlantean Edition. The third and last update of the game is called the Second Edition, and it is a cleaned up, better written edition of the previous rule sets.

I thought it would be neat to have a thread for Conan GM's to post various ideas, rule tweaks, NPCs, adventure ideas, and what not--a single thread that a Conan GM can peruse and maybe find ideas for his game. That's why I started this thread.

Consider it a Conan RPG magazine of sorts, covering all sorts of topics in which a Conan GM would be interested.

I'll start, with a few ideas of my own. Feel free to add your two silvers.

[Water Bob]

-- PRODUCT LIST --



Here's a complete product list for those GM's searching for books to play this incredible game.



CORE RULEBOOKS

MGP7701 Conan - The Roleplaying Game (also the Atlantean Edition)
MGP7707 Game Master's Screen
MGP7711 Conan - The Roleplaying Game (Pocket Edition of the Atlantean Edition)
MGP7800 Conan - The Roleplaying Game Rulebook (2nd Edition)





GAME SUPPLEMENTS

MGP7702 The Scrolls of Skelos
MGP7703 The Road of Kings
MGP7704 Pirate Isles
MGP7705 Across The Thunder River
MGP7706 The Free Companies
MGP7710 Aquilonia - The Flower of the West
MGP7713 Hyboria's Fiercest: Barbarians, Borderers and Nomads
MGP7714 Tales of the Black Kingdoms
MGP7715 Hyboria's Finest: Nobles, Scholars and Soldiers
MGP7717 Hyboria's Fallen: Pirates, Thieves and Temptresses
MGP7721 Tito's Trading Post
MGP7722 Stygia - The Serpent of the South
MGP7723 Faith and Fervour
MGP7724 Ruins of Hyboria
MGP7725 Argos and Zingara
MGP7728 Shem - Gateway to the South
MGP7729 The Conan Compendium
MGP7802 Return to the Road of Kings
MGP7803 Bestiary of the Hyborian Age
MGP7805 Secrets of Skelos
MGP7808 Player's Guide to the Hyborian Age
MGP7811 Cimmeria
MGP7812 Cities of Hyboria
MGP7813 Khitai
MGP7816 The Warrior's Companion
MGP7817 Catacombs of Hyboria





ADVENTURES

MGP5598 The Coming of Hanuman
MGP5599 The Black Stones of Kovag-Re
MGP7716 Heretics of Tarantia
MGP7718 The Lurking Terror of Nahab
MGP7719 Tower of the Elephant
MGP7727 Reavers of the Vilayet
MGP7807 Adventures in the Hyborian Age
MGP7809 Trial of Blood
MGP7815 Betrayer of Asgard





BOXED SETS

MGP7708 Shadizar - City of Wickeness
MGP7709 Messantia - City of Riches





FREE STUFF

Missing item numbers above were assigned to projects that were not completed or canceled at the time Mongoose lost the Conan license. For example, MGP7818 Empires of the Hyborian Age was given to Conan RPG fans as a free download (the Mongoose link no longer works or I would have had it here for you). Most of MGP7819 Thief's Companion was published in Mongoose's free gaming magazine called Signs & Portents.

If you look at the Mongoose site, under the "Other Roleplaying Games" forum, you'll see a sticky that lists all of the material for the Conan RPG published in S&P. I highly recommend that the serious Conan GM download all of this material (and it is a lot, too--almost 500 pages worth of Conan goodness) from the various issues to use in your game.

MGP7720 To Save A Kingdom, which is a large introductory adventure, is published, in its entirety, in S&P. MGP7716 Heretics of Tarantia, which is an adventure that Mongoose published for sale, was eventually also wholly printed in S&P (under the different title: Faith & Blood). A ton of free stuff you will find in S&P, from adventure locations (many from the Conan stories), to NPCs, equipment, game discussion, and other supplementary material.

[Water Bob]

-- THRESHOLD OF DARKNESS --

This is a multi-part adventure, written by Eric Rodriguez and Vincent Delarge, that appeared in a magazine called Ancible. The mag now has this adventure downloadable for free. Go to the Ancible download page and download issues #2-#5 to get the entire adventure.

[Water Bob]

-- CONAN RPG RESOURCES OUT IN THE BIG VOID --



There are a few web sites out there in the ether with some home grown Conan adventures on them. You'll have to use your Google-fu. For example, there's stuff on Thulsa's site. Some of these are full adventures that you can download for free. Some of these are conversions of classic 1st edition AD&D adventures where you still need the original adventure, but Thulsa provides the Conan-ization. And, some of these Thulsa charges (worth it--he writes good swords & sorcery adventures) for--they're not specifically for the Hyborian Age, but they're close enough that you can customize them for your game without too much fuss. You can buy the pdf or a hard copy through Lulu (which is what I prefer). The Spider God's Bride is a great bargain, providing you 10 adventures, from level 1-10. If you buy it (recommended), then be sure to download Thulsa's free Conan RPG conversion document he wrote for converting that compilation of adventure to the Conan RPG.

Scribd.com is a good place to look for homegrown Conan RPG stuff. In just writing this post for you, I found The Isle of Smoking Peaks, This Article, and This Cult. I'm sure there's more if I kept looking (and if you do, post it here so that the rest of us can benefit!).

Conan author Vincent Darlage maintains THIS SITE and THIS SITE.

You might find useful information on blogs, too, like This One.

Please post in this thread anything that you think other Conan GM's would like to see.

[Water Bob]

-- EMPIRES OF THE HYBORIAN AGE --



Click on the title above to download the book.


Empires of the Hyborian Age was to be an official Mongoose sourcebook for the Conan RPG. When the news came out that Mongoose would no longer publish the game, Empires was released by the company for free to Conan fans. By clicking on the title above, you will download the pre-published manuscript for Mongoose's Conan RPG supplement, Empires of the Hyborian Age.

[Water Bob]

-- THIRD PARTY CONAN RPG SUPPLEMENTS --



Click on the title to view the books.

99% of all supplements written for the Conan RPG were published by Mongoose. But, not all know that Misfit Studios created three OGL supplements designed to be used specifically with this game (as opposed to D&D barbarians). I highly recommend all three.

The Barbaric Warrior

The Barbaric Sorcerer

Barbaric Treasures

[Water Bob]

-- A LOW LEVEL WORLD OF HIGH ADVENTURE --



Typically, with d20 games, there are two types of universes. The first is dynamic where the world scales with the level of the player characters. You can see this in some D&D adventures where, when playing a published adventure designed for characters level 1-3, all the town guards are 1st level Fighters and the Captain of the Guards is maybe 4th level.

Then, as the PCs gain experience and levels, an adventure designed for 4-6 level characters will have town guards at level 2 or 3, and the Captain at level 7.

The other type of universe is stagnant, where character levels remain what they are regardless of the PCs' level. Town guards are always about the same level, no matter where you go, and a Captain of the Guard of similar experience will be the same level, no matter the level of the player characters.

The Conan RPG uses this second method for the setting of the Hyborian Age. Feared Pict savages are 1st level Barbarians. And, from the point of view of a Commoner classed character, even one that is level 10, that 1st level Pict truly is something to be feared.

A GM that prefers the dynamic scaling method for his games can certainly game that way. But, I will note that keeping the Conan universe low-level (think of it like a E-10 game) will keep the grit and lethal flavor of the Hyborian Age that comes across so atmospherically in Howard's Conan stories.





What Does A Level Mean?

Half the game universe's NPCs should be in the 1st-3rd level range. For clarification, a section was added to the 2E core rulebook that provides guidelines to GMs when making decisions on character levels. See pg. 11-12 of the 2E rulebook for specifics, and look at the Human entries in the Beastiary chapter.

In sum, character levels in the Conan RPG are defined as such (from the examples given in the 2E Core Rulebook).

1st level - a novice fresh out of basic training. But also note that many NPCs are 1st level. A character can be a novice for years or even most of his life.

2nd or 3rd level - most seasoned NPCs. 50% of all NPCs are level 1-3.

4th level - a cut above. The elites. A leader of a bandit band or the fiercest warrior of a band of pirates.

8th level - legendary character. Clan chieftans. Infamous sorcerors. Army generals. Warriors of great renown.

12th level and greater - True mythical characters, as with Conan, Thoth-Amon, Thulsa Doom, Xaltotun, Akivasha.





Examples.

Where as the first edition and Atlantean Edition used few examples to illustrate this point, the Second Edition of the rules drove the point home with the afore mentioned new section describing various character levels and several new examples in the Bestiary chapter of the book.

Here are those examples:

Belit's Black Corsairs, who terrorized the Southern Coast for all those years, are 2nd level Southern Islander Pirates.

The feared Darfari Cannibals are 3rd level Black Kingdom Barbarians.

The entry for Picts reveals that they are 1st level Pictish Barbarians.

Typical Zamorian Thief? 2nd level Thief.

Typical Turanian Light Cavalryman? 2nd level Soldier.

Typical Peasant? 1st level Commoner.

Typical Merchant? 3rd level Commoner/1st level Scholar.

Typical Hyborian Socerer? 4th level Scholar.

Typical Zingaran Dancing Girl? 2nd level Temptress.

Typical City Guardsman? 2nd level Soldier.

Typical Bandit? 2nd level Borderer.

There's an example of a Sellsword, which is described as a dangerous mercenary and killer for hire. This guy is a 4th level character: 2nd level Soldier/2nd level Borderer.

Also note page 301 of 2E Conan. The majority of a kingdom's military forces are 1st level Soldiers. Lower-ranking officers are 2nd-5th level Soldiers. Higher ranking officers are usually Nobles or Noble/Soldiers multiclassed. Peasant militia are usually 1st level Commoners armed with war spears.





Commoner.

The Commoner class is meant for NPCs. You'll see it listed on page 351 of the 2E Core Rulebook. This class maxes out at level 10, uses a d4 Hit Die, is illiterate (a character must spend skill points to be able to read and write), and comes with few class perks in the way of free Feats and class abilities.

For example, a 1st level Soldier character gets maximum hit points (1st level Commoners do not get maximum--it must be rolled), uses d10 hit dice, is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light, medium, and heavy armor, and shields. Plus, the character is given the Two-Weapon combat feat for free (in addition to other bonuses).

In contrast, the 1st level Commoner must roll his starting hit points--he does not get maximum points. He is illiterate and two skill points must be spent in order to make the character educated enough to read and write. And, proficiency is given for one simple weapon--that's a single weapon, not all weapons classed as "Simple" as with the Soldier.

Point of View: Upon first glance, a 1st level Pict Barbarian doesn't seem all that scary. But, a GM should look at the 1st level Pict from the point of view of a Commoner of any level. From that vantage point, the Pict savage is certainly something to be feared.

GM Advice: When considering the power of any character level in the Conan RPG, always consider that level from the point of view of a Commoner classed NPC.

[Water Bob]

-- GREY MATTER JUICE --



From time to time, I'll post images appropriate for the Hyborian Age. I like to use this stuff in games. For example, take the image below. Who is he? It looks like he's got a real problem with that left arm. Sometimes an image like this will inspire me for an encounter--or even an entire adventure. Using the pic as a guide, I'll stat this guy up and place him in the game somewhere. Maybe he's a hook to start an adventure. Think the PCs will help him find a cure for his arm? Or, maybe they'll be too late, and this guy will become something else in the middle of the night?

Let your imagination run.

Spoiler

Show

[Firechanter]

It's a cool game that I used to play with gusto for years.

However, we made some tweaks to the combat mechanics, particularly concerning Massive Damage rules. We didn't nix the Massive Damage Save per se, but removed those crazy 2d10 weapons and nerfed Power Attack somewhat. Because, if you play it by the book, any TH-Fighter will trigger MDS on _every_ hit, and while that's pretty cool for the party Barbarian, everyone else will feel "a little bit redundant". Also, things get really nasty when you encounter _enemies_ with TH weapons.


What's generally really cool about this system is that it effectively removes item dependency. There are no magic items, and you need no magic items. So it's the perfect match for any low magic / Sword & Sorcery game. I applaud that.
However, in the long run you experience a drawback of this change: there is not really anything for the player to aim for. In D&D you are always on the hunt for new and cooler toys and that makes for a lot of the motivation. In Conan D20, there are no such toys. Your basic needs for weapons and armour are quickly met. Any treasure your character acquires will be squandered on Ale & Whores between sessions. So after a while, things will get a bit repetitive.
This was also basically the reason why we eventually ended our Conan campaign and went back to 3.5.

[Water Bob]

-- CONAN FOR D20 3e/3.5e and TRUE 20 --



The Mongoose Conan RPG is out of print and can be quite pricey to collect. The good news is that you really only need one of the rule books to run a Conan game using the Mongoose rules. I've noticed that the first core rulebook (as of this writing) can be found for a reasonable price. Although I prefer the Second Edition rules, in reality, there is not a lot of difference between any of the three Mongoose editions. The first core rulebook, the Atlantean Edition, and the Second Edition all have very subtle differences.

But, if you can't get (or don't want) one of the Mongoose editions, there's plenty of other rule sets out there for you to use.

Here are some resources to consider if you are running a Conan game using the standard D&D 3e or 3.5e Players Handbook.

The Hyborian Age

Conan The Barbarian

Red Sonja





Click below to find a supplement for running True 20 based Conan adventures.

Hyborian Adventures

[Water Bob]

-- CONAN FOR AD&D --



Hyborian Age AD&D. Clicky, clicky.

[Water Bob]

-- CONAN and the ORIGINAL RULES --



Back in the day, TSR produced an RPG for Conan that was not D&D based. It used a set of rules created by veteran game designer Zeb Cook.

These rules are available today, for free, sans any mention of the mighty barbarian. I've never used the rule set, but I understand many still love the mechanics.

ZeFRS - "Zeb's Fantasy Roleplaying System"

Click HERE to be taken to a page that is dedicated to a ZeFRS based game.

[Water Bob]

-- CONAN FANTASY CRAFT CONVERSION --



If you are a fan of Fantasy Craft, then you'll be interested in this Conan conversion guide.

CONAN Conversion Guide

[Water Bob]

-- SAVAGE CONAN --


SAVAGE WORLDS is a newer game system that many like. Click below to find the Conan conversion for that game.

SAVAGE HYBORIA

[Water Bob]

-- CONAN THE BARBARIAN 2011 MOVIE LOCATIONS --


I've got to admit, I don't mind the film. It's not "great" by any stretch, but I think it's a fun watch. Popcorn movie. I re-watch it from time to time.

I'm trying to place the locations. So, the film starts in Cimmeria showing (this version of) Conan's backstory. Then, we pick up on the coast of Zingara, with Conan as an adult, as he raids the slavers.

Next, it's on the boat and down the coast to Messantia.

So, does the majority of the rest of the film occur in Argos?

From the tavern scene in Messantia, we cut to Conan among the slaves after he was captured in the tavern. Therefore, Conan is somewhere in Argos, but it's definitely not Messantia as the scene shows the slaves in snow capped mountains. I'm guessing this is the Rabirian Mountains in northeast Argos near the Zingaran border, west of the Khorotas.

When Conan "interviews" no-nose about the location of Zym, Conan is told that Zym travels through the Forbidden Forest. This could be anywhere in Argos, as it's supposed to be fairly wooded. On the Zingaran border, there's the ghoul infested forest, but I'm thinking this forest is somewhere closer to the border with Shem. Argos is supposed to become less woody there, and its terrain is supposed to become hilly and more like Shem. In the film, we see the forest around the Shaipur Monastary, but the Shaipur Pass (Ravine) and the Shaipur Outpost are both desert-like. I'm assuming these three "Shaipur" locations are somewhat close to each other. The Shaipur Outpost is obviously on the coast. Also, Khalar Zym's fortress, Khor Kalba, is somewhere near the Shaipur Ravine because Conan is told that Zym will return from his attack on the Shaipur Monastary via the ravine.

I place these locations in Argos, or just over the border into Shem, because of the connection with ancient Acheron.

From the scene with slaver no-nose,Ela-Shan tells the barbarian that the thief can be found in Argalon. I'm guessing this is somewhere in Shem close to the Argossean border. Why Shem? A pure guess based on the similarity of "Argalon" with "Asgalun" and "Askalon", the port city capital of Pelishtia in western Shem. Plus, seen from afar in the film, the domes on the buildings give it a Shemitsh look. In the film, the music and look of the tavern that Conan enters definitely has what I would call the "feel" of Shem.





Back on the Hornet, I'm assuming they are sailing south (leaving the port of Messantia), because Conan says, "I'll leave tonight to pursue him (Zym) in Shaipur." Then, we see Conan, in a dusty, rocky area next to ruins. This must be either Argos or Shem, somewhere near that border on the coast.

Zym massacres the monks at the Monastary, and Conan chases Tamara as she flees the bloodshed.

Another reason I think all of this is taking place in Argos is that it makes sense that this is where a true blood Archeronian decendant would be (even though Tamara is supposed to be from Hyrkania).

Conan attacks Zym's forces at the Shaipur Ravine and then faces Zym himself at the deserted Shaipur Outpost--where he escapes from Zym, returning to the Hornet, by diving into the sea.

There is the attack on the Hornet by Zym's men, and then the ship finds a place close to that area so that Conan can disembark and chase Zym. It looks like it's some secretive smuggling drop off point.

Conan then gets him some of Tamara that night in a cave, but Zym's forces are close. And, Tamara is captured before she can return to the Hornet. How did they find her? Earlier in the film, Zym's daughter, the witch called Marique, displayed some sort of sorcerous tracking ability. Marique said that she can smell the true blood.





Zym's stronghold, Khor Kalba, is supposed to be an Acheronian ruin, and it's location must be fairly known. It's on the sea.

Conan travels to Argalon to find Ela-Shan. He needs the thief's skills to break into Khor Kalba. Zym's stronghold must be fairly close because Ela-Shan has studied the place and already knows how to get in. In the novel, this was the case. Being a good thief, Ela-Shan studied things like this important to his craft and livelihood.





The rest of the film is the climax that takes place at Khor Kalba and the Skull Cave, which is seen in the film to be within sight of Zym's fortress.

Khor Kalba looks to be huge--an ancient, deserted Acheronian city.





Of course, the last shot is somewhere in Hyrkania as Conan returns Tamara to her home.

And, the coda happens as Conan returns to Cimmeria.

[Water Bob]

-- DR. SKULL's CONAN CULT --



Click on the title above.

This is a page dedicated to the Mongoose Conan RPG. You will find...

...Game session write-ups...

...A Hyborian Age calendar...

...Several Conan adventures that you can use in your game...

...The official Mongoose Rule Clarifications...

...The official Mongoose Conan Mass Combat Rules...

...Dr. Skull's House Rules...

[Water Bob]

-- CONAN MASS COMBAT RULES --


Click on the title.

Mongoose released official Mass Combat rules for the Conan RPG for free. Click on the link above to download them.

[Water Bob]

-- MONGOOSE CONAN RPG FAQ --



Click on the title.

Sometime before the Second Edition was printed, Mongoose released a FAQ concerning some aspects of the Conan RPG. Click on the link to view that document.

[duboisjf]

A GM that prefers the dynamic scaling method for his games can certainly game that way. But, I will note that keeping the Conan universe low-level (think of it like a E-10 game) will keep the grit and lethal flavor of the Hyborian Age that comes across so atmospherically in Howard's Conan stories.

About Howard's Conan stories, here is a link to original text on most of them.

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Author..._the_Barbarian

Truly worth the time.

[Water Bob]

-- MAP OF THE HYBORIAN AGE --



Click on the title.

Though this map was changed with the release of the Atlantean Edition, if you click on the link above, you will find the original Mongoose map to the Conan game universe.

[Water Bob]

-- BARBARIANS OF LEMURIA --


Barbarians of Lemuria is a set of rpg rules for sword & sorcery gaming. It can easily be used for adventuring during the Hyborian Age.

CLICK HERE to download the free starter rule set of BoL.



CRIMSON SHOALS

This is a fan-made adventure set during the Hyborian Age using the the Barbarians of Lemuria rule set. There is also a BASIC ROLE PLAYING conversion at the end of the document. GMs wanting to use this scenario with the Conan RPG rules need only add their own stats. Click on the title above to see the adventure.



Here are a couple other Conan scenarios from the same source, using the BoL rule set.

The Homecoming of Count Inchiostro

Ghosts of Archeron



THIS PAGE is the source of the three adventure above and features some other BoL downloads. Also CLICK HERE.

[Water Bob]

-- CONAN THE ACHERONIAN EDITION --



Click on the title.

This is a set of House Rules and tweaks for Mongoose's Conan RPG that I found on the net. I have nothing to do with that site, but it's worth a browse. You might find something you like.

[Water Bob]

-- OGL d20 SWORD & SORCERY TOOLKIT --



Click on the title.

For those using D&D 3e/3.5e or running OGL Conan games, the link above provides advice on customizing d20 for sword & sorcery universes.

[Water Bob]

-- CONAN AND DRAGON AGE --


This is a conversion of the Dragon Age rpg for use with Conan.

AGE OF CONAN

[Water Bob]

-- CONAN's AD&D HYBORIAN TALES --



This is a set of notes that will tweak a standard AD&D game for use during the Hyborian Age. These rules are inspired by Appendix N of the AD&D DMG.

Check the Downloads page for a custom Hyborian Tales character sheet.

HYBORIAN TALES

[Water Bob]

-- CONAN AD&D SECOND EDITION ADVENTURES --



These adventures are all based on Howard's original Conan stories, and each of them are written for the AD&D 2E rule set. These adventures were written by Wesley Connally.

THE TOWER OF THE ELEPHANT

ROGUES IN THE HOUSE

SHADOWS IN ZAMBOULA

SHADOWS IN THE MOONLIGHT

THE DEVIL IN IRON

THE JEWELS OF GWAHLUR

RED NAILS

HALL OF THE DEAD

THE CITY OF SKULLS

BLACK TEARS




CLICK HERE here to see a character sheet that Wesley created for use with these adventures.

AND, CLICK HERE to view tweaks to the AD&D 2E rule system for use while gaming in the Hyborian Age.

[Water Bob]

-- CONVERTING d20 AND OGL CREATURES TO THE CONAN RPG --



Click on the title.

This is a document, created when Mongoose's Conan d20 RPG was a fresh, new shiny item on the game store's shelves, will help GMs convert creatures from the various OGL tomes for use in a game set during the Hyborian Age. Note that Berin Kinsman wrote this document for the first edition of the Conan RPG (but it can be useful for second edition Conan RPG users, too).

[Water Bob]

-- UNOFFICIAL CONAN 2E CHARACTER SHEET --



Click on the title.

Made by a fan. From a quick glance, it looks like it may incorporate some House Rules in the fan's game. Check it out, though.

[Water Bob]

-- Geographic Index of S&P Conan Articles --


Signs & Portents is the house gaming magazine of Mongoose Publishing, the company that published the Conan Roleplaying Game. Most issues of S&P are available free for download at the Mongoose web site. See the sticky topic in the Other Games forum on that site for an index of articles.



AQUILONIA

What's In A Name? (Aquilonian Names)

Gambling (Hyborian gambling games and rules useable anywhere)

Noble Followers (can be used with any nobles of any land)

Alternative Borderer Combat Styles (Aquilonian Arbalester; Gunderland Pike Fighter)

Hyborian Age Monsters (Ankou; Korrigan)



ARGOS

Bitter Oranges (back and forth across Argos/Zingaran border)

Hunting The Falcon (Messantia and surrounding area)

The Dagger (Argossean dagger)

Healers and Gladiators (new classes: Healer, Gladiator)

Gladiators of Messantia (look at gladitorial combat)

Alternative Borderer Combat Styles (Argossean Ghoul Hunter)



BLACK KINGDOMS

Alternative Borderer Combat Styles (Northern Tribesman Spear Fighter; Southern Black Kingdom Bare Handed Fighter)

Wildlife & Monsters in Atlaia

Pygmies of the Hyborian Age (new races: Mzatu, Mbesi, B'Akkah)



BORDER KINGDOM

Cimmerian Moons (into Border Kingdom and possibly beyond)

Hyborian Age Monsters (Leanan Sidhe; Mulo)



BRYTHUNIA

Hyborian Age Monsters (Baobhan Sith; Bitang; Liderc; Foldi Ordog; Pricolici; Rusalka; Strigoi Mort)

Man's Best Friend (in depth on dogs and training, use anywhere)



CIMMERIA

Cimmerian Moons (into Border Kingdom and possibly beyond)

The Dagger (Cimmerian dirk)

A Field Guide to Creatures of the Hyborian Age (Grey Man-Apes)

Ten Reasons to Leave Cimmeria

Hyborian Age Monsters (Baobhan Sith; Leanan Sidhe)



CORINTHIA

Gambling (Corinthian Flop)

Hyborian Age Monsters (Bitang; Callicantzaros; Vrykolaka)



DARFAR

Alternative Borderer Combat Styles (Defari Meat Hunter)



EASTERN DESERT

Hyborian Age Monsters (Al Basti)



HYRKANIA

The Dagger (Hyrkanian dagger)

A Field Guide to Creatures of the Hyborian Age (Grey Man-Apes)

Monsters of Legend (Ur, First Among Apes, jungles of the east)

Mount Yimsha (Himelian Mountains)

Hyborian Age Monsters (Erestuny)

Manly Games & Festivals (Hyrkanian style)

Body & Spirit (Hyrkanian medicine and religion)

The People of the Felt Walls (focus on: Hyrkanian Steppe Nomads)



HYPERBOREA

The Dagger (Hyperborean dagger)

A Field Guide to Creatures of the Hyborian Age (Grey Man-Apes)

Dead Eyes (Graaskal Mountains and beyond)

The Saami (new race)

Alternative Borderer Combat Styles (Saami Lassoer)

Hyborian Age Monsters (Gjenganger)



IRANISTAN

A Field Guide to Creatures of the Hyborian Age (Grey Man-Apes)

Sons of Anshan (new race: Iranistani)



KHAURAN

Hyborian Age Monsters (Okostnik)

Wine of the Gods (Kyros to Korshemish)



KHITAI

The Dagger (Khitan tarrant)

A Field Guide to Creatures of the Hyborian Age (Grey Man-Apes)

The Bloodling (creature useable elsewhere)

The Martial Disciple (new class useable in other areas)

Monsters of Legend (Ku-ir Shah, The Dream Tiger)

Alternative Borderer Combat Styles (Khitan Staff Fighter)



KOTH

The Dagger (Kothic dagger)

The Scarlet Citadel (Khorshemish)

Hyborian Age Monsters (Obour; Okostnik; Ustrel; Vrykolaka)

Wine of the Gods (Kyros to Korshemish)



KUSH

The Dagger (Aphaki dagger)

Xuthal (in depth look)

Alternative Borderer Combat Styles (Ku****e Spear Fighter)

Wildlife & Monsters in Atlaia (wildlife in Kush)



NEMEDIA

The Pits Where Mad Things Drum (Darkwood)

Of Chariots and Acheronians (new race: Acheronian)

The Vault of Thedipides (Numalia)

Hyborian Age Monsters (Nemedian Vampire; Nachzehrer)

Horror in Numalia (Numalia)



NORDHEIM

A Field Guide to Creatures of the Hyborian Age (Grey Man-Apes)

Gambling (Asgardian Gambit)

The Saami (new race)

The Temple of Tears (Aesir village of Ansuz and surroundings)

Monsters of Legend (Helbjorn, The Ice Bear)

Alternative Borderer Combat Styles (Nordheimr War Sword Wielder; Saami Lassoer)

Hyborian Age Monsters (Draugr; Leanan Sidhe; Gast; Gjenganger)



PICT WILDERNESS

Piercing Magic (sorcery type useable in many areas)

The Dagger (Pictish copper dagger)

Monsters of Legend (The Ghost of Pict-Land)



SHEM

The Dagger (Shemite dagger)

Gambling (Seven Shemite Nights)

The Staff of Ibis (Shem to Stygia)

Wine of the Gods (Kyros to Korshemish)



STYGIA

The Houses of Set (anywhere where there's a temple to Set)

The Dagger (Stygian Charioteer dagger)

Of Chariots and Acheronians (Chariot Rules; Stygian and Acheronian chariots plus new race: Acheronian)

The Palace of Cetriss (Dragon's Spine)

Stygian Spells (useable anywhere)

The Ark of Delight (travels coast)

The Staff of Ibis (Shem to Stygia)

Hyborian Age Monsters (Balaur useable anywhere)



TURAN

To Save A Kingdom (Samara; Misty Mountains; Vendhya; Khawarizm)

Aghrapur (in depth look)

Mount Yimsha (Himelian Mountains)

Alternative Borderer Combat Styles (Turanian Calvary Man)

Hyborian Age Monsters (Al Basti; Chesme)



VENDHYA

The Dagger (Vendhyan dagger)

A Field Guide to Creatures of the Hyborian Age (Grey Man-Apes)

New Armour (thief focussed armor, such as the Vendhyan Sash)

To Save A Kingdom (Samara; Misty Mountains; Vendhya; Khawarizm)

Mount Yimsha (Himelian Mountains)



VILAYET SEA

Gambling (Islander Bones)

Hyborian Age Monsters (Al Basti)



WESTERN OCEAN

The Dagger (Barachan Dagger)

Barachan Isles (Tortage and surroundings)

Gambling (Islander Bones)

Ghost of the Deep (Zingaran ship, adventure at sea, and shipwrecked on island)

The Ark of Delight (travels coast)

Alternative Borderer Combat Styles (Southern Islander Swimmer)



ZAMORA

The Dagger (Lower Zamorian dagger; Noble Zamorian dagger)

The Underhanded Side of Sorcery (new sorcery styles useable elsewhere)

A Field Guide to Creatures of the Hyborian Age (Zamorian Black Man-Apes)

New Armour (thief focused armor, such as the Zamorian Shadow Robe)

Sneak Attack! (new sneak attack styles)

Scenarios for Shadizar (adventure ideas)

The Book of the Elephant (desert to Shadizar)



ZINGARA

Bitter Oranges (back and forth across Argos/Zingaran border)

The Dagger (Zingaran Boatman dagger)

Gambling (Zingaran Aces)

Ghost of the Deep (Zingaran ship, adventure at sea, and shipwrecked on island)

Alternative Borderer Combat Styles (Zingaran Ghoul Hunter; Zingaran Serpent Hunter)

[Water Bob]

-- CONAN COMICS ARE PUBLISHED ADVENTURES --



What do you need when you are creating an exciting tale of the Hyborian Age for your characters to explore? You need a plot. Exciting locales and situations. Interesting foes and NPCs.

Well, if you think about it, you can get all of that in the various Conan tales. All you have to do, as GM, is pick a story you like and slap some game stats on things as needed. You can pick your favorite Conan short story or novel, your favorite pastiche, even a story from the various Conan comics.

That last is especially suited for gaming in that, with the story, characters, and situations, you also get visualizations that can inspire your game.

When I read through the War of Tarim story arc in Marvel's Chronicles of Conan, I never stopped thinking of how that story would make for a grand, epic Hyborian Age adventure for my players.

The War of Tarim story arc starts The Chronicles of Conan vol. 3 and ends in vol. 4. It's set around the Vilayet sea. A Hyrkanian city-state, called Makkalet on the eastern shores of the Vilayet has stolen the living god (the holy object of the Tarim religion) from Aghapur. Yildz is still king of Turan, and he sends a massed army to besiege Makkalet, led by the crown prince himself, Yezdigerd. The players, of course, will become embroiled in this cluster-joined, topsy-turvey, twisty-misty story.

This tale has it all--scheming sorcerers and priests, insight into the religion of Turan, opportunities to use one of the mass battle combat systems from the game, maybe even a chance to use the sea-battle system from the game, backstabbing NPCs, and even an opportunity to bring Red Sonja (you may want to replace her with another PC or NPC) into your campaign.

Use each tale in this story arc as its own separate adventure. Put them together, and you've got your campaign.

THE WAR OR TARIM CAMPAIGN

Episode I: Hawks From The Sea, in which the players become embroiled in this mess. The assault on Makkalet has begun!

Episode II: The Black Hound of Vengeance, in which the players make an enemy of the crown prince of Turan!

Episode III: Monster of the Monoliths, in which the players switch sides in the battle! But, only to be used by the other side!

Episode IV: The Shadow of the Vulture, where the players are hunted by the most feared bounty hunter of all the surrounding territories of the Vilayet.

Episode V: The Song of Red Sonja, in which the players make an ally of the red haird sword master....or, do they?

Episode VI: The Mirrors of Kharam-Akkad, in which the players learn that part of this tale stretches back to the time of Kull!

Episode VII: The Hour of the Griffin, in which the players learn about their part in destiny.



The War of Tarim would make an excellent starting campaign as all of the characters come together because of this war. The great thing about using the comics as your adventures is that the tales can fit any level--since you assign the stats.

The major Conan comics in print at the time of this posting are published by Dark Horse. They are reprinting the older Marvel Conan comics: Chronicles of Conan (the original Marvel run of Conan The Barbarian), King Conan, and Savage Sword of Conan. That last is a B&W omnibus of more "adult" Conan tales and highly recommended.

Then, Dark Horse also publishes newer Conan comics. There's the ongoing Conan stories that are published in collected trade issues as well. There are collected one-off's and mini-series. Several to choose from (Or, collect them all, the way I do. Most are excellent reads.)

If you dig around the net, you'll also find other Conan tales that haven't been republished, such as the later Marvel series and the handful of Marvel graphic novels featuring Conan.



You can, of course, also adapt from a Conan novel or short story. There are plenty out there, both in print and not in print, from the original Howard tales, to the L. Sprague de Camp guided ACE/Bantam series, to the more than 40 TOR novels, to the nine Age of Conan tie-ins.

There's plenty of material out there. You just have to find it and adapt it!