TEXT: �
  ADDITIONAL 
  Rules for Fantastic Medieval Wargames 
  Campaigns Playable with Paper and Pencil 
  And Miniature Figures 
   
   
  SUPPLEMENT VIII 
  The Age of COnan 
  BY 
  JASON VEY             
                                           NOT Published by 
   
  TSR RULES 
   
     Price $0.00 
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
  The Age of Conan 
  The Hyborian Age of Robert E. Howard 
  by Jason Vey 
   
  For use with 
   
   
   
   
  
  2 
   
   
   
   
  All references to Conan the barbarian, the writings of Robert E. Howard, and 
  the races, locales, cultures and other references to the Hyborian Age are the 
  sole property of Conan Properties, LLC and no challenge or claim to this 
  ownership is intended or implied by the contents of this booklet.  This is a not-
  for-profit fan work and is believed to reside within Fair Use.  
  Dungeons & Dragons and Chainmail are Registered Trademarks® of Wizards 
  of the Coast, Inc. No challenge or claim to the ownership of these trademarks 
  is intended or implied.  This is a not-for-profit fan work and is believed to 
  reside within Fair Use. 
  All artwork herein was culled from various websites around the Internet and is 
  used without permission.  No challenge or claim to the ownership of any of the 
  artwork used herein is intended or implied. 
   
  All original text and ideas copyright© 2009 by Jason Vey.  All Rights 
  Reserved.  This document may be freely distributed so long as it remains 
  complete, intact and unaltered, including the cover, title page, and this 
  copyright declaration page. 
   
   
  This work is respectfully dedicated to the memories of Robert E. Howard, E. 
  Gary Gygax, and Dave Arneson.  
   
   
  FIRST EDITION: August, 2009 
  REVISED: October, 2009, November 2009, September 2011, January 2014 
   FIFTH REVISION 
  
  3 
   
  Contents 
  Introduction ....................................................................................................... 5�
  What You Need to Play ................................................................................ 6�
  Men and Magic ................................................................................................. 7�
  Character Races............................................................................................. 7�
  Character Classes ........................................................................................ 12�
  Modified Classes ......................................................................................... 13�
  The Ranger (Borderer) ............................................................................ 13�
  The Thief ................................................................................................. 13�
  The Bard .................................................................................................. 14�
  The Sorcerer ............................................................................................ 17�
  Multiclassing ............................................................................................... 19�
  Cultural Skills ............................................................................................. 20�
  Languages ................................................................................................... 20�
  Alignment ................................................................................................... 21�
  Spells Table ................................................................................................. 22�
  Level One ................................................................................................ 22�
  Level Two ............................................................................................... 22�
  Level Three ............................................................................................. 22�
  Level Four ............................................................................................... 22�
  Level Five ............................................................................................... 23�
  Level Six ................................................................................................. 23�
  Level Seven ............................................................................................. 23�
  Level Eight .............................................................................................. 23�
  Level Nine ............................................................................................... 23�
  Monsters and Treasure .................................................................................... 24�
  Magical Treasure......................................................................................... 26�
  The Underworld and Wilderness Adventures ................................................. 28�
  Introduction ................................................................................................. 28�
  Systems Of Combat In Chainmail ............................................................... 29�
  Choosing A System ..................................................................................... 29�
  The Troop Type System .............................................................................. 30�
  Reconciling Chainmail Troop Types ...................................................... 30�
  Combat Procedure ................................................................................... 33�
  The Man To Man System ............................................................................ 34�
  The Fantasy Supplement ............................................................................. 36�
  Saving Throws ............................................................................................ 37�
  Option: Save Categories .............................................................................. 38�
  Ability Checks ............................................................................................ 39�
  Appendix: The Hyborian Age ......................................................................... 41
  Appendix 2: Original OD&D Stats .....................................................................48 
  
  4 
   
   
  
  5 
   
  Introduction 
  "Know, oh prince, that between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and 
  the gleaming cities, and the years of the rise of the Sons of Aryas, there was an 
  age undreamed of, when shining kingdoms lay spread across the world like 
  blue mantles beneath the stars—�emedia, Ophir, Brythunia, Hyperborea, 
  Zamora with its dark-haired women and towers of spider-haunted mystery, 
  Zingara with its chivalry, Koth that bordered on the pastoral lands of Shem, 
  Stygia with its shadow-guarded tombs, Hyrkania whose riders wore steel and 
  silk and gold. But the proudest kingdom of the world was Aquilonia, reigning 
  supreme in the dreaming west. Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-
  haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic 
  melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth 
  under his sandaled feet." 
  —The Nemedian Chronicles. 
  Welcome, Lords and Ladies, to this, the latest in a long line of recent 
  unofficial supplements to the original Dungeons & Dragons role playing 
  game.  What lies herein is not a slew of new rules, options, monsters, character 
  classes, and such (though it does see its fair share of each), but rather notes for 
  translating D&D into the 
  very sword-and-sorcery 
  world that inspired the game 
  in the first place: the 
  Hyborian Age of Robert E. 
  Howard. 
  The Hyborian Age (it is not, 
  despite what some modern 
  authors and designers like to 
  call it, “Hyboria,” but 
  properly called “The 
  Hyborian Age”) was an 
  ancient age of humankind, 
  approximately 10,000 years 
  ago.  The old civilizations 
  had fallen and new ones 
  arose, achieving a 
  technology level equivalent 
  to the High Middle Ages 
  before a great and unknown 
  catastrophe wiped all traces of these great and ancient kingdoms from the 
  Earth.  Still, their influence was felt down through the ages and many later 
  (and even modern) kingdoms have their roots in the Hyborian Age.  It is not an 
  epic fantasy world of elves, dwarves, and struggles against powerful Dark 
  
  6 
   
  Lords.  There are no so-called “demihumans” in the Hyborian Age, and those 
  humanoids that exist are largely degenerate and de-evolved humans, or 
  gigantic carnivorous ape-things.  
  There is no great war between law and chaos driving all men forward.  In a 
  Hyborian campaign everything exists in shades of gray.  Certainly there are 
  powerful men of strong honor and values, and clearly there are black sorcerers 
  who seek only power and tyrannical dominance over others, but the clear 
  theme of the Hyborian Age are the twin ideas that each man’s fate is in his 
  own hands to decide, and that barbarism is the natural state of humankind, 
  destined always to overcome the enforced rules of civilization.  It is a world 
  forged in the pulps of the 1920’s and 30’s, and a world that firmly established, 
  if not created whole cloth, the genre of swords and sorcery. 
  What You Need to Play 
  The following books and booklets are required for play 
  1. The Age of Conan (You have it in your hands!) 
  2. Dungeons & Dragons, Tactical Studies Rules, 1975-79 
  3. Chainmail, Guidon Games/Tactical Studies Rules, 1971-79 
  4. Supplement IV: Gods, Demi-Gods, & Heroes, Tactical Studies Rules, 
  1976-79 
  The following books and booklets are highly recommended for play 
  1. Supplement I: Greyhawk, Tactical Studies Rules, 1975-79 
  2. Supplement II: Blackmoor, Tactical Studies Rules, 1975-79 
  3. Supplement III: Eldritch Wizardry, Tactical Studies Rules, 1976-79 
  4. Swords & Spells, Tactical Studies Rules, 1976-79 
  5. The Strategic Review, Issues 1 through 6 
  6. Return to the Road of Kings, Mongoose Publishing, 2007* 
  7. Conan Role Playing Game, TSR, inc., 1985* 
  *These contain useful guides to the Hyborian Age—both would be redundant, 
  though each has its own take on the world and are interesting comparisons for 
  that alone. The latter has a beautiful poster map of the Hyborian Age world. 
  Also check Philotomy’s OD&D Musings (http://www.philotomy.com), a 
  website with many excellent suggestions for the philosophy of D&D play, 
  house rules and variant classes, and  the Hyborian Age Campaign Site 
  (http://hyboria.xoth.net), which contains additional excellent maps, essays, 
  articles, and information on the Hyborian Age, most for d20 version, but still 
  useful for D&D play. 
  D&D, obviously, is needed for the core rules of play.  Chainmail forms the 
  basis of the combat system for a Hyborian Age game, the reasons for which 
  are discussed later. Gods, Demi-Gods, & Heroes has a section with D&D stats 
  
  7 
   
  for major deities, monsters, and treasure of the Hyborian Age, as well as for 
  King Conan himself.  It should be noted that despite having hit points and 
  statistics, true gods in the Hyborian Age are distant and aloof; they never show 
  their faces amongst men to battle and be killed.  
  Supplements I through IV and Swords & Spells all have useful information in 
  them, be it character classes such as the Thief, Assassin, and Druid, monsters 
  that are applicable to a Hyborian game, or stats for using spells in mass 
  combat.  The Strategic Review contains several new and variant character 
  classes such as the Ranger and Illusionist which are highly useful in a 
  Hyborian game.  Finally, Return to the Road of Kings and the Conan 
  Roleplaying Game both have excellent and invaluable gazetteers of the 
  Hyborian Age.  
  With all that said, on with the show! 
  Men and Magic 
  Character Races 
  There are NO demihuman races at all. However, certain cultures have 
  (optional) benefits similar to those granted by demihuman races. Fans of other 
  versions of Hyborian Age 
  role playing will note that 
  the racial divisions herein 
  disagree somewhat with 
  some of the others—
  particularly Mongoose's, 
  which is an exceptionally 
  detailed breakdown of 
  races, sub-races, and 
  pseudo-races. For D&D, 
  it's best to try and keep 
  things simple.  
  This book will not contain 
  detailed writeups of 
  societies and cultures here, 
  as these can be found in 
  Mongoose's The Road of 
  Kings sourcebook, which 
  is an invaluable and largely 
  system-free resource to 
  anyone wishing to run a 
  Hyborian Age game using 
  any system. 
  
  8 
   
  The races of the Hyborian Age (not to be confused with its cultures, though in 
  some cases there is overlap) are as follows: 
  Æsir/Vanir: Hailing from the lands of Asgard and Vanaheim respectively, the 
  Æsir and Vanir are actually offshoots of a single common race, the Nordheimr, 
  and thus share many of the same racial characteristics. They tend to be a broad 
  and muscular race, the Æsir sporting blonde hair and blue eyes and the Vanir 
  displaying red hair and green eyes. They tend to braid their hair and their great 
  beards, and are known for being berserk and terrifying warriors. 
  Æsir and Vanir may only progress as Fighting-Men, Borderers (if using the 
  modified Strategic Review Ranger class), or Bards and as Borderers may only 
  progress to fifth level. Bards amongst the Nordheimr are called Skalds and 
  progress to eighth level. 
  Æsir and Vanir gain +1 to Constitution but have -1 to Wisdom. In addition, 
  they can make fearsome berserk attacks which grant +2 to attack dice as 
  described under "Viking Berserkers," in Chainmail, p. 26. If using the Troop 
  Type system, this means that the berserk warrior throws two extra dice. If 
  using the Man-to-Man or Fantasy Combat system, this means that the berserk 
  warrior adds +2 to all attacks. Entering this berserk fury must be done in the 
  first round of combat (and takes the whole round to whip the warrior into the 
  fury), and lasts until all opponents are dead or the berserker is killed. The 
  berserker may not voluntarily end the berserk fury, and so long as there are 
  enemies to kill, will remain consumed by it. After the fury wears off the Æsir 
  suffers from fatigue (Chainmail p. 11) for 1d6 turns (1d6 x 10 minutes). If 
  using Man to Man or Fantasy Combat tables, translate the attack and defense 
  value penalties as a -2 to all of the character's die rolls and a +2 to opponents' 
  attack rolls. 
  Cimmerian: Cimmerians are much like their Æsir and Vanir neighbors in 
  many ways. They are a ferocious, barbaric tribe marked by tall, muscular 
  builds and a strong barbaric code of honor. Cimmerians sport dark hair 
  ranging from brunette to jet black, and eye colors from pale gray to crystal 
  blue. Where the Nordheimr are known for their endurance, Cimmerians are 
  known for raw physical strength. Cimmerians gain +1 to Strength and -1 to 
  Intelligence. They may only progress as Fighting-Men, Borderers, or Thieves. 
  As Borderers they progress only to fifth level and as Thieves they progress 
  only to eighth. 
  Cimmerians have the same berserk ability as Æsir and Vanir, save that they do 
  not choose to enter the fury; rather, whenever a Cimmerian enters combat, he 
  must make a saving throw each round against Death, suffering -1 to the save 
  cumulative for each round he remains in combat. If he fails the save, he 
  instantly enters a berserk fury exactly as described under the Æsir and Vanir 
  entry. This fury occurs instantly and does not require a full round to invoke. A 
  
  9 
   
  Cimmerian cannot choose to enter the fury; he is simply "consumed by the 
  fighting-madness of his people." 
  Himelian: Dwelling in the mountains between Vendhya and Hyrkania, the 
  Himelians are a tall, wiry, hairy and superstitious race whose tribal 
  breakdowns include the Afghuli, Irakzai, Galzai, Dagozai, Zhaibari, and 
  Khurakzai. They are brown-skinned with black hair and dark eyes, and often 
  wear great beards beneath their voluminous robes. Like the above races, the 
  Himelians are barbaric and disdain civilized codes of behavior and chivalry, 
  but have their own code of honor. They may progress as Fighting-Men, 
  Borderers, Thieves, and Sorcerers (though the latter are rare and progression is 
  possibly only to level 5). 
  Himelians gain +1 to all checks made to perform Borderer abilities and 
  function as though they were one level higher than they are if thieves, but 
  suffer -2 to saves against mind-affecting magic such as hypnosis and illusion. 
  Hyperborean: Hyperboreans are tall, gaunt, broad of shoulder and rib cage, 
  slow of speech and violent. They are a dark and corrupt race prone to black 
  sorcery and acts. Due to their intermingling with other races, Hyperboreans 
  exhibit a wide variety of skin, hair, and eye pigmentation. They may advance 
  as Fighting-Men, Thieves, Assassins, or Sorcerers and are unlimited in their 
  advancement in any of these areas. They gain +1 to Constitution, and -1 to 
  Charisma. 
  Hyborian: Hyborians, the dominant race of the Hyborian Age, are normal 
  Men in all respects and gain no special abilities or penalties. They may 
  advance in all classes to any level with no penalty save Illusionists and Monks 
  which are unavailable, though at the DM's discretion certain cultures may 
  impart specific bonuses; Bossonian Archers, for example, might gain abilities 
  with bows similar to those possessed by Shemites, while Gundermen may be 
  exceptional Borderers. 
  Hyrkanian: Hyrkanians are a horse culture living on the Steppes of the 
  Eastern Hyborian world, across the Vilayet Sea from Turan. They are roughly 
  analagous to the Huns, Mongols, and Cossacks of history, and are known for 
  their prowess at archery. Hyrkanians can progress as Fighting-Men, Borderers, 
  Thieves, or Assassins, but as Assassins are limited to 6th level, and as 
  Borderers are limited to 5th. 
  A hardy folk of the plains, Hyrkanians gain +1 to Constitution and -1 to 
  Charisma, as they are not accustomed to the niceties of Western society. In 
  addition, Hyrkanian Fighting-Men gain benefit with bows as follows: 
  � 
  Hyrkanian Fighting-Men are always treated as 1 level (Man) higher 
  than their actual level when using the Troop Type system for archery. 
  When a Hyrkanian Fighting-Man hits 10th level, against unarmored or 
  
  10 
   
  1/2 armored foes, he instead inflicts an extra die of damage on a 
  successful hit with a bow. 
  � 
  When using the Man-to-Man or Fantasy Combat system, Hyrkanian 
  Fighting-Men gain +2 to all attacks with bows. 
  � 
  Hyrkanian Fighting-Men can fire bows from horseback and perform 
  split-move and fire when mounted. 
  � 
  Hyrkanians who are not Fighting-Men attack as Fighting-Men when 
  using bows, but do not gain the other above benefits. 
  Due to strong racial superstitions, Hyrkanians are -2 to save vs. any sort of 
  mind-affecting magic, including illusions. 
  Khitai: The ancestors of the modern Far Eastern peoples of China, Japan, 
  Korea, Vietnam, etc., the Khitai are an exotic race with distinctly Far Eastern 
  features. Player characters from Khitai can operate as monks, sorcerers, 
  illusionists, fighting-men, thieves, and assassins, being restricted to 5th level 
  as fighting-men and thieves, and 8th level as assassins and illusionists. They 
  gain +1 to Intelligence and -1 to Constitution, being of a slight, frail build. 
  Monks' thief abilities are as per the modified Thief class (cf. “Character 
  Classes,” below). 
  Lemurian: Little is known about the Lemurian race; they are a Caucasian, 
  mountain-dwelling people who live in the peaks of far Lemuria, beyond the 
  Far East of Khitai, and who worship degenerate dark gods and demons of the 
  Outer Dark. They are included here for completeness' sake, though no 
  Lemurians are ever encountered in Howard's writing. Lemurians should gain 
  +1 to Intelligence and -1 to Constitution, and can advance as Fighting-Men, 
  Illusionists, Sorcerers, Thieves, Assassins, and Monks. They are restricted to 
  4th level as Fighting-Men and Thieves, and 8th level as Assassins. 
  Pict: The Picts are a stone-age tribal culture who inhabit the farthest Western 
  regions of the Hyborian Age world. They are constantly engaged in border 
  skirmishes and wars with Aquilonia, who at one time was expansionist and 
  imperialist and threatened the very survival of the Pictish wilderness. Though 
  Caucasian in appearance, the Pictish culture in Howard's stories is often 
  depicted as (badly stereotpyed) Native American in type, with sprinklings of 
  historical Pictish trappings, such as the blue face-paint with which they adorn 
  themselves. Picts gain +1 to Dexterity and -1 to Intelligence and may advance 
  as Fighting-Men, Thieves, Borderers, and Sorcerers (Pictish shamans), being 
  restricted to 4th level in Thief and Sorcerer. For purposes of the Thief abilities 
  of Hide, Listen, and Move Silently, and the Borderer ability to Track, Picts are 
  treated as though they are four levels higher than they actually are, so long as 
  they are in a forested, wilderness area. 
  Shemite: A proto-Arabic people, the Shemite Race covers Shem, Khoraja, 
  Drujistan, Iranistan, Kosala, and all of the smaller tribal territories therein. 
  Shemites tend to be tall, broad-shouldered, brown-skinned, and sport great 
  
  11 
   
  blue-black beards and dark eyes. They are renowned as skilled bowmen and 
  fearsome warriors. Shemites may advance as Fighting-Men, Assassins, or 
  Sorcerers and as Sorcerers are limited to 6th level. 
  A Shemite character gains either the berserker ability of the Æsir/Vanir OR the 
  archery abilities of the Hyrkanians (save that Shemites do not gain the ability 
  to fire when mounted or perform split-move and fire on horseback). This 
  choice must be made at character creation and cannot be changed. On the 
  down side, Shemites being a fatalistic race, they suffer -1 to all saving throws 
  of any kind. 
  Stygian: The demon-haunted, 
  proto-Egyptian Stygia, the realm 
  of the serpent god Set, produces 
  the most feared sorcerers in the 
  world. They are tall, thin, gaunt, 
  and brown-skinned with black hair 
  and black eyes. Stygians gain +1 to 
  Intelligence and -1 to Strength. 
  They may progress as Fighting-
  Men, Thieves, Assassins, and 
  Sorcerers, being restricted to 5th 
  level as Fighting-Men and 
  Thieves. Stygian Sorcerers always 
  cast spells as though they were one 
  rank higher than they are (i.e. 
  Seers cast as Magicians, Magicians 
  as Warlocks, etc.), though they are 
  still restricted as normal regarding 
  what level of spell they may cast. 
  Tribesman of the Black Kingdoms: These cover both the civilized and semi-
  civilized kingdoms such as Darfar, Keshan, Kush, and Zembabwei, as well as 
  the primitive tribes that inhabit the southernmost portions of the Hyborian 
  world. They are black-skinned, short and slight of stature, and the more 
  primitive stone-age tribes partake in cannibalism. Their racial characteristics 
  are the same as those for Picts, save that their bonuses apply to desert or jungle 
  climes (depending on the tribe; choose at character creation) rather than 
  forests. 
  Turanian: Turanians are the ancestors of modern Turks, who live on the 
  western side of the Vilayet sea. They share the same racial characteristics as 
  Hyrkanians. 
  Vendhyan: The ancestors of the modern people of India, Vendhyans are an 
  ancient, noble race known for their skill in diplomacy and their complex 
  philosophies and society. They may progress as Fighting-Men, Thieves, 
  
  12 
   
  Assassins, Monks, and Sorcerers with no limits to advancement, and gain +1 
  to Charisma. They gain +1 to all saving throws except those that are mind-
  affecting, including illusions, against which they suffer -2. 
  Zamoran: Zamora is a corrupt and decadent society marked by its tolerance, 
  if not outright allowance, of shadowy violence and crime syndicates. 
  Zamorans are of a Mediterranean countenance: an attractive people who are 
  olive-skinned with dark hair and eyes. Zamoran characters may progress as 
  Fighting-Men, Thieves, and Sorcerers, being restricted to 5th level as 
  Fighting-Men or Sorcerers. Zamorans gain +1 to Dexterity but -1 to Strength, 
  and when operating in urban or subterranean conditions, Zamoran thieves are 
  treated as being one level higher than they actually are, for purposes of 
  thieving abilities. 
  Zingaran: Zingarans are the ancestors of the modern Spanish peoples. They 
  have a dark olive complexion, black hair and dark eyes, and often dress in 
  bright, flamboyant colors. Swashbucklers at heart, Zingaran culture is 
  obsessed with shows of honor and face, and marked by a lust for life. 
  Zingarans gain +1 to Charisma but -1 to Constitution, and may progress as 
  Fighting-Men or Thieves (though even Zingaran thieves are marked by their 
  strict codes of honor). Zingarans are noted for their florentine fighting style, 
  which uses a rapier and main-gauche in tandem, and when they enter combat if 
  wearing armor lighter than chain may choose to gain one benefit of the 
  fighting style each round: 
  � 
  Offense: Gain one additional attack die in the Troop Type System (+1 
  to hit Man to Man or Fantasy) 
  � 
  Defense:, defend as the next higher Troop Type (or improve AC by 1 
  in Man-to-Man, or subtract one from opponent's roll in Fantasy). 
  Character Classes 
  The following pre-existing character classes are appropriate for play in a 
  Hyborian Age game, modified as listed.  Careful readers will note that the 
  class modifications herein eliminate d20’s and d10’s from the game entirely, 
  leaving only d6’s required for play.  This is quite intentional, though if one 
  does not have access to the requisite sources and wishes to use pre-existing 
  classes as they stand, retaining %-based abilities and d20-based checks, this is 
  quite feasible to do and stands as with all things in the purview of the DM. 
  � 
  D&D: Fighting-Man only.  There are no D&D-styled Magic Users or 
  Clerics in a Hyborian Age game. 
  � 
  Greyhawk: Thief (using the modified rules below). 
  � 
  Blackmoor: Assassin and Monk (Monks only exist in Vendhya, Khitai, 
  and Lemuria). Assassins' chance to assassinate is rolled on 2d6 instead 
  
  13 
   
  of % dice, adding +1 per 10% chance to assassinate (dropping 
  fractions), against a target number of 11. 
  � 
  Eldritch Wizardry: The Druid, save that druids cast spells as clerical 
  sorcerers (but from their own pre-existing list). Druids should be re-
  named shamans and only exist amongst the Picts. 
  � 
  The Strategic Review: The Ranger (as modified here), Bards (as 
  modified here), Illusionists (save that these exist only in Khitai, 
  Vendhya, and Lemuria, and cast as arcane Sorcerers, save from their 
  own spell lists). 
  Modified Classes 
  The Ranger (Borderer) 
  The Ranger class as presented in The Strategic Review is re-named 
  "Borderer," and being Lawful is no longer a requirement. There's nothing 
  inherently "Good" or "Evil" about the skill set of this class, so there's no 
  reason to require it. 
  The class is as written, save that tracking is not done with percentile dice, but 
  with the roll of a d6.  Outdoors the ranger has a 5-in-6 chance of tracking, this 
  chance being reduced by one for every two days old the signs are. 
  Indoors the ranger tracks as follows: 
  Monster's Action  
  Ranger needs to track 
  Goes down a normal passage 
  1-4 
  Goes through a door (normal or trap) 
  1-3 
  Goes up/down a chimney or shaft 
  1-2 
  Goes through a secret door 
  1 
  In a city, treat empty streets as normal passages, moderately populated areas as 
  "going through a door," and heavily populated/bustling areas as secret doors.  
  The Thief 
  THIEF SKILLS (TARGET TO ROLL ON 2 DICE) 
  Level 
  Stealth 
  Locks 
  & Traps 
  Hear 
  Noise 
  Climb 
  Sleight 
  of Hand 
  Scroll 
  1-2 
  7 
  8 
  8 
  7 
  8 
  (10) 
  3-4 
  6 
  7 
  7 
  6 
  7 
  1st level (9) 
  5-6 
  5 
  6 
  6 
  5 
  6 
  2nd level 
  (8) 
  7-8 
  4 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  5 
  3rd level 
  (7) 
  9-10 
  3 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  4 
  4th level 
  (6) 
  
  14 
   
  Level 
  Stealth 
  Locks 
  & Traps 
  Hear 
  Noise 
  Climb 
  Sleight 
  of Hand 
  Scroll 
  11-12 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  5th level 
  (5) 
  13 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  6th level 
  (4) 
  Sleight of Hand refers to picking pockets, palming small items, placing small 
  items on another’s unaware person, or any other act that would require deft 
  and subtle movements.  Scroll represents the ability to decipher magical scrolls 
  and unfamiliar languages; the parenthetical target number is the target to 
  succeed, this modified upward if the writing is of a magical nature by the level 
  of scroll being read; the indicated level is the maximum level of magical 
  writing that can be deciphered. Thus, an 11th-level thief could attempt to read 
  up to a 5th level spell scroll, the target to do so being 10, a 4th level scroll with 
  a target of 9, third with a target of 8, etc.     
  A thief gains maximum damage from a backstab at first level. At fourth it 
  becomes d6+6.  At seventh it becomes 2d6+6.  At tenth it becomes 3d6+6.   
  The Bard 
  A Bard is a jack-of-all-trades in Dungeons and Dragons, he is both an amateur 
  thief and healer as well as a good fighter. He is supposedly able to extract 
  himself from delicate situations through the use of diplomacy, but since this 
  does not always work he is given the innate ability to charm creatures. A Bard 
  has the thieving abilities of a thief one half his level rounded off to the lower 
  level, thus a Bard 11th level would have the abilities of a 5th level thief; the 
  sole exception is that Bards do not gain 
  the thief’s back stabbing ability.  A Bard 
  may use any weapon and for purposes of 
  fighting capability and saving throws 
  they are treated like D&D clerics. Bards 
  are limited to chainmail or leather armor. 
  If a Bard chooses to wear chainmail his 
  chances of climbing walls and moving 
  silently are halved. 
   The Bard’s primary ability is that of 
  mesmerizing any creature that can hear 
  his song. However, creatures of more 
  than three hit dice have a higher 
  resistance to the Bard’s charm.  Any 
  creature hearing the bard’s performance, 
  be it singing, poetry recitals, 
  monologues, etc., must make a saving 
  
  15 
   
  throw vs. wands or be mesmerized, so long as the bard continues to perform.  
  A Bard may attempt to use his charm once per day per level.  When a Bard 
  attempts to use his charm he begins performing, and all those creatures within 
  hearing distance (app. 60 ft.), except the Bard’s own party, who fail their 
  saving throws than the number rolled are mesmerized. While a creature is 
  mesmerized by a Bard it does nothing but listen to the Bard play, however, if it 
  is distracted (by a loud noise, etc.) or if it is attacked the charm is broken. 
  For every hit die above three a creature, monster, etc., has, it gains +1 to its 
  saving throw against the effect.  Likewise, Monks gain +1 for every 2 levels he 
  has attained to his save. Certain monsters have an especially high resistance to 
  the Bard’s charm, like undead, who gain +1 for every hit die they possess, and 
  demons, who have a gain +9 resistance to the Bard’s charm (failing only on a 
  natural roll of 2). However, in some cases a Bard’s song may be very helpful, 
  as in the case of the harpies’ song, which the Bard can negate by playing. 
  Some monsters even consider a Bard to be a great treasure and many legends 
  are told of Dragons who refused to let Bards stop playing their restful 
  melodies . . .  
  Other things affect the Bard’s ability to charm; for example, if the creatures 
  were previously enraged or if they are particularly hungry, etc., the chances of 
  charming them may be slightly reduced, granting them a +1 or +2 to their 
  save.  
  While a Bard has the creature mesmerized 
  he may attempt to implant a suggestion in 
  the creature’s subconscious; these should 
  be relatively simple suggestions in the case 
  of low intelligence creatures, the 
  complexity of the suggestion being allowed 
  to increase with increasing intelligence of 
  the charmed creature.  In all cases it is wise 
  to follow the guidelines of the third level 
  sorcerer spell ‘suggestion’ and saving 
  throws are always applicable versus the 
  Bard’s suggestion. If a creature makes its 
  saving throw from a Bard’s performance 
  then it will immediately realize what has 
  happened and more than likely attack the 
  party.  
  Bards tend towards being unaligned in 
  nature though there exist paragons of good 
  and evil, and champions of balance.  Bards are usually wanderers and do not 
  like to settle down, for this reason only a Master Bard may build a castle, other 
  Bards are expected to find short time employment or lodgings in return for 
  
  16 
   
  their songs and legends. Bards are extremely quick at picking up languages, 
  customs, etc, and have a vast knowledge of cults, religions, and legends. Thus 
  Bards are allowed to speak as many different languages as their intelligence 
  score.   
  A Bard’s Lore ability reflects the Bard’s knowledge of legends, magic, etc. 
  This number is the bonus a Bard has on a roll of 2d6 against a target of 11, of 
  telling what certain objects or creatures are, what they do, their properties, 
  purposes, etc. This check also reflects his knowledge of locales and legends 
  outside of the dungeon; the referee must decide which places and legends a 
  Bard would have a chance of knowing on the outdoor maps. A Bard’s Lore 
  ability is especially useful when it comes to myths, legends and experience in 
  recognizing various types of heraldry, weapons and armor, both magical and 
  non-magical, as well as his excellent knowledge of magical writings.   
  The base target for this ability is 11; the Bard may gain additional bonuses or 
  penalties based on the obscurity of the knowledge he is attempting to call 
  forth.  Common or easy facts gain +4 to the check.  Trivia or lesser known, but 
  still common, knowledge gains +2.  Moderately difficult knowledge is +0.  
  Knowledge that is somewhat obscure suffers -2, and exceptionally obscure or 
  specialized knowledge suffers -4.  The referee should use judgment when 
  applying bonuses or penalties. 
  Finally, his extensive lore expertise includes knowledge of herbalism, treating 
  wounds, and holistic medicines, enabling him to act as a healer.   Once per day 
  per patient, the Bard can make a Lore check, representing his finding or 
  having in his possession the proper herbs, poultices, bandages, etc, and his 
  knowledge of how to treat the injury in question.  Depending the availability 
  of resources or the Bard’s current supplies affect the difficulty of the check, 
  but generally it should be very easy (+4) to trivial (+2) as the knowledge itself 
  is easy to come by.  If successful, he can restore 1d6 hit points of damage to 
  the wounded character, or can grant an additional saving throw against poison 
  or disease.  Treating a patient requires one turn to accomplish.  At fifth level 
  the bard can perform this ability twice per day per patient, and at tenth he can 
  do this thrice per day per patient. 
  Levels and the  Number of Experience Points Needed To Attain Them (Bards) 
  Level 
  Title 
   Lore 
  Dice for Accu- 
  mulative hits 
  Fighting 
  Capability 
  XP 
  1 
  Fool 
  +1 
  1 
  Man 
  0 
  2 
  Jester 
  +1 
  2 
  Man+1 
  1,000 
  3 
  Poet 
  +2 
  3 
  2 Men 
  2,500 
  4 
  Storyteller 
  +2 
  4 
  3 Men 
  5,000 
  5 
  Actor 
  +3 
  4+1 
  3 Men +1 
  10,000 
  6 
  Thespian 
  +3 
  5 
  Hero-1 
  20,000 
  7 
   Lyricist 
  +4 
  6 
  Hero 
  35,000 
  
  17 
   
  Level 
  Title 
   Lore 
  Dice for Accu- 
  mulative hits 
  Fighting 
  Capability 
  XP 
  8 
  Minstrel 
  +4 
  7 
  Hero +1 
  50,000 
  9 
  Skald 
  +5 
  7+1 
  Superhero-1 
  100,000 
  10 
  Racaralde 
  +5 
  7+2 
  Superhero 
  200,000 
  11 
  Jongleur 
  +6 
  8 
  Superhero +1 
  350,000 
  12 
  Troubador 
  +6 
  8+1 
  Superhero +1 
  500,000 
  13 
  Muse 
  +7 
  8+2 
  Superhero +1 
  650,000 
  14 
  Lore master 
  +7 
  8+3 
  Superhero +2 
  800,000 
  15 
  Bard 
  +8 
  9 
  Superhero +2 
  1,150,000 
  16 
  Master Bard 
  +8 
  9+1 
  Superhero +2 
  1,300,000 
  The Sorcerer 
  The Sorcerer replaces standard D&D Magic Users and Clerics.  Sorcerers have 
  the fighting capability and saving throws of magic-users (save that they gain 
  +3 to save vs. any kind of magic), but turn or control undead as clerics and 
  have the hit dice of clerics. 
  The magic system is as laid out in Chainmail, p. 30-33, using Spell 
  Complexity, with slight modifications. 
  � 
  The Complexity of a spell is its D&D level. Chainmail gives 3 values 
  (Negate, Delay, Immediate) for 2d6 roll results. These are the top 
  values in target ranges. Thus for a Seer casting a level 1 spell, 5 or 
  below fails, 6-7 is a delayed effect, and 8+ is immediate.  
  � 
  Sorcerers are still restricted as to the maximum level spell they can 
  cast as per D&D Clerics and Magic-Users. If a spell would be 
  available to both Clerics and Magic-Users at different levels, use 
  Sorcerer’s order (arcane or priestly) as a guideline. 
  � 
  Level titles depend upon whether the sorcerer is of an arcane bent (a 
  secret sorcerous cabal, or a sole arcane practitioner) or of a Priestly 
  order.  
  � 
  Sorcerers advance as casters (for purposes of complexity checks) 
  according to their level title (i.e. Seer, Magician, Warlock, Sorcerer, 
  Wizard). 
  � 
  If a Sorcerer rolls a natural "2" on his spellcasting roll, he suffers 
  backlash—1d6 points of temporary/subdual damage, and loses access 
  to that spell for 24 hours. 
  � 
  Corruption: Magic is alien and inherently corrupting. Whenever a 
  wizard casts a spell (successfully or unsuccessfully) he must make a 
  standard saving throw against spells. If he fails, he gains a Corruption
  Point.  For every five Corruption Points gained, the caster suffers -1
  (cumulative) to future saves. He now gains a Corruption Level and 
  becomes a bit less human. This begins with his outlook—he slides  
  ever more towards evil; each Corruption Level corresponds to one 
  
  18 
   
  "slide." Once evil, he begins suffering physical effects. These effects 
  are up to the DM, but they should include things like glowing red 
  eyes, jet black or scaly skin, an aura of corruption that makes those 
  around him uncomfortable, causes plants to whither, food to rot, etc., 
  vestigial tentacles, clawed hands, gaunt appearance...the options are 
  nearly endless. 
  � 
  Sorcerers automatically sense the presence of  magic energy and its 
  general relative power to their own, be it in another sorcerer, an item, 
  etc., simply by looking at the source of the magic. 
  � 
  Sorcerers must still prepare spells every morning per the Magic-User 
  "Spells per day" table on Men & Magic p. 17, but do not forget spells 
  when cast unless they fail a casting check. If they fail a check, the spell 
  energy is used and lost through a form of magical backlash, and the 
  sorcerer cannot access the ritual for the rest of the day. 
  � 
  Spell Lists are a combination of Magic-User and Clerical lists, save the 
  following spells which are not available as they don't fit the flavor of 
  the class.  Full spell lists can be found on pages 21-22. 
  Generally, very "flashy" or explosive direct-damage spells are 
  unavailable. Direct damage is generally limited to things like death 
  spell, cloudkill, disintegrate, etc. Fireball is too much of an "artillery" 
  type spell, though Lightning Bolt has precedent in the "evil sorcerer" 
  mold; however, Lightning Bolt should be restricted to a single target 
  rather than everything in a line. DMs should keep this in mind when 
  allowing or disallowing spells from later sources. 
  Levels and the Amount of Experience Needed to Attain Them (Sorcerers) 
  Lvl 
  Title (Arcane) 
  Title (Priestly) 
  Exp. 
  1 
  Seer 
  Seer 
  0 
  2 
  Disciple 
  Acolyte 
  3,000 
  3 
  Magician 
  Minister (Magician casting) 
  6,000 
  4 
  Conjurer 
  Adept 
  11,000 
  5 
  Theurgist 
  Theurgist 
  25,000 
  6 
  Warlock 
  Deacon (Warlock casting) 
  50,000 
  7 
  Enchanter 
  Friar 
  75,000 
  8 
  Sorcerer 
  Brother Priest (Sorcerer casting) 
  100,000 
  9 
  Necromancer 
  Vicar 
  150,000 
  10 
  Thaumaturgist 
  Curate 
  300,000 
  11 
  Wizard 
  High Priest (Wizard casting) 
  450,000 
  12 
  Red Wizard 
  Monsignor 
  600,000 
  13 
  Black Wizard 
  Bishop 
  750,000 
  14 
  Master 
  Arch-Bishop 
  900,000 
  15 
  Magus 
  Cardinal 
  1,150,000 
  16 
  Archmage (+1 Casting) 
  Patriarch (+1 Casting) 
  1,300,000 
  
  19 
   
   
  Sorcerers and Magic 
  All magic users in the Hyborian age, both scholarly (arcane) and clerical, are 
  sorcerers. Even sub-classes such as Druids and Illusionists (above) use the 
  same system for spellcasting, though they may have their own spell lists. 
  Generally, spells that cure wounds are not available in a Hyborian Age game, 
  though higher level spells such as Heal may be. Any kind of true resurrection 
  or raising of the dead is not possible without powerful magical artifacts such 
  as the Heart of Ahriman, and 
  even then the magic is as 
  likely to create an intelligent 
  undead as it is to restore true 
  life to the dead.  
  For spells up to 9th level, 
  simply extrapolate from and 
  continue the casting 
  progression as shown in 
  Chainmail, p. 33.   
  Scrolls and Rituals 
  While sorcerers are still 
  restricted by their spell list as 
  to the spells they can cast at 
  will, it is possible for a 
  sorcerer to attempt to cast a 
  higher level spell using a 
  ritual; this makes the seeking of ancient scrolls and books of power extremely 
  palatable to a sorcerer, as a sorcerer can immediately cast any spell from a 
  scroll or tome as a ritual by following the prescribed instructions therein. 
  Casting the spell requires a standard casting check against the spell's level 
  (complexity) as listed on the Chainmail casting matrix (Chainmail, p.33) and 
  the ritual takes 10 minutes per level of the spell, minus the caster’s level. Thus, 
  a second-level caster attempting a sixth-level spell requires a 40-minute ritual.  
  The resulting save against corruption, however, suffers a penalty equal to one 
  half the difference between the spell being cast and the maximum spell level 
  the caster is able to normally cast (minimum of -1). Note that a sorcerer can 
  also choose to cast any spell he has in his personal knowledge (ie. the spell is 
  in his list of known spells), as a ritual, even if he has not prepared the spell for 
  that day. 
  Multiclassing 
  Multiclassing is not an alien concept to D&D—Elves can advance as both 
  Magic-Users and Fighting-Men, while Dwarves can advance as both Fighting-
  
  20 
   
  Men and Thieves. Since picking up a vast variety of skills and abilities is part 
  and parcel of the Hyborian Age, it should be allowed here. At character 
  creation, a player may choose any two classes allowed to his race. At the start 
  of each session of play, the player must choose in which class his character 
  will operate for that session, gaining none of the benefits of his other class. 
  Note that since classes advance at different rates, it is likely, for example, that 
  a Zamoran Fighting-Man/Thief will be higher level as a Thief than as a 
  Fighting-Man.  Players should maintain a single experience record, applying 
  the totals as appropriate to each class.  
  As characters progress through the game, sometimes necessity will cause them 
  to pick up new skills sets. Thus, it is possible for a character to begin play 
  single-classed and gain a second class later on in his career (Conan, in 
  Supplement IV, is a 15th level Fighting-Man and 9th-level Thief). In this case, 
  the player must maintain two different experience records for each class, and 
  gains experience only in the class as which he acted in a given session. 
  Still, unless there are exceptional circumstances (DM's discretion), no 
  character may ever perform as more than one class in a given game session, 
  and no character may ever have more than two character classes from which to 
  choose. 
  There is one exception to this rule: No sorcerer may ever multiclass. Sorcery is 
  an obsessive and all-consuming pursuit, and there are no dabblers in the dark 
  arts. 
  Cultural Skills 
  It is also possible, by the sacrifice of 2,000 experience points, to gain the racial 
  abilities of a race different than one's own, in addition to abilities already 
  possessed. This sacrifice must be made at the point where a player would 
  normally advance, and the player must have advanced in the culture in which 
  he wishes to gain abilities. For example, Valeria, an Aquilonian Fighting-
  woman, wishes to learn the Zingaran florentine fighting style. She must 
  adventure in Zingara until she advances a level, then sacrifice 2,000 XP 
  (forcing her to remain her current level rather than advancing) and she gains 
  the Zingaran racial abilities in addition to her own. This WILL inflict penalties 
  that come with the race as well as benefits (including ability score 
  modifications). 
  Languages 
  There is no common tongue in the Hyborian Age, nor are there alignment 
  languages. All players begin with their native tongue and one other, plus 
  additional languages as explained in Men & Magic, page 12. 
  
  21 
   
  Alignment 
  Alignment is strictly optional in a Hyborian Game, though the alternate 
  "Good, Evil, Balance, Unaligned" method from The Wasted Lands can help to 
  define a character's allegiance in important conflicts. The only exception to 
  this is the Sorcerer (See "Character Classes," above), who must choose an 
  alignment as it is integral to his slide into inhumanity. No character class has 
  alignment requirements.  
   
   
   
  
  22 
   
  Spells Table 
  1Located in Supplement I: Greyhawk 
  2Located in Supplement III: Eldritch Wizardry 
  *Affects only a single target 
  **As Cure spells, but deals damage instead of curing 
   Level One 
  1. Cause Light Wounds** 
  2. Charm Person 
  3. Detect Snares & Pits2 
  4. Hold Portal 
  5. Light 
  6. Locate Animals2 
  7. Predict Weather2 
  8. Protection from Evil/Good 
  9. Purify Food & Water 
  10. Read Languages 
  11. Shield1 
  12. Sleep 
  13. Ventriloquism1 
  Level Two 
  1. Bless1 (Clerical Only) 
  2. Create Water 
  3. Darkness 5’ Radius1 
  4. Detect Evil 
  5. Detect Invisible 
  6. E.S.P. 
  7. Find Traps 
  8. Heat Metal2 
  9. Hold Animal2 
  10. Invisibility 
  11. Knock 
  12. Levitate 
  13. Locate Object 
  14. Locate Plants2 
  15. Magic Mouth1 
  16. Mirror Image1 
  17. Obscurement2 
  18. Phantasmal Forces 
  19. Produce Flame2 
  20. Silence 15’ Radius  
  21. Speak with Animals 
  22. Strength1 
  23. Warp Wood2 
  24. Web1 
  25. Wizard Lock 
  Level Three 
  1. Call Lightning2 
  2. Clairaudience 
  3. Clairvoyance 
  4. Dispel Magic 
  5. Explosive Runes1 
  6. Haste 
  7. Hold Person 
  8. Infravision 
  9. Lightning Bolt* (Arcane 
  Only) 
  10. Monster Summoning I1 
  11. Plant Growth 
  12. Prayer (Clerical Only)1 
  13. Protection from Fire2 
  14. Protection from Normal 
  Missiles 
  15. Remove Curse (Clerical 
  Only) 
  16. Rope Trick1 
  17. Slow 
  18. Speak with Dead 
  19. Suggestion1 
  20. Water Breathing 
  Level Four 
  1. Cause Serious Wounds** 
  2. Charm Monster 
  3. Confusion 
  4. Control Temperature, 10’ 
  Radius2 
  5. Fear1 
  6. Insect Plague2 
  7. Monster Summoning II1 
  
  23 
   
  8. Neutralize Poison 
  9. Polymorph Self 
  10. Protection from Lightning2 
  11. Speak with Plants2 
  12. Turn Sticks to Snakes 
  13. Wizard Eye 
  Level Five 
  1. Animate Dead 
  2. Cause Disease** 
  3. Cloudkill (Arcane Only) 
  4. Commune (Clerical Only) 
  5. Conjure Elemental (Arcane 
  Only) 
  6. Contact Higher Plane 
  (Clerical Only) 
  7. Feeblemind 
  8. Hold Monster 
  9. Magic Jar 
  10. Monster Summoning III1 
  11. Pass-Wall 
  12. Quest 
  13. Telekinesis 
  14. Transmute Rock-Mud 
  Level Six 
  1. Animate Objects1 
  2. Anti-Animal Shell2 
  3. Anti-magic Shell  
  4. Conjure Animals1 
  5. Death Spell 
  6. Find the Path1 
  7. Invisible Stalker 
  8. Legend Lore1 
  9. Lower Water 
  10. Monster Summoning IV1 
  11. Projected Image 
  12. Repulsion1 
  13. Speak with Monsters1 
  14. Stone to Flesh 
  15. Word of Recall1 
  Level Seven 
  1. Aerial Servant2 
  2. Astral Spell2 
  3. Earthquake2 
  4. Holy Word (Clerical Only)1 
  5. Monster Summoning V1 
  6. Phase Door1 (Arcane Only) 
  7. Polymorph Others1 
  8. Power Word – Stun 
  9. Simulacrum (Arcane Only)1 
  10. Wind Walk1 
  11. Part Water1 
  12. Animate Rock2 
  13. Transmute Metal to Wood2 
  Level Eight 
  1. Clone1 
  2. Fire Storm2 
  3. Mass Charm1 
  4. Mind Blank1 
  5. Monster Summoning VI1 
  6. Polymorph Any Object1 
  7. Power Word – Blind1 
  8. Symbol1  
  Level Nine 
  1. Gate1 
  2. Maze1 
  3. Meteor Swarm1 
  4. Monster Summoning VII1 
  5. Power Word-Kill1 
  6. Shape Change1 
  7. Time Stop1 
  8. Wish1 
   
   
  
  24 
   
  Monsters and Treasure 
  Many monsters, heroes, and gods of the Hyborian Age are listed in 
  Supplement IV: Gods, Demi-Gods, and Heroes, pages 45-52, with even more 
  creatures applicable to the age listed throughout (see the Finnish mythology 
  section in particular). 
  There are many more monsters in 
  D&D—even standards—that are 
  appropriate for encounters in the 
  Hyborian Age. A complete list 
  appears below, but in general if 
  it's a creepy crawly, has a horrific, 
  unnatural, or Lovecraftian bent, is 
  undead, or is some sort of mutated 
  take on a regular creature, it's 
  likely appropriate to the Hyborian 
  Age.  Indeed, it is rarely 
  necessary to concoct new 
  monsters for a Hyborian Age 
  game, particularly since the stats 
  in D&D are so basic. Simply use 
  an appropriate set of statistics 
  from a pre-existing monster, and 
  invent a good, uniquely 
  grotesque, unnatural, or horrific 
  description for it.  
  Of the creatures listed in Monsters 
  & Treasure, the following critters 
  are appropriate to the Hyborian Age: 
  � 
  Men (obviously) will be the most often encountered foe. 
  � 
  Goblins and Kobolds can be used to represent degenerate underground 
  pygmy races.* 
  � 
  Gnolls and Ogres should be used to mimic beast-men and carnivorous 
  apes.* 
  � 
  Skeletons/Zombies 
  � 
  Ghouls, Wights, Wraiths, Spectres, Mummies, Vampires and all 
  manner of undead are applicable. 
  � 
  Basiliks, while not strictly Hyborian in nature, do fit in the concept of 
  a giant serpent whose bite causes petrification. 
  � 
  Wyverns are similar to the "dragons" Conan and Valeria encounter in 
  "Red Nails." 
  � 
  Lycanthropes 
  
  25 
   
  � 
  Purple Worms 
  � 
  Sea Monsters 
  � 
  Rocs 
  � 
  Djinn and Efreet though any spells worked should be as Sorcerers, 
  albeit without corruption risks to these creatures. 
  � 
  Jellies, Puddings, Slimes, Molds and Oozes 
  � 
  Large Insects 
  *Never refer to these creatures as orcs, ogres, goblins, kobolds, gnolls, etc.  
  One of the keys to a well-run Hyborian Age game is description. Describe 
  your monster not as a goblin, but as a degenerate, dark-skinned pygmy race of 
  the hills or caves.  Describe not an ogre, but a giant, 7-foot-tall ape-thing with 
  jaundiced, watery-eyes, slavering tusks and pustule-covered skin.   
  Creatures from Supplement I: Greyhawk 
  � 
  Shadows 
  � 
  Will o' Wisp 
  � 
  Liches (Cast as Sorcerers) 
  � 
  Harpies 
  � 
  Lizard Men (Called "Serpent Men," and possess the additional ability 
  to polymorph into human form—these are rare and presumably have 
  been extinct since the time of King Kull, thousands of years earlier.  
  However, certain pastiche writers have included appearances by the 
  Serpent Men.) 
  � 
  Dopplegangers 
  � 
  Lycanthropes 
  � 
  Lamassu 
  � 
  Salamanders 
  � 
  Umber Hulks 
  � 
  Hell Hounds 
  � 
  Stirges 
  � 
  Giant Ticks 
  � 
  Carrion Crawlers 
  � 
  Gelatinous Cubes 
  � 
  Golems 
  Creatures from Supplement II: Blackmoor 
  � 
  Giant Crabs, Octopi, Squid, Crocodile, Toad, Frog, Leech, Wasps, 
  Beetle 
  � 
  Fire Lizard 
  � 
  Lizard 
  � 
  Elasmosaurus, Mosasaurus, Plesiosaurus 
  � 
  Giant Shark 
  
  26 
   
  � 
  Whale 
  � 
  Giant Eel, Lamprey, 
  Sea Horse, Portuguese 
  Man-o-War, Dolphins 
  � 
  Pungi Ray, Manta Ray 
  � 
  Water Spiders, Weed 
  Eels 
  � 
  Sahuagin ("Deep 
  Ones") 
  � 
  Locathah (also "Deep 
  Ones") 
  � 
  Morkoth  
  � 
  Poisonous Coral 
  � 
  Mashers 
  � 
  Strangle Weed 
  Creatures from Supplement 
  III: Eldritch Wizardry  
  � 
  Demons, Type I 
  through VI, including 
  Succubi 
  � 
  Mind Flayers (These 
  are called Spawn of the Outer Dark) 
  In addition, Geoffrey McKinney has created an excellent Lovecraftian 
  Dungeons & Dragons supplement entitled Carcosa.  Most of the monsters in 
  that particular booklet are apt for use in a Hyborian Age campaign as well.  
  Finally, one should not overlook Mongoose Publishing’s excellent Conan 
  Roleplaying Game sourcebooks. While designed for the 3.5 edition rules, 
  these books contain excellent ideas and suggestions, as well as rules for 
  creation of sorcerous abominations and generation of demons from the Outer 
  Dark; for an enterprising DM, most monsters from later editions are easily 
  translatable to the original rules—OD&D monsters revolve almost entirely 
  around hit dice and special abilities.  
  Unfortunately, at the time of writing this game is out of print and the books are 
  selling at a premium, but if you get a chance to snatch a few up, particularly 
  Secrets of Skelos, Bestiary of the Hyborian Age, and Return to the Road of 
  Kings, these books come highly recommended.  
  Magical Treasure 
  Magic items of any type are rare and unique, and almost always serve a 
  specific purpose—there isn’t a lycanthrope-bane longsword; rather, there is a 
  set of longswords constructed specifically to deal damage to the lycanthropic 
  
  27 
   
  monsters of a certain lost island.  Outside of this lost island, the swords, while 
  fine quality, would impart no special game benefits. Most persistent magic 
  items are for sorcerers, though certain swords, girdles, and rings exist that can 
  be used by warrior types. For example, in “People of the Black Circle,” Conan 
  is loaned the use of a girdle that gives him resistance against the magic of the 
  wizards of the Black Circle.  This girdle allows him to battle in a situation in 
  which he otherwise would have been quite outclassed.  He also loses use of the 
  girdle at the end of the adventure.  In “The Phoenix on the Sword,” the ghost 
  of the sage Epimetreus traces a magical phoenix on Conan’s sword, which 
  enables the new king to battle a demon sent against him by Thoth-Amon.  The 
  sword, of course, is broken in the process.  
  Persistent magic items, such as Thoth-Amon’s Serpent Ring of Set, are 
  singular, rare, and likely of the artifact variety; use Supplement III and the 
  Hyborian write-up in Supplement IV as guidelines. 
  There are NO intelligent magic swords. 
  
  28 
   
  The Underworld and 
  Wilderness Adventures 
  Introduction 
  Many gamers reading this booklet will recognize these rules from the prior 
  Forbidden Lore pamphlet available online.  They have been included here in 
  their entirety for completeness’ sake.  For further clarification and explanation, 
  the author cannot recommend enough, Aldarron’s excellent compilation of 
  Chainmail combat rules, found at http://stores.lulu.com/boggswood. 
  It cannot be stressed enough 
  that the Chainmail rules for 
  combat are essential to 
  gaining the gritty feel of a 
  Hyborian Age game. The 
  "Troop Type" rules function 
  as excellent "mook rules," 
  when Conan needs to wade 
  through a horde of thugs, 
  while the Man-to-Man rules 
  are the standard means of 
  combat resolution, and the 
  Fantasy rules cover Conan's 
  struggles with demons, man-
  apes, and giant serpents. 
  Tips on how to convert 
  D&D monsters to 
  Chainmail's Fantasy Combat 
  system are found on page 5 
  of Monsters & Treasure.  
  The problem is how exactly 
  to use Chainmail for Dungeons & Dragons.  For years—perhaps even since 
  the game first appeared on the scene—gamers have debated exactly how 
  Chainmail was intended for use as the combat system for the original 
  Dungeons & Dragons rules.  There are tantalizing hints within the pages of the 
  original three booklets, but as with much of those early games, a great deal is 
  left blurred and to interpretation.  Perhaps, in this case, too much is left for the 
  individual players to work out.  Clearly Gygax and Arneson had strong ideas 
  in mind, but these ideas are not as clearly spelled out. 
  It has been pointed out by veterans of those early days that indeed almost 
  nobody actually used Chainmail for Dungeons & Dragons combat, but in 
  
  29 
   
  recent years the movement known as the “Old School Renaissance” has seen a 
  great deal of debate and theory as to the original intent.  
  Note: to use this pamphlet you will need BOTH the original Dungeons & 
  Dragons booklets AND the original Chainmail rules.  It does not reproduce 
  rules from either source; it merely serves as a bridge to link the two, cross-
  referencing rules from D&D with those from Chainmail.  If you do not own 
  Chainmail, the d20-based “alternate” combat system will function in a 
  Hyborian Age game, but some of the flavor and grit will be lost in the 
  translation. 
  Systems Of Combat In Chainmail 
  There are three distinct systems of combat in the original Chainmail rules.  
  They are: 
  The Troop Type System: Wherein troops are classified by their general 
  category (Heavy Foot, Light Mounted, etc.) and battle based on these 
  classifications, rolling handfuls of six-sided dice and checking for “hits,” 
  usually on results of 5 or 6.   This was the original mass combat rule for 
  Chainmail, and is recommended when higher-level (“Hero” and above) PCs 
  combat larger numbers of single hit-die creatures.  
  The Man to Man System: Wherein figures are granted an Armor Class (AC) 
  based on their protective gear, and attack opponents rolling 2d6 on a table, 
  referencing their weapon type against the opponent’s armor. 
  The Fantasy Supplement: Wherein figures attack specifically fantastic 
  creatures such as dragons, lycanthropes, Rocs, ogres and other heroes, rolling 
  2d6 on a table referencing the two figure types. 
  Choosing A System 
  How does this all come together?  What system is intended for use in “Man 
  scale” Dungeons & Dragons?  It would seem that the Man to Man system is 
  the most obvious answer, but this contradicts specific references to the Troop 
  Type System and the Fantasy Supplement system implicit in the rule books. 
  The answer to the conundrum is deceptively simple: use all three.   
  The biggest mistake often made when trying to work this out is deciding on a 
  single system.  What many who attempt this task forget is that D&D in the 
  early days was a mishmash of sub-systems designed in a toolkit, "whatever 
  works for the situation" philosophy.  There is nothing wrong with combining 
  the three subsystems in Chainmail; indeed, it is reasonable to suspect that is 
  exactly what Gygax and Arneson intended. 
  Below we will examine each system, with a detailed breakdown of how it all 
  works in “Man Scale” D&D.  The Troop Type and Man to Man systems are 
  
  30 
   
  largely interchangeable and in many situations it will be a simple matter of 
  taste and preference which is used.  Certainly the Troop Type system plays 
  much faster, but does not include the detail and potential drama of the Man to 
  Man system, which better represents the struggles of heroic figures such as 
  Conan. 
  In the end, it is recommended that for situations such as the battles fought in 
  Tolkien between the Fellowship and dozens of orcs, the Troop Type system 
  works better, while when Aragorn goes one-on-one against an Uruk captain, 
  the Man to Man system is preferable. Conan struggling against a gigantic 
  snake or massive carnivorous ape in the dank caverns of an undercity, on the 
  other hand, would be best served using the Fantasy Supplement rules. 
  The Troop Type System 
  In actual play the Troop Type System is exceptionally easy.  It does, however, 
  require the most explanation to understand.  Thus, we will approach this 
  system first. 
  Reconciling Chainmail Troop Types 
  In Chainmail there are the following classifications of troops (excluding 
  arquibusiers, or primitive riflemen, and culture-specific troops):  
  INFANTRY 
  � 
  Light Foot 
  � 
  Heavy Foot 
  � 
  Armored Foot 
  ARCHERY 
  � 
  Archers 
  � 
  Crossbowmen 
  � 
  Long bowmen 
  � 
  Heavy Crossbowmen 
  CAVALRY 
  � 
  Light Horse 
  � 
  Medium Horse 
  � 
  Heavy Horse 
  In Dungeons & Dragons, there are eight classes of armor, ranging from AC 9 
  (no armor or shield) to AC 2 (Plate armor AND shield) (Men and Magic, 
  page 19). 
  
  31 
   
  In Men and Magic, characters attack as x number of "Men," or "Heroes" or 
  "Superheroes". 
  Page 24 of Underworld and Wilderness Adventures reads as follows: 
  “The basic system is that from Chainmail, with one figure 
  representing one man or creature.  Melee can be conducted...by the 
  Chainmail system, with scores equalling (sic) a drive back or a kill 
  equal only to a hit.” 
  This seems simple enough, but there are problems. 
  Problem 1: What constitutes a "Man"? This is unclear by the rules on their 
  face—the terms “Figure” and “Man” are often used interchangeably, but there 
  are sections which refer to a figure representing 20 men. 
  Problem 2: Which system is meant to be used? The 20:1 combat system, the 
  Man to Man system, or the Fantasy Supplement system? 
  The answer to Problem 2 is tied up in Problem 1. 
  What constitutes a "Man" is clarified in Chainmail, though somewhat 
  obscurely—it is not obvious.  On the Fantasy Reference Table (page 43 in the 
  3rd edition), the asterisked footnote defining a "Hero" clarifies that a "Man" is 
  equivalent to "Either Heavy Foot, Armored Foot, Light Horse, etc., depending 
  on arms and situations..." 
  Okay, so “Man” refers generally to “Figure.”  Now, "depending on arms and 
  situations" now becomes the crux of the problem, though one easily resolved, 
  as DM fiat is common, accepted, and expected in the original Dungeons & 
  Dragons rules.  The trick is dividing up armor and arms into the categories we 
  looked at above. 
  Troop Types Defined: Chainmail gives us some guidelines as to what 
  constitutes the various troop types, on page 14: 
  Light Foot: Missile troops, Swiss/Landsknechte*, Peasants, 
  Crews 
  Heavy Foot: Normons, Saxons, Turks, Vikings, Men-at-Arms 
  Armored Foot: Dismounted Knights, Sergeants, Italian City 
  Levies and Condottiere 
  Light Horse: Magyars, Mongols, Saracens, Spanish, Turks, 
  Hobilars 
  Medium Horse: Mongols, Norman Knights, Esquires, Saracens, 
  Spanish Turks, Turcopoles 
  Heavy Horse: Knights, Reiter, Gendarmes 
  
  32 
   
  Let us return to our 8 AC ratings.  At the two farthest ends of the spectrum—
  no armor and plate + shield—we clearly have Light Foot and Armored Foot.   
  Using Chainmail’s Troop classifications and examining the typical types of 
  armor and training for the troop types given, we can divide this way: 
  Light Foot: AC 9-8 (No Armor or Shield only—we can also assume padded 
  armor falls into this category, having an AC of 8) 
  Heavy Foot: AC 7-4 (Leather through Chain & Shield—padded armor and 
  shield would have AC 7) 
  Armored Foot: AC 3-2 (Plate and Plate & Shield) 
  OR, if the DM wants shields to make a difference, this way: 
  Light Foot: AC 9-7 (No Armor through Leather or Padded & Shield) 
  Heavy Foot: AC 6-5 (Leather & Shield and Chain) 
  Armored Foot: AC 3-2 (Chain & Shield through Plate & Shield) 
  Notes: Padded armor is not 
  listed in Men & Magic, but 
  there is some historical 
  precedent for wrapping oneself 
  in heavy layers of cloth as a 
  form of makeshift armor.  
  Also, if the DM wishes to take 
  it to one final step, Plate and 
  Shield could subtract one from 
  the opponent's dice for 
  defense; there is precedent for 
  that sort of thing in Chainmail, 
  though an opponent should 
  never have fewer than 1 die.  
  But we will leave that as an 
  "optional rule" for now. 
  Let us further extrapolate, from 
  looking at the Man-to-Man 
  Table (p. 41), that weapons 
  with a class of 1 reduce the 
  rank of the wearer by 1, to a minimum of Light foot, for purposes of attacking.  
  Thus, a character with Chainmail, but wielding only two hand axes, still 
  defends as Heavy Foot, but attacks as Light Foot.  Similarly, a character clad 
  in only leather armor but wielding a heavy, 2-handed claymore in grand 
  Braveheart style, might attack as heavy or even armored foot, while still 
  
  33 
   
  defending as light.  Hand Axes should be class 2 rather than 1; treat this as a 
  suspected errata in the tables. 
  The above are general suggestions and guidelines from careful reading and 
  interpretation.  Every DM will have to make their own call.  After the DM 
  rules on the issue, players should note their attack and defense classes on their 
  character sheet. 
  Cavalry and Archers: The same breakdowns apply to Horse, though the 
  differentiation between Light and Medium Horse also is dependent upon 
  whether or not the horse is barded and the rider using a heavy weapon or 
  mounted lance. 
  Archers, as in Chainmail, always attack and defend in Melee as Light Foot. 
  Note: Optionally, if he drops the bow and draws a melee weapon, an archer 
  can defend as better than Light Foot if wearing appropriate armor, though 
  plate armor makes it impossible to fire anything besides a crossbow. 
  Likewise, at the DM's option, a crossbowman may opt to defend as Heavy or 
  Armored Foot without drawing a melee weapon, but his crossbow may be 
  destroyed, having been used to defend against attacks.  Another few "optional" 
  rules culled from interpretation and common sense. 
  Combat Procedure 
  To adapt Chainmail’s Troop Type System to the original Dungeons & 
  Dragons single-figure scale, characters throw dice based upon their Troop 
  Type (attacker rating) vs.  a defender's Troop Type (defense rating) as shown 
  on page 40 of Chainmail.  Always round dice up, so that all characters throw 
  at least one die.  Bonuses are pips added to or subtracted from the highest of 
  all dice thrown, this extrapolated from the following passage on page 5 of 
  Monsters & Treasure: 
  "Attack/Defense capabilities versus normal men are simply a matter 
  of allowing one roll as a man-type for every hit die, with any 
  bonuses being given to only one of the attacks, i.e.  a Troll would 
  attack six times, once with a +3 added to the die roll.  (Combat is 
  detailed in Vol.  III.)" 
  Penalties should likewise be subtracted from the highest die roll.  When two 
  listings exist (i.e.  “3 Men or Hero -1), always use the more advantageous 
  rating in normal combat. 
  Missile fire is always resolved first in this system.  Consult the Missile Fire 
  table on page 11, and throw a number of dice appropriate to the character's 
  "Man" ratings in Men and Magic.  The listed casualty numbers instead 
  become the number of dice of damage dealt to the foe.  Thus, a first level 
  Fighting Man firing a bow at an unarmored foe rolls a die; on a result of 3-6 he 
  
  34 
   
  deals a die of damage.  The same character at level 5 will always inflict at least 
  2 dice of damage to an unarmored opponent, but may inflict 3 dice if he gains 
  a result of 3-6.  This fact makes missile weapons quite deadly and attractive 
  for use by player characters; the main difference between types of missile 
  weapons is their range.  For this reason, DMs may wish to opt for the Man to 
  Man missile fire system (see p. 10), while maintaining the Troop Type system 
  for melee or, as I prefer, simply rule that a result of “1” always fails. 
  Note: I am of the opinion that "Number Firing" on the "1/2 Armor or Shield" 
  column should read 1 under 1-3 and 2 under 4-6 instead of being 2 and 2.  Not 
  having seen errata for Chainmail, I cannot be 100% certain of this, but it seems 
  to match the other progressions, and I suspect it is a typo on its face. 
  Thus, a first level Fighting Man fighting as Light Foot (Man +1), attacking an 
  orc which defends as Heavy Foot, throws a single die and adds one to the total, 
  even though the table lists Lt.  vs.  Hvy as "1 die per two men." As per the 
  combat table, if he gets a result of 6, he scores a hit and deals 1d6 damage to 
  his foe as in Men and Magic, page 19. 
  The same character at third level, attacking as "3 Men or Hero -1" would in 
  this case throw two dice (remember, always round up), with no bonus to 
  either, as this is more advantageous than the Hero -1 which would see two dice 
  thrown, subtracting one from the highest.  If one comes up 6, he deals 1 die of 
  damage.  If both come up 6, he deals 2 dice of damage. 
  However, when moving to the Fantasy Combat Table, which we shall examine 
  later, the character would attack as a Hero, subtracting 1 from his 2d6 roll. 
  Final Breakdown: The basic process here is simple: determine troop types 
  involved, consult the Combat Tables 
  on page 40 of Chainmail, roll an 
  appropriate number of dice, and count 
  "hits." 
  The Man To Man 
  System 
  For epic, heroic, one-on-one battles, 
  use the Man to Man System.  It is 
  straightforward and easy, and 
  completely ignores the "Heavy foot, 
  light foot," etc. classifications, 
  focusing only on the exact weapons 
  and armor of the combatants.  In this 
  system, "Man" as defined on the 
  Level Progression Charts in Men and 
  Magic, simply refers to the number 
  
  35 
   
  of attacks granted in a round.  Thus, a third level Fighting Man, a Swordsman, 
  gains three attacks.  Since a "Hero" is defined in Chainmail as having "the 
  fighting ability of four figures," (p.  30), we can count "Hero" as "4 Men."  
  Using the Man to Man system, any time the progression reads "x Men," that 
  trumps a "Hero" or "Superhero" designation.  Thus, "5 Men," or 5 attacks, 
  trumps "Hero + 1," which would be four attacks adding +1 to one of the four. 
  However, if the progression does NOT list a "Men" designation, go with what 
  is there.  Thus, the seventh-level Champion, which does NOT read, "7 Men," 
  must fight as a Superhero -1.  Superheroes are, according to Chainmail, "about 
  twice as powerful" as Heroes (p.  30), which means that they grant eight 
  attacks (in the case of a Champion, one of these suffers a -1 penalty). 
  Note: For ease of play, it is suggested any bonuses or penalties are applied to 
  the last attack in the sequence.  This keeps things fair and equal, and prevents 
  combat min/maxing.  Thus, the above-mentioned Champion would attack 7 
  times, the last attack suffering a -1 penalty, and the above-mentioned Hero+1 
  adding +1 to his last attack. 
  Like the Troop Type System, missile fire is resolved first.  To resolve this, see 
  the Individual Fires with Missiles Table (Chainmail p. 41); target numbers for 
  each AC at three range increments are listed.  For game balance purposes, this 
  is preferable to the Troop Type System, if slower when rolling multiple 
  attacks, as it allows for even higher level characters (and missile-firing 
  monsters) to miss. 
  Monsters such as serpent-
  men, ghouls, carnivorous 
  apes, trolls, and even giants 
  can be engaged, with the DM 
  improvising arms and armor 
  based on their "Men" rating.  
  Of course, all of these figures 
  should gain hit dice as 
  Fighting Men equivalent to 
  said rating.  A Giant, for 
  example, fights as 12 Men, 
  and thus should have 12 Hit 
  Dice (and by extension, 12 
  attacks)!  Generally 
  speaking, improvisation in 
  this area is not necessary as 
  the hit dice totals listed in 
  Monsters & Treasure will 
  suffice.  Remember that each 
  Hit Die a monster has grants 
  
  36 
   
  one attack in Man to Man combat (Monsters & Treasure, p. 5, 
  “Attack/Defense”). 
  Certain monsters, those very powerful creatures with Supernatural bents such 
  as Elementals, Wraiths, Wights, Wyverns, etc., may not—at the DM's 
  option—be engaged by characters of below Hero status, these young 
  adventurers having no chance to damage such monsters.  We will deal with 
  such creatures when we get to the Fantasy Combat Table. 
  Final Breakdown: Note the weapons and armor of the combatants, calculate 
  the number of attacks each has, and use the Man to Man system as written. 
  The Fantasy Supplement 
  The Fantasy Reference Table and the Fantasy Combat Table (Chainmail, pp. 
  43-44) come into play only when fighting specific, high-fantasy creatures.  As 
  it stands, only those creatures listed upon the Fantasy Combat Table use this 
  system, though the DM can add others from Monsters & Treasure if he feels 
  the need and they seem equivalent to those already present. 
  No character with a rating 
  below "Hero" can attempt 
  combat on the Fantasy Table 
  (though characters with "Hero -
  1" status can try, excepting 
  creatures that require a Hero to 
  roll 12 to hit, such as Dragons). 
  The Fantasy Combat Table 
  uses a single (not multiple) roll 
  of 2d6, with a target number 
  gained by cross referencing the 
  character with the defending 
  creature.   
  To repeat: characters battling 
  on the Fantasy Combat Table 
  do NOT gain multiple attacks. 
  Note: This makes Fantasy 
  Combat somewhat drawn 
  out—DMs may wish to offset 
  this by allowing multiple dice 
  of damage equivalent to the 
  character's rating, or half that to limit massive damage—i.e.  a Hero will do 
  4d6 damage instead of just 1d6, or 2d6 damage if the DM opts for half rating 
  (a Hero is worth 4 men). 
  
  37 
   
  Unless specified in the creature's description (a Hero must use a bow to attack 
  a dragon, for example), ranged vs.  melee attacks make no difference in the 
  Fantasy Supplement combat rules. 
  Combat progresses in this manner until one side retreats, surrenders, or dies.  
  In many ways, the Fantasy Combat Table is the simplest form of combat; it 
  simply does not work for more "mundane" creatures, which use the Troop 
  Type or Man to Man rules. 
  Final Breakdown: Simply cross-reference character type based on level (as 
  listed in his Fighting Capability Chart, Men & Magic p. 17-18) with the 
  creature type on the Fantasy Combat Table, then roll 2d6, attempting to equal 
  or better the listed target number.  
  Saving Throws 
  Saving throws are important 
  to Dungeons & Dragons, but 
  become something of an 
  anomaly if using the 
  Chainmail–based combat, as 
  they function with a d20 
  rather than d6’s.  It is 
  possible, however, to divine 
  a Saving Throw system 
  based off of that suggested in 
  Chainmail, if one keeps a 
  few basic assumptions in 
  mind. 
  Chainmail has Heroes and 
  Super Heroes targeted by 
  spells being saved on a roll 
  of 9 and 6 or better, 
  respectively. if Heroes are 
  4th level Fighting Men, and 
  Super Heroes 8th, we can 
  extrapolate a progression 
  based upon these numbers. 
  The basic assumptions for this system:  
  1. The system replaces save categories with a single saving throw. 
  Optional adjustments for categories extrapolated from D&D will be 
  examined later.  
   
  
  38 
   
  2. This is not likely to be a linear progression. This should not be a 
  problem, because it is believable that the better someone gets at 
  something, the fewer broad leaps forward they take, and the more 
  improvement becomes smaller increments. One who is already an 
  expert savant rarely makes the kind of great intuitive leaps of learning 
  that a novice or even journeyman does. Skills and abilities generally 
  hit a plateau somewhere. 
   
  3. This system makes it much harder to save at low levels than does the 
  d20-based one in Men & Magic, but likely much easier at higher 
  levels. 
  Saving Throws by level look as follows:  
  Level 
  Saved on: 
  1-3 
  11 
  4-6 
  9 
  7-9 
  6 
  10-12 
  5 
  13+ 
  4 
  Fighting Men includes Rangers as well as Bards, Monks, Thieves and 
  Assassins. 
  Magic-Users includes Illusionists, Bards and Druids.  Magic-Users see their 
  saves advance in groups of 6 levels instead of 3 (i.e. 1-6, 7-12, etc.) 
  It will occur to many players and DMs that this table makes it exceptionally 
  difficult to succeed at a saving throw at low levels.  This is true, but also recall 
  that in D&D, there is an accomplishment in making it past third level.  
  Option: Save Categories 
  Men & Magic includes the standard save categories: Death Ray/Poison, 
  Wands, Petrification, Dragon Breath, Staves and Spells. Since the new chart 
  has only one save, it's possible to simulate these categories with bonuses to the 
  save. If we assume a base save of 16 (as this is the worst save on the level one 
  charts in M&M), we can assign bonuses by class as follows: 
  CLASS 
  Death 
  Wands 
  Stone 
  Dragon Breath 
  Spell/staff 
  Sorcerers 
  +1 
  +1 
  +2 
  +0 
  +3 
  All Others 
  +2 
  +1 
  +1 
  +0 
  +0 
  This table is not an exact translation from M&M; that would be nearly 
  impossible. Bonuses have instead been estimated based on the difference 
  between the M&M save and 16, divided by 2 (since the range of possibilities 
  is nearly half that of a d20). The author has gone with instinct when rounding 
  
  39 
   
  off fractions up or down, and made one alteration, giving Magic Users a 
  higher bonus against spells. 
  Using this system of bonuses, a roll of 2 on 2d6 always fails, regardless of 
  bonuses, and if this system is used, sorcerers should advance at the same rate 
  as Fighting-Men, instead of in groups of 6 levels as above. 
  Ability Checks 
  Dungeons & Dragons tends to operate on a “Rule of 2,” that is to say, when 
  the DM is in doubt whether an event occurs, the characters succeed at an 
  action, etc., he rolls a die; on a 1 or 2, the event occurs, the effort succeeds, the 
  characters are surprised or hear noise, a wandering monster appears, etc.  
  This is an elegant idea, and while it is not prescribed for adjudicating every 
  situation, it functions as a neat fallback for a DM. The problem is that it 
  doesn’t take player characters into account, and this is where the idea of ability 
  checks comes into play.  When an action needs to occur over which the PCs 
  could have influence, the DM allows the players to make a check against an 
  appropriate attribute.  Some DMs prefer to substitute player creativity and 
  ingenuity for ability checks, but the use of one does not negate the application 
  of the other; there is a place for both player ingenuity and ability checks. 
  There are two ways to handle ability checks.  The first is to simply roll 3d6 
  and attempt to get a result under the appropriate attribute.  This is a basic and 
  elegant solution. 
  The second method is based upon the saving throw system, above.  This 
  method takes into account character level as well as ability.  Using this 
  method, players roll 2d6 against a level-based target number, just as though 
  they were making a saving throw.  To this roll they add a bonus based on their 
  ability score.  Ability bonuses for checks are as follows: 
  Score 
  Bonus 
  3 
  -3 
  4-5 
  -2 
  6-8 
  -1 
  9-12 
  0 
  13-15 
  +1 
  16-17 
  +2 
  18 
  +3 
  Enterprising DMs can even, if they choose, substitute ability checks for saving 
  throws, deciding which ability is most applicable to save in a given situation, 
  allowing players to choose when more than one ability might apply—resisting 
  an explosion could use Dexterity (to dive for cover) or Constitution (to absorb 
  the damage without harm), for example. This has the side effect of powering 
  up the PCs a bit, but it also offsets the difficulty of success at low-level saves. 
  
  40 
   
   
  "I saw again in the battlefield whereon I was born," said Conan, resting his 
  chin moodily on a massive fist. "I saw myself in a pantherskin loin-clout, 
  throwing my spear at the mountain beasts. I was a mercenary swordsman 
  again, a hetman of the kozaki who dwell along the Zaporoska River, a corsair 
  looting the coasts of Kush, a pirate of the Barachan Isles, a chief of the 
  Himelian hillmen. All these things I've been, and of all these things I dreamed; 
  all the shapes that have been I passed like an endless procession, and their 
  feet beat out a dirge in the sounding dust. 
  "But throughout my dreams moved strange, veiled figures and ghostly 
  shadows, and a far-away voice mocked me. And toward the last I seemed to 
  see myself lying on this dais in my tent, and a shape bent over me, robed and 
  hooded. I lay unable to move, and then the hood fell away and a moldering 
  skull grinned down at me. Then it was that I awoke." 
  -Robert E. Howard, The Hour of the Dragon
  
  41 
   
  Appendix: The Hyborian Age 
  (Excerpt) 
  By Robert E. Howard 
  f that epoch known by the �emedian chroniclers as the Pre-
  Cataclysmic Age, little is known except the latter part, and that is 
  veiled in the mists of legendry. Known history begins with the waning 
  of the Pre-Cataclysmic civilization, dominated by the kingdoms of 
  Kamelia, Valusia, Verulia, Grondar, Thule and Commoria. These 
  peoples spoke a similar language, arguing a common origin. There 
  were other kingdoms, equally civilized, but inhabited by different, and 
  apparently older races… 
  …At the time of the Cataclysm, a band of savages, whose development was 
  not much above that of the Neanderthal, fled to the north to escape destruction. 
  They found the snow-countries inhabited only by a species of ferocious snow-
  apes—huge shaggy white animals, apparently native to that climate. These 
  they fought and drove beyond the Arctic circle, to perish, as the savages 
  thought. The latter, then, adapted themselves to their hardy new environment 
  and throve. 
  After the Pictish-Atlantean wars had destroyed the beginnings of what 
  might have been a new culture, another, lesser cataclysm further altered the 
  appearance of the original continent, left a great inland sea where the chain of 
  lakes had been, to further separate west from east, and the attendant 
  earthquakes, floods and volcanoes completed the ruin of the barbarians which 
  their tribal wars had begun. 
  A thousand years after the lesser cataclysm, the western world is seen to be 
  a wild country of jungles and lakes and torrential rivers. Among the forest-
  covered hills of the northwest exist wandering bands of ape-men, without 
  human speech, or the knowledge of fire or the use of implements. They are the 
  descendants of the Atlanteans, sunk back into the squalling chaos of jungle-
  bestiality from which ages ago their ancestors so laboriously crawled. To the 
  southwest dwell scattered clans of degraded, cave-dwelling savages, whose 
  speech is of the most primitive form, yet who still retain the name of Picts, 
  which has come to mean merely a term designating men—themselves, to 
  distinguish them from the true beasts with which they contend for life and 
  food. It is their only link with their former stage. Neither the squalid Picts nor 
  the apish Atlanteans have any contact with other tribes or peoples. 
  Far to the east, the Lemurians, levelled almost to a bestial plane themselves 
  by the brutishness of their slavery, have risen and destroyed their masters. 
  They are savages stalking among the ruins of a strange civilization. The 
  survivors of that civilization, who have escaped the fury of their slaves, have 
  O
  
  42 
   
  come westward. They fall upon that mysterious pre-human kingdom of the 
  south and overthrow it, substituting their own culture, modified by contact 
  with the older one. The newer kingdom is called Stygia, and remnants of the 
  older nation seemed to have survived, and even been worshipped, after the 
  race as a whole had been destroyed. 
   Here and there in the 
  world small groups of 
  savages are showing signs 
  of an upward trend; these 
  are scattered and 
  unclassified. But in the 
  north, the tribes are 
  growing. These people are 
  called Hyborians, or 
  Hybori; their god was 
  Bori—some great chief, 
  whom legend made even 
  more ancient as the king 
  who led them into the 
  north, in the days of the 
  great Cataclysm, which the 
  tribes remember only in 
  distorted folklore. 
  They have spread over 
  the north, and are pushing 
  southward in leisurely treks. So far they have not come in contact with any 
  other races; their wars have been with one another. Fifteen hundred years in 
  the north country have made them a tall, tawny-haired, grey-eyed race, 
  vigorous and warlike, and already exhibiting a well-defined artistry and 
  poetism of nature. They still live mostly by the hunt, but the southern tribes 
  have been raising cattle for some centuries. There is one exception in their so 
  far complete isolation from other races: a wanderer into the far north returned 
  with the news that the supposedly deserted ice wastes were inhabited by an 
  extensive tribe of ape-like men, descended, he swore, from the beasts driven 
  out of the more habitable land by the ancestors of the Hyborians. He urged that 
  a large war-party be sent beyond the arctic circle to exterminate these beasts, 
  whom he swore were evolving into true men. He was jeered at; a small band of 
  adventurous young warriors followed him into the north, but none returned. 
  But tribes of the Hyborians were drifting south, and as the population 
  increased this movement became extensive. The allowing age was an epoch of 
  wandering and conquest. Across the history of the world tribes and drifts of 
  tribes move and shift in an everchanging panorama. 
  
  43 
   
  Look at the world five hundred years later. Tribes of tawny-haired 
  Hyborians have moved southward and westward, conquering and destroying 
  many of the small unclassified clans. 
  Absorbing the blood of conquered races, already the descendants of the 
  older drifts have begun to show modified racial traits, and these mixed races 
  are attacked fiercely by new, purer-blooded drifts, and swept before them, as a 
  broom sweeps debris impartially, to become even more mixed and mingled in 
  the tangled debris of races and tag-ends of races. 
  As yet the conquerors have not come in contact with the older races. To the 
  southeast the descendants of the Zhemri, given impetus by new blood resulting 
  from admixture with some unclassified tribe, are beginning to seek to revive 
  some faint shadow of their ancient culture. To the west the apish Atlanteans 
  are beginning the long climb upward. They have completed the cycle of 
  existence; they have long forgotten their former existence as men; unaware of 
  any other former state, they are starting the climb unhelped and unhindered by 
  human memories. To the south of them the Picts remain savages, apparently 
  defying the laws of Nature by neither progressing nor retrogressing. Far to the 
  south dreams the ancient mysterious kingdom of Stygia. On its eastern borders 
  wander clans of nomadic savages, already known as the Sons of Shem. 
  Next to the Picts, in the broad valley of Zingg, protected by great 
  mountains, a nameless band of primitives, tentatively classified as akin to the 
  Shemites, has evolved an advanced agricultural system and existence. 
  Another factor has added to the impetus of Hyborian drift. A tribe of that 
  race has discovered the use of stone in building, and the first Hyborian 
  kingdom has come into being—the rude and barbaric kingdom of Hyperborea, 
  which had its beginning in a crude fortress of boulders heaped to repel tribal 
  attack. The people of this tribe soon abandoned their horse-hide tents for stone 
  houses, crudely but mightily built, and thus protected, they grew strong. There 
  are few more dramatic events in history than the rise of the rude, fierce 
  kingdom of Hyperborea, whose people turned abruptly from their nomadic life 
  to rear dwellings of naked stone, surrounded by cyclopean walls—a race 
  scarcely emerged from the polished stone age, who had by a freak of chance, 
  learned  the first rude principles of architecture.  
  The rise of this kingdom drove forth many other tribes, for, defeated in the 
  war, or refusing to become tributary to their castle-dwelling kinsmen, many 
  clans set forth on long treks that took them halfway around the world. And 
  already the more northern tribes are beginning to be harried by gigantic blond 
  savages, not much more advanced than ape-men. 
  The tale of the next thousand years is the tale of the rise of the Hyborians, 
  whose warlike tribes dominate the western world. Rude kingdoms are taking 
  shape. The tawny-haired invaders have encountered the Picts, driving them 
  
  44 
   
  into the barren lands of the west. To the northwest, the descendants of the 
  Atlanteans, climbing unaided from apedom into primitive savagery, have not 
  yet met the conquerors. Far to the east the Lemurians are evolving a strange 
  semi-civilization of their own. To the south the Hyborians have founded the 
  kingdom of Koth, on the borders of those pastoral countries known as the 
  Lands of Shem, and the savages of those lands, partly through contact with the 
  Hyborians, partly through contact with the Stygians who have ravaged them 
  for centuries, are emerging from barbarism. The blond savages of the far north 
  have grown in power and numbers so that the northern Hyborian tribes move 
  southward, driving their 
  kindred clans before them. 
  The ancient kingdom of 
  Hyperborea is overthrown 
  by one of these northern 
  tribes, which, however, 
  retains the old name. 
  Southeast of Hyperborea a 
  kingdom of the Zhemri has 
  come into being, under the 
  name of Zamora. To the 
  southwest, a tribe of Picts 
  have invaded the fertile 
  valley of Zingg, conquered 
  the agricultural people there, 
  and settled among them. 
  This mixed race was in turn 
  conquered later by a roving 
  tribe of Hybori, and from 
  these mingled elements 
  came the kingdom of 
  Zingara. 
  Five hundred years later the kingdoms of the world are clearly defined. The 
  kingdoms of the Hyborians—Aquilonia, Nemedia, Brythunia, Hyperborea, 
  Koth, Ophir, Argos, Corinthia, and one known as the Border Kingdom—
  dominate the western world. Zamora lies to the east, and Zingara to the 
  southwest of these kingdoms—people alike in darkness of complexion and 
  exotic habits, but otherwise unrelated. Far to the south sleeps Stygia, 
  untouched by foreign invasion, but the peoples of Shem have exchanged the 
  Stygian yoke for the less galling one of Koth. 
  The dusky masters have been driven south of the great river Styx, Nilus, or 
  Nile, which, flowing north from the shadowy hinterlands, turns almost at right 
  angles and flows almost due west through the pastoral meadowlands of Shem, 
  to empty into the great sea. North of Aquilonia, the western-most Hyborian 
  
  45 
   
  kingdom, are the Cimmerians, ferocious savages, untamed by the invaders, but 
  advancing rapidly because of contact with them; they are the descendants of 
  the Atlanteans, now progressing more steadily than their old enemies the Picts, 
  who dwell in the wilderness west of Aquilonia. 
  Another five centuries and the Hybori peoples are the possessors of a 
  civilization so virile that contact with it virtually snatched out of the wallow of 
  savagery such tribes as it touched. The most powerful kingdom is Aquilonia, 
  but others vie with it in strength and mixed race; the nearest to the ancient 
  root-stock are the Gundermen of Gunderland, a northern province of 
  Aquilonia. But this mixing has not weakened the race. They are supreme in the 
  western world, though the barbarians of the wastelands are growing in 
  strength. 
  In the north, golden-haired, blue-eyed barbarians, descendants of the blond 
  arctic savages, have driven the remaining Hyborian tribes out of the snow 
  countries, except the ancient kingdom of Hyperborea, which resists their 
  onslaught. Their country is called Nordheim, and they are divided into the red-
  haired Vanir of Vanaheim, and the yellow-haired Æsir of Asgard. 
  Now the Lemurians enter history again as Hyrkanians. Through the 
  centuries they have pushed steadily westward, and now a tribe skirts the 
  southern end of the great inland sea—Vilayet—and establishes the kingdom of 
  Turan on the southwestern shore. Between the inland sea and the eastern 
  borders of the native kingdoms lie vast expanses of steppes and in the extreme 
  north and extreme south, deserts. The non-Hyrkanian dwellers of these 
  territories are scattered and pastoral, unclassified in the north, Shemitish in the 
  south, aboriginal, with a thin strain of Hyborian blood from wandering 
  conquerors. Toward the latter part of the period other Hyrkanian clans push 
  westward, around the northern extremity of the inland sea, and clash with the 
  eastern outposts of the Hyperboreans. 
  Glance briefly at the peoples of that age. The dominant of Hyborians are no 
  longer uniformly tawny-haired and grey-eyed. They have mixed with other 
  races. There is a strong Shemitish, even a Stygian strain among the peoples of 
  Koth, and to a lesser extent, of Argos, while in the case of the latter, admixture 
  with the Zingarans has been more extensive than with the Shemites. The 
  eastern Brythunians have intermarried with the dark-skinned Zamorians, and 
  the people of southern Aquilonia have mixed with the brown Zingarans until 
  black hair and brown eyes are the dominant type in Poitain, the southern-most 
  province. The ancient kingdom of Hyperborea is more aloof than the others, 
  yet there is alien blood in plenty in its veins, from the capture of foreign 
  women—Hyrkanians, Æsir and Zamorians. Only in the province of 
  Gunderland, where the people keep no slaves, is the pure Hyborian stock 
  found unblemished. But the barbarians have kept their bloodstream pure; the 
  Cimmerians are tall and powerful, with dark hair and blue or grey eyes. The 
  
  46 
   
  people of Nordheim are of similar build, but with white skins, blue eyes and 
  golden or red hair. The Picts are of the same type as they always were—short, 
  very dark, with black eyes and hair. The Hyrkanians are dark and generally tall 
  and slender, though a squat slant-eyed type is more and more common among 
  them, resulting from mixture with a curious race of intelligent, though stunted, 
  aborigines, conquered by them among the mountains east of Vilayet, on their 
  westward drift. The Shemites are generally of medium height, though 
  sometimes when mixed with Stygian blood, gigantic, broadly and strongly 
  built, with hook noses, dark eyes and blue-black hair. The Stygians are tall and 
  well made, dusky, straight-featured—at least the ruling classes are of that type. 
  The lower classes are a down-trodden, mongrel horde, a mixture of negroid, 
  Stygian, Shemitish, even Hyborian bloods. South of Stygia are the vast black 
  kingdoms of the Amazons, the Kushites, the Atlaians and the hybrid empire of 
  Zembabwei. 
  Between Aquilonia and the 
  Pictish wilderness lie the 
  Bossonian marches, peopled by 
  descendants of an aboriginal 
  race, conquered by a tribe of 
  Hyborians, early in the first 
  ages of the Hyborian drift. This 
  mixed people never attained the 
  civilization of the purer 
  Hyborians, and was pushed by 
  them to the very fringe of the 
  civilized world. The 
  Bossonians are of medium 
  height and complexion, their 
  eyes brown or grey, and they 
  are mesocephalic. They live 
  mainly by agriculture, in large 
  walled villages, and are part of 
  the Aquilonian kingdom. Their 
  marches extend from the 
  Border kingdom in the north to 
  Zingara in the southwest, forming a bulwark for Aquilonia against both the 
  Cimmerians and the Picts. They are stubborn defensive fighters, and centuries 
  of warfare against northern and western barbarians have caused them to evolve 
  a type of defense almost impregnable against direct attack. 
  Five hundred years later the Hyborian civilization was swept away. Its fall 
  was unique in that it was not brought about by internal decay, but by the 
  growing power of the barbarian nations and the Hyrkanians. The Hyborian 
  peoples were overthrown while their vigorous culture was in its prime. 
  
  47 
   
  "I have known many gods. He who denies them is as blind as he who trusts 
  them too deeply. I seek not beyond death. It may be the blackness averred by 
  the �emedian skeptics, or Crom's realm of ice and cloud, or the snowy plains 
  and vaulted halls of the �ordheimer's Valhalla. I know not, nor do I care. Let 
  me live deep while I live; let me know the rich juices of red meat and stinging 
  wine on my palate, the hot embrace of white arms, the mad exultation of battle 
  when the blue blades flame and crimson, and I am content. Let teachers and 
  priests and philosophers brood over questions of reality and illusion. I know 
  this: if life is illusion, then I am no less an illusion, and being thus, the illusion 
  is real to me. I live, I burn with life, I love, I slay, and am content." 
  -Robert E. Howard, “Queen of the Black Coast” 
  
  APPENDIX 2: ORIGINAL GODS, DEMI-GODS, AND HEROES PAGES
  Note: Textual edits have been made for accuracy and to correct typographical errors.
  Conan's world is very real in that Robert E. Howard went to great lengths to limit his magic and
  sorcery to firm up the believability of his stories. The Gods of his world are of many types and go
  from one extreme to the next in working, or leaving alone, mankind.
  CONAN
  Armor Class — As a normal man 
  Alignment: Neutral
  Move: 12" 
  Magic Ability: None
  Hit Points: 117 
  Fighter Ability: 15th Level
  Strength: 18; Exceptional Strength: 100%; Intelligence: 16; Wisdom: 10; Constitution: 17; Dex-
  terity: 18; Charisma: 15.
  This mighty fighter of the 15th level also has thieving abilities of a 9th level thief as per
  Greyhawk. His animal instincts make it almost impossible to surprise him (roll of "2" on 2
  six-sided dice) and his unusually keen perception allows only the most clever of traps to entan-
  gle him. If using the Greyhawk rules he receives a plus 4 on hit probability and a plus 6 on 
  damage he does. He opens all doors, and wizard-locked ones on a roll of 1-3, his thief abilities
  allow him to open locks 75% of the time, remove traps 70% of the time, pick pockets and move
  silently 75% of the time and hide in shadows 65% of the time.
  CROM
  Armor Class — 4 
  Magic Ability: (See Below)
  Move: 18" 
  Fighter Ability: 20th Level
  Hit Points: 300
  Conan's diety, a grim savage human type presides over a great hall in the high mountains filled
  with powerful fighters. He hates any form of weakness and to call on him in this state is to bring
  dooms instead of help. He has the power to teleport and fights as a Storm Giant. He wears plus 4
  armor and uses a plus 3 sword.
  MITRA
  Armor Class — 4 
  Magic Ability: 40th Level
  Move: 18" 
  Fighter Ability: 10th Level
  Hit Points: 300
  God of the Hyborians, this being has no known form, but his worshipers like to present him as a
  perfectly formed human male. Mitra is a 40th level magic/cleric type and uses the astral spell
  with no range limitation. He uses plus 3 armor and shield in battle and a plus 4 sword of cold.
  SET
  The God of darkness and the Lord of Shadows. This being is wholly dedicated to evil. Take the
  information from the Egyptian section for his powers.
  ASURA
  Armor Class — 3 
  Magic Ability: 20th Level
  Move: 18" 
  Fighter Ability: 10th Level
  Hit Points: 275
  Asura is able to polymorph himself into any of the human types of the world. He can use spells as
  a 20th level magic user/cleric and he will in times of need (judge's option) dispel any magic sent
  at his priest or worshipers. When fighting hand to hand, he uses a spear of light that hits as a
  plus 3 spear for 8 dice (6-sided).
  48
  
  TSATHOGGUA
  Armor Class — 4 
  Magic Ability: (See Below)
  Move: 12" 
  Fighter Ability: 10th Level
  Hit Points: 275
  Tsathoggua is a diety with a frog's head and a man's body. It has 7 eyes and the power to animate
  its statues in any of its temples. This God is very fond of human sacrifices and will animate a
  statue in a temple at any opportunity to get one. He drains energy levels at the rate of 3 per turn
  no saving throw applicable.
  HANUMAN THE ACCURSED
  Armor Class —1 
  Magic Ability: None
  Move: 10" 
  Fighter Ability: As Storm Giant
  Hit Points: 200
  Hanuman assumes a giant ape form when appearing on earth and strikes as a Storm Giant. His
  ancient religion of the East requires human sacrifices.
  YEZUD
  Armor Class — 3 
  Magic Ability: (See Below)
  Move: 16" 
  Fighter Ability: 12th Level
  Hit Points: 225
  Yezud is a giant black spider able to consume energy levels, as does Stormbringer, and use all
  the powers of a phase spider. Its evil priests keep it in human sacrifices and for this is supplies
  them with tiny hand-size pearls.
  These black pearls, upon a mental command, will turn into a poisonous spider, biting for 2 dice
  (10-sided) of damage. These pearls are usually placed in the center of a piece of jewelry that the
  priests give to high officials and other people of importance.
  BLOOD STAINED GOD
  Armor Class — 3 
  Magic Ability: None
  Move: 8" 
  Fighter Ability: As Iron Golem
  Hit Points: 250
  The God appears as a golden idol encrusted with red jewels that appear to be of great value. The
  being stands about 8 feet tall and seems to be made of gold. Only plus 3 weapons or better affect
  the monster and it is totally unaffected by magical spells. This deity will take its own sacrifices as
  it animates the idol and throws any greedy robbers into a chasm in its temple.
  YAMA
  Armor Class — 3 
  Magic Ability: (See Below)
  Move: 24" 
  Fighter Ability: As Stone Golem
  Hit Points: 300
  Yama can only manifest himself in the form of a huge, 60 foot tall, green stone idol of a man with
  many arms. The God can hypnotize 1-50 beings into motionlessness within 50 yards of its body
  (no magic saving throw applicable) and the only effective way to kill the God is to kill the sum-
  moning evil high priest. It has 8 arms that strike for 3-30 points of damage per arm.
  Note: There are other deities mentioned, but never explained: Bel God of Thieves, Old Ones,
  Jullah, Golden Peacock. Erlik, Macha, Lir. Baal, Malach, Ahriman. Ishtar, Xotli, Pteor,
  Decketo, Badb, Morrigan, Manannan and Tanil, amongst others. In these cases, it is certain the
  actual mythological deities of the same names can be used as presented in Supplement IV.  
  49
  
  THUGRA KHOTAN, PRIEST KING OF SET
  Armor Class — As a normal man 
  Magic Ability: 30th Level
  Move: 7" 
  Fighter Ability: 10th Level
  Hit Points: 63
  Strength: 11; Intelligence: 18; Wisdom: 16; Constitution: 17; Dexterity: 12; Charisma: 11.
  Thugra Khotan, an evil wizard of the 30th level and an evil high priest of the 15th, was a bitter
  enemy of Conan. Khotan was able to call on Minions of Set to aid him. (Minions dealt with in
  another section).
  THOTH AMON
  Armor Class — As a normal man 
  Magic Ability: 20th Level
  Move: 8" 
  Fighter Ability: None
  Hit Points: 56
  Strength: 6; Intelligence: 17; Wisdom: 8; Constitution: 14; Dexterity: 12; Charisma: 9.
  A wizard of the 20th level and an enemy of Conan, he had a ring of great magical power famed
  throughout the world.
  THOTH AMON'S RING
  A copper colored ring in the shape of a coiled serpent with 3 coils biting its tail. When in
  possession of this evil artifact, the magic user of the 10th level or more will raise 10 levels in ex-
  perience. This ring would be valued by a jeweler at 4 copper pieces and when using a detect
  magic on it, none is shown. If the ring is put on by a magic user of less than the 10th level it acts
  as any artifact of an opposite alignment.
  KHITAI ASSASSINS
  Treat as assassins as per Blackmoor.
  THE BLACK SEERS
  Armor Class — As a normal man 
  Magic Ability: (See Below)
  Move: As a normal man
  Fighter Ability: None
  Hit Points per magic user
  Tall men with shaven heads and a definite vulture look about them, these evil magic users live
  high in the mountains. From the second level onwards these magicians can cast illusions and
  hypnotize and from the 4th level onwards they are able to animate objects which they place all
  over their castles.
  EPEMETREUS THE SAGE
  Armor Class — ethereal 
  Magic Ability: (See Below)
  Move: 24" 
  Fighter Ability: None
  Hit Points: None
  Epemetreus was a powerful sage entombed 1500 years before Conan was bom. He was able, with
  the help of the Gods of Law and Neutrality, to contact Conan and advise him. If anyone is foolish
  enough to attack him treat him as a 40th level liche as per Greyhawk.
  PICTISH SHAMAN
  Armor Class — As any normal man Magic Ability: (See Below)
  Move: 12" 
  Fighter Ability: 6th Level
  Hit Points: as any cleric
  50
  
  These evil priests of the savage Pict race are only vaguely dealt with in the stories; treat them as
  Lamas per D & D. They have one special power, the ability to make a captured foe exchange
  minds with a snake. This takes a day's preparation and the light of the full moon to accomplish.
  There is never more than one of these to a village of 800.
  PRIESTS OF THE GOLDEN PEACOCK
  As a cleric
  These evil priests never rise higher than Bishop as per D&D. They have the power from the third
  level on to hide in shadows as a master thief.
  GIANT SLUG
  As per Greyhawk.
  DEMON OF THE BLACK HANDS
  This is a triple strength Invisible Stalker.
  MOUNTAIN APES
  As per Ogres in D&D
  BRYLUKAS
  Armor Class — 1 
  Magic Ability: None
  Move: 12/18 
  Fighter Ability: 10th Level
  Hit Points: 50
  Described as creatures neither man nor beast nor demon, but a little of all three: having near
  human intelligence, bestial cravings for human blood, and supernatural powers of endurance.
  These creatures appear as gargoyles, but that's where the resemblance ends. They have the
  strength of a hill giant with the intelligence to attack the strongest member of any party first. A
  strong light as in a light spell or pyrotechnics will cause the Brylukas to go blind for 1-4 turns
  and in this condition they will always retreat.
  THAUG THE DEMON
  Armor Class — 2 
  Magic Ability: None
  Move: 9" 
  Fighter Ability: 10th Level
  Hit Points: 70
  Thaug is a 10 feet tall frog-like being with very large extended eyes and long fangs that naturally
  like to eat human flesh. He bites for 7 (8-sided) dice of damage and is able to sense anything in-
  visible.
  OLLAM-ONGA
  Triple strength Zombie as per D&D, but with full intelligence.
  KRAKEN
  Armor Class — 2 
  Magic Ability: (See Below)
  Move: 18" 
  Fighter Ability: 15th Level
  Hit Points: 100
  The Kraken comes to us fully described in A. Meritt's Dwellers in the Mirage. It is a giant oc-
  topus which is able to live on the land. This creature must be called from another dimension
  where it is imprisoned, and is constantly trying to leave. It feeds on human souls/energy levels
  and if the victim doesn't make his or her magic saving throw all his levels are drained. He can be
  called on by any evil priest knowing the spell.
  51
  
  RED SHADOWS
  As in Greyhawk these are "Shadows," but with the difference that these creatures can transmit
  information to a controlling master.
  DRAGON LIZARD
  Treat as a Crocodile of Greyhawk, with 3 times the power.
  KHOSATRAL KHEL THE DEMON
  In the form of a large man completely impervious to all earthly forces, this being was only af-
  fected by a knife made out of a falling star. Treat this being as an evil 20th level priest/wizard.
  Within 10 yards of the knife he has no magical ability, when hit with it he dies, and placing the
  knife in contact with his body and not stabbing causes the being to become unconscious until the
  knife is removed.
  GHOULS OF YANAIDAR
  As Ghouls of D&D, but double the number usually appearing.
  FROST GIANTS
  As in D&D, but these are much more intelligent.
  ICE WORM
  Treat as a purple worm of D&D except for his special power. Within 10 feet of it, a hypnotic
  power causes a victim not making his magic saving throw to walk calmly into the mouth of the
  worm.
  HEART OF AHRIMAN
  Device of great power able to work over any distance, which acts as an antimagic shell for 6 per-
  sons. It appears as a heart shaped gem, with a golden glow when in use. It can restore the dead.
  CHEST OF ZORATHUS
  A treasure chest made to be unbreakable. To open it an involved process must be gone through.
  It is necessary to press the 7 small skulls on the rim, one at a time, then press the head of the
  dragon, then press the sphere held in its claws. If the user doesn't know of the poison fang in the
  dragon's head he will die as the poison is so strong that no saving throw is given.
  GIANT CARVED SERPENTS
  These are found in many of the stories always with the fear that they will animate themselves
  when the things they are guarding are disturbed.
  WELL OF SKELOS
  A bottomless well found in the ruins of a city in the desert famed for the riches that an ancient
  race threw in.
  VAMPIRE GORGON OF AKHLAT
  A female demon with the powers of a vampire of D&D, that used a large red mask with a magic
  gem in the center. This gem turned beings into stone as she drained the energy levels from them,
  no magic saving throw given.
  GIANT MAGNETS
  These are commonly found in wizards' rooms and are perfect when a savage warrior in plate
  mail comes charging in wanting the poor magic user's life.
  52
  
  STAR OF KHORALA
  This gem, set in a ring, gives anyone wearing it power over the opposite sex as a human control
  ring, no saving throw given.
  FLAME KNIFE
  This symbol of the "hidden assassins" can be found cut into any of their victims.
  BOOK OF SKELOS
  This rare volume combines the knowledge of the "The Manual of Golems, Book of Vile
  Darkness, Book of Infinite Spells, and a Tome of Understanding" as per Greyhawk.
  This work will never disappear.
  PURPLE LOTUS
  In powder form, one of these flowers induces a deep sleep which can last 1-12 days depending on
  the die. There is no saving throw for this dust.
  ORICHALCUM
  Magic metal of Atlantis, this metal is used in any summoning spell. It acts as a Rod of Rulership
  on the being summoned. When the being has completed its task the metal will turn to silver and
  be useless for magical purposes.
  DRAGON SHIPS
  A sailing ship in the form of a winged dragon. The wings of the ship are the sails, the front talons
  are used in grappling, the nostrils of the dragon shoot a type of greek fire, and the long neck and
  head serve as a boarding platform. In all things pertaining to sailing treat this vessel as a large
  galley with twice the speed.
  GOLDEN SERPENT BELT
  One of the few magic items Conan used to fight his enemies, this time they were the Black Seers.
  The belt puts up an antimagic shell and dispels any lesser beings summoned with spells of the
  7th level or under.
  CLAW OF NERGAL
  An evil artifact of great power used to cast spells that take over the mind. It can affect only one
  being at a time over any distance if the being fails to make his saving throw.
  COBRA CROWN
  A mind control device able to work on 1-1000 beings at once. The wearer cannot be surprised
  and can read minds at any distance.
  YARA'S GEM
  A gem that shoots 100 points of heat damage, with an effective range of 25 yards, every full turn.
  BLACK LOTUS
  Powder made from one of these flowers strikes the inhaler dead, no saving throw applicable. One
  flower will kill one being human or monster.
  DREAD SCEPTRE OF MUNTHASSEM KHAN
  A Staff of Commanding from D & D, but this works through crystal balls, clairvoyance spells,
  and a gem of seeing.
  53
  
  HEART OF TAMMUZ
  A lawful artifact used to counter the effects of the Claw of Nergal. With this, the user can undo
  the action of the claw without knowing who the claw affected, merely by bringing the Heart
  within 500 yards of a victim.
  PICTISH BAG OF DEMONS
  A magical device that summons 10-100 creatures from its interior. It is 16" by 30" and sealed
  with beeswax. These demons are half man half bird with 35 hit points. They are as strong as a
  Fire Giant and they will not attack anything lying flat on the ground.
  PURPLE LOTUS
  This powder, when mixed with any type of liquid and taken into the system through drinking or
  puncture of any type, causes instant paralysis. One flower makes one application which
  paralyzes for 1-12 days.
  MIRROR OF LAZBEKRI
  5 feet wide and 4 feet tall, this device appears as a broken jagged mirror, but when a magic user
  concentrates into it, it acts as a Gem of Seeing as per Greyhawk. The only difference is that
  others may look at the same time.
  RING OF RAKHAMAN
  A small ring made out of a strange dull blue metal. It's covered completely in hieroglyphs with a
  seal in a rhombic shape on top. The wearer of this ring, no matter what class, can defeat any
  summoned monster of the 8th level or less with one punch of the ringed hand. Summoned
  creatures will include Djinns. Efreets, Elementals, and those summoned in Monster Summoning
  spells.
  YELLOW LOTUS
  Powder made from one of these flowers causes a light unconsciousness from which the inhaler
  can easily be awakened by a loud noise or a sharp slap. Powder from 2 causes death.
  WHITE PUFF BALL SPELL
  This spell was used by the highest wizards of the Black Seers. It appears as a group of smoke
  clouds floating to the ground traveling at 15" per turn. Contact with anyone of the 30 clouds
  causes instant disintegration. The Seers are able to control these balls as a cloudkill spell.
  OCTOPUS DEMON
  Armor Class —1 
  Magic Ability: None
  Move: 8" 
  Fighter Ability: 10th Level
  Hit Points: 45
  Land creature with short stubby tentacles standing about 4 feet tall with its body appearing to be
  a mass of jelly having a fanged head in the center. Its tentacles hit for 3 dice (six sided) of
  damage, it has 8 of them.
  VAMPIRE VINE
  Armor Class — 8 
  Magic Ability: (see below)
  Move: 0 
  Fighter Ability: 10th Level
  Hit Points: 50
  A vine with pointed leaves, crimson blossoms, and the ability to plant itself in the most severe en-
  vironments. It grabs its victims and immediately begins to suck the blood out of them. This plant
  goes one step further in its play for survival in that it puts the victims in a stasis which keeps
  them alive. The plant can keep up to 4 beings at the same time.
  54
  
  YAG-KOSHA
  Armor Class — 2 
  Magic Ability: 30th Level
  Move: 9/18 
  Fighter Ability: 8th Level
  Hit Points: 100
  Creature with the body of a man, the head of a small elephant, and the wings of a gargoyle. It is
  green in color and has the power of a 30th level wizard.
  CURSE OF LARSHA
  A gelatinous cube as per Greyhawk.
  
  56 
   
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/Original D&D/Supplement 8 - The Age of Conan.pdf