Spes Magna Games

This morning, I watched 2011’s execrable Conan the Barbarian. In a perfectly just universe, those responsible for this film would never have been permitted to make the movie, or, at a minimum, they would have to refund the 113 headache-inducing minutes I spent suffering through the cinematic excrement. On the plus side, Conan’s fight against those ninja sand monsters was kind of spiffy. So, in that vein:

The kummuai inhabit desert regions, lurking at the edges of inhabited places. They haunt the outskirts of towns and the routes between oases. In its natural form, a kummua is invisible and incorporeal. They cannot affect material creatures or objects in this form, but they are also immune to almost all attacks. Cleric spells and undead turning can affect a kummua in its natural form, assuming the monster can be detected.

All kummuai hate living creatures and seek to destroy them. To do so, a kummua “possesses” a quantity of sand and earth taken directly from the ground. It shapes this material into vessel resembling an emaciated humanoid body endowed with remarkable speed and agility. On the round a kummua forms a vessel, it can make only one attack and move only at half speed. After that, the kummua moves at full speed and makes two claw attacks per round. On any round after it forms its vessel, a kummua may dissolve its vessel and instantly form a new vessel from suitable materials within 60 feet of the kummua’s original position. A kummua who chooses this tactic may make only one attack and move only at half speed, either before or after it dissolves and reforms elsewhere.

A kummua whose vessel is destroyed (reduced to 0 hit points) must make a saving throw to avoid having its natural form destroyed as well. If the saving throw is successful, that kummua cannot reform a new vessel until (4d4 minus HD) nights have passed.

Swords & Wizardry

Hit Dice: 1-3
Armor Class: 5 [14] (1 HD); 4 [15] (2 HD); 3 [16] (3 HD)
Attacks: 2 claws (1d4 plus additional damage equal to HD)
Saving Throw: 17 (1 HD); 16 (2 HD); 14 (3 HD)
Special: form vessel, immune to sleep and charm spells, invisible/incorporeal natural form
Move: 12 (15 flying in natural form)
Alignment: Chaos
Challenge Level/XP: 3/60 (1 HD); 4/120 (2 HD); 5/240 (3 HD)

Tags: Conan, monsters, Swords & Wizardry

I’ve recently been re-reading the Berkley Publishing Corporation’s authorized editions of Robert E. Howard’s Conan stories published under the titles The Hour of the Dragon, People of the Black Circle, and Red Nails. Howard’s tales have stood the test of time for about four score years, and they remain fertile fields for fantasy RPG inspiration.

While Howard’s vibrant prose holds my attention rapt, I wasn’t so awed that I couldn’t pause every now and then to jot down a noteworthy adjective or colorful phrase. Out of this list grows new the traits for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Here’s a sample of one each combat, faith, magic, and social traits.

Battle-Born: You were born under and/or into violent circumstances. Perhaps you were born on the field of battle when raiders attacked your village. Perhaps from an early age circumstances forced you kill or be killed. You have learned to face down unfavorable odds and still emerge victorious. You gain a +1 trait bonus to attack rolls in melee combat when you are threatened by more than one foe.

Barbaric Mythology: You grew up among so-called barbarians. Against the night, your people would light bonfires and gather to hear tales of gods and demons, heroes and villains, and intrigues and wars. You gain a +1 trait bonus on any two of Knowledge (history), Knowledge (local), and Knowledge (religion). One of the two chosen skills is always a class skill for you.

Superstitious: You know the world is a dangerous place influenced by unseen forces and malevolent spirits. The unwary and incautious are more likely to fall victim to these malign supernatural powers. Fortunately, you are well-versed in the little rituals and taboos necessary to defend yourself against harm. You gain a +1 trait bonus on saving throws against the spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities of evil creatures.

Iron Nerves: You don’t scare easily. You don’t rattle easily. Nothing seems to phase you, at least not for long. You gain a +2 trait bonus to Will saves against fear effects. If someone uses Intimidate to demoralize you, you are demoralized for 1 fewer rounds (to a minimum of 1 round).

In other news, Spes Magna Games PDFs are now available at DriveThruRPG. Check the link in the sidebar to the left. Quid Novi? subscribers please note that the ultra double-dog top secret discount code does not currently work at DriveThruRPG. I’ll fix that once I figure out how.

Tags: Conan