Pulp Hero: Solomon Kane

[AlHazred]

I just got done reading The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane. It was my second exposure to Kane - my first was somebody's pastiche of the character - and I found the Howard Solomon Kane stories to be superior heroic fiction. I think there was maybe some "bleed-over" from Conan's personality later on in the stories, but I imagine that happened during Howard's heyday, when the editors were asking him for as many Conan stories as he could write.

Anyway, I knew that Mike Surbrook has posted his own version of the character, but I think I last checked it over a year ago and I scrupulously avoided referring to it while I worked out my version.

Solomon L. Kane
Val  Char  Cost  Roll  Notes
20    STR    10      13-    Lift 400.0kg; 4d6 [4]
16    DEX    18      12-    OCV:  5/DCV:  5
15    CON    10      12-
18    BODY   16      13-
10    INT     0      11-    PER Roll 11-/13-
14    EGO    8      12-    ECV:  5
20/30    PRE    10      13- / 15-    PRE Attack:  4d6/6d6
10    COM    0      11-

6    PD    2      Total:  6 PD (0 rPD)
5    ED    2      Total:  5 ED (0 rED)
4    SPD    14      Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12
8    REC    2
40    END    5
40    STUN    4      Total Characteristic Cost:  101

Movement:
Running: 7"/14"
Leaping:  4"/8"
Swimming:  2"/4"


Cost  Powers  END
5  An Occult Keenness Of The Deeper Senses:  Detect Supernatural Menaces 11- (Hearing Group)
5  Divine Providence:  Luck 1d6
5  Implacable Expression:  +10 PRE (10 Active Points); Only For Fear-Based Presence Attacks (-1)
2  Long Swinging Strides:  Running +1" (7" total) 1
4  Piercing Gaze:  +2 PER with Sight Group
7  Unflinching Courage:  Affects Desolidified (ghosts; +1/4) for up to 20 Active Points of STR, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2)
\tabFisticuffs
Maneuver OCV DCV Notes
4  Crush +0 +0 8d6 Crush, Must Follow Grab
4  Martial Dodge -- +5 Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort
4  Martial Escape +0 +0 35 STR vs. Grabs
5  Offensive Strike -2 +1 8d6 Strike
1  Weapon Element: Clubs
\tabFencing
Maneuver OCV DCV Notes
4  Bind +1 +0 Bind, 30 STR
3  Cut +2 +1 Weapon Strike
4  Froissement -1 +1 Disarm; 30 STR to Disarm
5  Lunge +1 -2 Weapon +4 DC Strike
4  Parry +2 +2 Block, Abort
4  Riposte +2 +2 Weapon +2 DC Strike, Must Follow Block
5  Thrust +1 +3 Weapon Strike
0  Weapon Element: Blades
Perks
2  A Man Dangerouser Than A Wolf:  Reputation (rogues throughout Europe) 11-, +2/+2d6
6  Blood-Brother:  Contact: N'Longa, the Voodoo Man of the Slave Coast (Contact has extremely useful Skills or resources, Very Good relationship with Contact) 8-
4  Captain In The French Foreign Legion:  Fringe Benefit: Captain
Talents
3  Cat-like Reflexes:  Lightning Reflexes: +2 DEX to act first with All Actions
3  Habitually Holds His Life In His Hand:  Lightsleep
6  Man Of Steel And Ice:  Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
Skills
16  +2 with All Combat
6  +2 with Fencing
  
3  Analyze: Style 11-
3  Climbing 12-
5  Defense Maneuver I-II
3  Navigation (Land, Marine) 11-
3  Paramedics 11-
2  PS: Sailor 11-
2  PS: Soldier 11-
5  Rapid Attack (HTH)
3  Riding 12-
3  Shadowing 11-
3  Stealth 12-
4  Survival (Temperate/Subtropical, Tropical) 11-
3  Tracking 11-
2  TF: Large Wind-Powered Boats, Small Rowed Boats
7  WF: Common Melee Weapons, Early Firearms, Javelins and Thrown Spears, Off Hand, Thrown Knives, Axes, and Darts
3  Linguist
1  1) Language: African River Dialects (fluent conversation)
1  2) Language: Bantu (fluent conversation)
1  3) Language: English (imitate dialects; literate)
1  4) Language: German (fluent conversation)
1  5) Language: Pidgin (basic conversation)
3  Traveler
2  1) AK: Africa 11-
1  2) AK: England 11-
1  3) AK: France 11-
1  4) AK: Germany 11-
1  5) AK: Italy 11-
1  6) AK: Spain 11-

Total Powers & Skill Cost:  190
Total Cost:  291

75+ Disadvantages
5  Distinctive Features: Puritan (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses; Not Distinctive In Some Cultures)
10  Distinctive Features: Style (Not Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Large Group)
20  Enraged: when those under his protection are harmed (Uncommon), go 14-, recover 11-
0  Normal Characteristic Maxima
15  Psychological Limitation: "Puritan's" Code Of Honor (Common, Strong)
15  Psychological Limitation: Wanderlust (Common, Strong)
10  Social Limitation: Religious Minority (Frequently, Minor)
5  Unluck: 1d6
136 Experience Points

Total Disadvantage Points:  291

Cost  Weight  Equipment  END
  1.00kg  Wheellock Pistol:  RKA 1d6; Extra Time (1 Turn (Post-Segment 12), -1 1/4), OAF (-1), STR Minimum 11 (STR Min. Cannot Add/Subtract Damage; -1), Activation Roll 12- (-3/4), 6 Charges (-3/4), Concentration, throughout (1/2 DCV; -1/2), Side Effects, (-4 RMod; -1/2), Beam (-1/4) plus Armor Piercing (+1/2) for up to 15 Active Points of RKA, Required Hands (One-Handed; +0); Extra Time (1 Turn, -1 1/4), OAF (-1), Real Weapon (-1/4), Concentration (1/2 DCV; -1/4), Only Works Against Low-Tech Armors (-1/4)[Notes:  Act 12-; Conc; Range 110"; DEF 3, BODY 4.]    1<br>  0.80kg  Dagger/Dirk:  HKA 1d6-1 (1d6 w/STR), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Ranged (+1/2); OAF (-1), STR Minimum 6 (-1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4)[Notes:  S; Can Be Thrown; DEF 5, BODY 3.]    <br>  1.00kg  Rapier:  HKA 1d6 (1 1/2d6 w/STR), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2); OAF (-1), STR Minimum 10 (-1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4) plus +1 with HTH Combat; OAF (-1), Real Weapon (-1/4)[Notes:  DEF 5, BODY 5.]    <br>    Staff Of Solomon, all slots OAF (-1)    <br>    1) Sharp Spear-Point:  HKA 1 1/2d6 (2d6+1 w/STR), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2); OAF (-1), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), STR Minimum 8 (-1/2)    <br>    2) Warded Against Supernatural:  RKA 8d6, Damage Shield (+1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Uncontrolled (+1/2), Affects Desolidified (+1/2), Continuous (+1), NND (defense is Force Field; +1), Does BODY (+1); OAF (-1), Only Works Against Supernatural Creatures (-1)    <br>    3) Dream-Sending:  Mind Link , with N'Longa, ju-ju man of the Slave Coast, Any distance, No LOS Needed; Extra Time (1 Minute, -1 1/2), OAF (-1), Concentration (0 DCV; Character is totally unaware of nearby events; must go to "sleep"; -3/4), Gestures (Requires both hands; cross arms over breast and staff; -1/2)    <br>
Total Cost: $0   Total Gear Weight: 2.80 kg   Total Gear Carried: 2.80 kg

Encumbrance (Total Weight Carried)
STR 20
0-10% - 40   No Encumbrance penalty
11-24% - 96   -1 DCV/DEX Rolls
25-49% - 196   -2 DCV/DEX Rolls, -1" movement, 1 END per Turn
50-74% - 296   -3 DCV/DEX Rolls, -2" movement, 2 END per Turn
75-89% - 356   -4 DCV/DEX Rolls, -4" movement, 3 END per Turn
90-100% - 400   -5 DCV/DEX Rolls, -8" movement, 4 END per Turn
Greater than 100%: Character cannot move or take other actions

Background/History:  Driven by an unstoppable urge to wander, Solomon Kane left his home town of Devon for a life of adventure. Sailing for a time with his friend Sir Richard Grenville, he apparently gave that up when most of the rest of his companions became buccaneers. He spent time in a Turkish galley as a rowing-slave, became a Captain in the French army, fought Indians in the New World, journeyed through most of Europe, and made several journeys to Africa. In this time, he developed a reputation as an implacable unbeatable swordsman, mainly through his defeat of a rather large number of villains: murderers, highwaymen, pirates, degenerate noblemen, etc. A one-time friend of Sir Francis Drake, he never spent too much time in one place before his wanderlust drove him onward.<br> When he had first journeyed to Africa on a mission of rescue, he had felt a primal stirring deep within his psyche; something about the savage new continent called to him. In the later half of his adventuring career, he returned to Africa on a personal quest. His "blood-brother," the tribal shaman N'Longa, gave him a powerful magical staff. Armed with this and his fighting skills, he went on a personal odyssey through the African interior, destroying ancient evils and uncovering lost civilizations.

Personality/Motivation:  Solomon Kane claims to follow a tightly Puritan code of conduct, but in reality his personal ethics resemble those of a latter-day "knight in shining armor:" he tries to defend the weak and helpless (especially women), finds it necessary to fight evil wherever he finds it, and follows a life of some asceticism. In truth, he has something of the feral savage in him, although he would be shocked to hear it. Many times, he takes on a mission to destroy some villain due to his personal feelings when coming upon a victim. For the most part dour, Kane seldom laughs or enjoys entertainment.

Quote:  "It hath been my duty in times past to ease various evil men of their lives."

Powers/Tactics:  Kane is an awesome combatant, either with bare hands, blades, or flintlocks. In bare-handed combat, he wades into his foes, usually breaking their necks or dashing their heads in with the stock of his guns. As a fencer, he is technically perfect, fighting with an economy of action that conserves his energy while allowing him to test the limits of his opponent; he frequently defeats more flamboyant opponents by wearing them out. If he gets a chance to attack at range, he is a crack shot with his two flintlock pistols or flintlock musket, although the latter usually sees more use as a large club.<br> One weapon of note is his magical staff. Strangely carved rod with a cat's head on one end and a spear point on the other, this item enabled him to end several supernatural and not-so-supernatural threats in the African interior. He ultimately discovered that the rod was an ancient relic from before recorded history, already ancient when an Egyptian priest had carved the head of Bast on the end and inscribed the shaft with hieroglyphics. It was then carried by Moses out of Egypt, used by Solomon to drive out the djinns, and eventually found it's way back to Africa and thence to Solomon Kane's hands. The Staff of Solomon was proof against supernatural terrors, frequently killing with one blow a creature otherwise immune to physical damage; it's mere touch was enough to destroy the monsters. The shaman N'Longa laid an additional enchantment upon the item: if a person laid it upon their breast, folded their arms over it, and slept, N'Longa was capable of communicating directly with them in their dreams.

Campaign Use:  Solomon Kane was active during the late 1500's, and would make an interesting character to introduce in games set in that period. His iconoclastic style, unpopular moodiness, and Puritanical religious tendencies would tend to minimize his impact on the campaign, allowing the GM to introduce him for specific scenes and ignore him the rest of the time.<br> In the later Solomon Kane stories, there seems to have been some "bleed-over" from Howard's other popular character, Conan - Kane becomes more feral in combat and his original calculating fighting style gives way more frequently to barbarianesque rages. Or maybe deepest Africa just got to him.<br><br>(Character by Robert E. Howard; character sheet by Roland Volz.)

Appearance:  Tall and lean, with long rangy arms and legs that belie his great strength, Solomon Kane appears almost sepulchral. His gaunt, pale face is framed by straight black hair cut short at the shoulders. His piercing sapphire-blue eyes gaze from a stern, unforgiving countenance.<br> He typically wears a long-brimmed featherless slouch hat, a starched high white collar and white shirt, black vest, black pants, black coat, and black cloak, unrelieved by any ornamentation. He wears a leather belt over a virulent turquoise-green sash of Oriental silk. In his belt he usually has two black-hilted flintlock pistols, rapier, and dirk. His boots are of black Cardovan leather. He sometimes carries a flintlock musket, and in his African adventures is often seen with a weirdly-inscribed staff, carved with a cat's head on top and a sharp point at the bottom.

Solomon Kane.hdc

[AlHazred]

There is one recurring character of merit in the series, the "ju-ju man" N'Longa. An African shaman whom Solomon Kane helps out early in the series, he gifts Kane with the Staff of Solomon and gives him advice and counsel during the second half of the stories, when Kane is wandering the depths of Africa in response to some inner urge.

N'Longa is an foil for those who claim that Howard only ever represented natives as either pitiful wretches or brutal barbaric hordes. N'Longa claims to be older than any might guess, says he studied under wizards and priests of many other cultures, and turns out to be one of the most noble characters in the series. And he's a powerful sorcerer. In a Howard story?!

N'Longa
Val  Char  Cost  Roll  Notes
8    STR    -2      11-    Lift 75.8kg; 1 1/2d6 [2]
14    DEX    12      12-    OCV:  5/DCV:  5
13    CON    6      12-
10    BODY   0      11-
18    INT     8      13-    PER Roll 13-
20    EGO    20      13-    ECV:  7
20    PRE    10      13-    PRE Attack:  4d6
8    COM    -1      11-

2    PD    0      Total:  2 PD (0 rPD)
3    ED    0      Total:  3 ED (0 rED)
3    SPD    6      Phases: 4, 8, 12
5    REC    0
26    END    0
21    STUN    0      Total Characteristic Cost:  59

Movement:
Running: 9"/18"
Leaping:  1"/2"
Swimming:  2"/4"


Cost  Powers  END
106  Bodies Like Clothes!:  Major Transform 8d6 (transfer caster's mind into subject's body), Requires A Magic Roll (No Active Point penalty to Skill Roll; +0), BOECV (Mental Defense applies; +1) (240 Active Points); N'Longa Is Incapacitated And Helpless While In Subject's Body (-1), Concentration (0 DCV; Character is totally unaware of nearby events; -3/4), Extra Time (Full Phase, -1/2), Spell (-1/2), Gestures (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4) plus Major Transform 8d6 (transfer caster's spirit into subject's body), Requires A Magic Roll (No Active Point penalty to Skill Roll; +0), BOECV (Mental Defense applies; +1) (240 Active Points); N'Longa Is Incapacitated And Helpless While In Subject's Body (-1), Concentration (0 DCV; Character is totally unaware of nearby events; -3/4), Extra Time (Full Phase, -1/2), Spell (-1/2), Linked (Transform; -1/2), Gestures (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4) 48
6  Fleet-Footed:  Running +3" (9" total) 1
40  I Made A Deep Sleep Come Over Their Souls:  Energy Blast 12d6, BOECV (Mental Defense applies; +1) (120 Active Points); Concentration (0 DCV; -1/2), Spell (-1/2), Requires A Magic Roll (-1/2), Gestures (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4) 12
66  I Sleep And My Spirit Goes Out Over The Jungle:  Duplication (creates 456-point form), Altered Duplicates (100%; +1) (264 Active Points); N'Longa Is Incapacitated And Helpless While Duplicate Exists (-1), Feedback (; -1), Extra Time (1 Minute, , must enter trance and meditate to allow astral self to leave its fleshy prison; -3/4), Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -1/4) 26
16  The Nameless Ju-Ju Magic:  Summon 178-point Zombie, Ranged (+1/2), Slavishly Devoted (+1) (90 Active Points); OAF Expendable (Very Difficult to obtain; corpse; -1 1/2), N'Longa Is Incapacitated And Helpless While Zombie Is Animate (-1), Extra Time (Extra Phase, -3/4), Concentration (0 DCV; -1/2), Requires A Magic Roll (-1/2), Incantations (-1/4) 9
15  Vulture-Magic:  Summon 256 65-point Vulture, Loyal (+1/2) (79 Active Points); Extra Time (1 Turn (Post-Segment 12), -1 1/4), Concentration (0 DCV; Character is totally unaware of nearby events; -3/4), Gestures (Requires both hands; -1/2), Arrives Under Own Power (-1/2), Summoned Being Must Inhabit Locale (-1/2), Requires A Magic Roll (-1/2), Incantations (-1/4) 8
4  You Would Call Me A Liar If I Told You My Age:  Life Support (Longevity: 1600 Years)
Perks
2  Ju-Ju Man Of The Slave Coast:  Fringe Benefit: Shaman
3  Mighty Worker Of Nameless Magic:  Reputation: mighty shaman (African tribes) 8-, +3/+3d6
Talents
7  My Ghost Is Drawn To Magic:  Magesight, +2 to PER Roll
Skills
3  Analyze: Magic 13-
3  Conversation 13-
3  Deduction 13-
3  Language: Pidgin (completely fluent)
0  Language: river tribal dialect (idiomatic)
17  Magic 20-
3  Oratory 13-
3  Paramedics 13-
3  PS: Shaman 13-
3  Sleight Of Hand 12-
3  Stealth 12-
2  Survival (Tropical) 13-
3  Tactics 13-
3  Scholar
5  1) KS: Arcane And Occult Lore 16-
1  2) KS: Flora And Fauna 11-
1  3) KS: Herbalism And Healing-Lore 11-
3  4) KS: Legends And Lore 14-
4  5) KS: Styles Of Magic 15-

Total Powers & Skill Cost:  331
Total Cost:  390

75+ Disadvantages
5  Age: 40+
10  Distinctive Features: Shaman Paraphernalia (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)
0  Normal Characteristic Maxima
20  Psychological Limitation: Drawn To Magic (Common, Total)
10  Psychological Limitation: Overconfident (Common, Moderate)
5  Reputation: old unpredictable shaman, 11- (Known Only To A Small Group)
10  Social Limitation: shaman duties (Occasionally, Major)
255 Experience Points

Total Disadvantage Points:  390



Background/History:  We learn little of N'Longa's background during the series. He seems to be an incredibly ancient African shaman, who's driven to discover magical secrets and powers. He seems to have purposefully travelled the world in ancient times as a slave, secretly studying under various sorcerers and holy men of the Middle and Near East. It seems likely that he spent some time in Judea, and there acquired the Staff of Solomon, which he later gave the Solomon Kane to aid him in his wanderings. N'Longa's actual age and the full extent of his powers is never revealed; the above Longevity is conjectural, as are his magics.

Personality/Motivation:  N'Longa possesses an incredible drive to plumb the depths of the magical world that lies "behind" the mundane facade we experience in everyday life. He does not do this for self-aggrandizement, however; it seems quite clear throughout the stories that he is just as driven as Solomon Kane to right wrongs and destroy ancient supernatural evils. In one story where he has taken over the body of a younger man, he points out to Kane that he could just as well keep the body and consign the young man to eternal doom, but that he recognizes that that would be wrong. He is an old man and his magics take time and energy to cast, and thus he needs the Kane to go before him, metaphorically blazing a trail into the dark heart of Africa.

Quote:  "Great ju-ju - great fetish, me!"

Powers/Tactics:  N'Longa has magical powers which derive from his ability to send his spirit out of his body. He uses this to communicate with Solomon Kane (through the Staff of Solomon), he takes over corpses and the bodies of the living through this method, and he even summons the vultures by sending his spirit to parley with them. The full extent of N'Longa's powers is not revealed in the Solomon Kane stories; it seems likely that he has quite a few powers similar to those listed above.

Campaign Use:  N'Longa is an oddity in a Robert Howard story - a sorcerer of vast power who uses his powers for good. He is the confidant and patron of Solomon Kane, assisting him in defeating supernatural evils in Africa. It seems that N'Longa considers himself something of a protector for the common African peoples, sending his spirit out to commune with natural spirits and discovering from them where the evils lurk.

He makes an interesting foil for characters: a "wizard" of vast power, who uses them sparingly and only when absolutely necessary. He could act as a patron to any group of adventurers venturing into Africa, perhaps giving them tools or knowledge to overcome some ancient evil. Perhaps they never even meet him in person: he sends himself into their dreams to communicate a task of dire importance, seeming to speak unaccented English (since in their dreams, he communicates directly to their minds).

(Character by Robert E. Howard; character sheet by Roland Volz.)

Appearance:  N'Longa is an old, wrinkled black man, dressed in loincloth and adorned with all manner of fetishes, charms, and other knickknacks which hang from loops and thongs on his body. His most disconcerting features are his serpentine eyes.

N'Longa.hdc

[Susano]

Nice. Very nice.

Can I post them to my site along with my Solomon Kane?

Edit:

I compared our designs. You Kane is slower, but has Lightning Reflexes. Mine has more CON, less BODY. You have some powers I didn't adapt, while I have more skills (based on conjecture of past events). But, overall, we match up very close, with your Kane coming it at around 290 and mine at 295. Anyone seeing them should be able to mix and match to suit their tastes.

[OddHat]

Very nice work on these. Rep for you.

[Susano]

Anyway, I knew that Mike Surbrook has posted his own version of the character, but I think I last checked it over a year ago and I scrupulously avoided referring to it while I worked out my version.

A year ago? Impossible I'm sorry to say.

I wrote mine based on the same book you did, and posted my version of Kane to the boards in... late July of 2004 I be thinking.

[Captain Obvious]

Name of the Devil! What necromancy be this?

It appears that this book has a story I am missing from my "first complete edition" of Solomon Kane, and is missing a story that I have. I suspect they're the same story, since "Blades of the Brotherhood" has a quote before the text of the story itself begins: "Death is a blue flame dancing over corpses." -- Solomon Kane.

Now if "Blue Flames of Vengeance" is that story that takes place in a coastal English town with pirates kidnapping a girl, then we can all rest easy, knowing our Solomon Kane collections are complete.

[Susano]

Name of the Devil! What necromancy be this?

It appears that this book has a story I am missing from my "first complete edition" of Solomon Kane, and is missing a story that I have. I suspect they're the same story, since "Blades of the Brotherhood" has a quote before the text of the story itself begins: "Death is a blue flame dancing over corpses." -- Solomon Kane.

Now if "Blue Flames of Vengeance" is that story that takes place in a coastal English town with pirates kidnapping a girl, then we can all rest easy, knowing our Solomon Kane collections are complete.

Yes, that story is in the new book.

[BlackSword]

Name of the Devil! What necromancy be this?

It appears that this book has a story I am missing from my "first complete edition" of Solomon Kane, and is missing a story that I have. I suspect they're the same story, since "Blades of the Brotherhood" has a quote before the text of the story itself begins: "Death is a blue flame dancing over corpses." -- Solomon Kane.

Now if "Blue Flames of Vengeance" is that story that takes place in a coastal English town with pirates kidnapping a girl, then we can all rest easy, knowing our Solomon Kane collections are complete.

I believe its the same story. Synopsis, a noble is in league with pirates and kidnaps his rivals girlfriend. Kane appears, Kane agrees to help the youth. They kidnap the bow, Kane breaks into the noble's house, Kane challenges the pirate and they fight with knives. Kanes kills him in a brutal drawn ot fight. Someone knocks over the lamp and Kane helps to girl and guy escape. Kane kills a lot of people. Kane fights the noble in a rapier duel, its not even fair, Kane slaughters him. The end.

[BlackSword]

Nice character, I thought Kane was an excellent and unique character. My first thought was, "Puritan swordsmans, what the heck?" Then read it and found him to be a great character, definitaly a nice model for a Palidan.

I might change his enraged to be when anyone is mistreated. One of the last stories he becomes so blinded enraged when he sees some slaves being beaten that he fires his pistol at the slaver unconciously. Speaking which, I would recommend some ranged combat skills, he was as an excellent shot as well.

[AlHazred]

Mike, if you posted yours in July, then that's when I must have seen him. I regularly go to your "What's New" page, so that's where I would've seen him. You're quite welcome to put him on your site, with the HD file, if you like. The HD file has my background writeups as well. I didn't realize that the Export Template I used deleted the Background, Personality, etc. writeups from the sheet; I'm down here on vacation on dialup, so everything seems a might slow compared to what I'm used to!

Blades of the Brotherhood is the same story as Blue Flame of Vengeance. When it was originally published, another author touched it up for publication. When they got around to publishing Howard's original version, they retitled it Blades of the Brotherhood. The editor of the new book restored its original title.

As far as his DEX goes, in combat he's almost always striking first. But in the rest of the story, he's stumbling on roots, losing his grip, and otherwise acting as someone of not-quite-Olympic coordination. I figured it would fit well to have Lightning Reflexes. I was glad to see that the other stats of our versions matched so well.

The Enraged was the last Disadvantage I added. Throughout the stories, Kane acts with calculated calm during his combats; Howard describes his style as absent of the flourishes and wild lunges of swashbucklers. It is only near the end of the series, when Kane is wandering the depths of Africa, that he displays the kind of wild feral blood-lust that the Enraged is meant to refer to. I'm pretty sure that by this point in Howard's career, the editors of the pulps he was sending stories to told him, "Write anything you want, as long as it's Conan." I figure the battle rage is something of a bleed-through from his most popular character.

I should mention that this is Kane at the end of the original Howard stories, with no input from any "posthumous collaborations" or somesuch.

I should add that I have to add one more power to N'Longa's writeup. I shall edit the posts later today, with the writeups.

[Susano]

Mike, if you posted yours in July, then that's when I must have seen him. I regularly go to your "What's New" page, so that's where I would've seen him.

Don't worry about it, I was going for humor there, not any sort of angry put-down.

You're quite welcome to put him on your site, with the HD file, if you like. The HD file has my background writeups as well. I didn't realize that the Export Template I used deleted the Background, Personality, etc. writeups from the sheet; I'm down here on vacation on dialup, so everything seems a might slow compared to what I'm used to!

I don't have HD so I won't be able to do that (get the background data that is). The rest I can work with (unless someone else can extract it for me).

[AlHazred]

I don't have HD so I won't be able to do that (get the background data that is). The rest I can work with (unless someone else can extract it for me).

No sweat, I edited the first two posts to include the material. If you want to include the HD files for those who have it, fine; if not, also fine. I'm not sure whether or not you want to include files on Surbrook's stuff that you can't edit.

Not that it matters to me personally; I've already taken a lot of your stuff and put it into HD format (like the Medieval Bestiary - great stuff!) If you ever want those files, let me know and I'll shoot you what I've got.

[Publius]

I recieved the Soloman Kane and two of the Conan's (I think that is all that is presently out in this newest version) for X-mas this year. I look forward to reading them, and now I will have a benchmark to look at for Hero-izing.

Many thanks.

[Susano]

I recieved the Soloman Kane and two of the Conan's (I think that is all that is presently out in this newest version) for X-mas this year. I look forward to reading them, and now I will have a benchmark to look at for Hero-izing.

Many thanks.

The next one will be a collection of Bran Mak Morn. Then the last Conan collection -- which will contain two of my favorties -- "Red Nails" and "Beyond the Black River" (which is basically a Western).

[Captain Obvious]

How are the Bran Mak Morn stories? They're not too easy to track down, and the time or two that I've actually seen the book somewhere, I didn't have the money to just grab it.