Dungeons & Dragons Conan: Shadows In Zamboula

I took the plunge and ran a Conan adventure using Dungeons & Dragons last night. I have been DMing the occasional short Conan adventure using a Barbarians of Lemuria hack, but this time decided to port those characters into D&D.

Conan is of course no stranger to D&D, with TSR acquiring the license to the Conan RPG in the 1980s and publishing some D&D adventure modules alongside a separate RPG at around the same time. More recently Conan was the subject of a d20 spin-off from Mongoose Publishing in the 2000s. 

For this adventure I adapted the Robert E. Howard short story Shadows in Zamboula. I ended up with a mini urban sandbox and given the time constraints quickly realised the party would only be able to cover some aspects of it, but hey, that's sandbox gaming for you!

"The babel of a myriad tongues smote on the Cimmerian's ears as the restless pattern of the Zamboula streets weaved about him - cleft now and then by a squad of clattering horsemen, the tall, supple warriors of Turan, with dark hawk-faces, clinking metal and curved swords. The throng scampered from under their horses' hoofs, for they were the lords of Zamboula. But tall, somber Stygians, standing back in the shadows, glowered darkly, remembering their ancient glories."

Robert E. Howard, Shadows In Zamboula

I am using the same cast of characters as the previous scenarios, although sadly Conan and Valeria's players were absent:

• Subotai: a Hyrkanian noble and ex-gladiator (3rd level Fighter)
• Molina Goth: ex-pirate (3rd level Rogue Swashbuckler)
• Argol Arran: thief and alchemist (3rd level Rogue - Arcane Trickster)

The adventure began with the party being paid off at the main caravanserai in Zamboula having escorted a caravan from the north across the plains of Shem. They went in search of entertainment in the main bazaar and were accosted by a beggar called Theron who offered to guide them to some suitable accommodation, the Smiling Serpent Inn.

Savage Sword of Conan

Theron also warned them that it was not safe to be out and about in the streets of Zamboula at night, as there were rumours of cannibal cultists kidnapping lone travellers. Even the beggars made sure they were indoors after dark, the old man said.

Note that for this scenario I was using encounter tables that I could roll on if the party seemed to have reached a standstill. Theron the beggar was the first of these, used to get the action moving. The inn was one of the main legs of the adventure.

For this adventure I also used a system of inspiration points inspired by Savage Worlds bennies. Each player had three coins they could spend to re-roll the dice, automatically pass a death save, or influence the plot in some way. 

Not long after meeting Theron, Subotai's player used a coin to deliver a clue to what was going on in the city. In turn I automatically went to an encounter involving the cult of Hanuman - three cultists dragging an insensate victim down an alley.

The trio of PCs confronted the cultists and were able to use a combination of intimidation and a minor illusion to frighten them enough to abandon their prisoner and flee. I had thought this might be the first combat encounter of the evening, but it was resolved without violence. Argol Arran noticed all three worse distinctive tattoos on their forearms, which he recognised as cult insignia from the cult of Hanuman the ape god. He has met Hanuman worshippers before in his career.

The kidnapped man turned out to be a merchant from Turan called Akbar, a wealthy young man who had been deliberately dressing down to try to disguise himself as he went about the city looking for his brother, who had gone missing in Zamboula several weeks before. He had been roughed up by the cultists, who had entered his room in the Smiling Serpent Inn. Interestingly, they had not broken in, despite Akbar locking his door with a key, and they had not left with him through the front door.

Also of interest to the PCs was that it was Theron the beggar who had guided Akbar to the inn, although now Theron seemed to have disappeared.

The party decided to escort Akbar back to the inn, which was still in a relatively well off neighbourhood, not far from the main bazaar. They entered the walled garden at the front of the inn and could hear the sounds of laughter and smell spicy food being cooked. Molina and Subotai entered the main eating area of the inn while Argol snuck up the stairs on the outside of the building to the sleeping rooms, picking the lock to get access.

At the sign of the Smiling Serpent

Inside the inn, there were several merchants eating and drinking. The innkeeper (Aram Baksh), who was in the process of serving his customers, looked astonished and then afraid when he saw the adventurers enter with Akbar. Molina also noticed a large, heavily muscled, dark-skinned man sitting in a corner smoking a hookah, who was eyeing them (Baal-Pteor).

Despite Aram Baksh telling the duo that the inn was full, Subtai insisted they could sit down for a drink with the still bewildered Akbar, who he argued was a guest after all. He asked Baksh for wine and sat down, starting an impromtu card game with some of the merchants. Molina noticed Baksh then went to have a word with the big man in the corner after he had served them wine, before eventually slipping out of the front door into the inn's courtyard.

Upstairs, Argol found Akbar's room in disarray and all his belongings and money had been stolen. He also found a secret door leading from the first floor into a back yard. This in turn gave him access into an empty store room full or dried food and large amphorae of wine. A search of the back yard also yielded a gold signet ring.

Subotai had become very intent on the game of cards, and had not noticed that the other patrons had been finishing their drinks and food and leaving (player rolled 1 and then a second 1 on a re-roll for his Perception). It was only him and one merchant still in the game now. Baal-Pteor then stood up and approached to watch the game more closely. Seeing that Baksh had gone, Molina tried to stand up to follow him, whereupon Baal-Pteor put a heavy hand on her shoulder, forcing her back into her seat.

Subotai then invited Baal-Pteor to join the game, whereupon the big man kicked over the table and went to strangle the Hyrkanian. The two were quickly locked into a battle of strength, with Baal-Pteor gradually throttling Subotai. Molina ran to the door to see where the inn keeper had gone, and shooting Baal-Pteor in the back with her crossbow. Argol ran into the room at the sound of a struggle and attacked Baal-Pteor from behind.

Subotai eventually broke Baal-Pteor's grip by spending a coin to draw a hidden dagger, stabbing him in the face. The strangler dropped the Hyrkanian and fled (he'd lost 90% of his hit points by this stage). He managed to dodge around Molina and get out into the courtyard, where Baksh was waiting at the street gate. But his escape was not to be - Subotai pursued him and landed a critical on Baal-Pteor, ending his life by beheading him. Baksh tried to flee into the street but Molina apprehended him, and he was dragged inside.

Baksh was then closely interrogated by the adventurers back in the inn, and threatened with torture. He confessed to identifying solo travellers from lands well beyond Zamboula as targets for the cult of Hanuman to sacrifice. He was rewarded by allowing to keep their wealth and belongings. Akbar recognised the gold signet ring as belonging to his brother. A search of Baksh's quarters found loot, including possessions Akbar identified as also belonging to his brother, as well as a small statue of Hanuman.

In consultation with Akbar, the group decided to, in this order, loot the inn for food and portable booty, turn Baksh over to the city watch, and find a job with the next caravan leaving Zamboula.

Some observations on running Conan with D&D:

• D&D CAN work with Conan - you do need to be a little careful with game balance as characters do not have access to much healing magic, but this adds to the gritty swords and sorcery vibe
• Sand box settings need to be very agile when you are running them in a tight 200 minute slot - you need to go with the flow and where players' focus lies - time awareness is critical
• D&D combat can be time consuming, as we know, hence in a single session evening DM's should plan for really no more than two battles.
• My coin system, adapted from Savage Worlds and to an extent from Barbarians of Lemuria, worked well and the players liked it - I shall keep it and may develop it further.