Designed for single player - haven't tested multi player. Should be lower level or don't hire henchman.
Language
English
Level Range
Start at 6th level - see module notes.
Races
Human only
Tricks & Traps
Light
Roleplay
Light
Hack & Slash
Heavy
Classes
See module notes for details of Hyborian age restrictions
Scope
Part of Series
DMNeeded
No DM Required
Single or Multiplayer
Single Player
Max Character Level
06
Max # Players
01
Min # Players
01
Min Character Level
06
Content Rating
Teen
Alignments
Any
Description
Messantia, Capital of Argos, has held some interesting times but circumstances change and now it is time to leave. Quickly. The next high tide offers passage to Zingara, whilst the waterfront taverns offer you safe haven for the night. Stygia, the evil, brooding Empire of the South. A black hearted wizard seeks to summon forth powers long passed from the memory of man. And in the West an ancient King awaits vengence on his treacherous Queen... Conan - Beneath The Sands of Stygia is set in Robert E Howards world of Hyboria. The module contains an adaptation of CN1 'Conan the Buccaneer', elements of CB2 'Conan Against Darkness', both from TSR and new content drawn from the Conan saga.
Posted by Mirgalen at 2008-04-20 18:53:15 Voted 7.50 on 04/20/08
A must play for Conan fans and/or classic PnP aficionados!
I just completed the module with my very own version of Darth Maul (now fighter 9/WM1). The low magic environment was excellent, it reminded me of the PnP days and what the DnD game was a long time ago and should still be.
Note: This character had a +1 weapon and a few other similar items to help. Assuming you play on hardcore setting or higher I would recommend to keep your (minor) items to fully enjoy this module else be prepare to reload a lot.
* Spoilers *
Gameplay: 8
They were a few glitches in the game as I mentioned before.
- Saving (all) the people in the sewers although not required is tricky but possible
- Elementals are nasty as always
- Friendly fire can be disastrous (rats too close to the boat)
- Queen M. although defeating her is optional
- Juma switching to wrong weapon at times
- Items identification a bit tedious (even with specific ring)
Overall the module was very well done given the right character (e.g. fighter/wm) and some gear (e.g. +1 regeneration).
Roleplay: 9
Perhaps a high score but all was in the very well written dialogues including proper use of alignment shifts.
Action/Fun: 8
Again with the right character, the game could be very frustrating otherwise.
Visuals: 9
Excellent use of regular and custom tilesets!
Sound: 5
Played Conan music in the background, it would have been a real plus to have these in game.
Replayability: 5
May be with variation of class alignment otherwise the module is pretty linear and seems to offer little options.
Documentation:5
One simple file.
Solo: 8
Posted by Mirgalen at 2008-03-20 18:55:24 Voted 7.50 on 04/20/08
I had to retry this one while playing Conan music in the background (a lot easier than using the hyborianagemusic.hak as you would have to change the sounds in every single area of the module). The module was fun with a lvl 8 Kushite adventurer and Junta providing proper backup when needed until I got stuck...
* Minor Spoilers *
They were indeed some tricky parts early on like a specific sewer fight (if you want to save all friendly NPCs in the area) or the one I mentioned in my previous post (you need to get far from the boat and fight the critters otherwise the Mage NPCs on the boat may join the fight and "fry" you).
We went pretty much everywhere in the city and found two items (no idea where the Crown is though). We also got the full set of items (armor, shield, helmet and the bastard sword of the King all used by Junta), still defeating Queen M. if needed seems like an impossible task at least in her current shape. Have not tried the special bracers and not exactly sure how the Gods (e.g. Bragi or the Fire God who gave us a ring of lore) or the Ghost King may help in that fight.
Played for a few hours, but eventually got bored and stopped. The module starts promisingly, but once I got to the city of the king, the game devolved to me wandering around large, mostly empty areas, occasionally getting into fights. The locked doors were particularly annoying, since they served no real purpose, and were made unusually tough, so that breaking them down became a long and tedious process. And finally, this just didn't have the right feel. The basic city tilesets and standard clothing meant that this felt like it was set in the quasi-medieval setting of Neverwinter Nights, and not the Hyborean age of Conan. Sorry, but I found this disappointing.
Posted by krickerd at 2007-11-11 13:07:27 Voted 9.00 on 11/11/07
Just finished, very enjoyable mod. Played as a barbarian starting 7th level, ending 11th level. I didn't have too many powerful items from the prior mods, just a sword that added cold damage. I still had many potions from the last mod played (I'm glad I did, it would have been much tougher on hardcore rules elsewise). I liked the setting of the ancient city and ruins. You captured the mood well here. Overall a great H&S mod. Well worth the time! _________________________ Defeat the Black Knights! Play Phantasie
Posted by Morgennes at 2007-03-05 10:41:48 Voted 9.50 on 03/05/07
Got it wrong and played a first level monk, as usual. But everything was all right, except at the beginning where I had a lot a troubles with the first fights... Found this mod absolutely excellent, and enjoyed it a lot. As a great fan of Robert Howard, I was very pleased to find in it all the things I liked in the novels... The dialogs are good, funny. They reflect very well the "Conan spirit". All I can say is "Bravo"...
One last thing: I wonder why this mod has so few votes, since it is a "must see"!
Thank you a lot Rob!
(Sorry if my english isn't perfect, I'm french!)
Posted by Morgennes at 2007-03-05 10:41:40 Voted 9.50 on 03/05/07
Got it wrong and played a first level monk, as usual. But everything was all right, except at the beginning where I had a lot a troubles with the first fights... Found this mod absolutely excellent, and enjoyed it a lot. As a great fan of Robert Howard, I was very pleased to find in it all the things I liked in the novels... The dialogs are good, funny. They reflect very well the "Conan spirit". All I can say is "Bravo"...
One last thing: I wonder why this mod has so few votes, since it is a "must see"!
Thank you a lot Rob!
(Sorry if my english isn't perfect, I'm french!)
Posted by Mirgalen at 2006-10-31 03:24:42 Voted 7.50 on 04/20/08
Played a few hours with a pure monk. Got a level but gave up playing. The module is poorly balanced or you could say highly unbalanced. Here you fight a few rats but in other areas you can face one uber werewolf (could not complete the sub-quest after defeating that one), one beast of malar or those nasty underwater creatures. As a result you have to rest almost after every single combat and/or reload the game over and over. Tedious and not exactly fun IMHO. Another sad note is that I had no chance to see the desert/sand tile(s). Too bad that was the only reason I was playing this module. I wonder what character work best here, pure Barbarian? Fighter/Rogue? One more thing, we found a few items on the way (I'm sure I could use something better than a +1 club) but we would have to go all the way back to the boat to know what these items are. Something like limited use stone of recall could come handy here.
Posted by icarus30 at 2006-08-19 07:09:38 Voted 8.50 on 08/19/06
It's been a while since I've played this mod, but I remember enjoying it. Thanks.
Posted by Jack of Tears at 2006-05-30 23:06:47 Voted 9.00 on 02/03/06
Mirgalen, I would hardly call this the worst of the Conan modules in the vault. As I said earlier, it is heavy on hack n' slash and you need a decent level character to make it through effectively. Many of the scenes in this module come directly from conan stories, including the incodent in the court house. If you keep in mind that the adventure is designed to be rp light, one should be able to enjoy themselves quite well. (I don't typically play high combat adventures, but enjoyed this for a well developed hyborian style module - after all, the Howard tales were never plot intensive either, just full of rich character and high adventure)
Posted by Mirgalen at 2006-02-26 01:34:29 Voted 7.50 on 04/20/08
I have played most Conan modules from the vault.
This one is far from being as good as the others.
Was playing Conan who just came out of Kingmaker (Barbarian 1/Rogue 3/Fighter 4) and used HotU to strip my char (all items and gold). Decided to remain level 8 since it is a long module things should even out at the end.
Note: One may want to ignore the readme and play with a well equipped character level 6+.
* Spoilers *
Used some of the 500 Gold provided to buy basic gear.
Almot got killed in the sewer (not by the rats). Had to run around (thanks to spring attack) to stay alive.
There was a creature in a building, HELLO! You need a magic weapon to defeat this one.
A bunch of NPCs came and we were in a courtroom. Next the judge (or whatever) decided to execute Conan right away. Again had to run around and around, got killed at the end. I guess it might be possible to survive this but what's the point, this is not entertaining just poorly designed hack-n-slash.
Posted by Jack of Tears at 2006-02-03 06:40:01 Voted 9.00 on 02/03/06
Not a great deal of role playing involved, but some very good dialogue options in conversation. The author did an excellent job at capturing a Conan-esque feel for his adventure. I will say, however, that the combats were too difficult ... I would not recommend a character of less than 10-12th level, assuming they are designed well for combat ... a little higher if they are non-combat classes. There are times when the overly difficult battles make the game tedious and unenjoyable. (particularly in the city of the lost king)
I deffinately recommend this module to conan fans, however.
Posted by Drawmij's Heir at 2005-11-05 22:36:14 Voted 10.00 on 11/05/05
The module was awesome - a total homage to Conan's Hyboria - Cheers to you Rob!
Posted by Drawmij's Heir ( 72.24.xxx.xxx ) at 2005-11-05 22:32:53
This is by FAR the best NWN module I have ever played (in an alternative setting, at least)! I had a blast collecting all of the Hyborian age items, and exported them out of the module just to have the pleasure of using them elsewhere! Cheers to you Rob! Excellent work!
Posted by Rob ( 81.179.xxx.xxx ) at 2005-07-16 07:48:01
Ref Delglaths comment "Yet another ill-thought out module. I got stuck a mere twenty minutes into the game after using the sewers as an escape from the guards, leaving me stuck in one area, with no way out from that area."
It is normal to post a question or email the author if stuck, not stick in a vote of 1. There is obviously a way out of the sewers, you just haven't found it.
Posted by Delglath at 2005-06-11 14:50:51 Voted 1.00 on 06/11/05
Yet another ill-thought out module. I got stuck a mere twenty minutes into the game after using the sewers as an escape from the guards, leaving me stuck in one area, with no way out from that area.
Posted by branmakmuffin at 2005-04-15 23:15:00 Voted 9.50 on 02/26/05
The stairs are hard to find 'cause they're on the near side of that pit. I had to open it up with the toolset to find 'em.
I don't remember if I mentioned in my e-mail that it was pretty easy to kill the big bad boss at the end, what with the henchman, the Bracers of Hounds of Tindalos and my ranger's animal companion. My animal was by far the weakest of the lot so I doubt it would have been much harder without it.
The Elder Sign I was carrying probably kept the Thing in the Pit away.
Posted by Anonymous ( 195.8.xxx.xxx ) at 2005-03-05 02:25:00
Thanks for the feedback (and for voting).
Your not the first to miss the thing in the pit. Threw some Priest of Mitra in there last night before going to bed and it was still lurking about. Part of the problem is that people don't know what to expect, it is a creature of the Outer Dark afterall (you should see the vet bills). If you're very eager snoop round the walls to the back of the cave. If you see a large area of black fog chances are its the creature.
Pteion - Stairs, by Nergal's fetid breath, its the stairs. Again, loads of people stuck on this. The entrance to the lower levels is the STAIRS. Cross the bridge and move ahead. You can easily miss them, they are disguised as Stairs.
Ref teen rating - Sort of based around 'Fantasy Horror' classification. I come from a place on the borders where it is still perfectly legal to shoot Welshmen, with a longbow, within the city walls, after 10pm. The odd impaled corpse doesn't raise much of an eyebrow round here. Still, happy to raise the rating if more folks agree.
Posted by branmakmuffin at 2005-02-26 11:52:57 Voted 9.50 on 02/26/05
Excellent mod. The best "heavy H&S" mod I've ever played.
Posted by branmakmuffin at 2005-02-26 11:52:00 Voted 9.50 on 02/26/05
This is an excellent mod. Great dialog, well designed areas and some opportunities for role playing despite it being a "heavy" H&S mod. Does a darn good job of representing Hyboria. It's clear you know your Conan stories.
A few notes:
I never met the "Thing in the Pit". I went into its lair, looted and destroyed its altar with nary a peep of protest.
First mod that ever made me laugh out loud: "My answer involes sex and travel. I am innocent!" (don't know if you made it up, but it was funny nonetheless.). I also question the "Teen" content rating because of the "active" brothel and the notion of people praying in a serene garden with a peron impaled on a pike in the middle of it.
Alas, I am stuck in the ruins of Pteion, like Sunder. I may have to open it up with the toolset to get help since posting activity on this mod is so sparse.
I think I will rate it anyway, even though I'm not finished, because it's such a good mod, probably the best "heavy hack and slay" mod I've ever played. I normally avoid them, but I gave this one a try because it's Conan.
Posted by Anonymous ( 212.126.xxx.xxx ) at 2004-08-02 10:56:00
Taliesinjoe
Minor Spoiler
If you are looking for the book 'The Campaigns of Omnibeligor' go to the Nobles Estates West and search for the cellar.
Hey so far i enjoyed the module, even if it needs some touches like conan music. I'm kinda stuck in the city of kings : i found the crown and the history book but now? I read that there's another book to get but where?? I roamed the city all over and i didn't find nothing. can someone plz give me a hint? Thx!!
Thanks for that!
a) Damn! Went back later and found it myself before you replied.
b) Damn! Hey, I'm playing Conan The Barbarian! Of course I want to kill the Thing! But I suppose there are some things Man (and barbarian) is not meant to know...or kill...
Anyway, is it my fault the Priesthood turn nasty when I enter their temple? I had the Priest Cloak and Ring, and Juma was dressed as a Stygian Guard--they should have welcomed us with open arms!! THEN we should have butchered them! It's the Conan thing to do!
c) Still no luck with that.
d) There was nothing in the sarcophagi and the big nasty one would neither open nor allow itself to be bashed.
e) I'm sure there were others, but no big deal.
f) Yes, there was an f)!! I just forgot. There is a secret door visible from one corridor away in the final complex. Can it be reached?
Thanks,
Thad "Kill Them All" Leaf
Posted by Anonymous ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2004-04-15 13:27:00
Thanks for the comments Thaddeus. To answer your questions:-
SPOILERS...............
a)As you enter Khemi there is a long, wide street heading towards the river Styx. On your left is a normal street running along the side of the temple. House at the end.
b)I see, not content with butchering your way through the Set's Temple in the Holy city and killing the High Priest, you now want to take on an Elder Demon from the Outer Dark. Couldn't be content with looting the artifacts, you wish to slay a being that was old when the Serpent Folk hissed their worship on pre-human Thuria. Not in this adventure laddy. (maybe some time in the future...)
c) The Seer at the oasis is in on of the tents. The transition is not a door so you may need to hover the cursor near the bottom of the door way.
d) No, nothing to do with it. Go in to the tomb of the sand lich and find a room with six coffins in. Examine them. Should be obvious from here onwards.
e) If you are talking about the city of the King then this is intentional and is intended to represent the largely ruined and deserted city.
Music - yes the Conan music is excellent. Didn't add it as it already has been done but mostly to keep the d/l size down (Broadband in UK is way over priced thanks to the healthy telecom monopoly)
Rob
Posted by Anonymous ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2004-04-15 13:27:00
Thanks for the comments Thaddeus. To answer your questions:-
SPOILERS...............
a)As you enter Khemi there is a long, wide street heading towards the river Styx. On your left is a normal street running along the side of the temple. House at the end.
b)I see, not content with butchering your way through the Set's Temple in the Holy city and killing the High Priest, you now want to take on an Elder Demon from the Outer Dark. Couldn't be content with looting the artifacts, you wish to slay a being that was old when the Serpent Folk hissed their worship on pre-human Thuria. Not in this adventure laddy. (maybe some time in the future...)
c) The Seer at the oasis is in on of the tents. The transition is not a door so you may need to hover the cursor near the bottom of the door way.
d) No, nothing to do with it. Go in to the tomb of the sand lich and find a room with six coffins in. Examine them. Should be obvious from here onwards.
e) If you are talking about the city of the King then this is intentional and is intended to represent the largely ruined and deserted city.
Music - yes the Conan music is excellent. Didn't add it as it already has been done but mostly to keep the d/l size down (Broadband in UK is way over priced thanks to the healthy telecom monopoly)
Just completed the mod. Really enjoyed it. It needs the Conan music, though! Just a few questions:-
a) Where does Ctesiphon hang out?
b) I presume the Thing cannot be killed!!!
c) Where is the Priest in the oasis? I couldn't enter any tents other than that of the Zuagir Chief.
d) How do you lay the Zuagir Bones to rest? I presume it has something to do with c) above.
e) There seemed to be a lot of openable doors but with no transitions.
Look forward to the next one.
Posted by sunder at 2004-02-28 20:46:15 Voted 10.00 on 02/28/04
Posted by mike ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2003-11-02 15:18:00
conan help needed : i need a intro movie and ending
movie made by you for my great new nwn conan tales
module that must show full color marvel comics' conan the
barbarian covers' pictures and narrator dialog text only in it
basicly made and e-mailed to me by you please??????????
Posted by Rob ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2003-10-11 13:30:00
Not really a spoiler this:
Have a look carefully around the chasms, there are some stairs down.
Posted by Sunder ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2003-10-11 11:52:00
Here I am again asking for help. I am in the ruins of Pteion. I have gone underground through 2 different entrances and can't go any further. Please help!!! (spoiler okay) THANK YOU! Great mod by the way. I will rate the mod when I'm finished.
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