Hi Everyone! At Modiphius, we are working on creating an official errata document for Conan: Adventures In an Age Undreamed Of. We are aware that there used to be an excellent fan-made document on Google Plus, but as far as we know, it’s been lost when Google Plus was discontinued.
I will gather errata and FAQ from various sources. If anyone wants to contribute, feel free to do so in this thread. I am interested in errors and frequent questions. For the moment, I’d like to focus on the Core Rulebook.
Core 170: Casting a Spell
“The basic effect of a spell does not include the actual use of that spell. Instead, the spell creates an effect that the sorcerer can attempt to use, but actually using that effect requires other actions and other skills. In combat, this may require using Fortune or Momentum spends to take extra Actions quickly, or casting the spell on one turn and using its effects in the next.”
Most spells doesn’t have any secondary tests in their descriptions, so what would that be? -a 2nd Magic test? With what Difficulty? When should i use Momentum Spends from spells, at the first or the second test? What happens when the first is succesful - i created the effect, but the second fails - is the effect lost or can i hold it till some other round to use it?
Classic combat Dismember - “successful casting of this spell allows you to cause 4CD physical damage with the Piercing 3 Quality as a Ranged attack” Well, this would be easy, first Magic, then Ranged Weapons? and since its a ranged attack, the opponent can dodge with Acrobatics (like some missile)?
Next to is Enslave. Casting a spell is a Struggle… so if mage wins… what happens? That was the first test, or not? Or is it, that he creats an effect with Magic test with base D?, and then Struggles with the victim to cammand him - with what Skill and at what D?
The description of the Alchemy skill on p. 56 states that each rank in this skill grants one formula for a petty enchantment.
However, on p. 58, it states that you can make any of the simple (D0) petty enchantments . The Master of Formulae talent states that you can only make higher-difficulty tests for a specific type of petty enchantments when you have this talent.
So, what does the formula gained from ranks in the skill actually do since you can use any petty enchantment at D0 and can use the higher difficulties only with the Talent?
Edit - ignore this questions as the answer is already included in the Sorcery FAQ
Under the header “Consequences” on p. 171, it states that for every success ot momentum the sorcerer fails to achieve, a Complication is leveled against the sorcerer. Somehow that is supposed a more hazardous route to sorcery, but when not testing for consequences, every failure to meet the target number is also a complication, while a natural 20 nets two complications, which seems worse.
It is clear that while casting for consequences, you could theoretically cast a spell with a difficulty of 10 (including needed Momentum) and taking 10 complications when all your dice come up failures, but for a spell that you could regularly cast, the consequences do not seem worse than if you just rolled for them.
Under the header “Alchemy and Craft” on p.162, it is stated that the craft skill can be used to bind petty enchantments into a form for ease of delivery. The exact difficulties (or even the process) is never stated, and a workaround is presented: just have an expert craft the delivery system. I assume that the test to create the petty enchantment also includes the binding, but it could be advantageous to explain it, since the Book of Skelos mentions using spells as binding agents for petty enchantments without expaning on it… so by RAW, I could bind a Large Explosvie to the Venom on the Wind spell, causing explosions everywhere affected by the spell.
Also:
Under the Header “Retaliate” on p. 117 it is stated that you can use this reaction against enemies making a non-attack skill test within reach.
Does this apply to:
Tests used for defence or to regain guard (Parry / Acrobatics). If it does not apply to acrobatics as a defence test, would it apply to acrobatics as a movement test? If so, what is the difference?
Tests used to determine whether you resist an effect (Resistance / Discipline)?
Tests used to recover vigor or resolve or to clear effects (Resistance / Discipline)?
On page 141 of the CRB the item “Thief’s Kit” is labeled as Type “Tools(1use)”. There is also the item “Tool Kit” which can help the thievery skill labeled as a “Tool”.
I understand the rules this way (from page 140 and 142): Kits are needed for practical skill tests on specific skills. Without them the difficulty raises one step. Resources can be expended to add another die for the skill test. Tools provide benefits by either bonus momentum, re-rolls, or reduced difficulty.
Thieves kits/tools seem to be required to pick locks since there is a trait in the Thief supplement where you can pick locks without thieves tools. So, instead of it preventing the difficulty from being raised by one it is required to attempt the skill check. They come with three resources like a kit, according to the thief supplement, but aren’t labeled as an actual kit.
So, is the thieves kit just a one use tool that also seems to function somewhat as a kit with three resources? Is it possible that the use of the word tool/kit was used lazily and created some confusion? Is the Thief’s Kit just the one use version of the permanent Thievery skill tool or are these completely different items? Just need some clarification on this equipment.
Core 163: Making a Petty Enchantment
‘Normally, the construction of a petty enchantment is achieved during downtime, with the alchemist recording the enchantments which have been conjured. However, alchemists are often clever individuals who plan well in advance, so gamemasters may prefer to allow the optional rule regarding ingredients, presented in Ingredients below.’
This seems to imply the possibility of creating Petty Enchantments during an adventure, but the Ingredients sidebar doesn’t really explain how that would be done other than by making a skill test. I assume there should be more to it than just a skill test, in order to keep enchantments relatively rare and therefore valuable. Can we get a step-by-step description of how to make a Petty Enchantment in the midst of an adventure, assuming that is what’s supposed to happen with the Ingredients rule?
Perhaps a revision of Gallop and Canter (Mounted Combat)?
If a rider wishes to Gallop to any point within Long Range, he must spend a Standard Action , succed a D1 Animal Handling test and spend 1 Momentum, while he suffers a two step difficulty increase in all other skill tests!
If a rider wishes to Canter to any point within Long Range, he must spend just a Minor action, a skill test is not required and he only suffers a difficulty increase of one step in all other skill tests.Moreover he has better defence since all attacks directed at a cantering mount (including those on the character riding it) are increased in Difficulty by one step.
One of the most asked issues with the game that I see is that PCs are too powerful. Some GMs have a hard time making the game challenging for players especially in longer term games. I would really suggest adding some of the suggestions from this thread to any updates.
On G+ there was not just that unofficial fan-made Faq…but the OFFICIAL FAQ on Sorcery where authors answered (I think it was Dowdell, Graybeaton, Durall…but please, Modiphius, ask directly to them, to see who they were!!).
Before G+ died I saved those FAQ.
And here they are.
I just hope you consider them (since so many of us, old players have been using them) and PLEASE, do not write any new interpretation contradicting these already-given for sure interpretations!
Thanks a lot.
Thanks everyone for your input here! We’ll start working on what we have, but we welcome more submissions, as long as they are only regarding the core rulebook for now.
I put this in a different thread by mistake, here’s an issue with the Conan the Scout book. I understand right now Modiphius is working on a core book errata first, so you guys can file this one away for later:
Conan the Scout, p. 7. Clanfolk Caste gives the Caste Talents Clannish and Hunter, referencing (Conan corebook, page 19). But, Core page 19 lists Castes in the core book, it’s not a list of talents. Instead, the reference should be to Core page 86, the Hunter talent being one of the Survival skill’s talents.
But, Hunter has Born Wild and Tracker as prerequisites. Are these prerequisites skipped?
In the character creator, if you choose Clanfolk, the description given for the Hunter talent does not match the description (or ability granted) of the Hunter talent on the Survival skill tree.
Hunter
You’ve lived with the wild as a constant neighbor, and know how to take from that environment what is necessary for survival. When in the rural parts of their homeland, the number of successes required for any Survival tests you attempt is reduced by 1, even if this reduces the Difficulty of the test to Simple (D0).
The rules for Area attacks (Core p. 152) give no guidance on how to apply them to Squads and Mobs. It seems the strict “one target only” rule for Squads/Mobs has to still apply, causing an Area attack to typically hit just one or two members (depending on damage done) rather than everyone in the Zone as intended.
Astral Wanderings
The spell states that upon casting the spell, the casters wakes “outside (his) body, in the astral realm.” Usually one or two meters in the air, the caster “swims” in the ether, invisible to mortal eyes.
Questions:
What exactly is the astral realm? Is it like WoT Tel’aran’rhiod, or like the D&D Astral Plane or is it like the Astral realm from David Gemmells Drenai books?
Does the realm have natural inhabitants, like spirits (nature spirits, evil spirits, spirits of the dead, etc.)?
What exactly of the physical realm can be perceived from the astral realm (if the physical world can’t perceive the astral form, it would stand to reason that the reverse is true. Even if you could see the natural realm from there, can you hear sounds from the physical realm?
Could incorporeal creatures interact with the astral realm?
Which rules guide movement and combat in the astral realm (meaning combat between creatures that are residing in the realm? For example, can you go up as high as you want? If yes, at which speed? Do walls on the natural plane restrict movement in the astral realm?
What exactly constitutes base elements? This is easy for such things as fire and water, but do they exist in this form on the astral plane, or is the mere fact that they exist in a place in the natural realm enough to assert that someone in the astral realm would be affected by them, even though he is on an entirely different plane of existence? Would a wall made of bricks still count as the base element of stone? What about quarried rocks?
Would a character in the Astral realm have the same benefits as an incorporeal creatures with regards to physical obstacles in the physical realm, or would he not even perceive them, because the landscape is entirely different?
The sorcery faq as posted above suggests there is no default defense against this spell. Does this mean that the Possession momentum spend can not be resisted during the casting (obviously, after it is cast, there is the struggle to maintain control, but that is only for maintaining it, not for obtaining control in the first place)? How about the Sleeping Prey alternative effect?
Learning Spells
The cost to learn/cast is written inconsistently. Some spells read 0 to learn, 1 to cast (e.g. Form of a beast), some spells read 1 to learn, 1 to cast (e.g. Summon a horror) and most spells just read 1 resolve. In the latter case, does this mean 1 to learn and to cast or 0 to learn, one to cast? This should be clarified through the bench.
Spell difficulty - Edit: ignore this question as it is already included in the Sorcery FAQ
Under the header “Consequences”, casting for consequences is explained like you add up spell difficulty and needed momentum for the desired spell effect to arrive at a compounded difficulty. Is this difficulty restricted to D5, as is suggested on p. 96 (D5 being the highest difficulty in the game), or can it go higher than D5?
If the former is the case, is the whole spell restricted to D5 maximum, or can I, for example, pile up 15 momentum worth of benefits while the difficulty stays at D5?
Creature Rules
Does the “Roaring, snarling beasts” special rule on p. 322 only apply to wild beasts or is it also applicable to other creatures that do not follow the same social rules as humans, like for example Ohterworldly Horrors or Monstrous Foes. It For example, the otherworldly abomination (p. 345) is not very threatening, going by the normal rules, rather more so under the special rules for animals.
Might Talent (p. 61)
According to description, this applies to tests to move or lift an object. As I read it, this is about moving stuff from place to place or lifting it over your head. However it can be argued that prying lose a bar from a window or breaking a chain can also be seen as moving it. Would that gain the bonus from this talent?
Certainly not. They are totally different - except the name.
Using the same name is definitely a glitch, and confusing. But the Homeland Talent “Hunter” clearly states its function as:
When in the rural parts of your homeland, the Difficulty for any Survival tests you attempt is reduced by 1, even if this reduces the Difficulty of the test to Simple (D0).
That is very different to the mechanical function of the “Hunter” Talent in the Survival Talent tree.
Same name, that could be an easy fix at least in the electronic versions, but vastly different rules mechanical function.
But there is something I do find confusing in the Survival Skill Talent “Hunter”:
When making a Survival test to track a creature or group of creatures, you may spend 2 Momentum or add 2 to Doom to find a shortcut or other way of intercepting the creatures being
tracked. You may also substitute Survival for Stealth when attempting to ambush creatures being tracked. If purchased twice, the cost is reduced to 2 momentum and 1 Doom.
So purchasing this Talent to rank 2 only gives you the very slight benefit to pay the SAME amount of Momentum or generate 1 less Doom?
That seems to be quite a weak benefit. Or was it intended to be 1 Momentum or 1 Doom?