WANDERER ENCOUNTERS

The great room was a realm of mysteries, of shadows, and shadowy

shapes in which she could not have sworn to observe movement,
yet which invaded her mind with a dim and formless terror.

—"The People of the Black Circle"

F
or various reasons, these entries had to be cut from
ATTRIBUTES
the Encounters chapter of Conan the Wanderer. They
are provided here for the gamemaster's use as poten- Awareness Intelligence Personality Willpower
tial encounters in Conan campaigns set in the Far East, or 11 (1) 12 8 12 (1)
elsewhere, as desired. Agility Brawn Coordination
8 14 (1) 8
ANNUNAKI (NEMESIS, HORROR)
FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
Pictured upon temple walls and in statuary throughout
Combat 2 Combat 2
Iranistan, Ghulistan, Kosala, and elsewhere, the Annunaki
were a perhaps-mythical race of bird-headed, sometimes Fortitude 3 Fortitude 2
winged humanoid figures of considerable grace and power, Knowledge 3 Knowledge 2
said to be messengers or envoys of the gods themselves. The
STRESS & SOAK
Annunaki mingled among humankind in the greatest courts
of the land, and their wisdom and favor were sought by all. ■■ Stress: Vigor 18, Resolve 16
But for reasons unknown to any living soul, they exist no ■■ Soak: Armor 2 (Tough Skin), Courage 3 (Demigod)
longer — having perhaps fled the Hyborian world for good,
ATTACKS
or gone into seclusion as often happens with such entities.
While extant, the Annunaki were said to be inheritors of
■■

Stun
§
Powerful Fists (M): Reach 2, 7 , Knockdown,

ancient and powerful technology and knew many secrets

of Kosalan super-science (see sidebar on page XX).
■■ §
Searing Censer (R): Range M, 5 , Blinding,
Fragile, Incendiary 2, Persistent 1 (see below)
It may be that these entities were responsible for keeping
the Yaggites from spreading too far to the West, containing
■■ Divine Visage (T): Range M, 6 § mental, Stun

their influence to the steaming jungles of Khitai, perhaps SPECIAL ABILITIES

at the cost of their own existence. Perhaps one or more
■■ Dread Creature 2
of these elusive, enigmatic beings exists somewhere in a
■■ Fear 1
hidden temple or lost city, worshipped by generations of
■■ Flight (Optional): Not all Annunaki are winged,
those set apart from humanity by distance and time. What
though the reason is unknown.
might motivate such an entity? Would it view an interrup-
■■ Inhuman Awareness 1
tion into its solitude as a respite from boredom, or would
■■ Inhuman Brawn 1
it react in fury, eager to protect its secrets?
■■ Inhuman Willpower 1
As a Horror, an Annunaki can be summoned, but the art
■■ Inured to Cold, Disease, Fear, Heat, Poison
of doing so is either zealously guarded or blessedly forgot-
■■ Keen Senses (Sight)
ten, adding one step of Difficulty to such attempts. Some
■■ Patron
few sorcerers remember the Annunaki and seek to find a
living specimen, to learn magic long forgotten by mortals.
 DOOM SPENDS SPECIAL ABILITIES
■■ Amulets: Most Annunaki were expert crafters and ■■ Doom-herald
possess one or more talismans worn about the ■■ Hopping Vampire: The jiangshi cannot move
neck or wrist. One variety has abilities equiv- except in powerful jerky movements. As a Minor
alent to the hamsa pendant (Conan corebook, Action, it can leap up to Long Range without
page 166). It must spend 2 Doom to activate this needing a test.
item. Other talismans have different properties, at ■■ Creature of the Night: At night, the jiangshi is
the gamemaster’s discretion. much more powerful. It can substitute Brawn for
■■ Searing Censer: One of the chief weapons of the Agility or Coordination on any Combat test.
Annunaki is its searing censer, a pine-cone shaped
device that it holds in its hand, firing an intense
beam of fiery, combustible liquid. It carries a small
LAMASSU (TOUGHENED)
Noble in mien, lamassu are thought all but extinct through-
bucket that contains this liquid and must spend 1 out the East; a form of human-headed — sometimes winged
Doom and make a Minor Action to reload after — bull, thought to be divine in origin. Legends claim that they
every shot. If anyone is daring enough to liberate guarded temples, and spoke with wisdom and grace, their
this bucket from the Annunaki, it is equivalent to beards braided and oiled as if they were the greatest of kings.
the burning liquid alchemical petty enchantments Once they were famed and known by the folk of Ghulistan,
(Conan corebook, page 164–165). Iranistan, and thereabouts, but now they seemingly only
exist in the form of statues guarding long-abandoned ruins
JIANGSHI (TOUGHENED) against trespass, or half-buried wardens of lost cities. Should
The jiangshi is a corpse animated by anger at its improper a living specimen exist, it is likely much degenerated from
death or ignoble burial. Vampiric in nature, the jiangshi the nobility of its ancient predecessors and may have none
seek out the living, though their mode of movement is very of the intelligence and sapience its kind were known for.
strange — a hopping gait that contrasts with their official
regal robes of Khitan high office, as if celestial powers move ATTRIBUTES
this terror as a badly marionetted puppet. Awareness Intelligence Personality Willpower
10 7 4 7
ATTRIBUTES
Agility Brawn Coordination
Awareness Intelligence Personality Willpower
8 14 (1) 6
12 7 13 14
Agility Brawn Coordination FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
6 12 (1) 6 Combat 1 Combat 2
Fortitude 2 Fortitude 1
FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
Knowledge 1 Knowledge —
Combat 2 Combat 3
Fortitude 2 Fortitude 2 STRESS & SOAK
Knowledge — Knowledge — ■■ Stress: Vigor 2, Resolve 2
■■ Soak: Armor —, Courage —
STRESS & SOAK
■■ Stress: Vigor 13, Resolve 14 ATTACKS
■■ Soak: Armor 4 (Hardened Dead Skin), Courage 2 ■■ §
Raking Talons (M): Reach 2, 5 , Piercing 1

ATTACKS
■■ Fearsome Visage (T): Range C, 2 §
mental, Stun

■■ Powerful Stiff Limbs (M): Reach 1, 7 ,

Grappling, Stun
§ ■■ Flight
SPECIAL ABILITIES

■■

Vicious 1
§
Ghostly Presence (T): Range C, 5 , Area, Stun, ■■

■■
Inhuman Awareness 1
Inhuman Brawn 1
■■ Inured to Cold, Disease, Fear, Heat, Poison
■■ Mount 1