Intro to The Black Sword Hack (Hyborian Age)

Introduction:
"Know, O adventurer, that in the time between the drowning of Atlantis and the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an age undreamed of—the Hyborian Age—an era of gleaming bronze and shadowed sorcery. The world was riven by warlords and haunted by elder gods, and kingdoms flared like fire and then crumbled into dust. On the coast of the Western Ocean sprawled the great trade cities, and perhaps none was more treacherous than Messantia, capital of Argos. Its gilded towers and opulent bazaars mask a festering underbelly of slums and slave markets. And now, in the dank prison cells beneath the High Court, you and your fellow convicts await your sentencing in the Grand Arena. It is a name whispered in fear by the other prisoners, for it is where doomed men kill each other for the amusement of the city's rich merchants and jaded nobility, all under the guise of 'justice'..."

Setting: Robert E. Howard's "Hyborian Age" from the Conan stories

OSR System: The Black Sword Hack

What You'll Need:

1. Your imagination & whatever acting skills you can muster
2. A printed copy of the The Black Sword Hack character sheet with Quick Rules - https://uristmacitchio.itch.io/black-sword-hack-character-sheet-quick-rules
3. Set of standard RPG dice (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20) or online dice simulator - https://tacticaltokens.com/dice-roller/
4. Zoom app (free for users) - https://zoom.us/download

Useful But Not Necessary:
> The Hyborian Age map - https://wastedlandsfantasy.blogspot.com/2009/07/map-of-hyborian-age.html

How to Prepare:
You'll need to create a character prior to our session. You can find the Black Sword Hack rules for character creation here - https://blackswordhack.github.io/3character.html

It's a 5-step process:

1. Determine Your Attributes:
   As with D&D, there's 6 stats that define your character: Strength (STR), Dexterity (DEX), Constitution (CON), Intelligence (INT), Wisdom (WIS), Charisma (CHA). Although the rules say to roll dice to determine your attribute scores, I want everyone to start on an equal footing, so just allot the following scores as you see fit: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. You'll get some bonuses & penalties to these stats in Steps 2 & 3.
2. Choose Your Origin, Culture & Name:
   Black Sword Hack has you pick one of the following origins for your character: "Barbarian, "Civilized", or "Decadent". Note that BSH interprets "Decadent" as sinister/occult rather than merely rich/corrupt.
   .
   > Next, you'll pick a Hyborian Age culture that matches your origin. As a house rule, this will impact your attributes:
   * If you're a barbarian, roll 1d8 or choose: Pictish (tribal forest warriors & Ligurean shamans, +1 WIS/-1 INT), Cimmerian (highland warriors & witch-healers, +1 STR/-1 CHA), Brythunian (skilled horsemen & Wiccana priestesses, +1 CON/-1 INT), Nordheimer/Aesir/Vanir (viking berserkers & shield maidens, godar/völva shamans, +1 STR/-1 DEX), Kozaki/Turanian (nomadic horse-archers & death-clerics of Erlik, +1 DEX/-1 CHA), Kushite (jungle hunters & witch-doctors, +1 STR/-1 INT), Amazonian (black matriarchal warriors, akualek priestesses, +1 DEX/-1 CHA), or Southern Islanders (black corsairs, fishermen, sea shamans, +1 WIS/-1 CHA).
   * If you're civilized, roll 1d10 or choose: Aquillonian (Poitanian cavalry, Gunderland pikemen, Bossonian archers, +1 STR/-1 WIS), Nemedian (Harrower cavalry, border archers, Mitra priests, scholars/inventors, +1 INT/-1 CON), Kothic/Koharajan/Khaurani (irascible mercenaries & slave traders, rogue sorcerers, +1 CON/-1 CHA), Corinthian (hoplites, skilled orators & apothecary/alchemists, +1 CHA/-1 CON), Ophirean (fabulously rich nobles, gilded knights, Acheron-inspired artisans, +1 CHA/-1 STR), Shemite/Zuagir (Ishtar priestesses, Asu/Baru healers, camel archers/traders, +1 DEX/-1 STR), Argossean/Baracchan (rich merchants, sailors/pirates, gladiators, +1 CHA/-1 WIS), Zingaran (rakish nobles, Kordovan pit thieves, buccaneers, +1 DEX/-1 WIS), Puntian (Nebethet oracles, disciplined spearmen, green-fire artificers, +1 INT/-1 CON), or neutrals/expats from decadent cultures (Stygian priests of Ibis, Zamoran gypsies, ex-Hyperborean "Verunians" in Border Kingdom, Darfari slaves, Keshani griot-guides, Zembabwan sailors, + 1 WIS/-1 CHA).
   * If you're decadent, roll 1d8 or choose: Stygian (Black Ring necromancers, hawk-riders, Set cultists, +1 INT/-1 WIS), Zamoran (thieves/assassins & Zath cultists, +1 DEX/-1 CON), Borderer (exiled robber barons, inbred cannibals, marsh-dwelling heretics, +1 DEX/-1 CHA), Darfari (cannibals & Yog cultists, +1 STR/-1 CHA), Keshani (Gwahlur cultists, were-hyena shamans, rhino/zebra cavalry, +1 DEX/-1 INT), Zembabwan (Damballah witch-dancers, trader-spies, wyvern riders, +1 DEX/-1 WIS), Hyperborean (Witchmen, mammoth riders, slavers, +1 CON/-1 CHA), or Acheronian heretics in the civilized Hyborian nations (+1 CHA/-1 WIS).
   > Lastly, pick a character name that sounds appropriate to your culture - for inspiration, check these sample names: https://hyboria.xoth.net/rules/sample_names.htm
3. Choose Your Background:
   Pick three backgrounds: two tied to your origin and another one from any list. Backgrounds raise one of your attributes and have mechanical effects; they can also help define your character’s motivations, potential allies & enemies, etc. Try to pick backgrounds that jive with the Hyborian Age culture you chose above, and pick ones that make sense together thematically. You can only choose one background that allows your character to engage in sorcery, demon pacts, spirit alliances, faerie ties, or twisted science - you can't choose 2 or more. However, "changeling knowledge" can be combined with either demon pacts or spirit alliances for priest/shaman characters. To learn more and see the options, you'll need to consult these tables to determine what you can do - https://blackswordhack.github.io/6darkpact.html
   > Note: For the "Changeling" option, the "fey" aspects don't fit this setting, but there's pairs of options under "faerie ties" that could fit barbarian shamans (e.g. skinwalker & elfin secret: speak to birds or control plants), Mitra priests (e.g. true faith & witchsight), Ishtar priestesses (elfin secret: enthrall a lover, divine secret desire), Ibis priests (e.g. changeling knowledge & witchsight), Erlik priests (true faith & barrow wisdom), Nebethet oracles (witchsight & elfin secret: invisibility), or Set priests (e.g. barrow wisdom & dwarf deceit). The "cauldron of gold" & "silversmith sorcerer" options would only work for Ophireans or Puntians.
4. Record Your Hit Points, Doom Die, and Damage Types:
   - Your hit points (HP) total is equal to your CON score. All characters start with Ud6 as their Doom die. Characters start with 1d6 weapon damage (no matter what weapon they use) and 1d4 unarmed damage.
5. Record Your Starting Equipment:
   - As a slave about to be thrown into the gladiator pits, you'll begin with no money, no armor (merely some ragged clothes), a dagger, and another weapon based on your civilization type - roll 1d10 and consult Table 4.4: https://blackswordhack.github.io/4equipment.html
   - Note: If you got a one-handed weapon, you also get a shield which offers advantage on parry rolls. If you got a two-handed weapon, you don't get a shield but you get advantage on damage rolls. If you got some type of bow, you get 12 arrows. If you rolled a 0, you get a special one-handed weapon (but no shield) based on your civilization type that does only 1d4 damage but gives you a special effect on any successful use - no need for a Doom roll: barbarians get a burning torch (causes extra Ud4 ongoing fire damage unless they drop & roll), civilized folk get a parrying dagger that disarms/breaks enemy's weapon on successful parries (disarmed enemies are reduced to doing 1d4 unarmed damage), and decadents get a whip that entangles enemies (other attacks on this enemy during this Turn or next get advantage).