Conan The Wyrmslayer

THE WYRMSLJ1ER
Solo Adventure in Roberl E. Howard's Hyborian Age

By W.G. Annintrout
Edited by Creede Lambard
Cover art by Val Lakey Lindahn and Ron Lindahn
Interior art by Charlie Wiedman
GURPS System Design by Steve Jackson

Ken Trobaugh, Managing Editor
Loyd Blankenship, Assistant Managing Editor
Layout and Typography by Monica Stephens and Creede Lambard
Production by Charlie Wiedman and Carl Manz
Dedicated to Darby Levenhagen, who truly understands barbarians
Playtesters: Robert N. Gilson, Dana Holm, Steve Jensen,

Curtis M. Scott, William D. Seurer,
Brett Slocum and the SJG-BBS Illuminati
INSTRUCTIONS ••••••••••.••••••••.••••• 2 CONAN THE WYRMSLAYER •••••••••••••••4

Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 2 Introduction 4
How to Play. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 2 APPENDIX ••••••••••••••..••••••.••..•• 27
Plot Words 2 Character Points 27
Defaults 2 Designing Heroes 27
The Origillal Story " 2 NPCs and Creatures 27
About Robert E. Howard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 2 Ilga of Virunia 27
AbOUt/he Author 2 Beastmen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Mounted Combat . . . . . . ........................ 3 Snow Bear 28
Healing 3 Wolverine 28
Animal Combat . . . . . . . ........................ 3 IceWyrm 28
Falling 3 Combat Maps 29
Repeat Games 3 Ice Caverns Map 30
About GURPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 3 Heimdul 31
Conan of Cimmeria 32
GURPS and the all-seeing pyramid are registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated.
Conan the Wyrmslayer is copyright © 1989 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated.
All Conan characters are copyrighted by Conan Properties, Inc. Conan@ and Hyboriall Age™ are trademarks of Conan Properties, Inc.,
and are used under license. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ISBN 1-55634-152-0
STEVE '-'ACKSON GAMES

The Original Story
INSTRUCTIONS
This adventure is based on .. Lair of the
Ice Worm," a story written by L. Sprague Conan the Wymrslayer is the latest in a series of GURPS solo adventures.
de Camp and Lin Carter. It appears in the The player character you control - Conan, Heimdul, or a hero of your own
book COllall of Cimmeria. If you haven't design - will adventure in the fabulous Hyborian Age, a time of flashing
read the story, play this adventure first-
that will preserve the surprises. swords, horrific monsters, and riches beyond measure. This book will serve as
The continuing adventures of Conan the Game Master.
are detailed in several other Steve Jackson As you move through this adventure, you will make various choices. Each
Games solo adventures, including Conan
Beyond Thunder River and Conan and
choice will send you to a different numbered paragraph, which will give you
the Queen of the Black Coast. Complete more information, more instructions, and possibly call for more decisions.
rules for adventuring in Robert E. How- Sometimes you will have to make attribute or skill rolls, to determine
ard's Hyborian Age are provided in the whether or not your character performs as you would like him to. Perform these
GURPS Conan worldbook.
rolls according to normal GURPS rules, applying any modifiers called for.
The object is, of course, to survive and complete the adventure. If you don't
succeed the first time ... try again.
About Robert E. Howard Good luck - may your blade never dull and your steed never falter!
Robert Ervin Howard was born in
Peaster, Texas in 1906 and died in Cross
Plains, Texas 30 years later. He completed
high school and had a few hours of non-
Getting Started
credit business college courses, but most You will need a pencil, scratch paper, three six-sided dice, and the GURPS
of his education came through omnivorous Basic Set. You will also need a character. A record sheet for Conan, the hero of
reading. the story this adventure is based on, can be found on p. 32. If you would rather
From his late teens he supported him-
self principally as a freelance writer. In his
play someone else, a record sheet for Heimdul - another hero from northern
brieflife, he wrote stories for almost all the Hyboria - is provided on p. 31. You may also design your own character;
pulp-magazine genres, creating heroes guidelines for this are given on p. 27 in the appendix.
such as Kull of Atlantis and Puritan adven-
turer Solomon Kane. But his greatest suc-
cess came through Weird Tales magazine,
which published his stories chronicling the
Hyborian Age adventures of Conan of
Cimmeria.
More than 50 years after his death,
Howard's Conan stories not only remain in
print, but are continued and elaborated on
by a new generation of writers. Adapta-
tions of his work have appeared as novels,
short stories, comics, movies and adven-
ture games.
About the Author

How To Play
W.G. Armintrout is a native Califor- The adventure is divided into numbered paragraphs. Do not read them in
nian who has been working professionally order - they will make no sense at all. Rather, read the "Introduction" first,
in the game industry for more than a then turn to the paragraph to which it directs you. Read that paragraph, decide
decade. He now lives in Austin, Texas,
where he divides his time between free-
your course of action from that point, and then turn to the paragraph that your
lance writing assignments and Jovialis, his current paragraph directs you to. And so on.
editing company. Most paragraphs offer you at least two choices, and sometimes several.
His previous work for Steve Jackson Sometimes a roll against one of your skills or attributes, or the outcome of a
Games includes a Car Wars adventure
(Mean Streets), a GURPS Space/Horror battle, will determine which paragraph you will turn to next.
adventure (Right 13), and three GURPS
solo adventures: Beyond Thunder River Plot Words
for Conan, Up Harzburk! for Horseclans,
and For Love of Mother-Not, a Pip-and- Conan the Wymrslayer can be different every time you play. To make sure
Flinx Humanx adventure. that you stay on the same storyline for an entire run through the adventure, you
may be asked to write down one or more Plot Words. From time to time, there
will be instructions for characters who have certain of these special words - if
you have a Plot Word, be sure to follow the instructions which apply to it.
Instructions -2-
Defaults
For your convenience, when a default skill roll is given in the adventure, the
penalties for the original roll are already calculated in. If the regular roll is at a
-2 penalty, for instance, and the default is given as DX at -4, the -4 already
includes the -2 penalty to the original roll.
Mounted Combat
A brief summary of the mounted combat rules is in order:
If your horse is hit, it may Dodge, but cannot Parry or Block.
Any time a rider is hit in combat, or if he uses a shield to Block a blow, he
must succeed at a Riding roll in order to stay on his horse. There is a -1 penalty
for every 4 full points of basic damage received from this blow (before subtract-
ing DR due to armor), and a further -4 penalty if the rider is stunned.
Riding rolls must also be made if the horse is hit, with the penalty to the roll
equaling the damage (if any) done to the mount. If the roll fails, the rider falls
and the animal spooks. (Stunned animals do not spook, however.)
If a horse takes more than V4 of its hit points in one blow, it must succeed on About GURPS
a roll vs. DX, or fall. If it takes more than half of its basic HT in one blow, the Steve Jackson Games is committed to
full support of the GURPS system. Our
horse is stunned; it must succeed at a basic HT roll or fall. If a horse falls, it must address is SJ Games, Box 18957, Austin,
succeed on a DX roll at + 1 to avoid breaking a leg. TX 78760. Please include a self-ad-
dressed, stamped envelope (SASE) any
time you write us! Resources now avail-
Healing able include:
After any battle or encounter, the character may attempt to recover hit points Roleplayer. This bimonthly newsletter
includes new rules, new races, beasts, in-
lost in that action. Any conscious character, or one with a conscious partner, formation on upcoming releases, scenario
regains I HT due to bandaging. In addition, success at a First Aid roll (defaults ideas and more. Ask your game retailer, or
to Physician, IQ-5, Veterinary-5, or Physiology-5) heals Id-3 hit points (one write for subscription information.
point minimum). On a critical success, the victim regains 3 HT (no roll re- New supplements and adventures.
We're always working on new material,
quired); on a critical failure, the victim loses 2 additional hit points and bandag- and we'll be happy to let you know what's
ing has no effect on this wound. available. A current catalog is available for
an SASE.
Errata. Everyone makes mistakes, in-
Animal Combat cluding us - but we do our best to fix our
The rules for animal combat are given on p. BI40-141. It is possible for an errors. Up-to-date errata sheets for all
GURPS releases, including this book, are
animal to All-Out Attack. Unlike humans, animals can All-Out Attack in close always available from SJ Games; be sure
combat; they may choose either to make two attacks against their foe, or to make to include an SASE with your request.
a single attack at +4 to their skill. They may not choose to feint and attack, or Q&A. We do our best to answer any
game question accompanied by an SASE.
to make a single attack doing +2 damage.
Gamer input. We value your com-
ments. We will consider them, not only for
Falling new products, but also when we update
this book on later printings!
When damage for falling is given in the adventure, it has already been BBS. For those of you who have home
adjusted for distance and the type of material fallen upon. Cloth or leather computers, SJ Games operates a BBS with
protects against a fall with its normal DR. Metal armor has half its normal DR discussion areas for several games, includ-
ing GURPS. Much of the playtest feedback
(round down) against a fall. Shields don't help. for new products comes from the BBS. It's
The effects of falling are further described on p. B131. up 24 hours per day at 512-447-4449, at
300, 1200 or 2400 baud. Give us a call!
Repeat Games Page References
After you've played Wynnslayer several times, feel free to select your Plot Rules and statistics in this book are
specifically for the GURPS Basic Set,
Words or to choose your path, rather than always following the dictates of the Third Edition. Any page reference that
dice. Explore all of the possibilities. begins with a B refers to the GURPS Basic
Eventually, you'll know the plot well enough to run this adventure for your Set - e.g., p. B102 means p. 102 of the
GURPS Basic Set, Third Edition.
friends. You can let them read the adventure (or read it to them), helping them
with the game mechanics, or you can run this as a game-mastered adventure (for
any number of player characters).
-3- Instructions
INTRODUCTION
The slopes of the Eiglophian Mountains stride from east to est to open in the spring thaws, but it is ill spoken of. It is named
west across the world, a mighty wall of snow and ice sundering for Snow Devil Glacier, also known as the River of Death Ice,
the frozen northlands - Vanaheim, Hyperborea and Asgard- which flows alongside and across the pass on the southern side.
from the warmer kingdoms to the south. In the depth of winter, The tEsir speak of the pass with dread, and tell of whole
most of the passes are blocked. With the coming of spring, parties which have vanished without a trace. You impatiently
however, they open, affording barbarians of the north a route by dismiss these rumors - the disappearances were likely the result
which to raid the civilized south. of inexperienced mountaineers blundering into the depths of a
The lure of adventure, and a growing boredom with the crevasse. You see no reason for grown warriors to refer to this
simple village life of the northlands, have led you to Snow Devil place with shudders, dark hints and sidelong glances.
Pass. This is the shortest route south from Asgard, and the quick- Ifyou are Conan, tum to 115. (Conan's character is described
onp.32.)
... .'. . ' '.. ". . . If you are Heimdul, or if you create your own player charac-
..
Conan the Wyrmslayer -4-

1 Before you left the northlands, your fellow warriors pre-
sented you with gifts to show their gratitude for your aid
during the long winter. Hanging by a thong from your saddle is
li on the Ice Caverns Map, change the ID number for
this chamber to 175. Do what healing you can at this
time (see p. 3).
a new axe of fine Asgard steel, fashioned with a skill rarely seen Tum to 267.
elsewhere. Atop your head sits a homed steel helm, secured with
a leather chin strap - another token of their esteem. By these
two possessions, you will long remember the deep northern
winter and the proud, barbaric peoples of Vanaheim and Asgard.
12 If your Plot Word is FAREWELL, tum immediately
to 259.
Otherwise:
The weapon is an axe of fine quality (see p. B74 - swing + 3 If your horse is dead, tum to 167.
cutting damage, $500, 4Ibs.), while the homed Asgardian helm If your horse has a broken leg, tum to 240.
has PD 3, DR 4, $150, 10 lbs. If they are not already listed on If your horse is unconscious, tum to 186.
your character sheet, add them now. In any other case, tum to 250.
Tum to 271.
2 You've lost your bearings - you'll have to peek again.

But first, make a basic HT roll.
13 This is not according to nature. In so brief a time, a
warm body does not freeze solid, let alone become
encased in glittering ice!
If you succeed, tum to 236. Make an Occultism roll. The default is to IQ, at -6. Apply a
If you fail, tum to 207. + 2 bonus if you have the Plot Words TONGUE or WARNED.
If you have both, you have a +4 bonus.
3 For now, however, more immediate problems face you.

Night is falling and the wind is rising. You will have little
chance of surviving through the night on the surface of the
If you succeed, tum to 132.
If you fail, tum to 77.
~ ou plummet into the chasm and fall for a long, long

glacier. Snow Devil Pass may yet claim two more victims.
If you try to descend the mountain in the dark, tum to 149.
If you look for shelter, tum to 231.
14 time.
Your adventure is over.
4 It will be cold, in the depths of whatever lair the strange

wyrm dwells. You pack the glowing coals from the fire
into your steel Asgardian helm, resolving to carry it with you as
15 Roll one die, to resolve whether there is an exit from
the cavern at this point.
If the die roll is odd, tum to 84.
protection against the bitter cold. If the roll is even, tum to 34.
Your Plot Word is DEVASTATOR. Tum to 123.
5 You rest for an hour.

Erase your Fatigue points. Tum to 269.
16 You stumble back into the ice crack and the comfort-
ing gloom. Tum to the paragraph matching the ID
number of the chamber you entered this one from.
~
6 Ilga rebuffs your advances. You would never force an un-
willing girl, even ifit's for her own good - so tum to 159.
~
0
7 You struggle to keep moving, but your grievous injuries

eventually take their toll. Gasping, flailing at the ice, you
collapse ...
Tum to 194.
8 If you decide to return the way you came, tum to the

paragraph matching the ID number of the chamber box you
came here from.
Otherwise, you may try to climb the rock (tum to 43) or to
shove it aside (tum to 155).
9 Your horse shudders and falls.

Make another Riding roll, this time at -2.
If you fail, you are unhorsed - tum to 121.
1O At last you reach the outer air. Plumes of steam waft

from a score of crevasses and caverns on either side as
you, slipping and skidding, run down the slope.
With a crashing roar, the glacier quivers and explodes, hurl-
ing glassy fragments the size of wagons into the air. A crater of
broken ice, rapidly filling with water, is soon hidden by a vast
cloud of vapor.
Make a DX roll, at -5, to avoid losing your footing as the
shock wave reaches you.
If you fail and fall, tum to 247.
-5- Conan the Wyrmslayer

The Beastmen
Weapons skill (damage) Dead or
Move/ Spear* War Club Hafted Thrown Thrown Lost Lost Uncon- Demor-
0 ST DX IQ HT Dodge (imp) (cr) Axe (cut) Spear (imp) Axe (cut) Spear? Axe? scious? alized?
1 13 11 9 10 5 12(2d+ 1) 12(2d) 9(ld+3) 9(2d) 0 0 0
2 13 13 10 10 5 15(ld+3) 14(2d+ 1) 14(2d) 12(ld+3) 12(2d) 0 0 0 0
3 10 12 9 9 4 13(ld+ 1) 13(ld+2) 13(ld+ 1) l1(ld+ 1) 11(ld+ 1) 0 0 0 0
4 10 14 9 10 5 12(ld+ 1) 16(ld+2) 16(ld+ 1) 15(ld+ 1) 15(ld + 1) 0 0 0 0
5 13 13 12 10 5 12(ld+3) 14(2d+ 1) 14(2d) 11(ld+3) 11(2d) 0 0 0 0
6 12 15 6 10 6 14(ld+2) 14(ld+4) 14(ld+3) 14(ld+2) 14(ld+3) 0 0 0 0
7 13 13 10 10 5 12(ld+3) 16(2d + 1) 16(2d) 12(ld+3) 12(2d) 0 0 0 0
8 14 13 9 10 5 12(ld+3) 12(2d+2) l2(2d+ 1) l2(ld+3) 12(2d + 1) 0 0 0 0
9 13 13 9 11 6 12(ld+3) 14(2d + 1) 14(2d) 11(ld+3) 11(2d) 0 0 0 0
10 13 13 9 13 6 12(ld+3) l5(2d + 1) 15(2d) 12(ld+3) 12(2d) 0 0 0 0
11 13 13 6 10 5 12(ld+3) l4(2d+ 1) 14(2d) 10(ld+3) 1O(2d) 0 0 0 0
12 13 13 9 10 5 12(ld+3) 13(2d+ 1) 13(2d) 12(ld+3) 12(2d) 0 0 0 0
13 13 12 9 8 5 13(ld+3) 13(2d + 1) 13(2d) 11(ld+3) 11(2d) 0 0 0 0
14 13 12 9 10 5 1O(ld+3) 13(2d + 1) 13(2d) 11(ld+3) 11(2d) 0 0 0 0
15 11 12 8 9 5 l3(ld+4) 13(ld+3) 12(ld+2) 12(ld+3) 0 0 0
* -1 to-hit if using it with only one hand
17 There are about a dozen of the beastmen, armed with

crude wooden clubs and stone-headed spears and
axes. They are short-bodied, thick-limbed creatures, wrapped in
If you are unconscious, turn immediately to 105.
If your horse spooks, turn to 145.
If you fall from the saddle, turn to 121.
tattered, mangy furs. Small, bloodshot eyes glare out from If your horse falls, turn to 9.
under beetling brows and sloping foreheads. Thick lips draw If your horse is stunned, turn to 113.
back to reveal large yellow teeth. If none of the above apply, turn to 25.
Ifyou have not been to this paragraph before: Rollid +9 to
find out how many foemen you face. Starting at the bottom of
the table, cross out any excess beastmen until the number on the
table corresponds with the size of the group you must fight.
18 If you enter this cavern, turn to 198.
If you return the way you came, turn to the paragraph
matching the ID number of the chamber box you came here
Roll once for each crossed-off weapon box on the table above from.
(if there are any). On a roll of 1 or 2, that character has regained
his weapon - erase the cross-out.
If you did damage in your last attack, apply that result against
one of the top three unwounded (but conscious) characters on the
19 You snatch out the axe - whose helve is charred,
smoking and flaming where it enters the fiercely
glowing axe head. A quick cast sends it looping toward the
table (your choice). Your foes have a DR of3, due to Toughness wyrm's cavernous maw.
and their mangy furs. Make a Throwing roll, to see if you are on target. There is no
time to aim. The roll defaults to DX at -4. (Axe Throwing skill
Now, resolve the attacks of the beastmen against you. Attacks is of no use, since this is not a balanced throwing axe.)
which "miss" you by exactly J, hit your mount instead. You If you succeed, and your Plot Word is VALIANT, turn to
must make a Riding roll if any attack hits you or your mount - 211.
see p. 3 for a review of the mounted combat rules. If you succeed, and you do not have the Plot Word VAL-
Only the top three beastmen from the table who were un- IANT, turn to 83.
wounded at the start of this round may attack you in close com- If you fail, turn to 138.
bat. Each attacks using the weapon at which his skill is greatest;
if several are equally great, use the rightmost of the top-scoring
weapons. There is a -3 penalty to their attacks, due to your speed
and position. None of these will throw their weapons.
20 It will be a comfortless night - your horse carried
your food, as well.
If Ilga is conscious, turn to 152.
The other beastmen might throw their weapons at you. Roll If not, turn to 159.
one die for each. If the roll is odd, that character throws some-
thing at you: a spear, if he still has one; or his axe. There is a -7
penalty due to your speed, range and "sitting" position - 21 With a wail of terror, a beastman staggers to his feet
and flees, limping. In an instant, the others join him
in a panic-stricken flight across the glacier. You cautiously
scores on the table include all Acc bonuses. Characters who
don't have a spear or axe do not do anything at this time. After watch the figures dwindle out of sight, to make sure they aren't
circling for another attack.
a character throws his weapon, check off the box on the table to
Turn to 67.
indicate that he no longer has that weapon.

22 Make an IQ roll, as you formulate your plan. If you
have the Plot Word KNOWING, apply a + 3 bonus.
If you succeed, and if you have the Plot Word KNOWING,
26 Fortunately, you are not pursued.
Do what healing you can at this time (see p. 3).
If your effective HT is 0 or less, tum to 7.
tum to 40. Ifnot, tum to 164.
If you succeed but don't have the Plot Word KNOWING,
tum to 4.
If you fail, tum to 123. 27 Make an IQ roll.
If you fail, you barely take a stride when ... tum to 109.
23 If you leave this glacier and make your way south,

tum to 244.
If you rest in your cave, then return after the wyrm once
more, tum to 5.
28 The strange music winds around your mind, until you
are as helpless as a netted bird. Your heart flutters
against your ribs. You can neither move nor speak, even to use
If you immediately reenter the caverns, tum to 78 (if you your ready weapons.
exited through the main entrance), or to the ID number matching Like one walking in a dream, you move toward the great orbs
the exit you used. that bum their deadly spell into you. The ice wyrm takes its
pleasure with your flesh.
24 Entering a grotto, you see that running water was
once a torrent here, but the cool breeze from below
has frozen the stream. The floor of this gently sloping passage is
You are dead, and your adventure is over.
slickly smooth, leading upward.

If you wish to tum back, return to the paragraph matching the
ID number of the chamber from which you came.
29 Now that you've made it across the pool, the shock of
immersion in the ice-eold water catches up with you.
If you have the Plot Words THUNDEROUS or DEVAS-
Otherwise, tum to 234. TATOR, erase them.
Make a basic HT roll, at -5.
30 You grunt your sympathy. It is a hard tale, but life in

the bleak northlands is grim. You have often heard
similar stories.
Make a reaction roll for Ilga, to see what she thinks of you.
If you did not flee from the beastmen, give yourself a + 3 bonus.
If your Plot Word is FAREWELL, apply a -2 penalty. If you
have the Plot Words TONGUE or TERRIBLE, give yourself a
+2 bonus for each. Also apply any modifiers which apply due
to your own charisma, personality, and so on.
If the result is "Good" or better, tum to 195.
If not, tum to 3.
31 You wake suddenly. Some eerie premonition - some

warning from your hyperacute senses - sends its cur-
rent quivering along the tendrils of your nerves. Like a wary
jungle cat, you come instantly from deep, dreamless slumber to
full wakefulness. You lie without moving, every sense searching
the air around you.
You have the Plot Word VIGOR. Tum to 232.
32 You have lost your bearings - you must press on to

the far side of this chamber. Return to 236, and do not
select this option again.
25 If you did not injure a conscious beastman this round,

tum immediately to 169.
If all of the beastmen are dead, tum immediately to 131. 33 One of the beastmen shouts and pulls at his neighbor's
arm. In seconds, they all turn to meet your approach.
Otherwise, make an IQ roll for each beastman who is not The only way to deal with so many enemies afoot is to keep
already demoralized. If your Plot Word is TERRIBLE, apply a moving, riding in to attack and then getting clear before they can
-1 penalty to each roll. (Without losing your place here, tum surround you. Your unarmored horse is your weakness.
back to 17 to refer to the beastmen stats. For each who fails his You drive down on the nearest beastmen, crashing among
IQ roll, check off the matching "Demoralized?" box.) Demor- them like a thunderbolt.
alized beastmen will not attack. Make a weapon skill roll, at -2 due to your charge. (If you
If all of the conscious beastmen are demoralized, tum imme- attack with your polearm, make a Lance roll - this defaults to
diately to 21. Spear at -5 if your Riding skill is 12 or higher; it also defaults to
If you have Overconfidence or Impulsiveness, tum immedi- DX at -8.)
ately to 233. If you succeed, roll your damage and make a note of it.
Otherwise, tum to 169. When you are done, turn to 17.

34 This cavern is connected to the adjacent chamber in
the same direction as the Connection Box. Draw a line
from this chamber to that chamber on the lee Caverns Map,
passing through the Connection Box.
If you wish to take this exit, tum to the paragraph matching
its ID number or, if it has no number, tum to 253.
If not, tum to 188.
35 You suddenly realize that the girl is in the grip of

stark terror. This isn't normal fear such as she felt for
the beastmen, but a deep superstitious dread somehow connected
with this mountain.
When you try to question her, she can only make vague
gestures and whisper a strange word: "Yakhmar! Yakhmar!"
Her lovely face is pale and drawn.
Tum to 93.
36 You enter the opening. The light of the sun glances

and flashes from the translucent ice walls on either
side, breaking up into rainbow patterns and polychrome gleams.
It's as if you are walking by some magical means through the
solid substance of a colossal gem.
You are now in the chamber marked "START" on the lee
Caverns Map.
If you don't know what the lee Caverns Map is, or if you
want to have it explained to you once more, tum to 215.
Otherwise, turn to 267.
37 Ifyou heave the fire-bearing helm at the monster, turn

to 55. (If you haven't thrown the Asgard axe already,
it is inside the helm and will be thrown at the same time.)
If you throw the heated axe, turn to 119.
If you flee, tum to 92. You loop the chin strap and a rein from your horse, to keep it all
together.
38 You hold on, and are able to climb back out to the
surface. Remove the polearm from your record sheet,
and turn to 129.
Your Plot Word is THUNDEROUS. If you have the Plot
Word DEVASTATOR, erase it.
Turn to 123.
39 The cold is horrible, colder than human beings were

meant to stand.
Make basic HT rolls for yourself, the girl, and your horse (if
41 Even at this distance, you discern the warm, fresh-
cheeked oval of a girl's face, and her mane of glossy
brown hair escaping from under a white hood. She's a real
you have one with you). The animal has a -5 penalty, due to not beauty.
having sufficient protective clothing. (The thick winter clothing Turn to 65.
you and the girl wear provides a + 5 bonus, but it is offset by the
-5 penalty for the temperature.)
On a failed roll, the victim suffers Id-2 points of Fatigue.
(Anyone whose ST falls below 4 takes these points as actual
42 Make an IQ roll.
If you succeed, turn to 102.
If you fail, turn to 199.
damage, reducing their HT.) You must abandon any who die. If
your horse dies, you gain the Plot Word REGRET.
If Ilga's effective ST is 2 or less, you must carry her, and
must immediately look for shelter. While carrying her, there is
43 You eye the sheer wall of this great piece of veined
ice, then begin working your way up, forcing your
fingers into its cracks and fractures.
a -2 penalty to your Survival roll. If she dies, you gain the Plot Make a Climbing roll, at -1. Your Encumbrance level is a
Word BURDEN. penalty to the roll.
If your effective HT is 0 or less, you lose consciousness - If you succeed, you are past the obstacle - turn immediately
turn to 112. to 267.
If you now descend the mountain, tum to 149 (if you haven't If you fail, you fall- take 3d-6 crushing damage, and turn to
tried this before) or to 222 (if you are continuing a descent). 8.
If you now seek shelter, turn to 231 (if you haven't tried this
before) or 85 (if you are continuing a search).
44 Roll one die.
If the result is odd, cross out the Connection Box and
40
cold!
A grim smile plays over your lips. Perhaps you can
tum the ice wyrm's power against itself. Heat, versus
turn to 107.
Otherwise, there is a passage here which leads to the next
Chamber Box. If the exit leads to a chamber with an ID number,
You pack the glowing coals from the fire into your steel turn to the paragraph matching that number. If the Chamber Box
Asgardian helm, then plunge the head of your axe deep within. is unnumbered, turn to 253.

45 Make an IQ roll. Ifyou have Absolute Direction, give
yourself a + 4 bonus.
52 If you are exploring, and your destination is an un-
marked Connection Box, tum to 15.
If your destination's Chamber Box has an ID number, tum to
If you fail, tum to 118. the paragraph matching that number.
If your destination's Chamber Box has no ID number, tum to
46 A soft sound fills the passage, filling the air like the
rush of the wind, though you feel no breeze. The
253.
noise grows, and the ice starts to gently tremble. Something is

coming.
Then before you in the gloom open two cold green eyes,
53 If you wish to take a running start on the treacherous
ice, tum to 235.
If you try a standing jump, tum to 157.
which stare into the roots of your soul. The luminous orbs cast a
gelid, submarine light.
By their faint, fungoid phosphoresence, you see a great
wyrm. Coil on undulating coil, its immense, boneless length is
54 Your spring carries you to safety. Now discerning the
hidden crack, you circle around it and rejoin your
mount, then proceed onward.
covered with a silken nap of thick white fur. Its mouth is merely Tum to 129.
a jawless, circular opening. Above the mouth, two eyes gleam
out of a smooth, rounded eel-like head.
If you have the Plot Word THUNDEROUS, tum immedi-
ately to 37.
55 Holding the end of the reins in one hand, you whirl
the whole mass over your head, round and round, as
if it were a sling. The rush of air fans the faintly glowing coals
Ifyou have the Plot Word DEVASTATOR, tum immediately to red, then to yellow, and finally to white. A stench of burning
to 150. helmet padding rises.
If you attack the wyrm, tum to 202. Make a Sling roll, to lob the heated helm down the wyrm's
If you flee, tum to 92. gorge. The roll defaults to DX at -6. You may also substitute a
Throwing roll.
47 Entering a new grotto, you see that water from the

melting ice was once a torrent here, but that a cool
breeze from below has refrozen the stream. The floor of this
gently sloping passage is slickly smooth, leading downward.

Ifyou wish to tum back, return to the paragraph matching the
ID number of the chamber from which you came.
56 You plunge into the icy water.
Make a Swimming roll, at +3. It defaults to ST at -5,
or DX at -4. Your Encumbrance level is a penalty to the roll.
Otherwise, tum to 234. If you succeed at the roll, turn to 82.
48 The dawning sun ascends above the eastern peaks of

the Eiglophians, making the snow fields sparkle like
pavements of crushed diamonds. It feels great to be alive, and to
know that you've survived a night descent of Snow Devil Pass.
If you have the Plot Word FAREWELL and the Plot Word
BURDEN, tum to 99.
If you have the Plot Word FAREWELL, but not the Plot
Word BURDEN, tum to 229.
In any other case, tum to 110.
49 You thud into the ice.

Make an Acrobatics roll at -2, to land properly. It
defaults to DX at -8. If you succeed, you take no damage. Other-
wise, you suffer 2d-8 points of damage.
More carefully this time, you mount your steed and ride into
battle.
Tum to 182.
57 You hastily dismount and slap your mount on the
flank, sending it galloping to safety some yards away.
50 If you have Overconfidence or Impulsiveness, tum

immediately to 266.
Turn to 113.
If you have a Sense of Duty that would apply to I1ga, take the
Plot Word BURDEN - then tum to 104.
Otherwise, tum to 68.
58 Her dialect is one you've never heard before - a fornl
of Hyperborean, mixed with other words whose
source you don't recognize. It's very hard to gather her meaning.
As she calms, you draw her story out of her in spurts of
51 You go out once more into the biting wind. Black

bread from your saddle bag, washed down with bitter
Asgardian beer from a goatskin bottle, will make a tough but
words. Her name is I1ga, and she is from Hyperborea. Two days
before, she and her new husband left Sigtona and set out to cross
the pass above Snow Devil Glacier. They were ambushed. Her
sustaining repast. husband's last command, before he fell with his skull cleft by a
If your Plot Word is REGRET, tum immediately to 181. flint axe, was for I1ga to ride like the wind to escape.
Otherwise: Before she was out of sight of the beastmen, her horse stum-
If I1ga is conscious, tum to 152. bled over a cliff. Jumping clear, I1ga fled on foot. The hairy
If not, tum to 159. ones, however, saw the fall and came after her. At last they
ringed her round ... and then you arrived.
Turn to 30.

65 If you decide to intervene in this fight, even though
the delay may strand you on the glacier after nightfall,
turn to 16I.
If you mind your own business, turn to 225.
66 A low, ominous growl welcomes you here ...

Set up the combat, using Combat Map B from the
appendix. Place a Snow Bear at "B."
Make a Stealth roll. The defaults are to DX and IQ, both at
-5. If you fail, place your character at "C." If you succeed at the
roll, you may place your character a number of hexes away from
"c" equal to the amount you make your roll by.
Begin the battle. No character may leave the confines of the
Combat Map.
Snow Bear Tactics. The Snow Bear will remain on all fours,
making biting attacks, until it takes more than 5 hits of damage
in the same round and fails an IQ roll. Under those circumstan-
ces, the bear loses its temper, stands upright, and attempts to
"bear-hug." Stats for the bear are given on p. 28 in the appen-
dix.
If you wish to flee and are adjacent to an exit, turn to 26.
If the Snow Bear is dead or unconscious, turn to 245.
If you fall unconscious or die in battle, the bear dismembers
59 Outside on the snow, the wind has died. A gibbous
moon hangs low above the western peaks, casting a
wan glow of pale gold across the snow fields that will soon be lit
you - your adventure is over.
by the morning sun. Your keen eyes rake the snow.

Make a Tracking roll, at +2. It defaults to IQ or Naturalist,
67 Do what healing you can at this time (see p. 3).
If your effective HT is 0 or less, turn to 176.
If not, turn to 12.
both at -3.
68 You have your own rough code of honor. You like to
keep your word, and to fulfill obligations undertaken
60 If you have the Plot Words THUNDEROUS or DEV-

ASTATOR, turn to 173.
If you have fought the wyrm but do not have the Plot Words
willingly. While you know that you're no stainless, chivalrous
hero, you treat women with a curt sort of kindness, without the
flowery refinements of so-called civilized men. You feel shame
THUNDEROUS or DEVASTATOR, turn to 208. that Ilga was slain while under your protection.
Otherwise, turn to 98. If you decide to get revenge on the beast, turn to 104.
If you decline, tum to 244.
61 Make an IQ roll, to see if you can find your way back.

If you fail, turn to 32. 69 You peer into the darkness, but Calmot discern any
previously unsuspected passageways leading away
from this cavern.
62 You follow a long, round bore through the center of

the glacier, a passage that is level and straight. The ice
floor is layered with packed snow, reducing your chances of
If you wish to return the way you came, turn to the paragraph
from.
slipping or stumbling. You move swiftly through this portion of If you know of an exit from this cavern, and wish to inch your
the glacial cavern. way toward it along the rim of this icy funnel, turn to 17 I.
Turn to 267. If you wish to explore this cavern for unknown exits, turn to
255.
63 Soon you have a roaring fire going in the little cave,

thawing the two of you after your ordeal on the
glacier. Your pleasure is short-lived, however. The heat melts
the nearby ice, flooding your shelter. You are forced back into
70 Make an IQ roll.
If you fail the roll, turn to 18.
the frigid night, this time in wet clothing.
Apply an extra -10 modifier to the coming HT roll for you
and Ilga, reflecting your now-soaked winter clothing. Your Plot
Word is QUENCH. 71 You scream - and your voice reverberates beyond
the chamber, until it rebounds somewhere in the
darkened deep and comes back to you again.
Turn to 39.
You collect the Plot Word DOMINATOR. Turn to 212.
64 Holding the end of the reins in one hand, you whirl

the helm over your head, round and round, as if you
were whirling a sling. The msh of air fans the faintly glowing 72 Make a Quick Contest of Moves, pitting yours against
the wolverine. (See p. 28 in the appendix for its stats.)
coals to red, then to yellow, and finally to white. A stench of If you win, the animal falls behind - turn to 26.
burning helmet padding rises. Otherwise, it catches up with you. Return to 230, and set up
Your Plot Word is VALIANT. Turn to 138. the battle once more.
Conan the Wyrmslayer 10-

73 You drive down on the nearest beastman, who is bliss-
fully unaware of the menace until far too late. As he
spins around, eyes bulging from his skull, your weapon crushes
79 You find a hollow beneath an overhang of rock on the
side of the glacier, where the ice has melted away
enough to let you squeeze in. With your backs to the granite
through bone and hairy flesh. He screams and goes down. surface of the cliff, deeply scored and striated by the rubbing of
This one's dead. Tum to 17, but don't worry about damage the glacier, you and Ilga have room to stretch out. In front of the
- just cross off one of the top three beastmen on the table. hollow rises the flank of the glacier - clear, translucent ice,
fissured by cavernous crevasses and tunnels. Although the chill
74 As your steel strikes home, you feel the horrible chill

of the wyrm travel along the haft of your weapon ...
Score your damage against the wyrm. Its information is pro-
of the ice strikes through to your bones, you are much warmer
that you would be on the surface.
If your Plot Word is REGRET, tum immediately to 197.
vided on p. 28 of the appendix. Then make a basic HT roll. If your Plot Word is FAREWELL, tum to 254.
If you succeed, turn to 256. Otherwise, tum to 268.
75 It was a mistake to come into this place. Circling care-

fully, you try to head back the way you came.
If you have Absolute Direction, tum to 16.
Ifnot, tum to 61.
76 The girl is in the grip of stark terror. This isn't normal

fear such as she feels for the beastmen, but a deep
superstitious dread somehow connected with this mountain.
When you try to question her, she can do nothing but whisper
a strange word: "Yakhmar! Yakhmar!" Her lovely face takes on
a pale, drawn look.
You have the Plot Word WARNED.
Uyou still wish to search for shelter, tum to 85.
If you descend the mountain instead, tum to 149 (if you
haven't tried this before) or to 222 (if you are continuing a
descent).
77 If you have the Plot Word WILLING, tum to 141.

78 You stand before the mouth of an ice cave which

opens into the flank of a small glacier, tributary to the
Snow Devil. From your elevation, you can look back down the
slope to where this minor glacier curves to join the main one,
like the affluent of a river.
If you enter this opening, tum to 36.
If you tum back, tum to 60.
80 The passage ends - blocked by a chunk of ice as big
as a horse, solidly wedged into this fissure. There are
only two ways around it: scaling it, or jarring it loose to fall
farther down the crevasse.
;.; . If you climb it, tum to 43.
If you pushit aside, tum to 155.
If you decide to tum back, tum to the paragraph matching the
ID number of the chamber box you came here from.
81 The beastmen gladly let you depart - tum to 193.
82 You reach the far side - tum to 29.
83 The redly-glowing axe strikes the wyrm, causing ajet

of steam to trail out of the beast's great maw. The ice
trembles as the creature writhes in pain.
The hot axe does 5d damage to the wyrm due to its heat, in
addition to its normal damage. See p. 28 for the full stats of the
IceWyrm.
Erase the Plot Word VALIANT from your record.
If the wyrm dies, tum to 174.
If the wyrm is unconscious, you kill it. Tum to 174.
11- Conan the Wyrmslayer

84 No connection exists. On the Ice Caverns Map, you
may cross out the Connection Box with a large "X,"
or you may shade in the unshaded region around and including
94 "Crom daum me for a meddling fool!" you growl to
yourself. Horses are scarce and costly in the north-
lands. Now yours is missing, all because you impulsively inter-
that box. vened in a quarrel among the mountain folk that was none of
Tum to 188. your affair.
If you are Conan, tum to 122.
85 Careful of hazards, you and Ilga look for a place of

safety in which to spend the night.
If not, tum to 250.
Make a Survival (Mountains) roll, at -5. It defaults to other

Survival skills or Naturalist at -8, or to IQ at -10. (You may use
Ilga's skill- her stats are given on p. 27.)
95 Make an IQ roll, at -3. If you have the Plot Word
WILLING, there is an additional-3 penalty.
If you succeed, tum to 79. If you fail, tum to 104.
Otherwise, you have not yet found protection, and the winds
are penetratingly cold. Tum to 39.
96 Make an IQ roll, at -5. If you have Survival (Moun-
tains) or Climbing skills, you may substitute a skill
86 You tum rigid. Something recently emerged from a

gap in the ice a few strides from the overhang. It was
huge, long, soft and sinuous, and moved without feet. Its writh-
roll for this IQ roll.
If you fail, you haven't thought of anything creative - return
to 234, and don't return to this paragraph.
ing track is clearly visible in the curving path its belly crushed in If you succeed, tum to 162.
the soft whiteness, like some monstrous worm of the snows.
Your wilderness-sharpened eyes easily read the path. It leads,
curving around hillocks of snow and outiutting ledges of rock,
up the hillside away from the glacier - up, toward the wind-
97 The light has been growing stronger for some time,
until this turmel seems almost as well lit as the sur-
face. Curious, you strike the ice overhead - and it cracks,
swept peaks. admitting the unhindered rays of the sun. You've discovered (or
If you have the Plot Word FAREWELL, tum to 223. created) another exit from this warren of icy passageways.
Otherwise, tum to 260. On the Ice Caverns Map, write the word "exit" in this
room's chamber box.
87 The odor belongs to some kind of bear. With the scent

this strong, the predator's den must be near here. Un-
less you want to take on an angry animal opponent, it would be
If you wish to leave the caverns, tum to 60.
If you would rather continue your exploration, tum to 267.
a good idea to tum around and try another path. On the other
hand, the bear might not be home.
Tum to 144.
98 If you have fought the wyrm, tum to 130.
88 Your feet slip out from under you. Sliding head first,
you go over the edge.
Tum to 14.
89 You open your mouth, and utter your weird and ter-
rible war cry. The hairy beastmen hear you.
Your Plot Word is TERRIBLE.
Tum to 33.
90 Make an IQ roll, to navigate through this cave safely.

91 There is no sensation in your feet. Walking on them is

like having wooden legs. You stumble on the ice.
Reduce your Speed (and Move) by 1, due to your frostbitten
feet. This penalty is cumulative with previous penalties.
Tum to 267.
92 Slamming your fists against your ears to prevent the

wyrm's strange song from penetrating your thoughts,
you flee through the warren of the ice caverns. The great beast,
perhaps sluggish from its recent feast, or confused at having
been challenged in the frozen depths of its nest by a plmy man-
thing, does not follow.
Tum to 267.
99 Battered and weary, you limp toward the south. Un-
less you can get a horse, you'll be walking all the
93 Weary and cold, the two of you curl up together

beneath your bearskin cloak. Her nearness sug-
gests another way to improve Ilga's spirits.
way. But you go with a high heart - in the golden south, a
strong man with courage and luck can win gold, wine, and soft,
full-breasted women!
If you wish to physically "cheer her up," tum to 136. Congratulations - your adventure is over! To discover your
If not, tum to 159. reward in character points, see p. 27.
Conan the Wyrmslayer 12-

100 You fall into empty space, ajoumey that is sud-
den but brief . . .
Make an Acrobatics roll, to see if you land properly. This
10 7 You cannot exit here - the passage is a dead
end. You must return to the battle.
If you are fighting a bear, tum to 66.
defaults to DX at -6. If you succeed, you take no damage. Other- If your enemy is a wolverine, tum to 230.
wise, you receive 3d-9 points of crushing damage.
If you fall unconscious, tum immediately to 194.
If you die, your adventure is over.
Otherwise, tum to 45 if you are blind, or to 237 if not.
108 Make an IQ roll. If you have the Plot Word
QUENCH, this roll is at +6.
10 1 You tum and run.
'<; :, ': ; ili;l"r-{~.. :~~~

The writhing agony from the wyrm of the snows
shakes the glacier. The draft of interstellar cold no longer wafts
through the tunnels. Instead, a blinding, swirling fog of steam
chokes the air. Ice cracks thunderously all around you. It is as if,
with the wyrm in its death throes, the glacier itself is determined
to die.
Stumbling, slipping and falling on the slick, uneven surface .:' ..: ~~~-:-~
of the ice, banging into one side wall of the tunnel and then
another, you race for the outside world.
Tum to 156.
10 2 Some sixth sense - the legendary hearing of the

barbarian, perhaps - tips you off to spin around
and meet the assault of a small, fierce animal falling from above.
Attacks on the diving animal before it hits are at a -3 penalty;
it has a + 3 to its defense rolls. Tum to 172.
10 3 Your experience tells you that it will be nearly

impossible to descend this pass safely in the
darkness. Looking for shelter is a much better idea.
If you insist on making the descent, tum to 222.
If you seek shelter, tum to 231 (if you haven't tried this
before) or 85 (if you are continuing a search).
1 04 You grind your powerful teeth and bite your lips

in rage, determined to wipe out this stain on your
code of honor, even if it costs your life. You grimly resolve to
track the beast to its lair and slay it.
If you hunt it down while its trail is still fresh, tum to 269.
If you return to the cave and prepare first, tum to 178.
10 5 The beastmen have a feast tonight. Your carcass

is enough to feed the tribe, so they spare the girl
- she is sold into slavery instead. She is always grateful for the
warrior who gave his life for hers.
10 6 The only way forward is a narrow crack which

gradually ascends. You follow it, finding easy
10 9 A sharp cracking noise draws your attention. In
the stillness of this chamber, your entrance dis-
turbs the fragile ice formations - dozens of ice projectiles fall
purchase on the rough, encroaching sheets of ice. As the light toward you.
grows steadily brighter, you wonder if this is an exit to the Make a Dodge roll. For every point by which you fail the
surface. roll, you are hit by a projectile (doing Id impaling damage).
The dazzle grows to brilliance. Shielding your eyes with an If you decide to tum back, tum to the paragraph matching the
upraised arm, you glance toward the chamber this passage leads ID number of the chamber box you came here from.
into. A room like a cathedral is beyond, with a soaring, thin ice If you continue, but more quietly, tum to 160.
roof far above through which the sunlight shines unobscured. If you are unconscious, tum to 194.
That luminance reflects from the ice crystals on the floor and If you die, your adventure is over.
walls, magnified and rebounding again and again until the gleam
is blinding.
If you wish to continue, shielding your eyes but peeking
occasionally, tum to 148.
11 0 Battered and weary, you limp toward the south,
leading your horse which bears Ilga. But you go
with a high heart - in the golden south, a strong man with
If you wish to move into this chamber with closed eyes, courage and a pretty girl by his side can win plenty of gold and
feeling your way, tum to 179. wine!
If you wish to retreat to the chamber from which you came, Congratulations - your adventure is over! To discover your
return to the paragraph matching that chamber's ID number. reward in character points, see p. 27.

111 There is no way to make this swim and keep your
helm full of coals dry.
If you decide to swim anyway, tum to 56.
119 If you yank the axe from the helm and immedi-
ately throw it, tum to 19.
If you first whirl the helm, creating a breeze which fans the
If you now return the way you came, tum to the paragraph coals and increases the heat of the axe, then yank out the axe and
matching the ID number of the chamber box you came here throw it, tum to 64.
from.
112 Your frozen bodies are found by travelers in the

summer, who build a rude cairn of stones to
120 Ro1l2d and multiply the result by 35. This is the
weight you need to shove the ice block into the
chasm. (If you have been to this paragraph before, roll again -
mark your final resting place. your last impact has changed the position of the block.)
Your adventure is over. If you took a running start, you take Id-2 crushing damage
from the impact.
113 Ill-tempered and undisciplined, the beastmen
charge toward you without any semblance of a
formation. This gives you the chance to use their haste against
If you succeed at dislodging the block, tum to 228.
them.
Set up the combat, using Combat Map A from the appendix.
Place your character at "C." If you are riding a horse, place it
121 Make an Acrobatics roll at -2, to land properly.
Your Encumbrance is a penalty to the roll. The
roll defaults to DX at -8. If you succeed, you take no damage.
beneath you; if you are dismounted and your horse is present, it
is at "H"; if your Plot Word is FAREWELL, ignore "H." Otherwise, you suffer 2d-8 points of damage.
If your horse does not have a broken leg, it nms off (even if
Refer to paragraph 17 for the number of surviving beastmen
it had been stunned) - and you gain the Plot Word FARE-
and their stats. Roll two dice for each, and place them at the
WELL. If it has a broken leg, it lies where it falls, and will be
corresponding "B#" on the map. (That is, if you roll a "7" for
a beastman, place him at "B7" on the map.) If the hex is already dead by the end of this combat.
Tum to 113.
occupied, place the beastman in an adjacent open hex. Erase any
cross-outs from the Demoralization Boxes - seeing you on foot
has given your foes a morale boost.
When you have the battle set up, tum to 273. 122 You rode this steed all the way from far Zamora.
You stabled and fed it and pampered it through
the long winter. You left it safely behind in Asgard when you
114 Your bearskin cloak still holds some of the

warmth from her body. She could not have left
your side more than an hour ago.
went raiding into Vanaheim, knowing that in the deep snow and
treacherous ice it wouldn't be worth much. You comlted on the
faithful beast to get you back to the warm south. Now you'll
Danger, still in the air, scrabbles with tenuous fingers at the have to walk ...
edges of your nerves. Tum to 250.
Tum to 59.
11 5 You are eager to descend this pass into the foot-

hills of the Border Kingdoms. A previous ill-
123 You btmdle together your belongings, taking
those which you think you will need, and leaving
the others behind in the cave.
fated adventure with a band of lEsir on a raid into Vanaheim Mark changes in your equipment on your character sheet, and
brought you only hard knocks and no profit. It also left you with be sure to refigure your Encumbrance.
the haunting memory of Atali, the Frost Giant's daughter who Then, when you are ready, you venture out again onto the
nearly lured you to a frozen death. glacier.
You've had all you want of the bleak northlands. You bum to Tum to 269.
get back to the hot lands of the south, to taste again the joys of
silken raiment, golden wine, fine victuals and soft feminine
flesh.
Tum to 1.
124 It's clear that she's worrying about yakhmar
again, whatever that might be. You try to dis-
cover the meaning of the word, but she can only make vague
gestures.
116
try!
Walking down this infinitely treacherous pas-
sageway is something only a Brythunian would
Tum to 93.
If you insist on this foolish course of action, tum to 258.

Otherwise, retreat to 234 and choose again.
125 Roll Id +9 to discover the width of the chasm in
feet.
If you jumped far enough to reach the other side, tum to 267.
117 You scream - and your voice echoes throughout

the hollow glacier, by some trick of acoustics
If you didn't, tum to 14.
becoming ever louder until it booms overhead like thunder, trig-

gering ice falls somewhere distant.
You now have the Plot Word DOMINATOR. Tum to 100.
126 Roll one die.
If the result is an even number, tum to 66.
If it is odd, tum to 227.
118 Roll one die.

On a roll of 1 to 3, tum to 56.
On a roll of 4 or 5, tum to 100.
127 Eyeing the lethal projectiles suspended above,
you decide to enter this cavern very quietly,
doing all you can to avoid making noise.
On a roll of 6, tum to 14. Tum to 160.

legend told around the fire in your boyhood - about the dread
128 With a crashing roar, the glacier quivers and ex-

plodes, hurling glassy fragments the size of
wagons into the air. A crater of broken ice, rapidly filling with
monster of the snows, the grim remora, the vampiric wynn
whose name is an almost forgotten whisper of horror in the
northlands.
water, is soon hidden by a vast cloud of vapor. The higher animals radiate heat. Below them in the scale of
Take 3d points of crushing damage. This is applied to your being are reptiles and fish, whose temperatures are that of their
whole body, not to a specific part. The blow-through rule (p. surroundings. But the remora, the wyrm of the ice lands,
BI09) does not apply. Armor does not protect against this con- radiates cold.
cussive damage. It is impossible to grapple the creature with naked hands. The
If you survive, tum to 147. very touch of the wyrm means frozen death. Even your steel is
If you die, your adventure is over. of limited usefulness - the extreme cold might make it brittle,
or run up the haft and freeze your hand or arm.
129 As you near the end of the ice path, the glacier
swings away to your left. The path descends the
glacier, then continues down a broad slope, broken by boulders
Since no man in generations has reported seeing such a crea-
ture, you had supposed the last of wyrms to be long dead.
You have the Plot Word KNOWING. Tum to 77.
and hummocks, lightly covered with spring snow.
Then a scream of terror makes you whip your head around. A
bowshot behind and to your left, where the glacier levels off
before beginning its final descent, about a dozen shaggy, hulk-
133 Roll a Quick Contest of Skills - your Vision
versus an enemy Stealth score of 15. You have a
-4 penalty to your roll, unless you have Night Vision.
ing creatures ring a white-furred figure. If you win the Contest, tum to 102.
Make a Vision roll, at -3 due to distance and glare. Apply If you fail and have Danger Sense, tum to 42.
bonuses for Alertness or Acute Vision, if you have them. In any other case, tum to 199.
134
ing ...
You stifle a curse as sharp ice edges cut into your
shins. Flailing your arms, you try to avoid fall-
Make a DX roll, at a -4 penalty for being blindfolded.

If you succeed, you stay erect - tum to 236.
135 You misstep, and slide into the depths ...

Make a Will roll.
136 Make a Sex Appeal roll. The default is to basic

HT at -3.
If you have any of the Plot Words listed below, give yourself
the appropriate bonus or penalty. All these are cumulative.
Plot Word Bonus or penalty
MAGNIFICENT +2
FRIGID +3
WARNED -1
QUENCH -3
If you make your Sex Appeal roll, tum to 239.
137 Roll one die.

On a roll of 1 to 5, tum to 33.
130 There seems to be no way in which you can

defeat the terrible wyrm of the snows. Dejected,
but relieved of your burden of guilt over Ilga by having made 138 The ice wyrm raises its blunt head. Its circular
mouth slowly opens, revealing a ring of small,
your best effort to obtain vengeance, you leave this place. inward-pointed teeth. You hear a faint piping sound, a thin,
If you have the Plot Word BURDEN, erase it. ululating thread of music that winds around your mind. Its
Tum to 99. weird, trilling, mind-binding song rises about you, pouring over
you in lulling, overpowering, narcotic waves.
131 You survey the bloodied field of ice, and the

bodies of the slain. In moments, your panting
breath slows and the red mist of battle fury fades from your eyes.
D D D D D D D D
Make a Will roll to resist this magic. For every box above
Tum to 67. which is checked off, apply a -2 penalty.
If you succeed, check off one of the boxes above, and then
132 You grunt a coarse expletive. You know now,
with inward loathing and fury, what bore the
sleeping girl from your side. You remember the half-forgotten
tum to 183.

139 Before you plunge into the black waters, you
think to test the temperature. The water is cold.
Death-threateningly cold.
144 If you wish to continue along this route, tum to
184.
If you return the way you came, turn to the paragraph match-
It also occurs to you to abandon some of your heavier equip- ing the ID number of the chamber box you came here from.
ment here, before trying to swim this pond.
If you have the Plot Words THUNDEROUS or DEVAS-
TATOR, tum immediately to 111.
If you decide to swim anyway, tum to 56.
14S Make a DX roll, to avoid being thrown.
If you now return the way you came, tum to the paragraph
from. 146 Roll one die for each unmarked COllilection Box
adjacent to your current chamber box.
If the die roll is odd, no connection exists at this point. You
140 Her dialect is one you've never heard before - a

form of Hyperborean, mixed with Nemedian
words and others whose source you don't recognize. It's hard to
may cross out the Connection Box with a large "X," or you may
shade in the unshaded region around and including that box. No
connection can ever be made through a crossed-out Connection
gather her meaning. Box.
As she calms, you draw her story out of her in spurts of If the die roll is even, your chamber is cOlUlected to the
words. She is Ilga of the Virunian people, a branch of the Hyper- adjacent chamber in the same direction as the COllilection Box.
boreans who live in the Border Kingdoms. Her folk live in per- Draw a line from your chamber to that chamber, passing through
petual war with the hairy cannibals who dwell in caves among the the Connection Box. No other connection will ever exist through
Eiglophian peaks. this Connection Box.
Two days before, she explains, she set out with a small party Tum to 224 when you are ready.
of Virunians to cross the pass above Snow Devil Glacier. They
147
planned to journey several days' ride northeast to Sigtona, the Half-stunned, you drag yourself out from under
nearest of the Hyperborean strongholds, where they hoped to the mass of broken ice. Above, a tremendous
trade among their kinsmen at the spring fair. Ilga's uncle also cloud of vapor and glittering ice crystals whirls upward from the
was to seek a husband for her. But they were ambushed. Her site of the ice wyrm's cavern, now a black crater.
uncle's last command, before he fell with his skull cleft by a flint Turn to 99.
axe, was for Ilga to ride like the wind for home.
She was almost out of sight of the beastmen when her horse
fell on a patch of ice and broke a leg. Thrown clear, bruised, she
fled on foot. The hairy ones, however, saw the fall and came
148 You take a brief glance at this cavern, and feel
the light sear your eyes. Then you step forward,
trying to keep in your mind the image of this chamber.
after her. For hours, it seemed, she ran from them, but at last
If you have Absolute Direction, tum to 252.
they ringed her round ... and then you arrived.
Your Plot Word is TONGUE. Tum to 30.
141 You have failed in your own eyes. In accepting

your love last night, Ilga placed herself under 149 Make a Survival (Mountains) roll. It defaults to
other Survival skills or Naturalist at -3, or to IQ
at -5. If you have Common Sense, give yourself a + 1 bonus.
your protection - but when she needed your strength, you slum-
bered like some besotted beast.
You have the Plot Word BURDEN.
If you decide to get revenge on the beast, tum to 104.
If you decline, tum to 95.
1S0
ster, tum to 55.
If you attack the wyrm, tum to 202.
If you heave your fire-bearing helm at the mon-
Crom! .If only you'd th~ught to bring spiked
142 mountam boots or rope with you ...
The slippery, rippling ice surface is nearly impossible to
If you flee, turn to 92.
negotiate. You try to make holds in the ice by kicking at it with

your boots, but the hard ice refuses to dent. Using the wall of the
passage as a brake, you inch along at a snail's pace, inadvertent-
1S 1 Bridges of thin snow often mask deep glacial
crevasses. The white powder beneath you
groans, and you feel yourself falling ...
ly sliding a yard or more at every miscalculation. Make a DX roll at -4, to throw yourself clear of this collaps-
Make a Climbing roll, at -4 due to the treacherous nature of ing snow bridge. (If you have Jumping skill, you may substitute
this place. This defaults to DX or ST, both at -9. a skill roll instead.)
If you succeed, you survive this chamber - tum to 267. If you succeed, tum to 54.
If you fail, tum to 258. Otherwise, turn to 248.
143 The cold penetrates your thick winter clothing.

Peeling off your gloves and blowing on your
hands does little good - the skin remains bluish-gray.
1 S2 In the darkness of your momltain shelter, you
notice that Ilga seems withdrawn.
If your Plot Word is WARNED, tum immediately to 124.
You have a -1 penalty to DX, due to your increasingly frost- Otherwise, make an IQ roll.
bitten hands. This penalty is cumulative with previous penalties. If you succeed, turn to 35.
Tum to 267. If you fail, tum to 166.

153 Roll a Quick Contest of Moves - yours and the
girl's (use the lower score; her Move is 4) versus
the highest score of the remaining beastmen. (If your horse is
155 The chunk of ice blocks the passage you want to
travel, but also hangs over a much deeper chasm.
If you can manage to dislodge it from its current position, it
alive and you do not have the Plot Word FAREWELL, use its would topple into the abyss - clearing your path.
Move score instead.) The weight you can knock over is equal to your ST multiplied
by 25. You may increase this by using "extra effort" (see p.
00000 B89), or may double it with a running start.
If you win or tie, cross off one of the boxes above. If all of When you have figured how much weight you dislodge in
the boxes are already crossed off, you escape - turn to 67. your attempt, turn to 120.
If you lose, erase the mark from one of the boxes above. If
there are no marks to erase, the beastmen catch up with you -
turn to 24 I. Continue rolling Quick Contests of Moves until
either you escape or the beastmen catch up to you.
156 If this is your first visit to this paragraph, ex-
amine the Ice Caverns Map (on p. 30), and count
how many chamber boxes lie between your current chamber box
and the nearest known exit, using the shortest path known. In-
154 The ice passage you now follow is wide and lev-
el, unlike the narrow cracks and fractured strata
elsewhere in this hollowed glacier. Once - whether months ago
clude the box containing the exit (or the START box), but do not
count the box you are in now. If your Plot Word is LINGER,
add Id more boxes to this total. Cross out boxes below, until the
or centuries, you cannot tell - water poured in a torrent through number of unmarked boxes equals the length of your exit path.
this pathway, bearing away protruding formations and leaving a If you do not know a path leading from where you are to an exit,
sheath of thick, milky-white ice everywhere. do not cross out any of the boxes.
Then you find out what became of those flooding waters. The 000000000000000000
passage opens into an echoing, gloomy cavern, whose floor
slopes away like a funnel to a dark and unseen end. 000000000000000000
Make a Vision roll, at -5 due to darkness (unless you have
Night Vision), to see whether this cavern has any exits which Roll one die, and subtract the result from your current Move
score (including Running bonuses). Cross off this number of
you do not know about.
boxes above.
Otherwise, turn to 69. If all of the boxes are now crossed out, turn to 10.
If not, turn to 238.
157 The distance you jump in feet is equal to your ST

minus 3. If you had a running start, double the
result. If you have Jumping skill, you may substitute your skill
level for ST in the formula given above.
If you want to, you may make an "extra effort." Make a roll
against ST or DX. The penalty to the roll depends on the extra
distance you wish to jump - multiply the extra distance (in feet)
by 3. If the roll is successful, you travel the desired extra dis-
tance. If you fail, youjump your normal distance. In either case,
the effort costs you I point of Fatigue.
When you are ready, turn to 125.
158 Her language is one you've never heard before

- it sounds like a northern tongue, but you rec-
ognize only a few of the words.
You gather that her name is Ilga, and that she is the only
survivor of a party ambushed by the beastmen. Chased by the
hairy cannibals, she ran until they ringed her round ... and then
you arrived.
You grunt your sympathy. It is a hard tale, but life in the
bleak northlands is grim. You have often heard similar stories.
Turn to 3.
159 You sleep through the night.

Make an IQ roll, at -5. Apply any bonuses or
penalties you have for Alertness or hearing. If you have the Plot
Word WILLING, you suffer a -4 penalty.
160 Make a Stealth roll, to see how silently you cross

this chamber. Your Encumbrance level is a pen-
alty to the roll.
~--

If the Connection Box is crossed out, or if there is no Connec-
tion Box in this direction, tum to 107.
If the Connection Box is unmarked, tum to 44.
165 Before you in the gloom open two cold green

eyes which stare into the roots of your soul. The
luminous orbs cast a submerged sort of light, almost as if the
illuminance flickers across leagues of water to reach you.
By their faint, fungoid phosphoresence, you see that the cav-
ern ends in a round well, which is the wyrm's nest. Coil on
undulating coil, its immense length is curled in the hollow. The
boneless form is covered with a silken nap of thick white fur. Its
mouth is merely a jawless, circular opening, now puckered and
closed. Above the mouth, the two eyes gleam out of a smooth,
rounded, featureless, eel-like head.
If you have the Plot Word THUNDEROUS, tum immedi-
ately to 37.
Ifyou have the Plot Word DEVASTATOR, tum immediately
to 150.
If you attack the wyrm, tum to 202.
If you flee, tum to 92.
166 You realize that she's still mad because you hit
her earlier. Crom! Doesn't she realize that what
you did was necessary to bring her back to her senses?
Tum to 93.
167 "Crom damn me for a meddling fooH" you

growl to yourself. Horses are scarce and costly
in the northlands. Now it lays dead, all because you impulsively
intervened in a quarrel among the mountain folk that was none
of your affair.
Your Plot Word is REGRET.
If you are Conan, tum to 122.
If not, tum to 250.
161 You throw off your cloak and vault into the sad-
dle (using your polearm, if you still have it).
Gathering up the reins, you drive your spurs into the horse's 168 A dark shape on the ice field catches your atten-
tion. A curving path leads from it to where you
ribs. now stand.
Make a Riding roll, at + 5. This defaults to Animal Handling Tum to 223.
at +2, or DX at no penalty.
If you fail, tum to 257. 169 If you ride away in order to charge again, tum to
137.
If you stay in close combat with the beastmen, tum to 113.
162 An idea forms ...
Unlimbering your weapon, you strike the ice
with it. Splinters fly, leaving behind a V-shaped gash - a step.
If you cravenly flee this fight, tum to 201.
Laboriously, you carve a stepway along the treacherous slide-

way, until you reach your desired exit. 170 If you are blind, tum to 45.
If you aren't, tum to 267.
You suffer 1 point of Fatigue for this exertion.
Without losing your place here, tum to the Ice Caverns Map
and make a change. This chamber's ID number is no longer 272,
but rather 175.
171 The rippled floor of marbled ice descends in ir-
regular steps toward the depths. Stepping around
the dark hole is easy enough, but one false step could send you
Tum to 267. sliding toward the abyss . . . and there are no hand or foot holds
to save you.
163Tum to 45.
You're blind! You'll be lucky to escape this cave
alive, let alone get vengeance on the remora.
Without losing your place on this page, consult the Ice Cav-
erns Map on p. 30. Select the exit which you are trying to reach,
and starting at the Connection Box through which you reached
this chamber, count all of the Connection Boxes along the short-
164 Compare the Combat Map with the chamber box

on the Ice Caverns Map where you have just
fought. Match the Combat Map exits with the Connection Boxes
est route - both crossed-out and uncrossed-out boxes - until
you reach the one leading to your desired destination. Include
your destination, but not the box from which you start.
for the battle's chamber. Make a DX roll, at -3 due to the treacherous ice, for each box
If the exit leads' to a chamber with an ID number, tum to the along your path.
paragraph matching that number. If you fail any roll, tum to 135.

Otherwise, you reach your intended goal. If its chamber box to keep your lungs from frosting. Crystals of ice form a delicate
has an ID number, tum to the paragraph matching that number. mask on your face, shattering with each movement, then quickly
If not, tum to 253. reforming.
Make a basic HT roll, to withstand this bitter cold. If you
172 The animal leaps down on you from a ledge high

overhead. If it succeeds on a DX roll, it lands on
you. If you aren't surprised, you may avoid the diving animal
have the Plot Words THUNDEROUS or DEVASTATOR, you
have a +2 bonus.
If you succeed, tum immediately to 267.
with a successful Dodge roll. If the animal crashes into you, it Otherwise, roll one die.
does 4<1-12 points of crushing damage to you (and takes damage On a roll of 1 to 4, tum to 91.
equal to the amount you suffer, minus 8 hits). If you manage to On a roll of 5 or 6, tum to 143.
Dodge, or if the beast misses you in the first place, it takes 4d-16
points of crushing damage when it strikes the floor.
Tum to 230. 176 You try gamely to make your descent down the
glacier, but it is too much for your battered
body. Even the sight of beastmen following you cannot keep
173 If you still have the helm full of coals, tum im-
mediately to 23.
If you have fought the wyrm, tum to 130.
your knees from buckling ...
You lose consciousness.
Tum to 105.
174
blur.
You're never quite sure afterward how you find
your way back to the surface. Everything is a 177 The beastmen may hear your approach soon
enough - while snow muffles your horse's
hooves, the jingle of your mail and the creak of your harness
Tum to 99. might tip them off.
Make a Hearing roll for your enemies. Their score is 5,
17S A frigid wind blows through this cavern, as cold

as if it originated in the great void between the
worlds. You raise the collar of your bearskin cloak to protect
including a penalty for distraction. Roll 12 times.
If any roll is successful, one of the beastmen hears you - tum
to 33.
your face from the numbing cold that pours past you. It makes If all of the rolls fail, tum to 73.
your eyeballs ache and forces to you take short, shallow breaths
178 If you have Overconfidence or Impulsiveness,

make an IQ roll. If you fail, you must hunt the
creature down instantly - tum to 269.
Otherwise, you return to the cave to consider a plan.
If you have the Plot Word FRIGID, tum to 242.
If not, tum to 22.
179 To protect against permanent blindness, you

firmly close your eyes, wrapping your scarf tight-
ly around your head. Secure from that danger, you gingerly feel
your path through this cavern.
If you have Absolute Direction, tum immediately to 252.
Otherwise, make an IQ roll.
180 Crawling on all fours. through a low-ceilinged

passage, you emerge III a large cavern whose
ceiling disappears out of sight above. The dinmlest of light fil-
ters down from the outside world through the ice, leaving the
bottom of the chamber in darkness but illuminating the higher
portions in an emerald hue. It gives an eerie impression.
If you have Danger Sense, tum to 70.
If not, tum to 18.
181 Finding the stiffening body of your mount in the

darkness, you hack off several thick slabs of
meat. Back in the cave, you roast these on the ends of sharpened
sticks.
If Ilga is conscious, tum to 152.
If not, tum to 159.
182 Make a Tactics roll. This defaults to Strategy or

IQ, both at -6.

183 If your Plot Word is VALIANT, tum immedi-
ately to 19.
If you have the Plot Word THUNDEROUS but don't have
186 This horse is severely injured, and a glacier in
the high mountains is no place for the ill. Even if
you could rouse the animal, it couldn't walk far, and there's not
the Plot Word VALIANT, tum immediately to 37. likely to be shelter near enough to protect it from the lethal cold.
If you have the Plot Word DEYASTATOR, tum immediately Night isn't far off.
to 150. If you decide to put the animal out of its misery, tum to 240.
If you attack the wynn, tum to 202. Otherwise, tum to 250.
If you flee, tum to 92.
184 The passage leads into a small ice cave. The

stench, a combination of urine, rotting flesh, and
187 Make an IQ roll.
OtherwiSe, tum to 59.
some other animal smell, is overpowering. Peering within, you
see a pile of broken and splintered bones, some with flesh still
clinging to them, and a small pool fed by trickles of water from
melting ice elsewhere in the glacier.
188
tum to 171.
If you wish to inch your way toward a known
cavern exit, moving along the rim of this cavern,
If you now return the way you came, tum to the paragraph If the chamber box for this cavern has any more unmarked
matching the ID number of the chamber box you came here Connection Boxes, and you wish to continue exploring, tum to
from. 255.
189
10 or greater.
Make an IQ roll. This roll is at +6 if you have
either Climbing or Survival (Mountains) skill at

~ake ~ DX roll, to avoid following the block on

190 Its vertical descent.
191 Stepping cautiously and groping for handholds,

you inch toward where you remember the exit
being. Check off one of the boxes below to mark your progress.
00000
If all of the boxes have been checked off, you have made it
out of the ice cave - tum to 99.
Otherwise, you're not done here yet - tum to 45.
192 The extreme cold freezes your hand - give

yourself a -2 penalty to DX for the remainder of
this adventure. This is cumulative with other penalties previous-
ly received.
Tum to 256.
193 For a long time, the sounds follow you down the
mountain: the girl's shrieks, the dull whacks of
heavy blows, then the gruesome noises of a cannibal feast ...
Your adventure is over. You receive no character points for
this performance.
194 Motionless in the frigid cave, you freeze to

death.
185 As you ride clear, suddenly there's a beastman

directly in front of you. Your mount's hooves
lash into him, and he goes down.

The beastman takes Id + 3 crushing damage. Without losing
your place here, tum to the beastman chart at 17 and mark the
195
to save Ilga. "
"You fight ... like a god," Ilga says, eyeing
you admiringly. "I thought ... you Ymir, come
hits from the conscious opponent closest to the bottom of the The person she is comparing you with is the war god of the
chart. northlands. You get the feeling that this beautiful northern girl
Now make a Riding roll, at -2, to stay in the saddle. likes you ...
If you succeed, tum to 33. Your Plot Word is MAGNIFICENT.
Otherwise, tum to 121. Tum to 3.

196 Moonlight streaming in from above shines onto
your closed eyes, wakening you, Yawning and
stretching, it takes a moment for you to recall your circum-
20 6 The passage you are traveling along begins to
ascend. As it does so, a smell becomes evident,
and continues to strengthen - a musky, fetid odor.
stances. Crom, but you've slept deep and well! Make a Naturalist roll, to identify the scent. If you have Area
However, something is wrong . .. Knowledge (Eiglophian Mountains), give yourself a + 3 bonus.
You have the Plot Word TIMBER. Turn to 232. The roll defaults to IQ-6, or (in this case only) to Tracking at -4.
197 You go back out into the open to recover some of

the gear and supplies tied to your saddle, as well
as your bearskin cloak. From the rocky slope above the glacier's
edge, you gather a double armful of twigs, leaves and wood.
With flint and steel, you coax a fire into life.
207 The brilliance is damaging your eyes. You feel
them itching and aching, and wish you could
claw them out or immerse them in ice water.
Turn to 108. You suffer 1 point of Fatigue, and have a -2 penalty to future
Vision rolls. The penalty is cumulative with other Vision penal-
This ~av.ern is very striking, but you sense no
198Turn to 267.
harm m It. You move on.
ties you may already have received.
If your effective Vision - your IQ, modified by Acute
Vision, Alertness, Bad Sight or any Vision penalties accumu-
lated - is less than 2, turn to 163.
199 A small but fierce animal leaps out of the dark-

ness at you, catching you entirely by surprise.
You may take no action on the first turn of this combat, not
even to defend yourself. Tum to 172. 20 8
turn to 40.
You return to your shelter of last night.
If you still have your axe and Asgardian helm,
20 0 You plummet to the bottom of the chasm, where

you impact with lethal force. Your corpse is froz-
If not, tum to 130.
en within the river of ice. In a century or so, it will thaw and be
washed to the sea.
209 You must leap clear of the saddle, before the
horse hits the ground . . . or else you'll be
crushed beneath its bulk.
Make a Riding roll, at a penalty equal to your Encumbrance.
20 1 If you abandon the girl, turn to 81.
If you take her with you, turn to 153.
If you fail, the animal falls on you. The damage is 2d-8
crushing for the fall, plus Id + 1 crushing for being rolled on. As
20 2
icy depths.
You charge forward with a roar, eager to blood
your steel with the ichor of this monster from the
you drag yourself clear, turn to 113.
Make a weapons skill roll.

If you succeed, roll your damage, and tum to 74.
21 0 You dare not let your fire grow too large, lest it
melt the nearby glacier walls and flood your ref-
uge. It gives more of the illusion of warmth than true heat.
The orange gleams of the fire shine deeply into the fissures
2 03 Roll one die for each unmarked Connection Box

adjacent to your current chamber box, to resolve
whether this cavern has exits other than the one(s) you know of.
and tunnels that run back into the body of the glacier, until their
windings and branchings are lost in the dim distance. A faint
gurgle of running water comes to your ears, punctuated now and
If the die roll is odd, no connection exists at this point. On the then by the creak and crack of slowly moving ice.
Ice Caverns Map, you may cross out the Connection Box with a If your Plot Word is FAREWELL, tum to 20.
large "X," or you may shade in the unshaded region around and Otherwise, tum to 51.
including that box.
If the die roll is even, this cavern is connected to the adjacent
chamber in the same direction as the Connection Box. Draw a
line between the two chambers on the Ice Caverns Map, passing
211 If you tum and run before seeing the effects of
your action, tum to 101.
If you remain to watch, turn to 220.
through the Connection Box.
If this cavern has no exits, or if you decide to return the way
you came, turn to the paragraph matching the ID number of the
chamber box you came here from.
212 Dizzy and disoriented, you have no idea of
where you are when at last your journey comes
to an end. The slideway has not deposited you at high velocity
If you wish to inch your way toward a known cavern exit, into a bottomless chasm, but mercifully levels off somewhere
moving along the rim of this cavern, tum to 171. distantly removed from your previous cavern.
To find where you now are on the Ice Caverns Map, roll two
2 04
Tum to 250.
Your horse trots into sight and rejoins you - if
you have the Plot Word FAREWELL, erase it.
dice, one at a time. The first roll is your new row number, and
the second is your column number (a roll of "6" for the colUlnn
counts as a "3").
You have no idea how to retrace the path you've just taken
205 You think to examine the corpse closely. With a

grunt of surprise, you find that it is frozen solid,
and sheathed in hard ice.
from your previous chamber to this one.
If the indicated chamber box has an ID number, tum to the
paragraph matching that number.
If you have the Plot Word VIGOR, tum to 13. If it has no number yet, turn to 253.

213Tum to 85.
When the girl won't calm down, you cuff her
lightly. Afterward, she keeps her fears to herself. 222 As a howling wind drives dense clouds of snow
into your mouth and nostrils, you and the girl
struggle to find your way down the mountain.
Make a Survival (Mountains) roll, at -5. It defaults to other
214 Make a Vision roll.

Survival skills or Naturalist at -8, or to IQ at -10. (You may use
Ilga's skill- her stats are given on p. 27.)
DOD 0 0 0 0
215 The Ice Caverns Map (on p. 30) will help you
keep track of where you are during your explora-
tion of the glacial caverns.
If you succeed, cross off one of the boxes above. If you fail,
you are no closer to your destination.
If all of the boxes are crossed out, you've made the descent
The map is made up of large and small boxes. Each large box (and survived!) - tum to 48.
is a chamber box, and represents a cavern within the glacier. The Otherwise, tum to 39.
large boxes are surrounded by up to eight smaller Connection
Boxes, at each side and comer. These are used to note whether a " ..... '" ........... . .
chamber connects to the other chamber in the same direction. . . . .
.,', . :
. : ..
. ::'::: .... ::: .
Tum to 146.
.::" .
216 You pass into an odd part of the caverns. The air
hangs still as if it hasn't been disturbed for mil-
lennia. Fragile-appearing structures of ice crystal grow in great
profusion from every surface, making pleasing sounds as they
crunch beneath your boots.
Rounding a bend, you find yourself on the approaches of a
long cavern. Hanging from the crest, sparkling in the diffused
light leaking down through the ice from the world above, are
hundreds of spear-sharp ice stalactites.
If you enter this cavern, tum to 27.
If you decide to tum back, tum to the paragraph matching the
ID number of the chamber box you came here from.
217 At this distance, it's impossible to make out more

than a pale face obscured by a mane of brown
hair. You think it's a girl.
Tum to 65.
218 1c~ water ~urs down your throat. You suffer 1

pomt of Fatigue.
If you are unconscious, you drown. Your adventure is over.
. .
.::.':.
Otherwise, return to 56.
219 Roll one die. 2 23 As you follow the path, you pass a bulky, black
mound loosely covered with wind-blown snow.
It is your horse. There is little left of the carcass but a few bones.
On a roll of 1 to 4, return to 224.
Otherwise, tum to 46. The track passes close by the remains.
Tum to 260.
220 The white-hot projectile flies through the tooth-

ringed mouth. As it descends down the immense
gullet, the wyrm shudders, then begins to writhe in titantic 224 You may now travel within the ice caverns.
If you have the Plot Word DOMINATOR, tum
spasms. Steam sprays out from the beast, a dense and frozen mist immediately to 219.
that layers you with ice and cloaks the chamber in impenetrable If you move to an adjacent chamber of the caverns, and if that
fog. Your last view of the wyrm is of it shaking itself all along chamber has an identification number written in it, tum to the
its great length, knocking huge sections of ice tumbling from paragraph matching that ID number.
above as it lashes out with its head and tail. A hiss becomes a If you wish to move to an adjacent chamber of the cave, and
roar and then a scream, as the frigid interior of the monster and if that chamber does not have an identification number, tum to
the heat you've given it react against each other. 253.
You've got to get out of here ... If you are adjacent to the "Start" chamber and wish to leave
Your Plot Word is LINGER. Tum to 101. the caverns, tum to 60.
If you have been to every chamber you can reach, tum to 46.
2 21 You have made it partway across this treacherous

chamber - congratulations!
You may check off one of the boxes below.
2 25 If you have Impulsiveness, Overconfidence, or a
Sense of Duty which you have reason to believe
applies to this victim, make an IQ roll. (If you have more than
DOD one of these, make a roll for each.) If you have Common Sense,
give yourself a +2 bonus to each of these IQ rolls.
If all of the boxes have been checked off, tum to 252. If you fail any IQ roll, you ride into battle - tum to 161.
Otherwise, you're not done here yet - tum to 236. Otherwise, you ride away, abandoning the girl. Tum to 193.

Make a DX roll, to avoid slipping on the ice.
226 Your horse will be dead by morning. Turn to

197.
227 You note that a wide crack in one wall of the cave
admits sunlight - an exit to the surface.
On the Ice Caverns Map, write the word "exit" in this
2 36 If you now try moving while blindfolded, turn to
179.
If you use your eyes to help you, despite the blinding glare,
room's chamber box. turn to 148.
If you wish to leave the caverns, turn to 60. If you decide to return to the chamber from which you came,
If you would rather continue your exploration, turn to 267. turn to 75.
2 28 If you took a running start, turn to 190.

If you didn't, turn to 11. 237 Climbing back out of the hole isn't difficult. It's
only ten feet deep, just enough to keep the bot-
tom from your view before. Water from melting ice apparently
229 Battered and weary, you and IIga limp toward
the south. But you go with a high heart - in the
golden south, a strong man with courage and a pretty girl by his
puddled here long enough to freeze into a solid plug. The chal-
lenge now is to cross the sloping floor and reach an exit without
sliding back down.
side can win plenty of gold and wine! Make a DX roll, at -4.
Congratulations - your adventure is over! To discover your If you fail, turn to 100.
reward in character points, see p. 27. If you succeed, you reach your desired exit - turn to 52.
2 30
You are at "C."
Set up the combat, using Combat Map C from p.
29 in the appendix. Place the wolverine at "W". 238 Roll one die.
If the result is a "I," turn to 128.
Otherwise, turn to 156. (You may discard one item of equip-
Begin the battle. No character may leave the confines of the ment or clothing at this time, if you wish to lower your en-
Combat Map. cumbrance and thus increase your Move.)
Wolverine Tactics. The animal is Berserk (see p. B31), does
not make Aimed attacks, and uses the All-Out Attack option
every turn. Use the Hit Location table to determine where it
bites, adding +2 to the roll. The wolverine cannot be stunned,
239 Your first tentative caresses find IIga not at all
unwilling, nor is she new to this game. An hour
later, you roll over and sleep like a dead man.
and injuries cause no penalties to its attack rolls. A berserk Your Plot Word is WILLING. Turn to 159.
wolverine will remain alive and madly attacking, if it doesn't
fail any basic HT rolls (at +4), until its effective HT reaches
-55! Stats for the wolverine are given on p. 28 in the appendix.
If you desire to flee and are adjacent to an exit, turn to 72.
240 You do what has to be done.
Turn to 167.
If the wolverine is dead or unconscious, turn to 11.

If the wolverine reaches an effective HT of -25, turn to 262
for further instructions.
241 "Grrr ... " A pursuing beastman lunges for-
ward, trying to part your scalp with his stone-
edged weapon. You shove the girl to safety behind you, then
If you die in battle or fall unconscious, the wolverine disem- turn to face the enemies you can't outrun.
bowels and eats you - your adventure is over. Set up the combat, using Combat Map A from p. 29. Place
your character at "C." If you are riding a horse, place it beneath
2 31
unfamiliar word.
IIga seems reluctant to join in your search for
shelter. She tugs away from you, crying out an
you - ignore location "H." The girl is off the map.
Without losing your place here, refer to 17 for the number of
surviving beastmen and their stats.
Make an IQ roll. Make an IQ roll for each demoralized character. If the roll is
If you succeed, turn to 76. successful, erase the check-off from the demoralization box -
If you fail, turn to 213. your flight has cheered your foe. Characters which remain de-
moralized did not follow you, and are out of this fight - check
23 2 The girl is gone - but her few belongings re-

main. With a deep growl, you heave to your feet
and hastily don your clothing and weapons.
off their "dead or unconscious" box.
Place the beastman with the highest Move at "B2." (If two
or more tie, choose the one topmost on the chart.) Roll one die
If you have the Plot Word TIMBER, turn to 59. for each of the rest, starting at the top of the table (or rolling in
I£oot, turn to 187. Move score order, if you wish to be more realistic), adding + I
for each character already placed on the map, and place him at
233 Make an IQ roll.
If you don't, turn to 249.
the corresponding "B#." (Example: You roll a 3 for the second
beastman. Place him at "B5.") Treat all rolls greater than 12 as
12.
Roll a die for any beastman who still has a spear. On a roll of
234 If you step carefully along this corridor, staying
erect and ready for trouble, turn to 189.
If you get down on all fours and crawl, turn to 142.
1 to 4, he discarded his spear during the chase - check off his
spear box.
When you have the battle set up, turn to 273.
If you try something creative, turn to 96.
235 You move back several yards from the edge,

carefully noting the opening on the far side of the
242 You ransack the horse's corpse on the journey
back, scavenging your gear. Shortly, you have a
small fire going in your cave.
chasm where you intend to land. Then you charge down the Turn to 22.
tunnel, gathering momentum for the leap into space.

243 You make it across the cavern to an exit. Tum to
267.
244 You trudge south, burdened by the guilt of

knowing that you haven't done all you could to
avenge Ilga's death.
Turn to 99.
245 You've escaped this time . . . but when you

return, how do you know whether another bear
- an angered mate, for instance - might not be waiting for
you?
Do what healing you can at this time (see p. 3).
If your effective HT is 0 or less, tum to 7.
If not, tum to 227.
24 6 The crack you are following is tall and thin. A

flooring of ice chunks wedged in the narrowing
crevasse forms a surface you can walk on, but it is discontinuous
- at times, you press forward by placing your feet against one
wall, your back against the other, and inch ahead. You must be
in the very bowels of the glacier.
Eventually, your crack connects with another fracture of the
ice. Where the two meet, a large, jagged-roofed cavern has
formed. A pool of still water blocks your further progress. A
quick probe with a weapon reveals that the pool is too deep to
wade across. Unless you can swim, you're going nowhere.
from.
Otherwise, you're going swimming. Make an IQ roll. If you
have Survival (Mountains) skill, you may substitute a skill roll
for this IQ roll.
247 You tumble, roll, slide and fetch up on the edge

of the ice flow - take ld points of crushing
damage. Treat the damage as from a fall (see p. 3).
Her reply comes in a strange tongue.
Make a Hyperborean language roll, at -1. Apply any bonuses
for Language Talent, a + 1 bonus if you have studied Linguis-
If you die, your adventure is over. tics, and a +2 bonus if you speak Nemedian.
Otherwise, tum to 147. If you do not speak Hyperborean, roll against your Gesture
skill. It defaults to Sign Language at no penalty, or to IQ at -4.
248 The "solid" ground beneath your feet vanishes,

leaving you pondering the green and blue depths
of a deep crevasse leading to the very heart of the glacier. In one
If you succeed at a Hyperborean language roll, tum to 140.
If you fail at a Gesture roll, tum to 158.
In all other cases, tum to 58.
of your hands is a pole weapon; in the other hand is the rope
leading back to your steed and its saddle. Discarding the pole-
arm - and paying no attention to its fall down the chasm - you
hang onto the rope, which breaks your fall and slams you
25 1 This is a complete mystery. Ilga has disappeared,
and there's no sign of what has become of her!
There is nothing to do but to continue your journey.
violently into the crevasse wall. Tum to 99.
Make a ST roll, to see if you retain your grip on impact.
You, successf~lly navigate your way through this
Apply modifiers for Strong or Weak Will, if any.
If you fail, tum immediately to 200.
25 2 lununous penl.
Return to 267.
24 9
close quarters.
The excitement of battle overcomes you. Instead
of riding away, you stay to finish your fight at 25 3 As you penetrate deeper into the glacier, the dark-
ness congeals around you. Still, you doggedly set
one foot before the other, plodding onward.
Make a second IQ roll. Roll one die. Add the row number of the chamber box -
If you succeed, tum to 113. listed on the right side of the Ice Caverns Map - to the number
If you fail, tum to 57. rolled. Count down the unmarked boxes below, starting with the
left column, until you count a number equal to the result. Cross
25 0 You tum toward the girl for whom you fought.

She is a few feet away, staring at you wide-eyed.
"Are you all right, lass?" you grunt. "Did the brutes hurt
that box out. Write the identification number listed after it in the
blank chamber box you are exploring.
For example: You are on the third row, and roll a 5. Since 3
you? Have no fear - I'm not a foe." You tell her your name. + 5 = 8, you must count down 8 unmarked boxes below.

0 62 0 175 The passage twists as it descends, sending you racing along
0 62 0 62 the banked but still slick tunnellike a newly bitten morsel down
0 62 0 175 something's eager gullet. You recognize nothing about your
0 106 0 206 surroundings - you've stumbled into some previously unsus-
0 272 0 246 pected passage. The floor seems to drop away beneath you as the
0 175 0 263 gradient steepens to nearly perpendicular.
0 62 0 175 Make a Will roll.
0 154 0 62 If you fail, tum to 71.
0 97 0 133 Otherwise, tum to 212.
0 175 0 80
0 180 0 216
If your result is larger than the number of boxes remaining,
259 Wary of causing an avalanche, you softly clap
your hands together. "To me, now!" you call.
Make an Animal Handling roll at -3, to attract your horse.
or if all of the boxes have been crossed out, turn to 165. If you succeed, tum to 204.
Otherwise, when you are ready, tum to the paragraph match- If not, turn to 94.
ing the new chamber's identification number.
2 54 The loss of your mount is a double disaster - the

animal carried your fire-starting and camp gear.
260 You come upon the girl- or what is left of her.
Her head is gone, and with it most of the flesh of
her upper body, so that the white bones gleam like ivory in the
From the rocky slope above the glacier's edge, you gather a dim light. The protruding bones have been cleaned, as if the
large armful of twigs, leaves and wood. You also recover your flesh has been sucked from them or rasped off by some many-
bearskin cloak. Back in the cave, you try to get a fire going. toothed tongue. Make a Fright Check (see p. B93). If you fail,
Make a Survival (Mountains) roll. For this time only, it de- consult the table on p. B94 to discover the effects.
faults to other Survival skills at no penalty, to Naturalist at -3, When you've finished, make an IQ roll.
or to IQ at -5. If you succeed, tum to 205.
If you succeed, turn to 108. Otherwise, turu to 77.
If you fail, it's going to be a cold night without a fire. Your
Plot Word is FRIGID. Tum to 51.
261 You trigger a new fall of stalactites. Tum to 109.
255 The rippled floor of marbled ice descends in ir-

regular steps toward the depths. Stepping around
the dark hole is easy enough, but one false step could send you 26 2 The wolverine collapses and dies. It wasn't a full
strength predator, but a pitiful, starving animal.
sliding toward the abyss ... and there are no hand or foot holds Return to 230.
to save you.
Without losing your place on this page, consult the Ice Cav-
erns Map on p. 30. Start with the Connection Box which you
were last at (if you have just arrived, this is the box through
2 63 This ancient glacier is a honeycomb of passages,
never intended for man. Some are huge fractures,
towering hundreds of feet in height but only a few yards across.
which you reached this chamber). Moving clockwise or coun- Others have been carved by water, with ice-slick surfaces and
terclockwise, count Connection Boxes until you reach the first gentle curving paths.
unmarked box in the direction you wish to circle. You reach the junction between two such passages. The for-
Make a OX roll for each Connection Box along this path, mer water channel you've been following is sheared into two by
including your destination (but not including the one from which a small rift. The crack is so deep that you cannot see bottom. To
you started). make things worse, the slick ice here makes footing precarious.
If you fail any roll, tum to 135. Unless you want to try a leap, there seems to be no way past
Otherwise, you reach your intended goal- tum to 15. this point.
256 The incredible cold makes weapons brittle ...

Roll one die. If your weapon is "cheap" quality,
subtract 1 from the roll; if it is "fine," add 1.
matching the 10 number of the chamber box you came here
from.
On a roll of 1 or 2, your weapon shatters and is destroyed.
If you do not already have the Plot Word KNOWING, you do
now.
If the wyrm dies, turn to 174.
2 64 With a heart-felt curse, you tumble over the knee-
high rampart and take a hard fall on scattered
crystals of ice. The brittle structures burst apart as you impact
If the wyrm is unconscious, you kill it. Tum to 174. against them, with a mixture of musical tinkles and loud pops.
Otherwise, tum to 138. Bits of ice spray harmlessly against your exposed skin.
Take Id-3 crushing damage from this tumble. Armor protects
25 7 The horse rears, startled by your haste.

Make a OX roll to stay in the saddle.
you as it would from an ordinary fall (see p. 3).
If you are unconscious, tum to 194.
If you die, your adventure is over.
If you fail, tum to 49. Otherwise, tum to 236.
258 Your foot slips, and you sprawl sideways into

the center of the slideway, scrabbling frantically
to stop. On the slick ice, you pick up speed at a frightening pace.
265 You open your mouth to utter your war cry ...
then realize that the yell will wam the hairy beast-
men of your approach. It might be wiser to surprise them.
The breeze stirred by your passage becomes a whispering moan If you still want to give a war cry, tum to 89.
as you skid uncontrollably through the darkness. If you approach silently, tum to 117.

266 MakeanlQ roll, at -3. If you have the Plot Word
WILLING, there is an additional-3 penalty.
27 2 The sounds are hypnotic - the warm winds from
above whistling through the millions of hairline
cracks in the heavily fissured ice, the rhythmic sounds as rivu-
If you fail, you have the Plot Word BURDEN - tum to 104. lets of water seek their way through the fractured substance of
the glacier, and the organlike tones of the weakening ice as it
267 o If you are unconscious, or if your effective HT is

or less, tum immediately to 7.
If your current chamber box has adjacent, unmarked Connec-
creaks and groans around you.
If you are entering this chamber from a chamber whose row
number is the same or less than this chamber's row number, tum
tion Boxes, tum to 146. to 47.
Otherwise, tum to 224. Otherwise, turn to 24.
2 68 There is no way to get your mount into this shel-

ter, and you've little hope of finding a more suit-
able place. Yet if you leave your mount out in the open, it will
273 Begin the fight.
Beastman Tactics. Any beastman more than 3
hexes from you will first close to within 3 hexes, aim (one tum)
surely freeze to death. and then throw his spear (if he has one). After this, he will close
If you descend the mountain instead, tum to 149 (if you to melee distance and use his Hafted Axe (or, if an axe is lost,
haven't tried before) or to 222 (if you are continuing a descent). his War Club). The beastmen prefer to attack you, rather than
If you stay here, tum to 226. your mount. Their spears have a reach of 1.
Morale. At the end of any round in which you injure a con-
269 Make a Tracking roll at +4, to see if you can

find the trail of the great wyrm. Due to the con-
stantly blowing snow which obscures the trail, there is an extra
scious beastman, make an IQ roll for each conscious beastman
who is not already demoralized. They receive a +2 bonus (they
lust after their white-furred victim, and aren't so scared of you
-2 penalty for every box below which is checked off. now that you are dismounted). If your Plot Word is TERRIBLE,
o 0 0 0 0 there is a -1 penalty to their rolls. (Without losing your place
here, tum back to 17 to refer to the beastmen stats. For each who
If you succeed, cross out one of these boxes, and tum to 78. fails his IQ roll, check off the matching Demoralization box.)
If you fail, tum to 251. Demoralized beastmen can make no attacks, and move away
from you at half their Move until 10 hexes distant.
270 You suffer Id-2 points of Fatigue.

If you are unconscious, tum to 194.
Saving Your Horse. If your horse is living and can move, and
if you are adjacent to any of its hexes during any portion of your
tum, you may slap it. This causes your animal to run off the map
along the shortest route, avoiding living beastmen when pos-
2 71
out before you.
Having breasted the mountain slopes, you rein in
at the top of the pass. A fantastic scene is spread
sible.
Retreat. The beastmen will not leave the map. You may leave
the map only by taking the "flee" option below.
The sky is a dome of crimson and gold, just beginning to If all of the beastmen are dead, tum to 131.
darken with the purple of oncoming evening. The fiery splendor If all of the conscious beastmen are demoralized, tum to 21.
of the dying day paints the white crests of the mountains with a If you decide to flee, and if you have a clear path to the edge
deceptively warm-looking radiance. The titanic glacier, shad- of the combat map, tum to 201.
owed in deep lavender except where the setting sun picks out If you are unconscious, tum to 105.
sparkles in gold, winds like an icy serpent from the high peaks. If you die, your adventure is over.
It curves in front of the pass, then turns away to dwindle in the
foothills and become a flowing stream of water. Rocky slopes
rising from the ice river's flanks are dotted with a thin scattering
of gnarled, stunted trees.
As you descend the pass, you pick your way cautiously past
the margin of the glacier, trying to avoid avalanches from the
higher slopes as well as the glacier's hidden crevasses. When the
path meanders across the surface of the glacier
itself, you go gingerly, leading your horse, thrust-
ing the point of your polearm into the
snow wherever you suspect it might
mask a crevasse. It is important
to get down from this mountain
before night falls and the
temperature plum-
mets.
Make a Survi-
val (Mountains) roll, at
-4 because the ice is so
treacherous. It defaults to
other Survival skills or Nat-
uralist at -7, or to IQ at -9.
If you succeed, turn to '"
129. -~ ~ ---- ~
~(!LL(,._LL ~c; - -

APPENDIX
Animal Empathy, Combat Reflexes, Danger Sense, Language
Character Points Talent, Luck, Strong Will.
Surviving this adventure is worth 4 character points, with the Some Suggested Disadvantages: Impulsiveness, Overcon-
following bonuses and penalties: fidence, Sense of Duty (to all women), Sense of Duty (to com-
If the wyrm dies or the glacier explodes, give yourself 2 more rades), Social Stigma (barbarian), Stubbornness.
character points. Some Suggested Skills: Acrobatics, Animal Handling,
If you never encounter the wyrm, you receive 3 fewer points. Climbing, Gesture, Lance, Languages (Hyperborean or Nord-
If Ilga is alive, give yourself 1 extra point. heimr), Occultism, Riding, Running, Stealth, Survival (Moun-
If your horse is dead and you have Animal Empathy, deduct tains), Swimming, Throwing, Tracking, plus all of the Combatl
1 character point. Weapon Skills.
Loose Ends NPCs and Creatures

If you have DX or Move penalties due to frostbite: Make a I1ga of Virunia
basic HT roll, at +2. If you fail, you suffer a permanent -1
penalty to the affected Move or DX score. 16 years old, brown hair, blue eyes, daughter of Hyperborean
If you are blind: If you succeed at a basic HT roll, the blind- settlers in the Border Kingdoms.
ness is only temporary (you can see again in 5d-HT days). Oth- ST 9; DX 12; IQ 12; HT 8.
erwise, the condition is permanent - add the new Disadvantage Basic Speed 5; Move 4.
to your character sheet, but do not take any extra character Dodge 4; no Parry.
points for it. Advantages: Acute Vision ( + 2); Appearance (Beautiful +21
Ifyou have other Vision penalties: They wear off naturally, at +4); Charisma (+ 1); Common Sense; Intuition; Status (+ 1,
the rate of 1 point of penalty removed per day. daughter of influential Virunian family); Wealth (Comfortable).
If you have the Plot Word BURDEN: Ilga's death, and your Disadvantages: Gullibility; Impulsiveness; Jealousy.
reluctance to avenge her loss, haunt you for some time to come. Quirks: Attracted to strangers; Speaks with thick accent;
Give yourself a new Quirk which reflects this burden of guilt. Dislikes the sight of blood.
Skills: Area Knowledge (Virunia)-ll; Dancing-II; Detect
Lies-ll; Fast-Talk-ll; Naturalist-ll; Riding-13; Sex Appeal-
Designing Heroes 10; Singing-12.
This adventure, meant for the mighty Conan, is more than a Languages: Virunian (a Hyperborean dialect)-12.
match for most lOO-point characters. Therefore, the player may Armor: Thick cloak of white fur (PD 1, DR 1).
spend 200 or more points for his player character. Weapons: None.
Special note: This adven- ........................
ture assumes that the player's
character is male. . ..
Background: The hero of
this adventure is leaving As-
gard after a winter of combat
and raiding. He should most
likely be a barbarian from As-
·• · • •·• ·.• /r
gard, Cimmeria or Vana-
heim.
Equipment: Regardless of
who the player character is,
he must have the following
equipment: a cavalry horse; a
~~~!j~;~} (1·\
and traveler's rations for a
week. Missile weapons are
not recommended, as this ad-
venture is not written to allow ".:
for their use in all situations.
Some Suggested Advan-
tages: Absolute Direction,
any Acute sense, Alertness,
-27- Appendix
Beastmen -65 points
The beastmen who live in the Eiglophian Mountaias are Key to Combat Maps
short-bodied, thick-limbed creatures, wrapped in tattered,
mangy furs. Small, bloodshot eyes glare out from under beetling 1 Hex = 1 Yard
brows and sloping foreheads; thick lips draw back to reveal
large yellow teeth.
The primitives prey on travelers through the mountain
passes, and are cannibals. They are also known as "the moun-
Ice ilia Snow Drift
...
Er/~ ~
tain men" and "the hairy ones."
For more information on primitive cultures like these, the Ice Block Pile of Bones ~
GM is advised to read GURPS lee Age.

'.
~ ~
Advantages and Disadvantages: Beastmen have +2 to ST
and -I to IQ. They have the Toughness (DR 2) advantage, and Fissure Pool
the following disadvantages: Appearance (Ugly, -2 reaction),
Illiteracy, Odious Personal Habit (Cannibalism, -3 reaction),
Poverty (Dead Broke), Primitive (TLO in a TL3 society), Social
H = Horse
Stigma (Barbarian, -3 reaction).
A typical beastman might have any or all of the following Combat Map A
skills: Axe/Mace, Area Knowledge (Eiglophian Mountains), The fissure is one foot wide, and requires a DX roll
Armoury/TLO, Beastman Language, Brawling, Climbing, from anyone entering the hex - those who fail, stumble
Cooking, Dancing, Knife, Spear, Survival (MOlmtains), Theol- and fall in that hex. Encumbrance level is a penalty to this
ogy (Beastman Rituals), Throwing, Tracking, Traps/TLO. roll. (Horses are exempt from this roll.) Fortunately, the
fissure is too small for anyone to fall down.
Snow Bear Consider each ice block to be as tall as it is wide, meas-
ST: 32 Speed/Dodge: 7/6 Size: 3# uring the width at the widest point. These vertical blocks
DX: 12 PDIDR: II2 Weight: 1,500 Ibs. are impossible to "stand on," and can be traversed only
IQ: 5 Damage: 2d-2 crt Origin: Real with a successful Climbing roll.
HT: 15/35 Reach: C, 1 Habitat: Arctic, Mountain The snow drift costs double movement to cross. Any
The fearsome snow bear resembles the modem polar bear, character moving more than half his Move in a tum must
differing in being slightly larger, more aggressive, and in being succeed at a DX roll for every drift hex, or fall down.
territorial rather than nomadic. The coat is white with a bluish Characters standing in the drift are 1 foot higher than those
tinge, made up of long guard hairs and dense tmderfur. on the glacier proper.
In the open, their white fur blends in with the snow (roll at -4
to see). The hairy soles of their paws allow the bears to move Combat Map B
rapidly on ice. Walking on all fours, snow bears are 3-hex crea- The pool is shallow. It costs double movement to cross,
tures; standing on rear legs to fight, they occupy only 1 hex. and anyone standing in it is 1 foot lower than those not in
The bears strike with their claws in combat, doing cmshing it.
damage. They may also bite, doing the same amount of cutting Standing on the pile of bones gives a height advantage
damage. Snow bears "bear hug" when angered: grappling in - the northernmost hexes are 2 feet in elevation, while the
close combat, then biting. south hex is 4 feet. However, characters must succeed at a
DX roll for every tum they spend in a bone pile hex, to
Wolverine avoid slipping and falling. Those who fall slide down the
ST: 11 Speed/Dodge: 8/6 Size: 1 pile, ending up in the nearest non-pile hex to the north,
DX: 12 PDIDR: 1/2 Weight: 50 Ibs. unless something blocks their slide.
IQ: 5 Damage: Id-2 cut Origin: Real
HT: 11 Reach: C Habitat: Arctic, Mountain
The wolverine is one of the fiercest animals in nature. The lamprey-like mouth of sharp inward-pointing teeth. It lives
largest member of the weasel family, it resembles a cross be- alone, as each remora requires a large hunting range to survive,
tween a weasel and a bear. It measures four feet long (plus and reproduces parthenogenetically.
another foot of tail), and stands 18 inches tall at the shoulder. The remora emits an eerie piping sound which acts as a Sleep
The strongest mammal of its size, it can drive mOlmtain lions spell (at no Fatigue cost) on all who hear it. The spell can be
and bears from their kills. Wolverines follow a cycle of four resisted by IQ rolls (one per minute), and it takes at least one
hours waking, four hours resting, and do so continually. They minute for the piping to take effect.
are very sly (Craftiness-12). Once the creature has approached its victim, it has two at-
tacks. The first is a bite, doing 3d-l impaling damage. This can
IceWyrm be defended against normally (Dodge, Parry, etc.), so long as
ST: 50-60 SP/Dodge: 4/0 Size: 7-10 the victim is not asleep.
DX: 14 PDIDR: II2 Weight: 300-800 Ibs. The second attack is radiated cold which does Id-4 damage
IQ: 2 Damage: 3d-l imp# Habitats: M per tum to all within 3 hexes of the worm. This damage cannot
HT: 15/30-40 Reach: C, 1-3 be defended against, but armor protects to a total of its DR.
Also known as Yakhmar or Remora, this "worm of the The remora takes normal damage from weapons, but it takes
snows" is falsely believed extinct in Hyboria. It looks like a 40' double damage from heat and fire. Cold attacks such as Ice
giant worm or land-eel with two luminous green eyes and a Spheres (p. B160) do no damage to remora.
Appendix -28-
Combat Map A
CombatMapB Combat Map C
-29- Appendix
Row 0
Rowl
Row 2
Row 3
Row 4
RowS
Row 6
Row 7
Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4 ColumnS
Appendix -30-
H..........
ST 17 (100 points) IQ 10 (0 point) Speed: 6.5
DX 15 (60 points) HT 11 (10 points) Move: 5
Dodge: 6 Parry: 7 Block: 5
Damage: Thrust Id + 2; Swing 3d-I; Light lance 2d + 2 imp on
foot, 5d + 2 imp mounted; Axe 3d + 1 cut; Large knife 3d-3
cut, Id+2 imp
Advantages:
Absolute Direction (5 points)
Acute Hearing +2 (4 points)
Animal Empathy (5 points)
Danger Sense (15 points)
Luck (15 points)
Strong Will +3 (12 points)
Disadvantages:
Berserk (-15 points)
Code of Honor: JEsir (-5 points)
Gigantism (-10 points)
Overconfidence (-10 points)
Social Stigma: Barbarian (-15 points)
Skills:
Animal Handling-I4 (12 points); Area Knowledge (Asgard)-
11 (2 points); Axe/Mace-16 (4 points); Axe Throwing-I6 (2
points); Bard-1O (2 points); Brawling-I4 (lh point); Carousing-
10 (1 point); Climbing-15 (2 points); Jumping-I7 (4 points);
Knife-11 (default); Lance-15 (1 point); Riding-I2 (2 points);
Sex Appeal-8 (default); Shield-I6 (2 points); Spear-I6 (4
points); Stealth-I4 (I point); Survival (Mountains)-I4 (10
points); Swimming-I4 (lh point); Tracking-II (4 points); Two-
Handed Axe/Mace-I6 (4 points)
Languages:
Hyperborean-IO (1 point); Nordheimr-IO (native)
Quirks:
Talks to himself (-1 point)
Fascinated by axes (-1 point)
Dislikes staying in one place (-1 point) Heimdul is a young JEsir warrior seeking adventure. From
Hates to tum down a dare (-I point) the time he was eight, he traveled with parties raiding into
Awkward with attractive women (-I point) Brythunia and Vanaheim. For a time he served as a soldier in
Aquilonia, but soon tired of military discipline and the frequent
Equipment: need to stay in one place for long periods of time. Heimdul now
Light lance, $50, 5 Ibs. leads a solitary life, traveling the northern wastes, hiring himself
Throwing axe (carried on horse), $60, 4lbs. out as a mercenary and still raiding nearby kingdoms with other
Fine axe (carried on horse), $500, 4lbs. JEsir. His towering frame, intimidating expression and loyalty
Large knife, $40, 1 lb. to his employer of the moment make him a valuable commodity.
Bearskin cloak (PD I, DR 2), $200, 15 lbs. Despite his formidable appearance, Heimdul is normally a
Chainmail hauberk (PD 3(1), DR 4(2», $230, 25 lbs. quiet, reserved person. In fact, he might even be called shy.
Homed JEsir helm (PD 3, DR 4), $150, 10 lbs. While he enjoys the company of women, he is inclined to be
Winter pants (PD 0, DR 1), $5, lh lb. awkward in their presence - especially if they're pretty and take
Heavy leather boots (PD 2, DR 2), $80, 3 lbs. an interest in him. This doesn't slow him down in battle, but
Small shield (PD 2), $40, 8 Ibs. does make for some embarrassing moments when the combat is
Scarf, $5, weight negligible over.
Horse (see below), $7,000 Heimdul's horse has ST 40, DX 9, IQ 4 and HT 15, with a
Saddle and harness, $150, 20 lbs. Move of 12 and Dodge of 6.
Personal basics (carried on horse), $5, weight negligible Note: Heimdul is a weaker character than Conan, but then,
Traveler's rations (1 week - carried on horse), $28, 7lbs. he's younger - and he's only built on 225 points.
-31- Appendix
OF
\~
ST 16 (80 points) IQ 13 (30 points) Speed: 7.25
DX 15 (60 points) HT 14 (45 points) ~ove:8 \
(bonus for Running) 111\
1
Dodge: 8 Parry: 9 Block: 8 II

(active defenses + 1 for Combat Reflexes)
Damage: Thrust Id + 1; Swing 2d + 2; Light lance Id +4 imp
on foot, 5d + 1 mounted; Axe 3d + 1 cut; Large knife Id + 1
cut, Id imp
Advantages:
Absolute Direction (5 points)
Alertness +3 (15 points)
Charisma + 1 (5 points)
Combat Reflexes (15 points)
Danger Sense (15 points)
High Pain Threshold (10 points)
Immunity to Disease (10 points)
Literacy (10 points)
Luck (15 points)
Night Vision (10 points) Quirks:
Peripheral Vision (15 points) Says what he thinks (-1 point)
Rapid Healing (5 points) Dislikes being called a liar (-1 point)
Strong Will +5 (20 points) Flirts with women he thinks are available (-1 point)
Toughness DR 1 (10 points) Likes to travel (-1 point)
Always speaks with a Cimmerian accent (-1 point)
Disadvantages:
Bad Temper (-10 points) Equipment:
Impulsiveness (-10 points) Light lance, $50, 5 lbs.
Overconfidence (-1 0 points) Broadsword (worn at hip), $500, 3 lbs.
Phobia: Magic (manaphobia) - mild (-10 points) Fine axe (carried on horse), $500, 4lbs.
Sense of Duty: To all women (-10 points) Small knife, $30, 112 lb.
Sense of Duty: To comrades (-10 points) Bearskin cloak (PD 1, DR 2), $200, 15 lbs.
Social Stigma: Barbarian (-15 points) Chainmail hauberk (PD 3(1), DR 4(2», $230, 25 lbs.
Stubbornness (-5 points) Homed JEsir helm (PD 3, DR 4), $150, 10 lbs.
Truthfulness (-5 points) Winter pants (PD 0, DR 1), $5, 112 lb.
Heavy leather boots (PD 2, DR 2), $80, 3 lbs.
Scarf, $5, weight negligible
Skills: Horse (see below), $7,000
Area Knowledge (Cimmeria)-13 (1 point), (the East)-12 (112 Saddle and harness, $150, 20 Ibs.
point), (Turan)-13 (1 point), (Zamora)-12 (112 point); Axel Personal basics (carried on horse), $5, weight negligible
Mace-15 (2 points); Blacksmith/TL3-13 (2 points); Bow-15 (4 Traveler's rations (l week - carried on horse), $28, 7lbs.
points); Brawling-16 (2 points); Broadsword-16 (4 points);
Carousing-13 (I point); Climbing-16 (4 points); Crossbow-14 Conan is a barbarian from a land very near where this adven-
(112 point); Fast-Draw (Arrow)-14 (112 point), (Sword)-15 (1 ture takes place - Cimmeria, south of the Eiglophian Moun-
point); First Aid/TL3-13 (1 point); Fishing-12 (112 point); Gam- tains and west of the Border Kingdom. He's only 23 - a
bling-12 (1 point); Jumping-16 (2 points); Knife-15 (1 point); "youth" - at this time, but he's already a 375-point character!
Leadership-13 (2 points); Riding-16 (4 points); Running-15 (4 Captured by the Hyperboreans and placed in a slave pen,
points); Shield-16 (2 points); Spear-17 (8 points); Stealth-17 (8 young Conan escaped to the south, living for a time as a thief
points); Streetwise-13 (2 points); Survival (Mountains)-16 (8 before enlisting as a mercenary in the army of Turan. He traveled
points), (Plains)-12 (1 point); Swimming-15 (l point); Tactics- as far afield as Khitai and Meru before having to desert (amid
14 (6 points); Throwing-16 (8 points); Tracking-12 (1 point); rumors of an unruly episode involving an officer's mistress).
Two-Handed Sword-15 (2 points) Tiring of magic and civilization, Conan returned to Cimmeria.
However, his "retirement" didn't last long. Soon he was
Languages: north in Asgard, raiding Vanaheim along with the JEsir. As this
Cimmerian-13 (0 points); Hyrkanian-ll (112 point); Hyper- adventure begins, spring has come, and Conan has decided to
borean-II (112 point); Khitan-ll (112 point); Nordheimr-l1 (112 return to the southlands.
point); Shemitish-ll (112 point); Turanian-ll (112 point); Zamor- Conan's horse was payment for a service rendered in Zam-
an-ll (112 point) ora. It has ST 40, DX 9, IQ 4 and HT 15, with a Move of 12 and
a Dodge of6.
Appendix -32-
Tbe lEsir
..,eakofSn....
De.iJ ..... w1lb
dread - and "ilb aood
reason. "hole parties ba"e '-.....
.anlshed Ibere "llboul a lrace. Can ,. '-.....
Ibe mip" Coaao m..ler Ibe biller oold,
Ibe sa .., beaslmen - and Ibe otber borrors Ibal
lIe~ od?
Lhe Ibe ad>enlure of Ibe Klorlous H)1Jorian "'" In

Ibis ...10 ad>enlUre for GlfIlPS, Ibe Generk L'n1tel'5lJ1
RoIePl.,ing S,:sIem. Based on Ibe Slon ~Lair of Ibe
Ice "orm, ~ fealUring Robert E. H_ard's
legendary barbarian, Cooao of
Cimmerla, it ..... be pla)ed man)
limes "itboul repealing Ibe same
ad>"nlure. you ..... relh'e Ibe
a,benlures of Ibe mipty Conan, or lOU .....
send a bero of lour 0"» design on Ibe road 10
fame and Klory.
inside ibis book, )ou'li find:

• GURPS s18llstl.. for Conan al age 23.
• Rules for designing )onr 010» bero for
Ibis ad.enlUre.
• All Ibe necessary maps and tables.
• Game .18IIsIl.. of Ibe people and
animals )Onr ebaraeler ",111 meel.
.' ote: \011 .eed only Ihe Gl"IlPS Bak
Se, III ord~r 10 pl.) tills ••hea.uu. Ir
YOII clIQOY Ibts atheR••rr. look ror
Gl'RPS COlI••• •lIe co.plete ••Ide
10 Co. . . aad tbe 1I)1torlo -'at.
Written by W, G, Annintrout III

C
Edited b)' Creede Lambard N <
ClI.
eo\-er art by Val Lakey Lindahn and Ron Lindllbn
mustnted by Charlie Wiedman
OJ'
(J) I
"'01
0'
.
• ..,
t:l
Ul
ISBN 1-55634-152-0

Conan The Wyrmslayer

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THE WYRMSLJ1ER

Solo Adventure in Roberl E. Howard's Hyborian Age

GURPS System Design by Steve Jackson

Dedicated to Darby Levenhagen, who truly understands barbarians

Playtesters: Robert N. Gilson, Dana Holm, Steve Jensen,

INSTRUCTIONS ••••••••••.••••••••.••••• 2 CONAN THE WYRMSLAYER •••••••••••••••4

STEVE '-'ACKSON GAMES

About the Author

Conan the Wyrmslayer -4-

2 You've lost your bearings - you'll have to peek again.

3 For now, however, more immediate problems face you.

~ ou plummet into the chasm and fall for a long, long

4 It will be cold, in the depths of whatever lair the strange

5 You rest for an hour.

7 You struggle to keep moving, but your grievous injuries

8 If you decide to return the way you came, tum to the

9 Your horse shudders and falls.

1O At last you reach the outer air. Plumes of steam waft

-5- Conan the Wyrmslayer

17 There are about a dozen of the beastmen, armed with

Conan the Wyrmslayer -6-

23 If you leave this glacier and make your way south,

slickly smooth, leading upward.

30 You grunt your sympathy. It is a hard tale, but life in

31 You wake suddenly. Some eerie premonition - some

32 You have lost your bearings - you must press on to

25 If you did not injure a conscious beastman this round,

-7- Conan the Wyrmslayer

35 You suddenly realize that the girl is in the grip of

36 You enter the opening. The light of the sun glances

37 Ifyou heave the fire-bearing helm at the monster, turn

39 The cold is horrible, colder than human beings were

Conan the Wyrmslayer -8-

noise grows, and the ice starts to gently tremble. Something is

47 Entering a new grotto, you see that water from the

gently sloping passage is slickly smooth, leading downward.

48 The dawning sun ascends above the eastern peaks of

49 You thud into the ice.

50 If you have Overconfidence or Impulsiveness, tum

51 You go out once more into the biting wind. Black

-9- Conan the Wyrmslayer

66 A low, ominous growl welcomes you here ...

by the morning sun. Your keen eyes rake the snow.

60 If you have the Plot Words THUNDEROUS or DEV-

61 Make an IQ roll, to see if you can find your way back.

62 You follow a long, round bore through the center of

63 Soon you have a roaring fire going in the little cave,

64 Holding the end of the reins in one hand, you whirl

Conan the Wyrmslayer 10-

74 As your steel strikes home, you feel the horrible chill

75 It was a mistake to come into this place. Circling care-

76 The girl is in the grip of stark terror. This isn't normal

77 If you have the Plot Word WILLING, tum to 141.

78 You stand before the mouth of an ice cave which

81 The beastmen gladly let you depart - tum to 193.

82 You reach the far side - tum to 29.

83 The redly-glowing axe strikes the wyrm, causing ajet

11- Conan the Wyrmslayer

85 Careful of hazards, you and Ilga look for a place of

Make a Survival (Mountains) roll, at -5. It defaults to other