Greetings,
I am really loving the new D&D rules. I just got my Monster Manual about three or four days ago, and my DMG is on the way. I decided I wanted to switch over to 5th Edition from Mongoose's CONAN rpg. I was wondering if any have advice and ideas for running a more Sword & Sorcery genre game, rather than the default, High Fantasy using the wonderful, new D&D! 
The DMG actually has some hints for such settings. You'll see when you get it 
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I'm not entirely sure how useful the DMG might be, it does just "hint" at sword and sorcery. If you can find the pdf online, the AD&D2e DMGR5 Creative Campaigning has rules for such a setting, and it's what I use for my own setting. Bassically, you limit wizard (and related) spells to only cantrips and 1st-6th level spells. Magic should be fairly new, or at least alltogether not understood, and to keep the setting at a lower magic level than say, Forgotten Realms (which is considerably high fantasy) then keeping 7-9th level spells away from PCs is understandable, it keeps them from casting the huge world changing spells, or traveling accross planes so easily. This isn't to say that those spell couldn't be learned through extensive research, or granted by divine providence. The spells aren't available to the PCs or NPCs of the world, but the gods surely use them.
The above lower magic setting also means that the setting may not have many high level NPC casters. You may not be able to find wizards that know much about high level magic, though a large city (like a capital city) may have a few people who know what the PCs need. This also plays into D&D 5e's way of handling magic items. In basic 5e, you can't really find anyone to make or sell magic items, as they are supposed to be fairly rare and expensive, or time consuming to make. All this helps keep the setting "feel" like a low magic sword and sorcery setting. It leaves magic still open and available in the setting, but makes things like teleportation or wish granting feel more legendary.
There are rules for Divine casting as well. In a sword and sorcery setting, the gods are said to be fickle. They don't really care about the goings on of mortal life, a god has better things to worry about. You can either say that more compasionate gods, those who do care for their followers and want to help people, may ignore this next rule, but thos gods who feel differently may not like to be bothered every time a spell is asked from them. You may also just wish to ignore this rule yourself entirely, I haven't really even used it, though I'm thinking of using it in conjunction with a house rule. I'll have to see how it works out.
Bassically, divine casters may outright fail at casting. For every spell cast (not including cantrips) there is a percentage chance that the spell will fail equal to the spell's level. This chance increases the more spells you cast thoughout the day, and the chance resets after a long rest, so if you cast a 1st level spells (1%) two 2nd level spells (2% each) and then a 4th level spell (4%), then by the time you cast your next spell, say a 3rd level spell (3%), you'd have to roll a 12% spell failure chance to cast that 3rd level spell. The chance increases by the spell level of the next spell you want to cast.
That kind of thing adds a bit of flavor to the setting. In sword and sorcery, how many times do you see the gods actually helping the hero? Sometimes it may be very suttle (Crom, if you don't help me, then to hell with you), and other times it may be, sort of obvious (Conan finding the atlantean sword).
Asside from that, something you could do is make the adventures based on the character's backgrounds, both their mechanical background, and the one they write up to explain where their character comes from. Utilize their bonds, flaws and ideals to throw in conflict. Sword and Sorcery adventures are mostly based on the character's selfish desire, more so than fighint a world ending dark lord or stopping a god from doing something that threatens the characters. The adventures in a sword and sorcery setting should be personal, playing on the character's motivations and greed. You could also use this to get the PCs into trouble, which would make an adventure of getting out of trouble. Utilizing the PC's greed also lends into adventure loot. In a sword and sorcery setting, you won't find many magic items lying in the average monster lair. usually, killing a giant or pack of gnoles or tribe of bndit orcs really only gives the PCs money and loot that they can trade in for money. This could lead into the PCs having too much money, but it'snot too hard to figure out a way to deal with this either.
Good advice BuddhaKai. From my exp reading and seeing Conan movies, it also seems as if most spellcasters are the evil NPC villains and most spells seem to be more ritualistic.
It might be fun to make all spellcasters access level 4 and above spells as ritual casters, but the time to cast might be in rounds rather than 10 minutes.
Thanks for your replies. It seems to me that the Warlock from 5th Edition is very good for the Sword & Sorcery genre.
In the CONAN RPG, there is a whole system for human sacrifice. I downloaded and printed a document that someone else made that seemed to expand on it and improve it. Now for those of you that don't know, the Scholars (could be simply an educated person, as the name implies, or the same but with knowledge of the dark arts) of the CONAN RPG have little power, especially compared to a D&D wizard (Conan would not survive in my opinion!). It ipoint system. One starts with 4 or 5, I think, + WIS MOD. Some spells would cost 4 points to cast and some as many as 8 or more. Human and animal sacrifice is a nasty way to gain power. I believe the spell to unleash the Black Plague on a city was around 20 magic points. There are other ways whereby multiple sorcerers may perform ritual together and create powerful effects beyond what one may accomplish.
I was thinking about how to incorporate this idea. I thought about only alowing Arcane Recovery via some system of ritualised murder. As usual, none of the slots can be 6th level or higher and they may have a combined level equal to or less half the wizard's level, rounded up.
Animal Sacrifice: 1 point
Human Sacrifice: 2 points
Ritually Prepared
Human Sacrifice: 3 points
Human
Virgin Sacrifice: 4 points
Ritually Prepared,
Virgin Human
Sacrifice: 5
Add 2 points if the Stars are aright!
I am thinking that perhaps, somehow the limit on the combined level could be lifted. And that there may be other benefits gained.
However, all this killing is corrupting, and this would cause one's physical aspect to take on the appearance of the demonic, perhaps cause illness, and even attract the attention of inhabitants of the Lower Planes.
Sharazor wrote:
I sort of look at spell slots as preconpartmentalised spell points. The mage does not memorize anything. He or she gets the components and prepares. The magical energy is already within (the Vril).
Now, what if the mage starts at 5th level with 4 1st, 3 2nd, and 2 3rd level spell slots, and that mage uses it all in the course of an adventuring day. The mage had 9 total. Without making a sacrifice (remember: no Arcane Recovery), the mage wakes up the next day with 1/2 what he or she had (round up), and now having 5, the mage may restore allocate them as desired, within the normal limits of slots/level, of course. Once those are use, the following day, he or she has 3, and so on until non remain. Dark Deeds: the only method to regain what was lost, the only Path to Power.
Whie draied of spell points, he or she may still use cantrips. However, each casting requires a Constitution Save (DC 10). On a failure, the spell still works, but the caster gains a level of Exhaustion (p. 291 PHB).
Nice, and also welcome to the forums (if this is your first Avatar). You should definitely write a Sword and Sorcery Mod for the game.
Thanks for the WELCOME. There is a combat maneuver in CONAN RPG called "Human Shield". I thought of this and thought I would throw it out to everyone:
While grappling someone you are attacked by another, use your reaction to make a STR check vs. your opponent's STR (Athletics) or DEX (Acrobatics) with Disadvantage on the roll. If successful, you force your grappld opponent in front of you and he or she gets hit instead, taking the full damage (or perhaps you split it up, or half, whatever you like best as DM).
BuddhaKai wrote:
Sharazor wrote:
AndyDay wrote:
Sharazor wrote:
JohnLynch wrote:
I am currently running the maths on a bespoke Sorcerer Class.
They use the Madness rules from the DMG, have a bespoke 'non-blasty' spell list, can gain sorcery points by sacrifice and arcane recovery by sacrifice only.
They treat the Wizard subclass specialisms as 'lore' learned by gaining access to ancient texts (treated as magical items like tomes) and gain madness in a way commensurate with their prof. bonus.
Pacts are available aka Warlock, but encourage Madness and patrons are demanding, not to mention unforgiving of failure...
More spells have ritual versions with some ONLY castable as rituals. Conjuring creatures includes only Fiends and Aberrations, with summonable monsters having to have been encountered and an agreement made that they will come when called. Pacting allows the servants of a Patron to be called without pre-exisiting arrangements.
There is a spell fumble table that can actually kill on a very bad roll for high level spells...
Force effects don't exist, and direct damage tends to be necrotic, flame, cold, poison or disease. There is no flight, ressurection (except Revivify as a 9th level spell!), teleportation, and very restricted dimensional travel.
Invocations don't require Pacting, but are limited to Int bonus in number.
Int bonus determines spell attack bonus and Cha determines spell save DC's - meaning Sorcerers are more MAD than usual casters.
Just some highlights of what I am working on...
Caliburn wrote:
That sounds like a mess that will break the game. Shattered, beyond repair. No one will have any incentive to play a spellcaster.
Here is what I propose:
Common Classes:
Fighter
Rogue
Barbarian
Uncommon:
Warlocks and Clerics and monk
Rare Classes:
Wizards and Sorcerers
Banned:
Eldritch Knight, Arcane Trickster, Paladin, Way of the Elements Monk, Ranger
Wizards:
Change spellbook text to fit: When you level up you can add two spells from the wizard spell list into your spell book that are level 5 or lower. Spells 6th level and above are rare and must be found within the world.
Clerics & Warlocks:
Strict codes of conduct unique to each patron. All patrons require sacrifices but not all require slaying of a living thing it might be only a code of conduct. Or sacrifice works too.
General:
Homebrew a bunch of ritual spells and add the ritual murder to the spellcasting component of the ritual.
Healing: Use the DMG alternate healing and resting rules. Requires a healers kit to spend hit dice, and you no longer regain hit points on a long rest, only hit dice.
Madness: Utilize the madness rules from the DMG, spellcasters automatically gain a minimum madness as they level. Could do whenever you learn a new spell or equal to your level.
*My own idea, each clerical domain and wizard tradition represents a cult or secret society respectively. New spellcasters are trained from master to apprentice and are exceedingly rare. Societies are not built with magic in mind and when discovered wizards are highly covetted by rulers and other factions. Warlocks are held to a general contempt as they bargained for their powers however they usually operate a small but insanely devout following to assist them in their spells and give themselves willingly for sacrfices. Clerics usually operate larger followings based on fear of divine wrath. Sorcerers are a unique case and are probably the most likely to be killed at birth should they be discovered. Sometimes they fall into the hands of an evil cult seeking someone with such power but if they survive to adulthood without falling prey to an evil cult or something they are the most likely to be helpful.
The banned classes are banned because magic is a lifelong pursuit of either all or nothing. So there are no hybrids, add them in at your risk. Non magical classes are the most common. Feel free to limit players to classes further depending on the needs of the group but this is my suggestion. It requires the least amount of system tinkering and still hits the flavor you were looking for.