Showing posts with label Solomon Kane. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Solomon Kane. Show all posts

Thursday, November 27, 2025

Solomon Kane NPC For Castles & Crusades, Amazing Adventures, & Victorious Rpg

 While there don't appear to be official Castles & Crusades (C&C) statistics for Solomon Kane, we can easily create some based on his character in Robert E. Howard's stories.




“I am a landless man...I come out of the sunset and into the sunrise I go, wherever the Lord doth guide my feet.” ― Robert E. Howard, The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane


Solomon Kane is a grim, skilled Puritan adventurer, swordsman, and implacable foe of evil, which suggests a mix of martial prowess, willpower, and divine (or at least zealous) favor.

Here is a proposed NPC stat block for a mid-to-high-level Solomon Kane in a C&C campaign.


Solomon Kane, The Puritan Avenger

(Human, Level 8 Paladin/Fighter)

Solomon Kane is a somber, tall figure clad in black Puritan garb. He is a master duelist and a relentless hunter of evil, guided by his staunch faith and unwavering moral code.

AttributeScorePrime?
Strength (STR)14-
Dexterity (DEX)18Yes
Constitution (CON)16Yes
Intelligence (INT)12-
Wisdom (WIS)17Yes
Charisma (CHA)10-

Class and Combat

  • Class/Level: Paladin 4 / Fighter 4

  • Hit Dice: 4d10 (Ftr) + 4d8 (Pal)

  • HP: ~50 (Roll based on HD)

  • Armor Class (AC): 17 (Leather Coat treated as Ring Mail + DEX bonus for light movement + Shield/Buckler or Parry)

  • Weapons: Rapier (1d8+1 damage), Dirk/Dagger (1d4), Brace of Flintlock Pistols (1d6 each, single shot, slow reload)

  • Base Attack Bonus (BAB): +8

  • Attack: Rapier +11 (1d8+1) or Flintlock Pistol +12 (1d6, range 40 ft.)

  • Spells/Abilities: Lay on Hands (16 hp/day), Divine Grace (+3 to all saving throws), Smite Evil (1/day, +1 damage per Paladin level).

Saving Throws

AttributeChallenge BaseBonus (Prime)Total Check
Strength (STR)15-15
Dexterity (DEX)13+310
Constitution (CON)14+311
Intelligence (INT)16-16
Wisdom (WIS)13+310
Charisma (CHA)15-15

Note: Kane's high DEX and WIS primes reflect his swordsmanship, alertness, and deep religious conviction.

Special Features

  • Flintlock Master: Solomon Kane is unusually swift at reloading his pistols (treat reload time as a single move action instead of a full round action).

  • Tenacity: Due to his unwavering faith and sheer will, he gains a +2 bonus to all saves vs. fear, mind-affecting effects, and corruption.

  • Skillful Duelist: When fighting with a Rapier and no shield, he can use his defensive skill to parry. On a successful AC roll against an incoming melee attack, he takes no damage and gains a +1 bonus to his next attack roll against that foe.

Equipment

  • Main Weapons: Rapier, Dirk/Dagger.

  • Ranged Weapons: Two Flintlock Pistols, one spare charge each.

  • Armor: Simple black leather coat (Ring Mail equivalent).

  • Other: Holy Symbol (a carved wooden cross), a copy of the Bible, his characteristic slouch hat and dark cloak.


How to Play Solomon Kane (The C&C Way)

  • Combat: He should primarily engage with his Rapier and Dagger, making full use of his high DEX and Skillful Duelist ability. The pistols are reserved for surprise attacks, powerful foes, or ranged combat.

  • Interaction: He is a man of few words, often grim and judgmental. His CHA is average, reflecting that he's not socially smooth, but his high WIS makes him incredibly perceptive and difficult to deceive.

  • Motivation: He will relentlessly track and confront any evil, supernatural or mundane, often pursuing justice over years and across continents. Use his Smite Evil for truly monstrous foes.

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Second version of The Puritan
a late 19th-century sculpture by Augustus Saint-Gaudens

The Staff of Solomon (or the Staff of N'Longa) is one of the most powerful artifacts he acquires, representing his transition from a purely physical hero to one backed by formidable mystical power.

Here is the C&C stat block for the staff:


 Staff of Solomon (Staff of N'Longa)

This plain-looking, six-foot-long staff of polished black wood was gifted to Solomon Kane by the powerful African shaman N'Longa. It is attuned to the deepest spiritual forces of Africa and protects the holder from unnatural influences.

Staff Properties

  • Attunement: Requires a good or neutral alignment and an unwavering dedication to fighting supernatural evil.

  • Weapon: Functions as a Quarterstaff +1 (+1 to attack and damage rolls). Damage is 1d6+1 (one-handed) or 1d8+1 (two-handed).

Mystical Abilities

The staff grants the following powers to Solomon Kane (or another attuned user):

AbilityC&C EffectActivationFrequency
Protection from EvilGrants the wielder a +4 bonus to all saving throws against spells, abilities, or effects originating from undead, demons, or other extra-planar/unnatural evil entities.PassiveContinuous
Sense the UnnaturalFunctions as Detect Evil (at will, 60 ft. range), specifically sensing evil spirits, magical traps, and unnatural presences, though it requires concentration (a minor action).Minor ActionAt Will
Mystical BarrierOnce per day, the wielder may plant the staff and invoke a barrier. Creates a shimmering, invisible wall up to 10 ft. wide that is impenetrable to incorporeal creatures (like ghosts or shadows) for 5 rounds.Full Round Action1/day
Scrying ResistanceIf the wielder is targeted by a Scrying or similar surveillance spell, the caster must succeed on a C&C Challenge Check against the wielder's WIS Prime (10) or the spell automatically fails.PassiveContinuous

Special Note: The Spirit-Call

If N'Longa is ever threatened or needs to communicate with Kane, the staff can glow with a green light and allow the shaman's voice to be heard across vast distances (at the CK's discretion).

Sunday, May 9, 2021

Appendix N Commentary - Robert E. Howard's Rattle of Bones - A Tale of Solomon Kane

 

"Fool that I was to trust a Frenchman!"
Rattle of Bones Robert E. Howard 1929 




Its been a long while since the cracked spine of Robert E.Howard's Solomon Kane graced my hands. Last night after a rather long day on the road it was time to settle in with a bit of drink & Kane. Appendix N reading is interesting. The volume in question The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane Paperback - June 29, 2004 you can find it here. The story Rattle of Bones  (1929)  by Robert E. Howard & what a great little supernatural venenace tale it is. Lots of food for adventure here.  The puritan adventurer stops at the Cleft Skull in the Black Forrest  & mayhem ensues. Supernatural mayhem to be exact. If your reading this blog then I don't need to explain who Solomon Kane is or why the Robert E.Howard stories of Kane are so essential to reading for Dungeons & Dragons or their retroclones. Solomon Kane is a character  of focus, commitment, and . . . sheer will. And also faith. Kane in my view is the perfect paladin who doesn't wear armor. Kane has worked as a bounty hunter, instrument of vengence, adventurer, and wanderer. Timothy Truman's artwork of the puritan adventurer captures the essence of the character. Joe Murray is the artwork's owner & I have to say that I'm insanely jealous. 


There's something about Solomon Kane that echoes in my mind. He's far more human then many other Howard characters. And the supernatural happens both around & too him. There's a challenge about him that speaks volumes in both his morality & violence that seems worlds away from Conan. If there's one character that speaks volumes for Lamentations of the Flame Princess  rpg to me its the works of Solomon Kane. Everything in the Kane tales is on point when it comes to Weird Tales feel & tone of Kane's world. And this is a world of grim adventurers, nasty Weird Tales occultism, & the promise of nasty adventures. 


Solomon Kane is the kind of adventurer that you want handling your back. But he is definitely not the guy that you want on your trail. The relentless and dangerous violence that follows in his wake is paramount but in this tale he's both causal witness & almost victim. Rattle of Bones  (1929)  is a mini primer on Solomon Kane in one small package.