1) Based solely on the original Howard stories
For the most part, me too, but I include Kull and all the others, including his Horror and Mythos stories in there too. Also if there's something that I don't necessarily think contradicts, I might toss it in there (like some MRQII Vikings stuff, or Elric, or Blood Magic or whatever).
2) Has a 1MP/Month regen rate, with options for quick but risky drawing of MPs from things like sacrifice
I almost went with 1MP/Month, instead am doing 1MP/week. I may change, the 1MP/month certainly
requires casting ritually, when the stars are right, requiring constant meditation and drugs, or else sacrifice and/or assistance from beings of the Outer Dark.
3) Uses the Bad Things Happen table from Monster Island if you rush incantations, rather than casting ritually
Yeah I was thinking of incorporating that, haven't made up my mind yet. Also haven't decided exactly where to drop Monster Island, but it is going in there, somewhere.
4) Has a comprehensive spell list of neigh every magical effect listed in the stories (and despite misinformed opinion of S&S tropes there are a lot)
What's your Paypal address?
5) Does not offer characteristic bonuses to particular 'races', but instead grants different cultural skill packages
I do have some minor characteristic changes, again, more in line with what you guys did in MRQII Vikings, but it's mostly cultural and social class based. I give options for a few extra skills here and there following a LifePath system.
6) Tries its best to grant stats to all the odd weapons and armour of the Hyborean Age
This I would really like to see, I tried to list the different bows, knifes, swords etc.
7) Doesn't have too many monsters, as most of those encountered in the tales are already incorporated into Mythras
Yeah, with that and Monster Island, there's enough to eyeball the various strains of Apes/Man-Apes. There's a few things like Swamp Devils, Forest Devils, the Forest Ghouls of Zingara I've been working on.
Doesn't incorporate 'Corruption' rules per se, since in my opinion Howard's world view was that it was power that corrupts, not magic. There are a lot of corrupt kings, tribal leaders, non-spell casting priests and so on. Instead I give guidance on how to use Passions to reflect this
Yeah, I'm torn myself. I think there's certainly a case for Hadrathus and Zelata to not be corrupted by their Power, but even they are kind of creepy, although not necessarily the same way as Thoth-Amon or Tsotha-Lanthi or Zogar Sag. Pelias, though, certainly is the strongest case for corruption, because even though he doesn't seem to be particularly evil or crazy, and might even be what seems to be a more "scientific" type of caster, with his "Higher Science" and "Master Words and Signs", he still has a soul that giant snakes flee from and raises corpses as if it were nothing. But I agree that
all magic doesn't have to
always corrupt. Dangerous as hell, sure, both physically, mentally, and spiritually, especially if you take the quick path to power by bargaining with supernatural beings, but it's not the same say as Mythos Magic in CoC.