Tips on Roleplaying in the Hyborian Age

As fans of Robert E. Howard, there is an interest in playing a ‘Howardian’ character in the game, but what exactly does that mean? How is a Howard-style character different from a standard fantasy character? Race is unimportant when deciding to play a character in a Howardian style. Although Robert E. Howard did not possess the slightest hint of racial political correctness, his characters come from all races and walks of life.

Conan was Cimmerian. Bran Mak Morn was a Pict. Valeria was Hyborian. All that mattered was what one did with one’s life. Thus, a character’s attitude toward life takes the centre stage with a typical Howard hero. Howardian characters take the advantage whenever possible, are self-sufficient, uncommonly strong, curiously lucky, immediately action-oriented, primal, larger-than life, and above all, they refuse to submit themselves to anything or anyone.

Skills and Intelligence
Skills in Conan the Roleplaying Game are far more important than in typical fantasy role-playing games. The characters will not have hordes of magic items decorating themselves to boost abilities and skills. Howard’s characters tend to be uncommonly intelligent. Intelligence is more important in this setting, especially for a warrior, than it is in many other settings. One of the high points of Conan the Roleplaying Game is the way bonus skill points for high intelligence is handled.

Bonus points may be spent on any skill as if they were class skills, including rank caps. Suddenly, an intelligent character can truly exceed the capabilities of a lesser character. The intelligent character can be cross-trained into anything. Assign at least a 12 into Intelligence to your character if you want to play a character in the Howard vein. Anything less than a 12 strays from the Howard character template. Howard’s characters are self-sufficient and skilled in many things. Take advantage of Conan’s fantastic skill point system. If a Player Character needs a skill to survive, then find a way to get ranks in it. Also, if the skills chosen somehow add to combat, all the better.

Combat-Oriented
Conan the Roleplaying Game tends to be combat-heavy, which is in keeping with Robert E. Howard’s stories. Build a character with this in mind. Strength is vital toward a combat-oriented character. Save for finessing an attack, Strength is the single most deciding factor in a combat,
controlling attacks and damage, as well as commanding the ability to puncture armour. Unlike many other roleplaying games, your characters will probably not have magic weapons to boost damage or help in pressing a successful attack. Of course, finessing is good, but unreliable. Be
confident that your character can rip through lesser forms of armour rather than hoping the die roll is high enough to allow an armour bypass. If a character is to be a finesse warrior or an archer, be sure to build up Dexterity and Strength in order to maximise both hitting opportunities and damage.

Fate Point Use
Howard’s characters are also individuals of uncommon luck. Conan the Roleplaying Game captures this aspect perfectly with Fate Points. Use them. Fate Points are such an incredible departure from the realm of standard fantasy roleplaying game fare, allowing the characters to stand up
strong against situations. If a character dies with unused Fate Points, the character gave up. Use the Fate Points now.

Saving Fate Points for tomorrow is a recipe for death today. If the expenditure of a Fate Point can help; use it. Howard’s characters worry about later when later arrives. They worry about now only.

Act in a Situation
Robert E. Howard’s characters act in a crisis. Despite their intelligence, they do not waste time thinking a situation through. They plough through situations quickly, preferring an instinctive action now instead of a thought out plan later. Even if an immediate action causes death, such is preferable to wasting time and energy. In The Hour of the Dragon, when Zenobia presented Conan with a chance to escape, Conan did not waste time weighing the pros and cons of trusting this unknown girl; he acted. If it was all a trick, he’d kill her then. If a Howard character is presented
with a possible action, he takes it. If the choice is between a violent death now or submission for a chance to escape later, the Howard character opts for the violent action now.

If a Howard character is captured and brought before the captor and offered the choice between death and life, the character begins to deal out death. He will take out as many people as he can before he himself is overcome. A Howard character cannot be captured and forced to undergo quests for the benefit of the captor. The Howard character will attack his captors at the first available opportunity, even if it means his death. He refuses to submit. Howardian characters are wild and uncontrolled.

Primal
Even a casual glance at Howard’s stories reveals the primal nature of his characters. They are described with animal metaphors, such as wolf, tiger and panther. Try to force a wild tiger to do something it does not want to do. Be prepared for fight if you do. Describe your character with
such animal motifs. Conan himself is constantly described as wolfish, and his actions described as pantherish. Conan’s alias during his tenure with the Black Corsairs was Amra the Lion. Conan the Roleplaying Game already has done some of this description with combat manoeuvres such as pantherish twist. The Howard character is not tame; he is wild and does not submit to anything but his own whims and desires.

Larger Than Life
A Howardian character has a recklessness and a larger-than life quality crucial to the atmosphere of the Hyborian Age. Howard’s characters are forthright and honest. They are not prudent. They do not hold their tongue. They speak their mind and refuse to submit to social conventions or
political correctness. Robert E. Howard does not endow his characters with any sort of social consciousness; these characters are not on the side of peace, equality, social reform or even social welfare. They are not men given to whining about social and political woes. So many characters in standard fantasy roleplaying game’s are concerned with such petty things. Role-players of such characters give them common faults and common concerns to make them more ‘human.’ Robert E. Howard’s characters are not men of common failings, shortcomings and fears. They are larger-than-life, driven personalities, determined to win no matter what. All of them, even the civilised characters,
are wild, endowed with elemental personalities. They are uncontrollable and, short of death, unstoppable. They will climb any height to succeed. They will delve to the lowest depths to succeed.

For an example, Bran Mak Morn essentially made a deal with demons in order to succeed in Worms of the Earth. Another example comes from Red Nails: ‘He was trapped like a wolf. If he had had his sword he would have hewn off his leg and crawled across the floor to slay Tascela.’ Be assured that Conan would have hacked off his own leg to succeed. Whatever it takes, a Howard character is willing to do it. Death is preferable to surrender – especially if it is an enemy’s death.

Conviction
A Howard character does not submit to a common life with a common job and common drudgery. Life for a Howardian character is vital and urgent: a life lived for the moment, not for the security of an unnamed future. It is only by fighting for success that greatness can be achieved.
The characters of Robert E. Howard have a conviction to live life on their own terms, or not at all. This impressive conviction is probably the greatest gift a Player can give to his Hyborian Age characters.

Note
None of the advice offered here need to apply to all Players or even to all Player Characters. The tips here are offered for those who are seeking a character who comes across as being fairly true to the atmosphere and characters of Robert E. Howard, those who want to play a character as Howard might have written the character if he had the chance.