By Curtis M. ScorrT With AN INDRODUCTION By L. SPRAGUE DE CampGURPS By Curtis M. Scott Introduction by L. Sprague de Camp Edited by Michael Hurst Cover by Kirk Reinert Interior Art by Butch Burcham Additional Art by Dan Carroll, Larry. mn, Norman Doering, C. Bradford Gorby, Denis Loubet, George “Speed” Webber and Charli GURPS System Design by Steve Jackson Ken Trobaugh, Managing Editor; Charlie Wiedman, Art Director Page Design and Typography by Melinda Spray and Drew Camard Production and Maps by Linda Ervin, Carl Manz, Charlie Wiedman Proofreading by Ingrid Kunze Playtesters: Russell Jones, Stephen Posey, Pat Vermiere and the $JG-BBS Tluminati Wiedman GURPS is registered trademark of Stove Jckor Games Incorpomied. GURPS Conan is copyright © 1989 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporate ‘ll Conan charnsers ave copyright by Conan Properties, Inc. Conan® ad Hyborian Age™ are trademarks of Conan Properis, Ine and as used nde cease ‘Ail igs reerved. Printed inthe U.S.A. ISBN 1.55634-148-2 12345678910 STEVE JACKSON GAMESCONTENTS| INTRODUCTION: CONAN THE MIGHTY « “About Curis M. Scoe ‘About L. Sprague de Cam, Map of Byboria 1, CONAN'S WORLD: THE HYBORIAN AGE Hisoey and Brohiry ‘The ‘The Rie of Haonankind Bibographica!Bnres The Ceuclyam ‘The Kb. > Acari th aren Sn The Calendar = sid ee AR mel 2. HYBORIAN CHARACTERS : Now Neaomanh : 3. HYBORIAN BESTIARY + Key to Animal Sttsics Dinomare Hyborian Creatures «| ‘The Walting Dead Mystical Cremures Dement, Semmoned Des Tae” HYBORIAN RELIGION . - How Religion Works. Cetical Magic ‘The eased” Advnonge Gots and Panton ‘Set andthe Stygian Pantoon lik ond Ge Living Tae = ‘The Shemish Puthoon ‘The Vendy Pantheon ‘The Animal Gods» Nature Worshipper. ony Sed otte Noy Ancor Wp, Dem Won Ey Other Godt ey Map ofthe Hyborian World ery 5. LANDS OF THE, HYBORIAN AGE « ‘Asli ‘heaton egerebessasases Rnning @ Hyborian Campaign. ‘Campuign Settings rope Sie tewiting History Money in tera, Rarwon Playing Conan HYBORIAN MAGIC ...... ‘The Nate of Magie inthe lisbovan Awe ‘Adapting Magic tothe Hyborian Age. Carpeted, Send Set Byborian Prone ‘The Rook of Skater ‘Soreeries ofthe Black Ring of Siygie «20. 221221 Mysters of Moun Vinee ees Spells of Kaiti ‘Aoules, Talseaas and Ancient Dovoas ot Power MASS COMBAT . Overview ee ‘Troop Srength + Mast Combat Tern Sequence, Bernina io Quay. Troe Tyres ‘Troop Quilty and Morsle hanging To0p Quay, Deiérnining Commas pein. nt ue ‘Deteiing Magic Power Ung Map nthe bid Ratna Nowpe Poning ond Mabasning Proce ccusnreghe 3 ‘ConeguoeesioPsyr Chars Satna enc Forman and Ras Gio nel seeer singe Me Wine Tap Seng’ Eevtion in Deore Peston Spec Trop Sapeinty Siocal Cosmentace Loon Uso Plonen Mai Beas Po Rowing the Gone of Sig ‘Morte Modif, Rot and Disaier second Surat a Greeti sn lly a once Casal Tab eee ‘Qc and Diy ast Coat APPENDICES ... Bibaranhy Conn Tht «.: Sanun, Cott of Toran Semicon on iat Ket Gonaa Ning ot iia 2000020000 ‘Tae Wonen none’ hands Ene INDEXINTRODUCTION: CONAN THE MIGHTY Robert Ervin Howard (1906-36), a gifted but ill starred Texas writer of the | 1920s and °30s, created the Hyborian Age, a fantastic fictional setting to rank About GURPS | with Baum’s Oz, Carroll’s Wonderland and Burroughs’ Barsoom. In Howard's __ Seve lackson Games is commie to Conan stories, before recorded history, “' . . . shining kingdoms lay spread “ll support of the GURPS system. Our Sans 6S) Games, sas across the world like blue mantles beneath the stars — Nemedia, Ophir, Mrs. 4S) Games Bos 18957, Aus, Brythunia, Hyperborea, Zamora with its dark-haired women and towers of rested, stamped envelope (SASE) any spider-haunted mystery, Zingara with its chivalry, Koth that bordered on the = ze ‘ust Resources now avail pastoral lands of Shem, Stygia with its shadow guarded tombs, Hyrkania whose RIAN ras pimonily nevleser riers wore steel and silk and gold... includes new niles, new races, bess, io- Conan, the greatest Hyborian hero, was born in the barbaric northern land _formatiog on upcoming releases, scenario of Cinmeria, After an adventurous life ab a thief, pate and mercenary, he ean moe Ag vos gan tier, or literally crowned his career. He became King of Aquilonia, the richest and most "Wow suppicmev wed evcncures powerful nation in the West, Were seas working a ew materi Howard proposed that this age had glittered between the sinking of Atlantis, xe so x yon tow whats 4tound 18,000 B.C., and the dawn of known history. A catastrophe wiped out {wiluble: A currentcatalog is available for Allantis and Lemuria, whose survivors reverted to savagery. In time these Errata. Everyone maces mistakes, in- Peoples built new civilizations. By 15,000 B.C., the powerful empires of “Ising us — bat we do cur best to fix our Aeron and Stn ie with sinister sorceres, ba arinen ine western partof um Uptrdale era sheet for al ‘the main continent. always available from SJ Games; be sure Northern barbarians, the Hyborians, overran Acheron. On its ruins, the ‘0 include an SASE with your request. conquerors raised Howard's “shining kingdoms.”” Another natural catastrophe 4, O84. Ws 49 * Geko. later ended the Hyborian Age, whose history survives only in fragmentary form ‘Gamer input, We vilue your com ‘in myths and legends. Howard assured his readers that this was pure fiction, not meats. We will consider them, not only for aserious theory of human prehistory. ‘ew products, but also when we update this book on later printings! BBS. For those of you who have home computers, SJ Games operates a BBS with discussion areas for several games, inciad- ing GURPS, Mach ofthe playest feedback for new products comes from tbe BBS. I's up 24 hours per day at $12-447-4449, at 300, 1200 oF 2400 baud. Give us ac: Page References Rules and slatiscs in this book are specifically for the GURPS Basie Set, ‘Third Edition. Any page reference mat begins with a Brefer to he GURPS Basie Set — e.g., p. B102 mesns p. 102 of the GURPS Basic Set, Third Editon. ‘Aa M page reference means a page in GURPS Magic: BY references are to GURPS Bestiary; SW references are to GURPS Swashbucklers. About Curtis M. Scott Curtis M. Scot is a software engineer 1 wife, Mary, and son, Philip, when he surfaces from the Hyborln Age. He has been a roleplaying gummer since 1976 GURPS Conan is his second major work for Steve Jackson Games; he is also the author of GURPS Haman. Conan The MightyAbout L. Sprague de Camp L. Sprague de Camp isa major figure ia mer America annoy an Slee fction. He begin pueisting inthe Golden ‘written science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction and son-fiction {including biographies of H. P. Lovecraft and Robert B. Howard) Map of Hyboria On pp. 96-37 is a map of the world of Hyboria. This map is based, first and {foreimos, on te sketches drawn by Robert E. Howard himself. Before the first Couan sory was published, he obviously had ‘lear idea of the “lay of the land” over such of Hyboria Other areas, howexer, were left vague (perhaps purposely) by Howard, and & has fallen to his students 'o fll them io, For those aeas, the present maps are based on variety of sourees, bat mest ofall on he \ext descriptions inthe tales themselves, [Gena The Mighy Robert Howard, alas, achieved no Conanian triumph. Howard lived most of his life in Cross Plains, a town of 1,500 in central Texas. This was as un- Propitious a setting for a writing career as could be found. Save for a couple of helpful English teachers in high school, he was entirely self-taught. Howard resolved upon a writing career while still a boy and plunged into it a soon as he finished high school. His first sale came in 1924 to the magazine Weird Tales which, of the many publications he contributed to, remained hisbest single outlet, By 1928, he had mastered his craft and thereafter sold regularly to the pulp magarines. He sold boxing stories, detective stories, horrot stoties, tales of historical and oriental adventure, Westerns, science fiction, fantasy and verse ‘He earned around $2,000 a year from his writing, which by the standards of the 1930s was quite a fair living — though the townsfolk wondered when he was going to give up writing silly stories and settle down to a proper job in a local shop or in the oil fields. ‘A great natural storyteller, Howard developed a distinctive prose style, Using such poetic elements as rhythm, alliteration and personification. In the late 1920s, he specialized in boxing stories, in the early °30s in fantasy, and in the ‘middle "30s in Westerns, although he wrote stories of al these types throughout his career. Howard began the Conan stories, upon which his posthumous revival is based, in 1932. Conan is an idealization of what Howard thougint he would like tohave been: a footloose, lawless, hell-raising, irresponsible adventurer devoted to wine, women and violence, But, save for a big, powerful physique, a hot temper, and a chivalrous attitude toward women, Howard and Conan had noth- ing in common. Howard was shy, sensitive, upright, law-abiding, courteous, compassionate, reclusive, introverted, bookish and (though he denied it) intel. lectual. He did not attribute such qualities to Conan. Howard suffered fiom isolation, minimal worldly experience, limited travel ‘outside of Texas and a lack of access to big-city and university libraries, An even greater handicap was his family situation. Howard was excessively attached to his mother, who encouraged his slavish devotion. As a boy he resolved not to outlive her. In June 1936, after a long iliness, his mother lay unconscious, dying of tuberculosis. Howard, aged thirty, with a growing circle of admirers. an adequate if not lavish income, and a promising career before him, shot himself. In his lifetime, Robert Howard sold over 160 stories and left 100-odd un. finished or unsold. For 20 years after his death, his Conan tales remained the brivate enthusiasm of a small circle of connoisseurs. In the 1950s, an obscure Publisher began publishing the Conan stories in small hard-cover editions; but it ‘was their appearance in a unified paperback series, beginning in 1966, that set in motion Conan’s current popularity. Indeed, this paperback series, together with the simultaneous paperback Publication of J.R.R. Totkien’s three-volume The Lord of the Rings, touched off today's enormous revival of fantasy. The present writer, who was maialy responsible for the paperback Conars, also with the help of collaborators, added ‘numerous stories to the saga, following Howard's original plan, style and spirit as closely as possible. For over a decade, Conan Properties, Inc., has comrotled all rights to the ‘iant barbarian and divides the profits ftom the use of the character among the Howard heirs and the living writers. Conan has appeared in countless collections and anthologies, comic books and mation pictures — although, ironically, Howard's literary rights were given no value at all in appraising his estate. Conn Properties chooses experienced contemporary writers to continue the adventures of the mighty barbarian, = L. Sprague de Camp —4—CONAN’S WORLD: THE HYBORIAN AGE History and Prehistory The Hyborian Age developed from earlier cultures. Preceding civilizations have shaped its nations and peoples unmistakably. However, its history is half Tegend, the truth lost in the darkness that stretches from mankind’s beginnings. ‘The Serpent People Before mankind, there were the reptilian serpent hose empires spanned the jungles of the pre-human Thurian continent. Theirs was a world of dinosaurs, ancient demons and sorcery beyond that now known to men. Theit empires ruled over slave races, some human, some less so. Their own pursuits f aso ‘The Hyborian AgeBibliographical Entries As of this witing there are 73 Conan sworles by Howard and his coninuer. It the bibliography (pp. 111-115) the sores of the sage are listed in chronological order. For reference io the text of thi book, each story has been given a three Jeter code; folowing ix an alphabetical lining ofthese cades cross referenced with the dle and the chronological sumer of be story (Roman numerals are an. thologies). The bibliography gives abrir ot oulne ofeach story. BBR ~ ““Beyond the Black River" (60) BCO — “Black Colessus” (38) BSN. — “Black Sphinx of Nebihu (70) BTE — “Black Tears" (44) AQ — Conan of Aguilomia (0) CAS — Conan and the Sorcerer (5) CAV — Conan ihe avenger (Vill) CBU — Conan ihe Buccaneer (56) CCH — Conan the Champion (17) CO ~ Conan the Conqueror (67) CDE — Conan ihe Desiroyer (8) CDF — Conan the Defender (29) CFE — Conan the Fearless (12) CMA — Conan dhe Magnificent (9) CMR — Conan she Marauder (51) COC — Conat of Cinaneria (11) COL — Conan ofthe Isles (73) COM — “The Curse of the Monolith” (22) CON — Conan () COS — “The City of Skul COT — “The Case of Terror” (35) CRA — Conan the Ruider (46) CRE — Conan the Renegade (40) ERK — Conan: The Road of Kings (30) CSG — Conan and the Spider God 24) SS — Conan: The Sword of Skelot (7) CTA — Conan he Advensirer (V) CTD ~ Conan the Defian (3) CTF — Gonare dhe Freeboocer (It) CTL — Conan the Invincible (10) CTL — Conam the Liberator (68) CTM — Conan the Mercenary (6) CTR ~ Conan the Rebel (3) CTS ~ Conan the Swordoman(X) CIT — Conan the Triumphant (31) CTU — Conan ihe Usurper (VIN) CTV — Conan the Victorious (16) CTW — Conan the Wanderer (1¥) CUN = Conan the Unconquered (18) CYA — Conan the Velorous (26) VL — Conan the Valiant (23) CWA — Conan the Warrior (VD) CWL — Conan the Warlord (14) DL — “The Devil in Iron” (48) DOT — “Drums of Tomball" (53) POD _— “The Frost Giant's Daughter" an GIB — ‘The God in the Bow” (13) GIT — “The Gem in the Tower” (54) HOD —**The Hall of the Dead” (11) Continued on next page - The Hyborian Age Only on the continent of Mayapan did bestial humans survive unmolested, slowly learning the use of flint knives and fire-hardened spears and making the mystic transition from beast to man, ‘The Rise of Humankind Although human progress was slow, retarded both by the climate and the occasional raids of the serpent men, it was inexorable, Over time, the humans of Mayapan spread eastward to Atlantis and the Pictish Isles, and westward to the Lemurian Isles. ‘These first explorers and settlers brought their primitive beliefs, and spread them across the world, Knowledge of the gods, demons and sorcery was mankind's birthright, discovered through dangerous experimentation and oc- casjonally ripped from the oppressing serpent men. Even in these early days, not all magic was benign. Among the cruelest abusers were the Khari, who ruled a large empire in central Mayapan. The details of their evil are not recorded, but outraged victims hurled them from ‘Mayapan into the uncharted ocean to the west, never to return. (On Mayapan, the human empires fell, rose, and fell again, leaving the island colonies barbaric, isolated and ignorant of their origins. AS they rose again, they spread outward, this time to the sea The Age of Attantis Atlantis stood on a great island chain in the Western Ocean between the ‘Thurian continent and the Antillian Islands. Atlantis was the most powerful nation in the world, with magic far beyond that of the Hyborian Age. Her only rivals were Lemuria, halfa world away, and the Seven Kingdoms on the Thurian, continent. Atlantis was ruled by religious factions who worshiped demonic beings from the Eller Night. One such faction was the cult of Xotli, Lord of Terror. They sacrificed thousands of slaves captured from more primitive portions of the world to their dark deity. Even today, remnants of the Atlantean cults survive in remote regions around the world. t=Before the Cataclysm (see below), the Atlanteans established a large settle ent onthe western shore of the Thurian continent. The settlement exploited the materials which Atlantis lacked, and sent lumber, agricultural products and es to sacrifice om the altars of Atlantis’ ever-hungering gods. ‘The Atlantean government ensured that the settlement was dependent upon Alatis. Slaves and peasants were shipped to the colonies by the thousands, but fone with the knowledge of smelting ore or creating machines was permitted emigrate. Atlantean troops protected the colony from attack by hostile natives and also acted as an armed guard on the settlement’s population. Pictish Isles Not all the Mayapanic colonies developed into advanced societies. One ive yet forceful group was the Picts, who settled an archipelago between Atlantean islands and the Thurian continent. The Picts were a warlike , with powerful sorceries and a fanatical belief in their destiny as world rors. The other cultures of the period avoided the Picts, but they could not ent them from spreading to the Thurian continent. Lemurians Another island empire, Lemuria, was eastof the Thurian continent. Lemuria Powerful sorcery and a thriving culture, much as Atlantis had. It however, from an inability to further colonize. The Lemurians had lost art of creating ships which could transport them east across the vast ocean, and could only visit the nearby Thurian continent. Unfortunately, the Thurian coast was already occupied. The Khari, ancient from Mayapan, had found a home on the eastern shores of the continent. Khari were an insular people and had little use for commerce. Thus, the ians were forced to travel slowly around the continental coast until they able to reach the Atlantean seas. Thurian Continent ‘The Thurian continent was the home of several different peoples. First and gost were the native kingdoms: Kamelia, Valusia, Verulia, Grondar, Thule di Commoria. These kingdoms shared a common heritage and language, and ‘probably arose from a single people. The Atlanteans had a colony on the shores of the Western Ocean; the Picts maintained asmall enclave. The entire region, however, was surrounded by lored jungles and wastelands, and just to the south brooded mankind’s nt enemies, the serpent people. _ Foremost of the leaders of these Thurian kingdoms was King Kull of lusia, with whom Conan was sometimes compared. King Kull drove the pent people back from their domination of the southern human kingdoms, and efforts of his armies (and those of his contemporaries) set much of the stage the later Hyborian Age. e Cataclysm Four millennia before the time of Conan, seismic upheavals sank Atlantis neath the Western Ocean, never to rise again. The Cataclysm was not as sudden as portrayed in later legends. There had een rumblings for centuries before the final great paroxysm, but as has always ‘beenthe way with man, these warnings were ignored. Some scholars believe that ‘0 one really knows what caused the Cataclysm. ‘The Cataclysm also threw up new mountains in western Thuria, devastating Bibliographical Entries (continued) HON — ““The Hand of Nerga!” (19) HOS — ‘Hawks Over Stem" 37) 406. — ‘dewels of Gwathur’’ (58) LIW — “The Lair ofthe Ice Worm” (28) LOD — ‘Legions of the Dead” (1) MOB — “Moon of Blood’ (61) PBC. — “The People ofthe Black Circle”” “The Pool ofthe Black One" (55) “The Reople of the Summit” 21) “The Phoenix an the Sword” (63) “Queen of the Black Coast” (31) “Rogues in the House” (15) “The Searlet Citadel” (66) RMZ — Red Moon of Zembsbwe!” (71) RNA — ‘Red Nails” (57) ROE — The Road of the Eagles" (42) SHD ~ ‘Shadows in the Dark” (39) SID — “The Snoutin the Dark’” 36) SIM — ‘Shadows in the Moonlight” (41) ‘SIS — “Shadows in the Skull” (72) SIZ — ‘Shadows in Zamboula" (45) ‘SOK — ‘The Siar of Khorala” (47) TG — “The Blaodetained God” 5) TK — ‘The Flame Kniie” (49) TIC — The Thing in the Crypt" (2) IG — ‘*The Wory Goddess" (59) TOR — ‘The Tower of the Elephaat” () ‘TRC — ‘The Return of Conan’” (68) WBB — “Wolves Beyond the Border (63) WSB — “A Witch Shall be Born” (48) The Hyborian Age