The Dark Horse Conan Sourcebook

[Raven Blackwell]

Know O Prince, that between the years when the ocean drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities, and the years of the rise of the son of Aryans, there was an age undreamed of when shining kingdoms lay spread across the world like blue mantles beneath the stars- Nemedia, Ophir, Brythunia, Hyperborea, Zamora with its dark haired women and towers of spider-haunted mystery, Zingara with it chivalry, Koth that bordered on the pastoral lands of Shem, Stygia withy its shadow-guarded tombs, Hyrkania whose riders wore steel and silk and gold. But the proudest kingdom in the world was Aquilonia, reigning supreme in the dreaming west. Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melacholies and gigantic mirth, to trad the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet.

-Robert Howard, The Phoenix on the Sword, 1932

No, it's not a new product put out by Mongoose, just soemthing I am doing in my not-so-copious spare time. As some of you know, Dark Horse is making a new adaptation of Conan- one which will track his life from birth to the final days of his kingship of Aquilonia. This work- whose creators have determined will take thirty years to complete in a monthly comic- will include every REH story published, but ignores all non-Howard material. A fresh start to a an overburdened mythology if you askme.

One of the joys of this is to watch Conan mature from a mere child to the powerful warlord he will become. I have decided that it might be fun to try and measure Conan’s progression using Vincent D’s game statistics in The Road of Kings as a guideline- plus if I have time I’ll throw in game stats of the other notable characters in the story.

 

[Raven Blackwell]

From Volume 1- The Frost Giant’s Daughter

“So, you make war on women and children and call it blood-feud, do you? Then come forward northmen, for in my land men settle their quarrels like men!”

-Conan, Conan #1 [Dark Horse monthly series]

Conan the Barbarian
[as of Issue #1]

Male Cimmerian Level 2 Barbarian
Hit Dice: 2d10+6 [20 hit points]
Initiative: +7 [+4 Dex; +3 Reflex]
Speed: 30 feet [in Leather Armor or Unarmored]; 25 feet [In Scale Corselet or Breastplate]
Defense Value: Dodge 15; Parry 13 [+4 with shield]
Damage Reduction: None or 5 [Leather Jerkin and Steel Cap] or 6 [Scale Corselet and Steel cap] or 7 [Breastplate and Steel Cap]
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+5
Attack: Broadsword +5 melee [1d10+4 (1); 19-20 x2 critical; 7 AP(1)] or Shortsword +6 melee finesse [1d8+3; 19-20 x2 critical; 5 AP] or Unarmed +6 melee finesse [1d6+3; x2 critical; 0 AP]
Special Attacks: Crimson Mist; Versatility
Special Qualities: Barbaric Code of Honour; Bite Sword
Saves: Fort +6; Ref +7; Will +6 (2)
Abilities: Str 17; Dex 18; Con 17; Int 16; Wis 15; Cha 17
Skills: Balance +6; Climb +10; Craft [blacksmith] +5; Hide +8 (3); Intimidate +4; Jump +8; Listen +7 (3); Move Silently +8 (3); Spot +7 (3); Survival +7 (3); Swim +7
Feats: Brawl; Fighting Madness; Track
Equipment: Leather Jerkin, Scale Corselet or Breastplate, Steel Cap; Broadsword and Dagger or Shortsword and Shield or unarmed

Reputation: Brave [Cimmeria- 5] (4)

(1) At this time in his career Conan prefers to use the Broadsword two handed rather than utilize a shield, thus increasing his damage bonus and AP by 1. He rarely uses his Dagger as a weapon, preferring to utilize it as an eating tool instead.
(2) Conan gains an additional +2 versus Fear and Terror checks and +3 against Corruption tests.
(3) As a Cimmerian Conan gains a +2 bonus to these skill checks in Cold or Temperate Hill and Mountain Terrain
(4) Since Reputation is based on geographic proximity to the place where the Reputation was gained, my version of notation includes the area involved. This level of Reputation represents the glory won by Conan at the battle of Venarium- making Conan a well liked youth by his people but completely unknown to almost everyone outside of his land of birth- save for a few scarred Aquilonian veterans of course. 8)

At the age of sixteen young Conan, already a blooded warrior at the battle of Venarium, left his native hills and entered the lands of the Aesir seeking the legendary lands of Hyperborea. Prompted by tales of his uncle about this mythical near paradise he instead first stumbled into an ongoing blood feud between a tribe of Aesir and raiding Vanir. At helpign rout the red-haired and red-handed Vanir, Cona fell in with the Aesir led by the chieftain Niord and in their company helped hunt down and capture the band of Vanir- but not before nearly falling to the lethal charms of the demigoddess Atali. [The Frost Giant’s Daughter] Betrayed by two of Niord’s men to the Hyperborean wizard-lords, Conan, Aesir and Vanir alike were captured by the wizard lord’s foul creations- the Gurnakhi. The city of the wizard-lords in Hyperborea turned out to be a far different land than his uncle’s tales of paradise........

 

[VincentDarlage]

I have decided that it might be fun to try and measure Conan’s progression using Vincent D’s game statistics in The Road of Kings as a guideline- plus if I have time I’ll throw in game stats of the other notable characters in the story.

Actually, Ian Sturrock did Conan's stats in ROK. My version of him appears in Aquilonia: Flower of the West.

 

[René]

This work- whose creators have determined will take thirty years to complete in a monthly comic

Do I get this right? The series will be completed in the 2030s?

:shock: :shock: :shock:

 

[Vincent791]

Great idea Raven! The Dark Horse run on Conan is awesome! The art is breathtaking and it really has the Howard feel.

Just a comment, the stories are based on the wirtes of Howard, but they're using the Howartd stories to make the comic adaptation and also making new material, they're introducing new characters like Janissa, a brave warrior working for a witch that it's interested in Conan. But they always link a work of Howard with a new material.

I'm very pleased with this comic.

 

[slaughterj]

but ignores all non-Howard material.

It might do that, but it does include its own new material.

 

[urdinaran]

Yeah, I don't think it's pure REH. I like all the issues except the ones about when he's a kid, gawd-awful artwork.

 

[Raven Blackwell]

This work- whose creators have determined will take thirty years to complete in a monthly comic

Do I get this right? The series will be completed in the 2030s?

According to the editor, yes. It is virtually a real time run of Conan's life from 15 to 45 with flashbacks to his youth. He says the entire creative team has committed to this and since Conan remains at the top of Dark Horse's most popular titles it will go on for the foreseeable future.

 

[Raven Blackwell]

Just a comment, the stories are based on the wirtes of Howard, but they're using the Howartd stories to make the comic adaptation and also making new material, they're introducing new characters like Janissa, a brave warrior working for a witch that it's interested in Conan.

Oh you'll just have to wait until Vol. 2 for her to appear here- but she'll be worth it. 8)

 

[René]

This work- whose creators have determined will take thirty years to complete in a monthly comic

Do I get this right? The series will be completed in the 2030s?

According to the editor, yes. It is virtually a real time run of Conan's life from 15 to 45 with flashbacks to his youth. He says the entire creative team has committed to this and since Conan remains at the top of Dark Horse's most popular titles it will go on for the foreseeable future.

This is real awesome, if they do it until the end. I always thought the socialist 5 year-plans were long runs...

 

[Neeklus]

Any chance you can link me to this announcement by Dark Horse? I'm almost positive that I've read some Conan comics that weren't by REH.

 

[Raven Blackwell]

Any chance you can link me to this announcement by Dark Horse? I'm almost positive that I've read some Conan comics that weren't by REH.

I misspoke myself- to be accurate what I should have said was that they weren't using any other pastiche material that has been written before, but were filling in the gaps between the Howard stories with their own pastiche material which has a different flavour than previous Conan stores. I like it better- most pastiche authors couldn't match the weird feel of Howard's Hyboria, but this creative team can- in my opinion. Other people's will no doubt vary.

As for the announcements they were done in the old fashioned way- in the comic's letterpage. Yup- they have a letter page in these Net-savvy days, usually at least two pages and include 'The Adventures of Two-Gun Bob' a comic adaptation of certain points of Howard's life. Very insighful of the man.

 

[Vincent791]

I didn't knew about the whole picture of the creative team of this project. I'm an avid comic reader and this is one of my favorite comics ever, I was so worried cause I didn't knew if they could equal the run from Marvel, well, I bought it with lot of doubts, and lucky me, it's just as good if not better!

The art of Nord (penciller) is impressive, the first hardcover reminds me the art of Frazetta, and that's really something. Worth a buy!

 

[Raven Blackwell]

Plus in DH Conan #1 young Conan hacks a bunch of Vanir would be rapists and woman killers to pieces. That got my vote right off. 8)

 

[Raven Blackwell]

Edit: Thanks to Vincent D for remembering that Conan grew up a blacksmith's son. His statistics for Conan the King in Aquilonia: Flower of the West reflected with two ranks in Craft [blacksmith]. Ian's statistics for Conan the Thief in Road of Kings- the one I was using as reference- do not. The change has been made to Conan's stats above.

 

[Etepete]

:SPOILER:

Now, I've read both of these, and the second was a big letdown. I can live with the whole sorcerous-city-of-Hyperborea thing in the first album, it was actually really original.
The whole Janissa thing in the second was a huge letdown though. A wearisomely drab and unispiring femme fatale story, with a dreadful hentai-ish cast to it. I'm no big fan of deamonic rape-scenes, especially if it's only thrown in for effect, utterly unrelated to the storyline. I can respect a wish to stay true to the patriarchalic and sexist ways of REH, but actually outdoing him is quite unnecessairy.

But the son of set was a true delight, and I think that the artwork as a whole is quite good, especially in the second one, which kind of sobers up a bit.. I loved the whole son of aryas metastory, but that voodo beldame of Zingara made the thing a bit too macbethian. The point of Conan is that he does what he does with his own two hands, now he's portrayed as some "Destined Hero"

 

[Raven Blackwell]

:SPOILER:

Now, I've read both of these, and the second was a big letdown. I can live with the whole sorcerous-city-of-Hyperborea thing in the first album, it was actually really original.
The whole Janissa thing in the second was a huge letdown though. A wearisomely drab and unispiring femme fatale story, with a dreadful hentai-ish cast to it. I'm no big fan of deamonic rape-scenes, especially if it's only thrown in for effect, utterly unrelated to the storyline. I can respect a wish to stay true to the patriarchalic and sexist ways of REH, but actually outdoing him is quite unnecessairy.

I used to whine about this too, but I've really stopped caring. Along with murder, theft, deceit mankind rapes as well. Trying to clean it out of fiction is pointless- we should kill the RL rapists and display their severed heads in public to provide a visual reminder that might make a few would be rapists think twice.

Besides Janissa reminds me of a close friend. 8)

But the son of set was a true delight, and I think that the artwork as a whole is quite good, especially in the second one, which kind of sobers up a bit.. I loved the whole son of aryas metastory, but that voodo beldame of Zingara made the thing a bit too macbethian. The point of Conan is that he does what he does with his own two hands, now he's portrayed as some "Destined Hero"

I think his 'destiny' is merely referring to the fact Conan has the Will/determination to make a destiny of his own choosing. The Bone Woman just wants to use his power for her own purposes.

 

[Etepete]

I used to whine about this too, but I've really stopped caring. Along with murder, theft, deceit mankind rapes as well. Trying to clean it out of fiction is pointless- we should kill the RL rapists and display their severed heads in public to provide a visual reminder that might make a few would be rapists think twice.

It's not really the rape thing, it's the monster-sex thing i think is ...superflous. You now, there's no _reason_ to have it in there, just low and base effect.

I'm not getting into a what-to-do-with-rapists discussion, but obviously you shouldn't put their heads on pikes.... that'd _kill_ them. Mummy always told me you shouldn't kill people.

I think his 'destiny' is merely referring to the fact Conan has the Will/determination to make a destiny of his own choosing. The Bone Woman just wants to use his power for her own purposes.

Yea, and it's put in those terms as I recall... I just don't buy it's not your regular voodoo beldame sein' the fortune cliché at heart. Subjective, i s'pose.

 

[Vincent791]

Although not as good as the first one I really liked the second volume of this run, very! Can't wait for the third HC.

 

[Raven Blackwell]

It's not really the rape thing, it's the monster-sex thing i think is ...superflous. You now, there's no _reason_ to have it in there, just low and base effect.

I don't know- the creative team manages to remove the seamy undertones REH used to put in his rape scenes, making it as sorid, horrible and unattractive as rape really is. The cliched REHh-eque way to do it would be to make it seem Janissa might be enjoying it in some way. The way it is done, I don't think anyone can get that conclusion, thus painting rape as the horror it is. I mean would it be less horrible if the Bone Woman had human tormentors instead of demonic ones?

I'm not getting into a what-to-do-with-rapists discussion, but obviously you shouldn't put their heads on pikes.... that'd _kill_ them. Mummy always told me you shouldn't kill people.

Let me tell you an RL story. In the Phillippines there were two bases side by side. One was American, the other local. The American base had chain link fence, razor wire, search lights, regular patrols, computerized lock secured doors, the works yet theft was so common there that their Supply depatment referred to their warehouses as 'hemmoraging'[sp?]. The Phillippine base has a simple barbed wire fence only but displayed over the front gate were the severed heads of all the people caught trying to steal from it. The base's goods were never even touched.

The moral of the story- visual reminders work well. 8)

I think his 'destiny' is merely referring to the fact Conan has the Will/determination to make a destiny of his own choosing. The Bone Woman just wants to use his power for her own purposes.

Yea, and it's put in those terms as I recall... I just don't buy it's not your regular voodoo beldame sein' the fortune cliché at heart. Subjective, i s'pose.

All conjurers make themselves out to be more omniscient than they are. The Bone Woman sees in Conan a person who'd be an asset to her plans- whatever they are- and will play up anything she might say to convince him to work for her. All the 'Destiny' stuff is just standard mindf***- telling her mark what she thinks he wants to hear.