Hey there everyone, long time no post
So basically over the last year and a half, I have been neck deep in co-writing Zweihander, a WFRP style retroclone that was successfully funded on Kickstarter a few months ago. If you backed it, I'd like to thank you and let you know we are very close to getting the final thing out of the door.
So onto the point of this post - I have recently gotten into the Conan stories by Robert E Howard and boy are they great. Not to mention the RPG soon being released by Modiphius and a new board game on the way, and its high time for some Hyborian action. After looking at it, I realized it would not be overly difficult to adapt the Hyborian setting to Zweihander. So below, I present to you just exactly how to do that!
I've drawn info from basically all the Conan games, from the Mongoose one to GURPS to the original TSR set. I'm no expert, but I think it would work well
Races
There are four races available to players while playing in the Hyborian setting. Humans are the default race, and the other three races should only be played with express permission from the GM, as many of them are not welcome in civilized lands.
Degenerate Humans - Proto-cavemen, near devolved humans. Use the Orx race
Satyrs - Humans with faun-like qualities, the product of ancient magic. Use the Grendel race
Serpent Men - The old masters of Hyboria, now nearly extinct. Use the Aztlan race
Culture
Humans have a cultural identity that is hyper important to them. Depending on the Human racil trait a character gets, they will be classified as part of a certain culture. The cultures are listed below
Himelian Tribesman (Kosala, Ghulistan, Meru, Uttaru Kuru) - Blessing in Disguise
Hyborian (Argos, Aquilonia, Barachan, Bossonian, Brythunia, Corinithia, Gunderland, Khauran, Koth, Hyperborea, Nemedia, Ophir, Tauran) - Grim Resolve
Hyrkanian or Turanian (Hyrkania, Turan) - Dauntless
Khitan (Khitai, Kambuja) - Esoteric Memory
Black Kingdom Tribesman (Aphaki, Black Kingdoms, Darfar, Ghanata, Keshan, Kush, Punt, Zembabwei) - Natural Selection
Northmen (Vanaheim, Asgard, Cimmera )- Mountain Amongst Men
Pict (Pictish Wilderness) - Noble Savage
Shemite (Shem, Pelishtim) - Fortune's Wheel
Stygian (Stygia) - Mixed Bloodline
Vendhyran (Vendhya) - Seventh Sense
Zamorian (Zamora) - Danger Sense
Zingaran (Zingara) - Manifest Destiny
Divine and Arcane Magick
Divine magick is easy to do, replaced by a Hyborian god or pantheon of gods. Arcane magick is instead replaced with a sorcerer's circle, a group of like minded arcanists
Divine
Animal Gods (Gullah, Hanuman, Jhebbal Sag, Jhil) - Demiurge
Asura (Ibis) - Learner
Crom (Bori, Badb, Lir, Macha, Mannanan Mac Lir, Morrigan, Nemain) - Winter King
Erlik (Tarim) - Steward
Khitai Pantheon (Yogah, Yun) - Custodian
Mitra - God-Emperor
Shemite Pantheon (Adonis, Anu, Ashtoreth, Bel, Ishtar) - Martyr
Stygian Pantheon (Set, Derketo, Harakht) - Crouching One
Zamora Pantheon (Zath) - Nightfather
Ymir (Atali) - Leviathan
Arcane
Acheron Remnants - Pyromancy
Bearer of the Book of Skelos - Necromancy
Black Ring of Stygia - Sorcery
Black Seers of Yimsha - Shadowmancy
Kushite Witch-Finder - Luminescence
Pictish Shaman - Animism
Scarlet Circle of Khitai - Astromancy
Serpent Magic - Transmutation
White Hand of Hyperborea - Morticism
Wise-Woman or Cunning-Man - Elementalism
Modifications
There are a few points of contention you must change about Zweihander to best work in Hyboria
- Gunpowder has not been discovered (or used to its full potential), so firearms don't exist
- 100 RP must be spent to become literate in a language. Languages include: Aquilonian, Argossian, Brythunian, Cimmerian, Corinthian, Darfari, Hyperborean, Hyrkanian, Iranistani, Keshani, Kothic, Kushite, Nemedian, Nordheimer, Ophirean, Pictish, Punt, Shemitish, Stygian, Turanian, Zamorian, Zembabwein and Zingaran. Regional languages also exist, and ancient languages include Acheronian, Ancient Stygian, Atlantean, Ligurean, Lemurian and Valusian
And that's basically it. There are other little bits and pieces, but this should get you up and running to run adventures in the shadowed lands of Hyboria!
