Class changes
for a Hyborian Age d20 Campaign

General Changes for All Classes:

Literacy
All characters begin illiterate, just like the Barbarian in standard D&D.  They must buy the ability to read languages just like the Barbarian, separate from just being able to speak those languages.  The only characters who are not illiterate are those of the Aristocrat NPC class.

Barbarian: No changes necessary in a Hyborian Age campaign. Examples include Conan himself.  Appropriate kingdoms: Cimmeria, Æsgard, Vanaheim, the Turanian Steppes, Himelian Mountains (Afghulistan), Kush, Zembabwe, and the Black Kingdoms, as well as the Pictish Wilderness.

Bard: Inappropriate for Hyborian Age adventuring. Sure, there are singers, poets, and tale-tellers in the Hyborian kingdoms, but these are Experts (per DMG), with ranks in Perform and Knowledge and do not cast spells.  Perhaps acceptable if spell casting bards not allowed, otherwise spellcasting follows the same rules for Hyborian Age Magic or Call of Cthulhu rules.  I would recommend reading "The Music of Erich Zann" by H.P. Lovecraft to get a feel for how a Hyborian Age bard would probably work (Howard had a very Lovecraftian sense of how magic worked).

Cleric: Inappropriate for Hyborian Age adventuring. Spellcasting priests in Conan's world were actually wizards.  I cannot find an example of a true cleric in the Canonical Texts.  That doesn't mean there aren't any, but if you want to maintain the feel of Howard's milieu, I would leave the clerics out of the game.

Druid: Very rare, but acceptable.  The Canon has an example or two, including Zelata the Witch.  Any kingdom is appropriate, but are not likely to be found near large populations of people.  The use of magic is nearly universally condemned in the Hyborian Lands and druids are likely to be hunted and killed as witches.  The non-Hyborian kingdoms are more tolerant, however.

Fighter: No changes necessary in a Hyborian Age campaign.  This is the most common PC class for a Hyborian Age campaign.

Monk: No changes necessary in a Hyborian Age campaign. Most monks will come from the Eastern kingdoms such as Khitai.  Many of the wizardly orders practice martial combats (indeed, some might easily argue that Khemsa has a level or two of monk).  The Conan of Marvel Comics often ran into monks, so it is easy to imagine these characters in a Hyborian Age campaign.

Paladin: Inappropriate to a Hyborian Age campaign.  Paladin was just another word for knight in Conan's world.  The spell casting ability and spell like powers of the D&D paladin render this class inappropriate to the setting.

Ranger: No changes necessary in a Hyborian Age campaign, but some are recommended. Although there are no instances of a ranger in Howard's saga, I can certainly see a ranger class in the world, especially around the Pictish frontier and in the black kingdoms.  The spell casting powers are not quite Howard, and I would recommend removing that class ability and giving a bonus feat every 5 levels instead, but since the spells are more or less druidic in nature, that change is not necessary - just a matter of taste.

Rogue: No changes necessary in a Hyborian Age campaign.  This would also be a common PC class in the Hyborian Age.  Examples include Shevatas the Thief from "Black Colossus".  There are rogues in every major kingdom of the age as civilization tends to breed rogues.

Sorcerer: Extensive changes necessary in a Hyborian Age campaign.  See Hyborian Age magic for more details.  This is NOT recommended for Player Characters.  See below for an effective substitute.  I very much recommend using the Call of Cthulhu magic system for this sort of campaign.

Wizard: Extensive changes necessary in a Hyborian Age campaign.  See Hyborian Age magic for more details.  This class is NOT recommended for Player Characters.  Examples include Xaltotun, Khemsa, The Master of the Black Circle.  See below for an effective substitute. I very much recommend using the Call of Cthulhu magic system for this sort of campaign.


NPC Classes: All the NPC classes (other than the Adept) found in the Dungeon Master's Guide are acceptable and no changes are necessary to fit them into a Hyborian Age campaign.  The Adept class is forbidden.

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