Conan's Morality

[Water Bob]

Conan is often portrayed as "good guy" in the comics and pastiches. Howard, to me, writes him more in the "grey', but not necessarily a "bad" guy.

What I'm curious about is how Conan copes during the times he's been the leader of a band of warriors--when he lead the Kozaki/Zuagir/Free Company/Red Brotherhood or even as the general of the host of some southern nation.

The kozaks, zuagir, and the Red Brotherhood, at least, were known for their maurading, pilliaging, and plundering. Isn't this type of activity synonymous with rape, theft, and murder? Weren't towns sacked and burned to the ground?

And Conan, as leader of these bands at different times in his life, condoned this activity, yes? He allowed his men to burn the houses of poor people? He allowed the murder of children? He allowed their mothers and sisters raped?

Or, are we to assume that the kozaks, zuagir, and Red Brotherhood (not to mention his Free Company and any army he's lead in his life) supported themselves in a "nice" way.

Thoughts?

 

[Wombat]

I always saw Conan's alignment, based on reading the stories, as "Opportunistic".

 

[Votan]

I see Conan as having the typical morality of a steppe culture warrior. War is just one of those things that is part of life == even if it is not pretty.

 

[dagger]

He is also not beyond assassinations (with reason) and thievery (especially piracy).

 

[Water Bob]

My point is that he's really an anti-hero, rather than how he is sometimes portrayed. As he ravaged the Black Coast with Belit and became known as Amra The Lion, his men were burning the houses of innocents, murdering children, raping women, and committing other despicable acts.

 

[David Howery]

OTOH, he also saved countless lives by slaughtering all kinds of supernatural boogeymen, treated women rather chivalrously, and was apparently a pretty good king, since it is mentioned how he stood up for the commoners in his realm, not letting them starve, and the like. So, not all good, not all bad... in D&D terms, a card carrying neutral...

 

[MichaelSomething]

"Unaligned" (which is basically a type of true neutral) could also apply. He's a just a guy who tries to get through life. He'll be nice when he can but is perfectly willing to do bad if that's what it takes.

 

[El Mahdi]

"What's good for Conan, is Good for Conan."

 

[Desdichado]

My point is that he's really an anti-hero, rather than how he is sometimes portrayed. As he ravaged the Black Coast with Belit and became known as Amra The Lion, his men were burning the houses of innocents, murdering children, raping women, and committing other despicable acts.

Yeah, well, actually we don't know that. Howard never wrote anything about raping women or murdering children, unless it was folks like the Picts or something, whom Conan despised. Howard's stories weren't meant to be realistic. While his men were often savage pirates, brigands and raiders--from time to time--Conan himself was always seen in opposition to that kind of behavior, and Howard certainly never said that it happened on his watch.

 

[S'mon]

Neutral, Unaligned in 4e, though he does lots of stuff that would be considered evil by most people.