Table Of Contents I. Introduction p.2 II. A Map Of Hyboria p.6 III. Backgrounds p.7 IV. Roles p.11 V. Skills p.14 VI. Feats p.15 VII. Other Features p.18 VIII. Equipment p.20 IX. Sorcery <strong>an</strong>d Supernatural p.22 X. Bestiary p.28 XI. Licences p.30 1
Let's start with the definitions <strong>of</strong> “Sword-<strong>an</strong>d-sorcery” <strong>an</strong>d “low-f<strong>an</strong>tasy”. Sword <strong>an</strong>d Sorcery Sword <strong>an</strong>d Sorcery (S&S) is a f<strong>an</strong>tasy subgenre generally characterized by swashbuckling heroes engaged in exciting <strong>an</strong>d violent conflicts. An element <strong>of</strong> rom<strong>an</strong>ce is <strong>of</strong>ten present, as is <strong>an</strong> element <strong>of</strong> the supernatural. Unlike works <strong>of</strong> High F<strong>an</strong>tasy, the tales, though dramatic, focus mainly on personal battles rather th<strong>an</strong> world-end<strong>an</strong>gering matters. The subgenre has old roots. Ultimately—like much f<strong>an</strong>tasy—it draws from mythology <strong>an</strong>d Classical epics such as Homer's Odyssey <strong>an</strong>d the Norse sagas, but its immediate progenitors are the swashbuckling tales <strong>of</strong> Alex<strong>an</strong>dre Dumas, père (The Three Musketeers (1844), etc.) <strong>an</strong>d Rafael Sabatini (Scaramouche (1921), etc.) — although these all lack the supernatural element — <strong>an</strong>d early f<strong>an</strong>tasy fiction such as Lord Duns<strong>an</strong>y's The Fortress Unv<strong>an</strong>quishable Save for Sacnoth (1910). In addition, m<strong>an</strong>y early S&S writers, such as Robert E. Howard <strong>an</strong>d Clark Ashton Smith, were heavily influenced by the Middle Eastern tales <strong>of</strong> the Arabi<strong>an</strong> Nights, whose stories <strong>of</strong> magical monsters <strong>an</strong>d evil sorcerers were a major influence on the genre to be. But S&S proper only truly beg<strong>an</strong> in the pulp f<strong>an</strong>tasy magazines, most notably Weird Tales. The term was first coined in 1961 when the British author Michael Moorcock published a letter in the f<strong>an</strong>zine Amra, dem<strong>an</strong>ding a name for the sort <strong>of</strong> f<strong>an</strong>tasy-adventure story written by Robert E. Howard, He had initially proposed the term "epic f<strong>an</strong>tasy". However, the celebrated Americ<strong>an</strong> S&S author Fritz Leiber replied in the journal Ancalagon (6 April 1961) suggesting "sword-<strong>an</strong>d-sorcery as a good popular catchphrase for the field". He exp<strong>an</strong>ded on this in the July 1961 issue <strong>of</strong> Amra, commenting: I feel more certain th<strong>an</strong> ever that this field should be called the sword-<strong>an</strong>d-sorcery story. This accurately describes the points <strong>of</strong> culture-level <strong>an</strong>d supernatural element <strong>an</strong>d also immediately distinguishes it from the cloak-<strong>an</strong>d-sword (historical adventure) story—<strong>an</strong>d (quite incidentally) from the cloak-<strong>an</strong>d-dagger (international espionage) story too! (Fritz Leiber, Amra, July 1961) Low f<strong>an</strong>tasy Low f<strong>an</strong>tasy is a term not devised to describe a specific subgenre but to contrast specific works with high f<strong>an</strong>tasy. It has been repeatedly coined to point out contrasts, <strong>an</strong>d its me<strong>an</strong>ing when coined has depended on what aspect the person wishes to contrast. This, naturally, led to m<strong>an</strong>y me<strong>an</strong>ings, none <strong>of</strong> which have dominated the others. It is <strong>an</strong> umbrella term, describing various works within different sub-genres <strong>of</strong> f<strong>an</strong>tasy. It is almost always placed in <strong>an</strong> <strong>an</strong>tagonistic relationship with the better-defined high f<strong>an</strong>tasy genre, though as a work may contain one contrast with high f<strong>an</strong>tasy <strong>an</strong>d m<strong>an</strong>y common points; such <strong>an</strong>tagonism centers on the traits the writer has decided to concentrate on. Some <strong>of</strong> the me<strong>an</strong>ings used are: Introduction What is the <strong>Hybori<strong>an</strong></strong> Age? What were the heroic deeds <strong>of</strong> Con<strong>an</strong>, the rude barbari<strong>an</strong>, the great warrior, destined to wear the jeweled crown <strong>of</strong> Aquilonia upon his troubled brow? The <strong>an</strong>swers to these questions are in Robert E. Howard's books. These stories, that nowadays still fascinate a huge number <strong>of</strong> readers from all countries in the world, c<strong>an</strong> be considered the foundation <strong>of</strong> the “Swords <strong>an</strong>d Sorcery” genre. Who's familiar with Con<strong>an</strong>'s adventures already knows what this mighty world looks like, but the newbies should take a look to these little articles taken from Con<strong>an</strong> Wiki (con<strong>an</strong>.wikia.com) <strong>an</strong>d Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.com) to enjoy the game. 2 • Comic f<strong>an</strong>tasy. • F<strong>an</strong>tasy literature that has a relatively low amount <strong>of</strong> magic <strong>an</strong>d the supernatural. • F<strong>an</strong>tasy with a large degree <strong>of</strong> gritty realism about conditions <strong>of</strong> life in a medieval society, dirt, disease, power, or money. George R. R. Martin's A Song <strong>of</strong> Ice <strong>an</strong>d Fire cycle is, by this criterion, low f<strong>an</strong>tasy, though having m<strong>an</strong>y high f<strong>an</strong>tasy traits. • F<strong>an</strong>tasy set in the real world with f<strong>an</strong>tastic elements, like magic <strong>an</strong>d monsters: contemporary f<strong>an</strong>tasy or historical f<strong>an</strong>tasy. • F<strong>an</strong>tasy using a non-epic world view, as, for inst<strong>an</strong>ce, not including <strong>an</strong> absolute evil. • Dark f<strong>an</strong>tasy. • F<strong>an</strong>tasy where the protagonists are ordinary people, heroic only in character if at all (usually also <strong>an</strong> aspect <strong>of</strong> dark f<strong>an</strong>tasy). • F<strong>an</strong>tasy concerned with everyday life, as opposed to world-shaking quests. • F<strong>an</strong>tasy written in a plain-spoken as opposed to <strong>an</strong> elevated style. (The diminishing stylistic influence <strong>of</strong> J.R.R. Tolkien <strong>an</strong>d Lord Duns<strong>an</strong>y has made this definition less useful, as high f<strong>an</strong>tasy is decreasingly marked out stylistically.) • Sword <strong>an</strong>d sorcery, which c<strong>an</strong> be low f<strong>an</strong>tasy by several <strong>of</strong> the above definitions. The <strong>Hybori<strong>an</strong></strong> Age The Con<strong>an</strong> stories take place on Earth, but in the mythical (created by Howard) <strong>Hybori<strong>an</strong></strong> Age, between the time <strong>of</strong> the sinking <strong>of</strong> Atl<strong>an</strong>tis <strong>an</strong>d the rise <strong>of</strong> the known <strong>an</strong>cient civilizations. According to Howard himself (in "The Phoenix on the Sword"): "...between the years when the oce<strong>an</strong>s dr<strong>an</strong>k Atl<strong>an</strong>tis <strong>an</strong>d the gleaming cities, <strong>an</strong>d the years <strong>of</strong> the rise <strong>of</strong> the Sons <strong>of</strong> Aryas..." Howard devised the <strong>Hybori<strong>an</strong></strong> Age to fit in with his previous <strong>an</strong>d less-well-known tales <strong>of</strong> Kull, which were set at the time <strong>of</strong> Atl<strong>an</strong>tis. The name "<strong>Hybori<strong>an</strong></strong>" is a contraction <strong>of</strong> the Greek concept <strong>of</strong> the l<strong>an</strong>d <strong>of</strong> "Hyperborea", literally "Super- North-L<strong>an</strong>d". This was a mythical place far to the north that was not cold <strong>an</strong>d where things did not age. Howard's <strong>Hybori<strong>an</strong></strong> age, described in detail in his essay "The <strong>Hybori<strong>an</strong></strong> Age", is a mythical time before <strong>an</strong>y civilization known to <strong>an</strong>thropologists. Its setting is Europe <strong>an</strong>d North Africa – with some curious geological ch<strong>an</strong>ges that were thought up prior to the ascend<strong>an</strong>cy <strong>of</strong> the geologic theory <strong>of</strong> plate tectonics, though somewhat similar to what geologists theorize. They consider that during the Ice Age, Europe was quite different. The Mediterr<strong>an</strong>e<strong>an</strong> Sea formerly dried out intermittently, alternating with floods over the Straits <strong>of</strong> Gibraltar. Once there was a l<strong>an</strong>d-bridge across the English Ch<strong>an</strong>nel between Engl<strong>an</strong>d <strong>an</strong>d the Low Countries (but not across the Irish Sea) such that the Thames once flowed into a northern extension <strong>of</strong> the Rhine. And both the Baltic Sea <strong>an</strong>d the Black Sea were once fresh-water lakes, the former (renamed the Ancylus Sea, after a fresh-water clam) covering much <strong>of</strong> the eastern half <strong>of</strong> what is now Sweden. On a map Howard drew detailing it, his vision <strong>of</strong> the
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