Conan the Barbarian seems the perfect inspiration for a Dungeons & Dragons character, and he's only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to using pop culture characters as architypes for D&D classes. Whether players want their D&D Ranger to to be as rugged and brave as Lord of the Rings' Aragorn, or as knowledgeable and resourceful as Tomb Raider's Lara Croft, the right combination of stats can give players a character that fits these architypes in any game of Dungeons & Dragons. But when it comes to trying to recreate a popular character themselves within D&D, the process becomes a little more difficult.
In general, players can work with their party and Dungeon Master (DM) to make sure the character they're creating and playing will fit into the particular niche their game of D&D is aiming for. Since the purpose of any tabletop RPG is to create an exciting narrative adventure together as a group, the sky's the limit. The DM might want to consider what kind of optional rules they want to incorporate, and players should be aware of what makes them a good D&D party member, but as long as everyone is happy, creating interesting and specific characters is part of the fun.
When it comes to making Conan the Barbarian in D&D players need to examine what kind of source material they are drawing from. In general, there are three main avenues through which players can find info on the most famous Cimmerian. Conan has appeared in books, film, and even comics, including his latest foray as the X-Men's last chance, and while each present the mighty warrior in a unique way, this piece will follow along with the short stories of Robert E. Howard. Since there are so many representations of Conan, how does Howard's original stand out?
What D&D Class is Conan the Barbarian?
While it might be tempting to rush to the barbarian class, it is worth examining how Conan's lived experience, according to Howard, differs from the barbarians of D&D. Barbarians in D&D primarily rely on their rage for their power. This makes them excellent berserkers and fighters, but misses out on the subtly of Conan's life as a thief and pirate. While Conan often carries mighty weapons, he is just as apt to use any of D&D's most powerful low carry weight weapons, especially if Conan is living his roguish days.
Therefore the Rogue class in D&D actually offers a more comparable set of skills to those Conan uses in Howard's stories. Rogues start level one with Sneak Attack and Thieves' Cant. With movement like that of a panther, a history of piracy and thievery, the climbing skills necessary to infiltrate tall towers and deep dungeons, and other amazing things Conan the Barbarian does in the stories, Conan definitely needs Sneak Attack. Similarly, years as a thief and pirate justify Thieves' Cant and give Conan the Cunning Action he will receive at level 2. At level 3 Conan can gain the Thief Archetype, which fills in most of the gaps. As long as the player doesn't ignore Conan's strength and height, and plays him as an intellectual, and not one of D&D's reviled Murder Hobos, the greatest Cimmerian is ready for the tabletop.
If players do want to bring in the barbarian side of Conan, it is entirely possible. Conan's barbarism comes literally from his youth in the wilds of Cimmeria, though he spent most of his young adult life wandering Hyboria. To reflect the keen senses Conan possesses, multi-classing with a Barbarian to a certain point might provide the right combination. At level 1, gaining Rage can help simulate Conan's prowess, but it is really Danger Sense at Level 2 that fits Conan's nature.
Of course, the real thing to consider here is that Dungeons & Dragons allows for any kind of character that a player can conceivably work out on the table, especially if the group is alright with using D&D homebrew rulebooks to expand possible choices. All a good group really needs is the will to make a session of D&D fun, and anything is possible.