ROBERT E HOWARD CHARACTERS

BÊLIT

Val	CHA	Cost	Roll	Notes
9	STR	-1	11-	Lift 87.1 kg; 1 1/2d6 HTH Damage [2]
16	DEX	18	12-	OCV:  5/DCV:  5
11	CON	2	11-
10	BODY	0	11-
18	INT	8	13-	PER Roll 13-
18	EGO	16	13-	ECV:  6
20	PRE	10	13-	PRE Attack:  4d6
24	COM	9	14-

3	PD	1		Total:  3 PD (0 rPD)
3	ED	1		Total:  3 ED (0 rED)
3	SPD	4		Phases:  4, 8, 12
4	REC	0
22	END	0
21	STUN	0		Total Characteristics Cost:  64

Movement:	Running:	6"/12"
		Leaping:	1"/2"
		Swimming:	3"/6"

Cost	Powers & Skills
5	Unafraid Of Death:  +10 PRE; Only To Protect Against Presence Attacks (-1)
1	Sailor:  Swimming +1" (3" total)	1

	Perks
45	Belit's Pirates:  Followers:  128 50-base Point warriors (each has the Sea Raider variant of 
	the Barbarian Package on page 67 of Fantasy Hero)
9	Reputation:  "Queen Of The Black Coast" (the Black Coast) 14-, +3/+3d6
0	Tigress:  Vehicle

	Talents
14	Fearless

	Skills
3	AK: The Black Coast 13-
0	AK: Shem 8-
3	Climbing 12-
2	KS: Myths And Legends Of The Black Coast 11-
0	Language:  Shemitish (idiomatic; literate)
2	Navigation (Marine) 13-
4	PS: Dancing 13-
2	PS: Sailor 11-
3	Seduction 13-
3	Tactics 13-
4	TF:  Large Rowed Boats, Large Wind-Powered Boats, Small Rowed Boats, Small Wind-Powered Boats
2	WF:  Blades, Bows

Total Powers & Skill Cost:  102
Total Cost:  170

75+	Disadvantages
15	Distinctive Features:  Extremely Beautiful (Easily Concealed; Extreme 	Reaction [lust]; 
	Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)
0	Normal Characteristic Maxima
20	Psychological Limitation:  "My Love [for Conan] Is Stronger Than Death" (Common, Total)
15	Psychological Limitation:  Lusts For Wealth (Common, Strong)
15	Psychological Limitation:  Overconfidence (Common, Strong)
20	Reputation:  "Queen Of The Black Coast", 14- (Extreme)
10	Experience
170	Total Disadvantage Points

Background/History: Described as a "daughter of Shem," the exact origins of Bêlit are unknown. At best guess she is a noble's daughter, who for reasons unknown took to the seas and became a pirate. Captain of the galley Tigress, she haunts the Black Coast, far to the south of Hyborian lands, preying on shipping and coastal villages alike. Her crew worships her as nigh on to a goddess, while her victims consider her a devil incarnate.

Personality/Motivation: The overwhelming impression one gets of Bêlit is a woman driven by strong passions—greed most among them. She desires wealth and riches, and doesn't care who she has to trample to get them. In addition, she comes across as utterly fearless, walking up to a battle-enraged Conan with scarce a second thought, leading her warriors down the deadly river Zarkheba in search of a rumored lost city, sending four of her crew to die simply to see a crypt opened, and dismissing the threat of the winged ape with a wave of her hand. However, there is one emotion that overrides all of this—an unquenchable love for Conan. Her quote "my love is stronger than any death" is followed by an oath to "come back from the abyss to aid you." She will do most anything for him, up to and including coming back from the dead, if just for a moment, to save him in his time of need.

Quote: "I am Bêlit, queen of the black coast. I am queen by fire and steel and slaughter...."

Powers/Tactics: Bêlit commands the pirate galley Tigress manned by (roughly) 120 men (80 of whom work the oars). These men virtually worship her and will obey her every command. To them, she is an ivory-skinned goddess who brings them battle, blood, and wealth in abudance.

Although a woman driven by greed, Bêlit is no idiot. She has plundered the Black Coast for some time, and even after the arrival of Conan, she remained the brains behind any plan (possibly due to Conan's relative youth, or the fact he didn't feel the need to usurp her command). As the story says, "Hers was the mind that directed their raids...." This, plus her relative fearlessness, is the reason behind her high INT, EGO, and PRE, as well as her Tactics skill. She is described as carrying a dagger, but it is never said if she actually does any fighting of her own when the Tigress takes a prize (I doubt it). Other skills were taken from the Mariner Package found in Fantasy Hero.

Appearance: At best guess, Bêlit stands somewhere between 5'5" and 5'10". She is described as "supple and dangerous," as well as "lithe," "voluptuous," "slender," and "formed like a goddess" (hence her high COM score). Her hair is a rich black, her eyes dark, and her only garment is a silken girdle (one presumes this describes a form of loincloth as opposed to just a belt), which exposes her body to good effect (of course, if that is all she wears, then realistically she would go from being an ivory-skinned goddess to a bronze-skinned one fairly quickly...).

Designer's Notes: I developed this character sheet from the version of Queen of the Black Coast presented in The Coming Of Conan The Cimmerian from Del Ray books. Much of her origins are based on conjecture, as are her stats. I've tried to explain/justify my decisions in the flavor text. Anyone desiring a more powerful version of Bêlit should consider upping her STR, DEX, CON, and defenses. Add in some HTH Combat Levels, and increase her WF to Common Melee Weapons. If she fights nearly naked, some levels of Combat Luck would also work well.

A note to anyone who thinks about presenting Bêlit as a possible love interest for a fantasy PC. Careful reading of Queen reveals an subtle undertone of sadism in the relationship between Conan and Bêlit, especially in such comments of her's as "crush me with your fierce love" and "you have held and crushed and conquered me." While beautiful in the extreme, Bêlit is a woman with issues....

Bêlit's Hero Designer File

(Bêlit created by Robert E Howard, character sheet created by Michael Surbrook)


Return to Book-Derived HERO System Character Adaptations.