Adapting Michael Moorcock’s Elric of Melniboné for the Barbaric! RPG

 

Gemini said

Adapting Michael Moorcock’s Elric of Melniboné for the Barbaric! RPG (a lightweight, 2D6-based system) requires capturing his duality: he is a physically frail sorcerer who becomes an unstoppable engine of destruction when fueled by his soul-drinking blade.

In Barbaric!, characters are defined by their Traits (Combat, Sorcery, etc.) and Boons/Flaws. Here is how to build the White Wolf.

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Elric of Melniboné

Concept: Doom-driven Sorcerer-Emperor

Drive: To find meaning in a chaotic multiverse.

Attributes

• Combat: 2 (4 with Stormbringer)

• Sorcery: 4

• Stealth: 0

• Wits: 3

Traits & Abilities

• Melnibonéan Physiology: Elric is naturally frail. Without his medicinal herbs or Stormbringer’s vitality, he suffers a -2 penalty to all physical rolls and cannot recover health naturally.

• High Sorcery: Elric can summon Elementals and Lords of Chaos. This uses his Sorcery trait. In Barbaric!, these are handled as powerful, narrative-shifting rituals that often require a "Price" (sacrificing Sanity or Health).

• The Actor’s Step: Elric is a master of history and lore. He gains a Boon on Wits rolls related to ancient civilizations and the planes of the Multiverse.

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Signature Gear: Stormbringer

Stormbringer isn't just a weapon; it’s a sentient entity. In Barbaric!, treat it as a Legendary Artifact with the following rules:

Property	Effect
Soul-Eater	When Elric kills a significant foe, he regains all lost Health and gains +2 to Combat for the remainder of the scene.
Bloodlust	If Elric draws the sword, he must kill. If a combat ends without a kill, he must pass a Wits roll or attack the nearest ally.
Unholy Reach	The blade can strike incorporeal beings and demons that are normally immune to mundane steel.

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Playing the White Wolf

In a Barbaric! session, Elric should feel like a glass cannon. You are the most powerful person in the room, but you are perpetually one bad roll away from total collapse or accidental fratricide.

Note on Chaos: Elric serves Arioch, a Lord of Chaos. You can invoke Arioch for a "Great Success" on any roll, but the GM gains a Doom Point to use against you later, representing the terrible debt Elric owes his patron.