A Review of the Role Playing Game Supplement Larani: Order of the Spear of Shattered Sorrow

Larani: Order of the Spear of Shattered Sorrow by Joe Adams and Brent Bailey is a role playing game supplement published by Columbia Games Inc. for use with Hârn and HârnMaster.

The supplement is available as a six-page PDF from DriveThruRPG for $4.98 but was purchased at a reduced price thanks to a special offer.

After an introductory paragraph on the order’s origins and its current place as a powerful force in eastern Hârn, it moves on to History. Missionaries from Lythia arrived on Hârn, bringing the Laranian faith, and later a priest and knight bore a legendary spear after which this order is named. The order languished, before a reformation was sponsored by a king of Melderyn and it took its current name. It explains the formation of the Order of the Lady of Paladins, which order is also covered in a sidebar, and western Hârn is covered by the Order of Hyvrik.

Current Situation details where the order currently stands in Melderyn, Chybisa and Kaldor, and there is a sidebar on the order’s primate and relationship with her archbishops and another on Converting the Heathen; the order has officially ended its missionary work, but the Order of the Lady of Paladins have started a crusade against the Solori.

Doctrines and Practices covers the orders beliefs and behaviour; some within and without the order argue that aspects of its doctrine encourage aggression whilst excusing warlike behaviour. An alternative is suggested, which has the potential to split the clergy. A sidebar, The Legend of the Spear, recounts what happened to the holy spear and its wielder, and the search for the spear’s missing head.

Organisation of the Order has an overview of the order’s possessions and sections on its temples and chaplains, with a sidebar covering clerical skills, from HârnMaster or HârnMaster Religion, and saints and relics.

Notable Personalities gives details on six different important NPCs in the order.

Larani: Order of the Spear of Shattered Sorrow in Review

The PDF lacks bookmarks and is short enough that they aren’t needed, though there are enough different sections that they would have been appreciated. Navigation is okay. The text primarily follows a single column with sidebar format, with the final page being two columns, and appeared to be free of errors. There are a number of black and white and colour illustrations, at least some of which appear to be definitely custom. Presentation is decent.

Like many Hârn supplements, this is for all intents and purposes system neutral; there is a reference to HârnMaster, but no actual stats given, making it useful with any system. It’s another supplement providing details on one of Hârn’s organisations to a reasonable level of detail. In theory, it might be usable outside Hârn, but it would be difficult to do so. Larani: Order of the Spear of Shattered Sorrow is a nice supplement covering a religious order and can be found by clicking here.