A Review of the Role Playing Game Supplement Snakes

Snakes by Rebecca Downey and J. Patrick McDonald is a role playing game supplement published by Columbia Games Inc. for use with HârnMaster. This is a bestiary supplement.

The supplement is available as a six-page PDF from DriveThruRPG for $2.99 but was purchased at a reduced price due to a special offer.

The introductory paragraphs explain that snakes are scaly, limbless reptiles and that there are five broad classes of snake found in Lythia and Hârn. Harmless snakes are the most common, with three being well known. Uses for snakes are given, such as snake skin in fashion, snake parts in potions, snake meat for food, larger snakes being used in arenas and smaller snakes rented to villages for rat and mice control. Snakes are also associated with a shapechanger deity and are considered to be a holy beast and snake charmers are also mentioned.

Venomous Snake Bites has game rules for dealing with such. As well as the broad rules, different species have different particulars. There are details on an antivenin, spitting venom and optional rules on spreading toxin. A sidebar gives an example of a snake bite in game terms.

Types of snakes are then each given a page; Adders, Asps, Constrictors and Myenae. Each has habitat and hunting and subspecies of the snakes listed; adders also have superstitions. Sidebars have game stats for the snakes. Many of the subspecies of snakes mentioned are not native to Hârn, but smaller species have made their way there on ships and larger species have been taken to the Pamesani arenas and then escaped. There are therefore more types of snakes found in Hârn than those that are native to the island.

Snakes in Review

The PDF lacks bookmarks and at only six pages does not need them. Navigation is fine. The text maintains a single column with sidebar format and appeared to be free of error. There are various snake-related black and white illustrations, some of which may be custom. Presentation is okay.

This is a bestiary article that is aimed for use with HârnMaster, rather than being one of the more generic Hârn supplements. Much of it is game stats, but the background and other information is still useful. It would be possible to use the details on what snakes are found in Hârn to select appropriate creatures from another system, but it is definitely more suited to use with HârnMaster. Snakes can be found by clicking here.