The material presented here is my original creation, intended for use with, Harn from Columbia Games Inc. and N.R. Crossby . This material is not official and is not endorsed by Columbia Games Inc.

Harn and HarnWorld are registered trademarks of, and Harn material is  copyright  N.R. Crossby and Columbia Games Inc.  All rights reserved by CGI.
 

Role Playing-

Come visit worlds far and away, whose tales are both exciting in their fantasy and terrifying in their mystery.  We all escape into     worlds of fantasy whether at the office day dreaming, or following heroes as we read.  Role Playing Games are these dreams, organized into rules where they become real, a story in their own right, where they can grow into a continuing tale with the guidance of a Game Master (GM) and the help of a few comrades-at-arms.

Harn World-
Harn is a small, island of the coast of Lythia, with the reputation for strange happenings and odd creatures. It is a world that has been meticulously sculpted, with consistent and believable backgrounds.  This detail allows GMs to run their games with a world full of rich detail, freeing his efforts so that his campaigns can be built around this world as he sees fit.  Each area of Harn is detailed with rulers, laws, customs, and histories.  A party's actions will have resounding affects in the area and could shift delicate political balances.  And better yet, Harn material is just what you need if you don't wish to change your gaming rules.  It's given in an informational format, usable with any game system.

Do your characters sometimes feel flat and restricted?  Wondering why your thief can't wear armor when he's going into a fight? And just why can't a wizard learn to be deadly with steel?  Harn offers careers where varied and different skills are learned.  Each character will differ in more than just name.  There are no levels, no hit points, and a mage will reap benefits from study more than killing orcs and earning those intangible "experience points."  The more you use a skill, the better you get at it.

There are three rules systems for Harn: Harnmaster 1st Ed. (HM1), HarnMaster Core (HMC), and HarnMaster Gold (HMG).  I prefer HMG somewhat over HM1, and greatly over HMC.  Though the systems are similar enough to cross over with little effort, any rules specific articles (NPC's, equipment, et.) on this page will be concerned with HMG.  Much of the information will be systemless however and usable regardless of system, which is good as I now use GURPS.  HarnWorld was after all published before it's rules, and to this day many still use their own favorite systems (D&D, GURPS, and Runequest seem to be the most prevalent).  Efforts to make Harn d20 compatible are underway, see Nasty, Brutish, & Short.  It now has stats for d20 Harnic Orcs (Gargun), and those stats and d20 rules can be downloaded from Columbia Games free!

There is also a Harn CRPG in the works, called Harn:Bloodline.  Umm... this is no longer true, and as many had feared Auran dropped Harn like a hot potato. They used to have a forum they said they'd keep up, but its now being dropped as well. Oh well, they were good guys but were frankly moving Harn in a direction I didn't like. And forget the Harn: Bloodline CRPG as well. I assume they'll render it half the game it could have been by converting it to d20 rules. Alas, to be proven right.

Religion-

The men and women of Harn worship a detailed family of gods, each with their own motivations and intrigues, rituals and orders. Churches war with each other in the battle for control and holy warriors slay the followers of enemy gods.  Each deity is detailed and
their beliefs and motivations run the lives of many men.

        Agrik: The fiery god of the atrocities of war.
        Halea: The goddess of earthly pleasures, lust, and money.
        Ilvir: A strange deity, concerned only with his creations.
        Larani: The Lady of Paladins, a virtuous warrior.
        Morgath: The insane god of chaos.
        Naveh: The merciless god of the shadows.
        Peoni: Blessed goddess of healing and truth.
        Sarajin: Viking god of battle lust and honor.
        Save K'nor: The wise god of riddles and knowledge.
        Siem: Lord of the Blessed Realm and of the Elder people.

Be sure to check out the  Hârn Religion Team main page, and  the Larani HRT page done, albeit slowly, by myself.

Combat-

Harn uses a realistic, graphic combat system of injury points and wound severity.  Sick of clubbing an enemy on the noggin repeatedly with your magical two-handed sword and they still have those pesky HP's?  The combat system stresses realism with playability.  A fight can end with a single strike, and this also tends to make players a little less inclined to solve all their problems with the sword.  But not only that, think of medieval medicine, and the effects on the body when proper healing doesn't take place!  A character is as likely to die from infection as the wound its self, frighteningly historic.

Monsters-

Tired of stepping in the dung your next door neighbor's dragon keeps leaving in your yard?  Amazed at how long an ogre can sit on a chest in a dungeon someone put there for no apparent reason?  Harn's monsters are rare enough to maintain a mystique and real
enough to actually be the fell beasts of legend. No random army of raging orcs (also called Gargun ) marching across the lands every
week .

Most mystical beasts are the creation of Ilvir, who creates these creatures ( collectively called Ivashu ) beneath his dank
tower.  They are varied and unique, hovering on the edge of legend and folklore, monsters rare enough so as not to destroy the
ecological balance of Harn, but well  enough known to give pause at unknown sounds in the woods.

Magic-

Mages are rare and secretive.  And for good reason.  Though most men sign songs of  magic in the world and wish for it to rid the
world of ills, few would actually trust a fireball throwing, demon summoning, master of the universe in their neighborhood.  But for
those still inclined, the orders of the Shek-P'var are no rote group of bland magicians with a small bag of dry glimmers!  No, in fact for
a young mage to even be accepted by his peers, he must survive for a year and a day on his own, and create his own spells!  Yes, Harn's
spell system encourages the mental effort on the part of the mage ( unheard of! ) to understand his element and create spells to further
his understanding.  No two mages have the same spells and the Shek-P'var have strict codes to follow.  Both for the benefit of
themselves, and the people around them.

Contacting Columbia Games:  Harn and Harn World and many more products are available from N.Robin Crossby and Columbia
games at...  Contact Columbia Games