THE MAHASARPA CAMPAIGN - A CAMPAIGN OPTION WEB ENHANCEMENT FOR ORIENTAL ADVENTURES

Oct 5, 2026

The Mahasarpa Campaign presents a web enhancement focused on expanding Oriental Adventures campaign play, including its creative credits, source materials, and thematic inspirations. It describes the campaign option’s setting framework beyond the Rokugan example, emphasizing India and Hindu Southeast Asia influences. The text includes a historical narrative of Mahanaga and its religious, technological, and architectural legacy, then introduces the fall of Abrahsarpa through rebellion, secession, and a curse tied to Nagini and ancestral spirits.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time17 min

AccessFree to download

Sources and Acknowledgements

History

The kingdom of Mahanaga

The curse of Abrahsarpa

THE MAHASARPA CAMPAIGN A CAMPAIGN OPTION WEB ENHANCEMENT FOR ORIENTAL ADVENTURES DESIGNER: JAMES WYATT EDITOR: MIRANDA HORNER ART DIRECTOR: DAWN MURIN GRAPHIC DESIGNER: CYNTHIA FLIEGE CARTOGRAPHER: ROB LAZZARETTI TYPESETTER: SUE WEINLEIN COOK WEB PRODUCER: JULIA MARTIN WEB DEVELOPER: MARK A. JINDRA SOURCES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Sources for this campaign include “Rhino’s Armor, Tiger’s Claws,” by Michael J. Varhola (DRAGON®Magazine \#189);“Caste of Characters,”“Monsoons and the Power of Om,” and“Bazaar of the Bizarre,” by Michael Selinker (DRAGON Magazine \#225, \#226, and \#229), and The Rod of Seven Parts by Skip Williams. Additionally, the ruins of Mahasarpa are strongly based on the real-world ruins of Angkor in Cambodia. Excellent maps of Angkor, easily adaptable for game use, can be found in Ancient Angkor by Michael Freeman and Claude Jacques (Trumbull, CT: Weatherhill Inc., 1999). Special thanks to the players of the Mahasarpa Campaign: Owen Stephens (for getting it started), Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel, David Noonan, Michael Selinker, Anthony Valterra, and Johnny Wilson. Based on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® game created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and the new DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game designed by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison. Oriental Adventures includes a featured campaign setting: the world of Rokugan from the Legend of the Five Rings card game and novel line. Rokugan is just one example of the type of campaign you can create and play using the Oriental Adventures rules, however. While Rokugan draws primarily from historical Japan for its cultural influences (and secondarily from other East and Southeast Asian cultures), the scope of Oriental Adventures is broad enough to capture the flavor of nearly any historical or fantasy Asian culture. Chapter 10 of Oriental Adventures offers a brief example of how a Dungeon Master might go about creating a campaign with a different flavor than Rokugan, using a different subset of the rules options presented in the book. The Mahasarpa (“great serpent”) campaign setting is amore fleshed-out treatment of that example, detailing a complete setting that draws from India and Hindu Southeast Asia for its inspiration. HISTORY Many centuries ago, in a younger age, a great human kingdom flourished in the land that was then called Mahanaga (“great divine serpent”). The capital city, which gave its name to the surrounding land and the kingdom itself, was a monument to the deep religious faith of its populace, their technological mastery, and the wealth and grandeur of their civilization. Amidst a network of irrigation canals, stone temples sprawled over dozens of square miles, mirroring the shape of the universe in their five-towered construction. The people built their temples of stone, which was the only material fit for the homes ofthe serpent-queen Nagini and her horde of servitor deities and spirits. Beside these monumental temples, even the great rulers of the kingdom lived in wooden houses, as they were unworthy of such a fine home as Nagini had. U.S., CANADA, ASIA, PACIFIC, & LATIN AMERICA Wizards of the Coast, Inc. P.O. Box 707 Renton WA 98057–0707 (Questions?) 1–800–324–6496 EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERS Wizards of the Coast, Belgium P. B. 2031 2600 Berchem Belgium +32–70–23–32–77 DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, the D2o System Logo, DRAGON, DUNGEON, Legend of the Five Rings, and the Wizards of the Coast logo are trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. All Wizards characters, character names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction, retransmission, or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. This product is a w

FAQs

What sources and acknowledgements support the Mahasarpa Campaign setting?

The campaign draws from named Oriental Adventures-related works and references, including materials from DRAGON Magazine issues and The Rod of Seven Parts by Skip Williams, plus adaptation of Angkor ruins maps and special thanks to listed players.

How does Oriental Adventures relate to the Rokugan setting example?

Oriental Adventures includes a featured campaign setting in Rokugan, drawn mainly from historical Japan, serving as one example of how to build and play campaigns using the Oriental Adventures rules.

What is the core backstory of the Mahasarpa campaign’s history?

The history recounts the rise of Mahanaga as a great human kingdom with monumental temples and deep religious faith, followed by the reign of Abrahsarpa, whose pride and edicts lead to rebellions and ultimately a curse associated with Nagini and ancestral spirits.

Oct 5, 2026

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