I want to create a civilization of seafaring merchant-slaver snake-people for a campaign setting I am creating. I am trying to figure out how their physical design might make their civilization different from a humanoid one. Ideally, I want them to be a navally dominant civilization. (With this dominance threatened/declining with the human discovery of gunpowder).

Physical Description: They are 10-12 feet long head to tail. The first three feet of the body is a scaly, humanoid torso. The rest of the body is a snake (perhaps anaconda) midriff and tail.

How might the Naga body-shape affect the following? :
1. Ship design:
  • The Naga are probably better swimmers than their humanoid counterparts. I think they could design a ship suited to their bodies, but it would
    probably look very different from a caravel or galley. (For example, human-style oars would physically not work for them. Sails/masts would probably have a different shape as well).

  • For warfare, I imagine them building large fleets of small, maneuverable vessels. ( They might look like scaled-up versions of Polynesian ships). The purpose of these ships would be to get close enough to allow Naga marines to swim up an enemy vessel and sink/capture it.

  • (If anyone has suggestions for Rennaissance level water-proof weapons that they could use for this sort of action, let me know).

  • In peacetime, I imagine that they would similar ship designs for cargo transport. They could mitigate risk by dividing cargo amongst many small ships instead of one large boat.

  • I would appreciate any thoughts or alternative suggestions.

2. Warfare and Raids
  • Naval Raids: I want them to frequently engage in Viking-style looting and slaving raids against the humanoid civilizations, but I don't know if that makes physical sense. Assuming equivalent levels of magic+tech, would a snake body be able to move fast enough to catch up a fleeing human? Assuming we give it enough strength, would it be able to drag a resisting human to the boats, or would its snake tail make that movement too awkward? If they can't do the physical raids themselves (without an absurd amount of author fiat), then I would have them use humanoid (human, dwarf, and/or elvish) mercenaries instead, which means I would have to create a much more integrated society then I had originally planned for.

  • Larger Scale Battles: In a one on one fight, the Naga would be deadly. At close range, they simply constrict their opponents to death. At medium range, they could use spears and cobra-style strikes to great effect. At long range, they have a slight disadvantage because they are a large target, but they can still dodge in unexpected ways. I don't know what sort of tactics they might employ for large scale battles and would appreciate suggestions.

  • Cavalry: I think a Naga body would be too heavy/awkward to ride a horse normally. On their home peninsula + islands, I think they could use chariots, but those are not easy to transport over the ocean. If the other civs have calvary reserves patrolling the coastlines, are hit and run style raids still feasible for them?

3. Farming
  • I imagine that they would be very dependant on aquatic farming and rice farming.
  • On land, I don't know how easily they could do normal farming tasks and herding tasks.

4. Architecture and construction:
  • Does anyone have any thoughts on how a Naga body-type might affect architecture and city design? Could they carry/ drag heavy loads as easily as the humanoid races could?

If anyone can think of any other implications that a half-snake/half-human body might have on civilization or culture, let me know.

Other Setting Notes
Tech Level: Early Rennessaince Equivalent
Magic Level: Magic is difficult to use, unreliable, but powerful. Think of the Warhammer Fantasy setting for an equivalent.
Local Climate: They in a semi-tropical peninsula and archipelago covered in grasslands, swamps and mangrove forests