Petrifying Gaze. When a creature that can see the medusa’s eyes starts its turn within 30 feet of the medusa, the medusa can force it to make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw if the medusa isn’t incapacitated and can see the creature. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the creature is instantly petrified. Otherwise, a creature that fails the save begins to turn to stone and is restrained. The restrained creature must repeat the saving throw at the end of its next turn, becoming petrified on a failure or ending the effect on a success. The petrification lasts until the creature is freed by the greater restoration spell or other magic.
Unless surprised, a creature can avert its eyes to avoid the saving throw at the start of its turn. If the creature does so, it can’t see the medusa until the start of its next turn, when it can avert its eyes again. If the creature looks at the medusa in the meantime, it must immediately make the save.
If the medusa sees itself reflected on a polished surface within 30 feet of it and in an area of bright light, the medusa is, due to its curse, affected by its own gaze.
Multiattack. The medusa makes either three melee attacks--one with its snake hair and two with its shortsword--or two ranged attacks with its longbow.
Snake Hair. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage plus 14 (4d6) poison damage.
Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.
Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) poison damage.
Description
A victim of a terrible curse, the serpent-haired medusa petrifies all those who gaze upon it, turning creatures into stone monuments to its corruption.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Oct 9, 2020So, if you sent a Paladin with mirror armor into there, it would petrify the Medusa? OR would he be turned into stone?
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Nov 3, 2020*Also addresses JoeyFromSchool's question*
The Medusa was cursed by the Gods for her vanity. Creatures can be affected by her [direct] gaze, not the reflection thereof. Hence Perseus' solution. If SHE looks into a mirror-type item, the gaze does reflect
A paladin (or any character) can use a mirror or other highly reflective surface and try to do combat with the medusa. I think my ranger was stoned due to the distance aspect of the gaze ability. He was fully aware of his actions to look at and target her; but the map we used for the battle didn't match the size of the hovel we were in.
The gaze description says within 30'. I was well over 30' away on the map...and I failed on saves that I don't think I should have had to roll. But because the actual setting was inside a little stone hovel, I accepted the outcome. I got better...
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted May 16, 2021The medusa is a cursed creature.
A paladin might have remove curse.
Would this work?
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted May 27, 2021A creature doesn't automatically turn into stone when looking at a medusa... EXCEPT the medusa itself, who automatically turns into stone when looking in a reflection.
This is very weird for me. I know it's a part of the curse, but the texts makes a point to compare this effect to the effect other creatures suffer, and its just not the same.
Furthermore, the description states:
(even though it's only the creatures the medusa chooses)
and then continues about how medusas are alienated due to their appearance and gaze. But the medusa can choose who turns into stone and who doesn't. So technically, should an open-minded civilization accept a medusa, then the medusa can peacefully live in a bustling city with no one turning into stone (as long as it avoids mirrors etc.).
I just feel like the wording is very confusing and contradicting. Why not make turning into a stone automatic? or on the contrary, why not have the medusa make a save against itself as any other moral creature would?
And if it's due to the curse, then how come all medusas are invariably lonely? I'm sure some can live with other evil creatures and work together, simply by choosing to not turn them into stone. At this point it seems to me medusas choose to be lonely because they are busy brooding and feeling sorry for themselves, and not because of the curse...
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Jul 21, 2021See Eberron's nation of Droaam for medusa's with a place in society. Another cool part of the setting. Also, it's hinted that medusae are just experimental creations of one of the daelkyr (inscrutable alien pseudo-gods outside of time) along with the other petrification-themed monsters, instead of being cursed for vanity.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Oct 18, 2021I would say no, that her reflection doesn’t turn a mortal into stone. My assumption is based on the Classical Greek mythology, as Perseus defeated Medusa by using the polished inside of his shield as a mirror to see what she was doing so he wasn’t fighting blind. I wonder what Ray Harryhausen would say?
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Dec 18, 2021Medusa's Petrifying Gaze has nearly the same wording as a basilisk Petrifying Gaze, except the basilisk does not include the possibility of instantly turning to stone if missing the save by more than 5. The basilisk does however include that the victim will magically begin to turn to stone, while the medusa's does not include the reference to magic.
Would the medusa's Gaze then be considered non-magical?
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Dec 22, 2021If you make your saving throw do you have to continue making saving throws if you don’t advert your eyes?
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Dec 30, 2021Yes. Some abilities, like a dragon's Frightening Presence, mention that if the target succeeds on their saving throw, they are immune to the effect for a given amount of time, usually 24 hours. Since no such text is present here, a creature that holds a medusa's gaze must make a Constitution saving throw to resist its Petrifying Gaze at the start of each of the creature's turns.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Jan 27, 2022As I understand it Medusa's are given the ability to turn living creatures to stone by gazing at them with their eyes. Their deception skill gives them a chance to force you to look them in the eyes to turn you to stone. This is an ability not a curse. When they bargain for eternal beauty they turn into a Medusa slowly over a lifetime eventually gaining the snake hair and petrified gaze abilities. It would be better if the lore section said "gaze into their eyes" instead of "gaze at them", this does cause some confusion. However I believe lore can be changed but stat blocks shouldn't, sometimes a change in lore makes a better story in the campaign
So if your 30' or less away and are averting your gaze they can use a deception check to compel you to look at their eyes. If forced than your saving throw applies.
You can't look at a Medusa's eyes in a mirror, it does not make you immune to the attack but it could impose a disadvantage on her "force" to look her in the eyes ability check. This is also why she turns to stone when she looks at her own reflection. So lastly, the character with reflective mirror like armor would impose a disadvantage for the Medusa's attacks because they could not look at the attacker with mirror armor without risking petrification themselves.
Medusa's can't petrify living creatures with eyes that are 35' or more away. So stay 65' or more away from them if you don't have mirrored armor or shield. If you do have mirrors rush them and force them to fight without looking at you so you both end up fighting with disadvantage.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Jan 31, 2022best way to kill put a bucket on its head
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Feb 3, 2022so does the gaze work on a person who is blind and cant see? and i dont mean that as they have a blind fold on but like they were either born blind or were permantently blinded by damage to there eyes.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Feb 25, 2022Since the text states "a creature that can see the medusa's eyes", that seems like a clear nope
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted May 31, 2022I'm creating a homebrew race for my Fyrssn homebrew world setting that is a medusa, if you want, you can use that.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Jul 13, 2022There's no mention of using a mirror to deflect the petrification ability, only that the medusa must be able to look into the PC's eyes with her eyes to petrify them and they must be within 30', a condition that is met when using a reflective surface to try to fight her within that range. The DM can rule as desired, but it's a fun one to spring on a rules lawyer and then ask them where it says anything about fighting with a reflection in these rules after they get petrified.
As for making the medusa turn to stone, there's that sticky word, 'vainly' - meaning that intent matters. The medusa removes mirrors from its lair that it might use out of vanity, but it doesn't particularly avoid them in combat. It might see its own eyes, but the insta-petrify is connected to looking vainly in a mirror in its own lair - the note is even in the section specific to the lair, not the general flavor text.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Jul 28, 2022Ik what can kill Medusa ez a intellect devour it is immunes to its spell and can just take over it body
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Aug 31, 2022Is it possible to befriend her if your blind or something along the lines
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Oct 14, 2022I'd say casting remove curse would defeat the Medusa and make her a normal human woman.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Feb 18, 2023If I'm making a character based of Medusa from the old myths, what race should I make her?
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Jul 12, 2023What are their relation to Yuan-Ti and vice versa?