Homebrew Asclepii Species Details

Asclepii are a race of people comprised of those who used to be Human, Elven, or Yuan-Ti, many years ago. In one particular Yuan-Ti colony, there was an attack utilizing poison gas planned on some nearby Human and Elven villages. In a rare moment of a change of heart, some Yuan-Ti betrayed their colony and warned the humans of the attack, showing the humans nearly-forgotten rituals in prayer of a serpent god that had shunned the Yuan-Ti, whose name was lost to time. After this, the god answered their call, and began transforming them, Yuan-Ti and humanoids both, starting with the main priest Asclepius, into people who were half snake but still humanoid, and had some resistance to poison. This blessing allowed them to survive and fight back against the attack, and since then Asclepii (named after the priest that helped call on the forgotten god to save them) have become an uncommon but not unusual sight around the continent.

Asclepii Names:

Male Names: Kosesio, Pyraeus, Absyreros, Helixi

Female Names: Laestocia, Kaliphea, Nephilis, Ashanthei

 Nowadays, Asclepii culture has spread far, but their societies, as well as groups of them in other races' settlements, have a few common characteristics. They tend to organize themselves into familial clans, though they aren't bound as tightly to them as dwarves- they can be married into quite easily like human nobles, though arranged marriages and the like for diplomatic favor don't really happen among Asclepii, particularly given their comparatively smaller population compared to even just the upper class of humanity. Many Asclepii clans, feeling they do not fit in fully with full humanoids, being too similar and yet just different enough to not connect as easily, instead ally themselves with families of dragons, particularly good-aligned dragons, or neutral dragons that protect the land such as Sapphire Dragons. A few even ally themselves with stone giant clans, taking on their passion for art and sharing in their love for stone-like endurance. These Asclepii often enter stone-throwing contests with each other, having learned from the giants, and either group can be rarely seen in small groups outside dragon or giant territory, respectively, though unlike their larger benefactors they still tend to at least attempt to treat each other with courtesy.

Asclepii Traits

Aesclepii have the following traits:

Alignment

 Asclepii can range almost anywhere on the alignment spectrum, though they are rarely lawful evil, cautious to avoid being like the foes that necessitated their call for aid in the first place. 

Age

Asclepii are considered young until anywhere from twenty to twenty-five years of age. They live for about 175 years.

Speed

You have a walking speed of 30 feet.

Size

You stand from the mid five-feet range, to a little under seven feet tall, standing upright, and your tail can be 15-20 feet long. Your size is Medium.

Ability Score Improvement

You increase your Constitution Score by 2, and any score of your choice by 1.

Darkvision

You have darkvision out to 60 feet. You see in this range, dim light as bright light, and darkness as dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Natural Weapons

Your fanged maw and constricting serpentine body are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. Your bite attack involves you unhinging your jaw and striking with venomous fangs. If you hit with your bite, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, and your target must make a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier). On a failed save, the target takes a number of d4's of poison damage equal to half your proficiency bonus, rounded down.

If you hit with your constrict attack, you deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, and you can grapple the target with your tail as a bonus action. They can try to escape from this grapple as an action, making the contested check against you as normal. Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, you can’t constrict another target, and your speed is reduced by 5 feet (after grappling penalties). Additionally, you can squeeze a constrained creature on your turn as a Bonus Action, doing the damage your constrict attack would deal to them if it hit.

Poison Resistance

Asclepii resist poison damage, and have advantage on saving throws against poison.

Languages

You know Common and one other language of your choice.

Tail

You have a large, powerful tail you use to keep yourself steady and moving. You can use it to manipulate objects up to 15 feet away from you, though it is not dextrous enough for complex usage like using tools, wielding weapons, or using items or other specialized equipment with it. Additionally, your tail counts as one size larger when determining its carrying capacity and the weight it can push, drag, or lift.