Homebrew Yuan-ti Abomination (Balanced) Species Details

The serpent creatures known as yuan-ti are all that remains of an ancient, decadent human empire. Ages ago their dark gods taught them profane, cannibalistic rituals to mix their flesh with that of snakes, producing a caste-based society of hybrids in which the most snakelike are the leaders and the most humanlike are spies and agents in foreign lands.

Humans Transformed

The people who became yuan-ti were one of the original human civilizations. Their society built great temples of stone and forged metal into armor, tools, and weapons. In their ceremonies they paid homage to the snake as the embodiment of the qualities they most appreciated. They developed a philosophy of separating emotion from intellectual pursuits, allowing them to focus their energy on personal advancement and expanding their territory. They believed themselves to be the most enlightened mortals in the world, and in their hubris they sought to become ever greater.

The serpent gods of the primordial world heeded the prayers of these people and hissed dark demands into their ears. The people tainted their souls by performing human sacrifices in the name of the gods, debased their flesh by cannibalizing their victims, and then performed a sorcerous ritual while writhing in pools filled with living snakes that enabled them to mix their flesh with that of serpents, becoming like the gods in body, thought, and emotion. Freed from the limitations of their human bodies, the yuan-ti used their new abilities to conquer new lands and expand their borders.

One Race, Many Forms

The bodies of all yuan-ti have a mix of humanlike and snakelike parts, but the proportion varies from individual to individual. After the initial metamorphosis of the humans, their society quickly coalesced into a caste system based on how complete a person’s transformation was. The vast majority of yuan-ti fall into three categories — abominations, malisons, and purebloods — while the mutated broodguards and exceedingly rare anathemas have their place in the hierarchy as well.

All yuan-ti can interbreed. Females usually lay clutches of eggs, which are stored in a common hatchery, although live births aren’t uncommon. A mating between yuan-ti of different types almost always produces eggs that hatch into yuan-ti of the weaker parent, so most choose partners of the same type in the interest of maintaining the strength of their personal bloodline.

The yuan-ti have abandoned their humanity and consider non-serpentine humanoids to be lesser creatures, barely more civilized than common apes. Although some purebloods are able to reproduce with humans, most are disgusted by the idea and would do so only if seduction is necessary for a pureblood to preserve a role as a confidant or advisor in human society. The very rare offspring of such a union are always purebloods, although they may appear fully human at birth and for several years afterward.

The yuan-ti know rituals that can transform an individual into a more powerful type. The cost and time required to perform the ritual is prohibitive, and as a result most yuan-ti never get the opportunity to undergo such a transformation. Every use of the ritual must be modified to suit the individual undergoing transformation, and requires rare herbs, exotic magical substances, snakes, and one or more humans to be sacrificed and eaten as part of the procedure.

Yuan-ti Abomination (Balanced) Traits

Your yuan-ti abomination character — called a full-blood for short — has the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.

Age

Abominations mature at the same rate as humans and have lifespans similar in length to theirs.

Alignment

Abominations are devoid of emotion and see others as tools to manipulate. They care little for law or chaos and are typically neutral evil.

Size

Abominations larger than purebloods in average size and weight, roughly 7 to 8 feet long and 300 to 350 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Serpentine Senses

You gain proficiency in the Perception skill.

Darkvision

You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Constriction

You may attempt to Constrict (Grapple) a target as a action. When you do this it is treated as a natural weapon that deals 2d4 + your Strength modifier bludgeoning damage. Creatures grappled this way take the weapon's damage at the start of their turn. This special grapple attack may only be made against a creature a size larger than you or smaller.

Fangs

You have sharp snake fangs, which are natural weapons which you are proficient with. They deal 1d4 + your Strength modifier Piercing damage and 1d4 Poison damage, and have the finesse property.

Innate Spellcasting

You know the poison spray cantrip. You can cast animal friendship an unlimited number of times with this trait, but you can target only snakes with it. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Poisonous Adaptation

You have a resistance to poison damage and advantage on saving throws against poison.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Abyssal, and Draconic.