Homebrew Yuan-ti Abomination Species Details

"The Yuan-Ti cast off their humanity long ago, and with it, their sanity."

-From Masters of the Forbidden City by Codo Vidak

Physical Description

Yuan-Ti are a half-snake half-human race, however their appearance differs depending on their subrace. Abominations appear like an anthropomorphic snake, Malisons appear like either a human body with a snake head or a human upper body with a snake lower body, and Purebloods appear almost exactly like humans do, just with snake-like eyes and patches of scale-like skin. Their eye color can be either green, yellow, or red, while their scales can be a multitude of colors, including green, grey, blue, yellow, black, white, and red. Malisons and Purebloods are roughly 5-6 feet tall, while Abominations are roughly 6-7 feet tall.

History

The yuan-ti were once humans who thrived in the earliest days of civilization and worshipped serpents as totem animals. They lauded the serpent's sinuous flexibility, its calculated poise, and its deadly strike. Their advanced philosophy taught the virtue of detachment from emotion and of clear, focused thought. Yuan-ti culture was among the richest in the mortal world. Their warriors were legendary, their empires always expanding. Yuan-ti temples stood at the centers of ancient metropolises, reaching ever higher in prayer to the gods they longed to emulate. In time, the serpent gods heard those prayers, their sibilant voices responding from the darkness as they told the yuan-ti what they must do. The yuan-ti religion grew more fanatical in its devotion. Cults bound themselves to the worship of the serpent gods and imitated their ways, indulging in cannibalism and humanoid sacrifice. Through foul sorcery, the yuan-ti bred with snakes, utterly sacrificing their humanity to become like the serpent gods in form, as well as in thought and emotion.

Society

Yuan-ti life revolves around their temples, yet yuan-ti don't love the gods they worship. Instead, they see worship as a means to attain power. A yuan-ti believes an individual who attains enough power can devour and replace one of the yuan-ti gods. The yuan-ti strive for ascension and are willing to commit the darkest atrocities to achieve it. The leader of a yuan-ti society, which is similar to a village, typically in a jungle, are cunning and ruthless, who readily sacrifice lesser yuan-ti if potential victory justifies such losses. They have no sense of honorable combat and strike first in decisive ambush if they can. There is no gender roles, but most yuan-ti are warriors. Almost all strangers are captured and sacrificed to a serpent god, when they are within a few hundred yards of a yuan-ti settlement.

Relationships

Yuan-Ti are hated by almost all, and hate almost all. Salanditian and Lizardfolk have an especially deep hatred, due to the transformation of the latter into the former from them.

 

Yuan-ti Personality Traits

d8	Personality Trait
1	I see omens in every event and action. The serpent gods continue to advise us.
2	I have very high standards for food, drink, and physical pleasures.
3	I prefer to be alone rather than among other creatures, including my own kind.
4	I sometimes become consumed by philosophy.
5	I believe I am superior to others of my caste.
6	I am driven by wanderlust and want to explore lands far from our cities.
7	I am interested in modern human culture, even as primitive as it is.
8	I await the day when we again conquer lands by force, as we did in the old times.

Yuan-ti Ideals

d6	Ideal
1	Greed. I display my wealth as a sign of my power and prosperity. (Evil)
2	Aspiration. I strive to follow the path toward becoming an anathema. (Evil)
3	Unity. No leader shall put personal goals above those of our race. (Any)
4	Kinship. My allegiance is to my caste and my city. Other settlements can burn for all I care. (Any)
5	Inspiration. My actions set an example for the lesser castes to emulate. (Any)
6	Power. Everything I choose to do is determined by whether it will make me smarter and stronger. (Evil)

Yuan-ti Bonds

d6	Bond
1	I will see our empire rise again and, in so doing, win the favor of the serpent gods.
2	I am enamored with the culture and trappings of another society and wish to be part of it.
3	I respect my superiors and obey them without question. My fate is theirs to decide.
4	I have an interest in an unsuitable mate, which I can’t suppress.
5	I respect and emulate a great hero or ancestor.
6	An enemy destroyed something of value to me, and I will find where it lives and kill the offender.

Yuan-ti Flaws

d6	Flaw
1	I feel twinges of emotion, and it shames me that I am imperfect in this way.
2	I put too much credence in the dictates of a particular god.
3	I frequently overindulge in food and wine, and I am impaired and lethargic for days afterward.
4	I worship a forbidden god.
5	I secretly believe things would be better if I was in charge.
6	If I could get away with it, I would gladly kill and eat a superior yuan-ti.

Yuan-ti Names

Yuan-ti names have meanings that have been passed down through the generations, although spellings and inflections have changed over time.

Some yuan-ti add more sibilants to their birth names to create an exaggerated hissing sound, based on one’s personal preference and whether an individual’s anatomy can more easily pronounce the name in this altered form. An adopted name of this sort is recognized as a variant of the birth name, rather than a unique name unto itself. A yuan-ti might refer to itself by its birth name, by its adopted name, or (especially among purebloods) by a name it borrows from the local populace.

The Yuan-ti Names table provides yuan-ti birth names suitable for any campaign.

Yuan-ti Names

d20	Name	d20	Name
1	Asutali	11	Shalkashlah
2	Eztli	12	Sisava
3	Hessatal	13	Sitlali
4	Hitotee	14	Soakosh
5	Issahu	15	Ssimalli
6	Itstli	16	Suisatal
7	Manuya	17	Talash
8	Meztli	18	Teoshi
9	Nesalli	19	Yaotal
10	Otleh	20	Zihu

Yuan-ti Abomination Traits

Insane serpentine cultists, Yuan-Ti are as terrifying as they are insane. Yuan-Ti abominations appear as anthropomorphic serpents, and are taller than other Yuan-Ti. In Yuan-Ti society, they are seen as the higher caste.

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

Yuan-ti Abominations mature around 8 and can live for up to 200 yrs old.

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 are taller than the average humanoid. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base ''walking'' speed is 35 feet.

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.

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. Starting at 3rd level, you can also cast suggestion with this trait. Once you cast it, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Magic Resistance

You have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Poison Immunity

You are immune to poison damage and the poisoned condition.

Languages

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

Constrict

You may constrict(grapple) a target as an action. It is treated as a 2d6 bludgeoning weapon, which you are proficient with.