Homebrew Yuan-ti Malison (Naga) Species Details

Ye cannot goad one of the serpent folk into hatred or fear, or evoke in it love or friendship. They may feign such things to cozen ye, but within they are always coldly, calmly calculating.

— Elminster

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.

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. Higher caste members 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. Parents may also change their sex over time to accommodate for breeding. 

Other Lives Are Cheap

Yuan-ti put little value on humanoid lives, even those of their own slaves and cultists. They would poison children to carry out a threat against their parents, or turn one person into a broodguard in order to show her family the consequence of resistance. They might refrain from provoking others’ feelings if doing so could adversely affect the yuan-ti’s plans, but they understand humanoid psychology well enough to know that they can get away with this casual disregard for life almost anytime.

Furthermore, in the yuan-ti caste system, a greater yuan-ti’s life is worth far more than a lesser one’s. Weaker citizens are expected to lay down their lives to protect their betters. Leaders rely on this zealotry in their plans, and although they don’t needlessly waste the lives of purebloods on futile actions, most strategies include a fallback option in which mobs of purebloods and slaves are thrown at opposing forces in the hope of allowing the malisons and abominations time to escape.

Yuan-ti Malison (Naga) Traits

Naga Malison’s have the following traits:

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

Malisons mature around 13 years old and lived to be around 80. 

Alignment

Yuan-ti devoid of emotion and see others as tools to manipulate. They care little for law or chaos and typically lean towards a more neutral alignment.

Size

Purebloods match humans in average size and weight. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 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.

Dual Wielding

Malison’s tend to have extra limbs, or snake-like appendages, allowing them to be more versatile. If you don’t already, you now have access to the Two-Weapon Fighting style. You can also wield a two-handed and single-handed weapon simultaneously, given that you have enough hands. 

Nimble Body

I’m too tired to write a description. **** you, scale walls. Do parkour. Be the snake version of Spider-Man but murderous.