Homebrew Yuan-ti Halfblood Species Details

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.

Roleplaying a Yuan-ti

Yuan-ti are emotionless, yet feel completely superior to humanoids, in the same way that a human can feel superior to chickens or rabbits — in a matter-of-fact, completely objective way that doesn’t brook any second-guessing. To a yuan-ti, there are only three categories of creature: threat, yuan-ti, or meat. Threats are powerful creatures such as demons, dragons, and genies. Yuan-ti are any of their own kind, regardless of caste; although a rival yuan-ti might be dangerous, and a weak or dead one might be potential food, it is first and foremost one of the true people and deserving of some respect. Meat includes any creature that is neither a threat nor a yuan-ti, possibly useful for a base purpose but not worthy of other consideration.

Under normal circumstances, yuan-ti are always calmly deferential to those of higher rank. They tend to be curt and formal with those of lower rank, for the differences between them aren’t a source of anger or disgust (emotions that the yuan-ti don’t feel anyway), merely a fact of the natural order, and their culture long ago realized that treating the lower castes with a measure of detached respect prevents rebellion and advances the cause of the entire race.

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 Halfblood Traits

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

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

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

Alignment

Halfbloods are like purebloods and devoid of emotion and see others as tools to manipulate. They care little for law or chaos and are typically neutral evil. However, considering that they are more human than other yuan-ti, halfbloods have potential to feel as other humanoids do. All it takes is for the halfblood to leave its homeland...

Size

Halfbloods match humans in average size and weight excluding their serpent element. 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.

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.