Description:
You acquired this forbidden spell from a stoppered vial of shadow-black ink. When you dipped your hand in, the ink crawled like a living thing, coiling around your throat, forming the image of a thin serpent. Cold. Watching.
Now, the serpent grants you the power to Unravel others.
Choose one creature you can see within range. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or begin to unravel—body and soul—as spectral snakes slither from their form.
On a failed save, the target takes 6d10 necrotic damage, and at the start of each of its turns while the spell persists, it takes 3d10 necrotic damage as the unraveling continues.
A creature reduced to 0 HP by this spell does not die normally—they violently unravel into a swarming pile of black, hissing snakes, which immediately scatter or dissolve into shadow, at the DM’s discretion.
At the end of each of the target’s turns, it can attempt another Constitution saving throw to end the effect.
Serpent's Curse:
Every time you cast Unravel, the tattoo around your neck tightens. You gain 1 Serpent Mark, which cannot be removed by normal means.
At 3 Serpent Marks, you begin to feel its grip—you have disadvantage on Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration.
At 5 Serpent Marks, you feel your breath shorten—your maximum HP is reduced by 10 permanently.
At 7 Serpent Marks, the snake awakens. You must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw each time you finish a long rest or begin to suffocate (see PHB rules).
At 9 Serpent Marks, you die. The snake coils one final time, and you vanish in a tangle of ink and hissed laughter.
Serpent Marks can only be removed by:
A Wish spell, or
A unique ritual involving moonlight, silver ink, and the bones of a snake that never shed its skin.
At Higher Levels.
When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, the initial damage increases by 1d10 for each slot level above 5th.
Comments