Base Class: Warlock
The Yuan-Ti are not the only ones who have bent the knee to the serpent gods. The Dark gods of trickery and death who rule all of serpent kind have attracted many followers with the promise of immortality and power. Making a pact with a serpent god is usually done through one of their many avatars but may also be done by a low-priest of Zehir or any other form of higher power religious figure within the cults of the serpent gods.
A pact with a Great Serpent is handled like a contract, the patron offers power and knowledge and in exchange the warlock must complete one or more tasks. Upon completing the task(s) the patron lets the warlock go, allowing them to keep the powers. The patron may coax the warlock into extending the contract but in most cases the warlock is within his rights to decline. Attempting to break a contract with a great serpent comes with heavy concequences.
Expanded Spell List
The Great Serpent lets you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.
Great Serpent Expanded Spell List
Spell Level Spells
1st Beast Bond, Entangle
2nd Animal Messenger, Melf's Acid Arrow
3rd Animate Dead, Fear
4th Death Ward, Phantasmal Killer
5th Contagion, Dominate Person
Gift of Serpentkind
When you choose this patron at 1st level you are blessed by your patron, gaining snakelike characteristics.
You gain one of the gifts of the serpent (see below). You gain another one at levels 6, 10 and 14. You may not get the same gift of the serpent twice.
Gifts of the Serpent
- Serpent Skin: Scaly patches cover your body, the rest of your skin becomes tough and coarse, While not wearing any armor your AC is 13 + your Dexterity modifier. Additionally you gain advantage on saving throws against being grappled
- Serpent Eyes: Your eyes change appearance into those of a snake, letting you see in the dark better, your darkvision is increased by 60 feet. Additionally you can cast Detect Poison and Disease and Detect Magic once each between long rests without consuming a spell slot.
- Serpent Fangs: You grow two large fangs that can deliver potent venom through bites. You gain an unarmed bite attack with the light property that deals 1d4 Piercing damage and Poison damage equal to your proficiency bonus amount of d4s. You do not add your Strength or Dexterity modifier to the damage of this attack
- Serpent Tongue: Your tongue becomes forked and sharp, granting you many magical enhancements. You learn to speak, read and write Draconic, you gain the ability to talk to all non-monstrosity reptiles, additionally you are able to cast the Suggestion spell once between long rests without consuming a spell slot as well as gaining Expertise in either Persuasion or Deception.
- Serpent Bones: Your bones become magically stretchy allowing your limbs to extend. All of your melee attacks with a range of 5ft gain an additional 5ft of range, additionally you gain proficiency in Athletics and Acrobatics.
- Serpent Blood: Your blood becomes divine and empowered by your patron. You gain resistance to Poison damage and advantage on saving throws against the Poisoned condition, additionally you gain a slow regeneration equal to your Proficiency Bonus every hour.
Venom Strike
At 1st level you a grow a magical venom gland which you can use on its own to spray your foes with venom or to empower your attacks.
you learn the Poison Spray cantrip, this cantrip counts as a warlock cantrip but does not count against the number of cantrips you know and does not require somatic components.
As a Bonus action you can coat your melee weapon in divine poison. The poison remains potent for 1 minute or until you hit with the coated weapon. The coated weapon deals d6s of Poison damage equal to your Proficiency modifier. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier. You regain one use of this ability upon finishing a short rest and all uses upon finishing a long rest.
At 6th level your venom becomes corrosive, melting through both physical and magical defenses. all venom coated attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to non-magical attacks and damage, additionally you can change the damage type of your Venom Strike to Acid and your venom coated attacks ignore Poison resistance.
At 10th level your venom becomes a danger to all living things. the damage die is increased to a d8, you can change the damage type of your Venom Strike to Necrotic and your venom coated attacks ignore Acid resistance.
At 14th level your venom becomes a primordial force of death and destruction, no creature in the realms is safe from your sting. You regain all uses of Venom Strike upon finishing a short rest, additionally all your venom coated attacks ignore Resistance and Immunity to Poison, Acid and Necrotic damage.
Emperor's New Scales
at 6th level you gain the ability the renew your skin, shedding away wounds and diseases. Your new skin can be molded into whatever shape you desire.
Whenever you take a short rest you can Shed, allowing you to use a hit dice for the purposes of regaining hit points without expending a hit dice, you also cure yourself of any non-magical disease when Shedding. This extra hit dice granted by Shedding does not count against the maximum number of hit dice you are allowed to burn during a short rest. Shedding can be done even if you have no hit dice remaining. You can choose to add your Charisma modifier to the extra hit dice granted by shedding instead of Constitution.
As a part of Shedding during a short you are able to cast the Alter Self spell without consuming a spell slot. Casting Alter Self this way requires an entire hour which is done as a part of the short rest. This ability may be used a number of times equal to your charisma modifier.
If you chose Serpent Blood from the Gift of Serpentkind ability you may use your Charisma modifier for all of your hit dice.
At this level you additionally gain the ability to swap out a single Gift of Serpentkind trait each time you gain a level in the Warlock class.
As Low as Can Be
Your transformation into a serpent nears its conclusion as you gain powers only given to the most devout of followers.
At 10th level you gain advantage on saving throws against magic and other magical effects. You can cast polymorph to turn yourself into either a poisonous snake, constrictor snake, flying snake, giant constrictor snake or giant poisonous snake without spending a spell slot, you can do this a number of times equal to one fourth of your warlock level (rounded up).
You can cast the Conjure Animals spell to summon 2 giant constrictor snakes without consuming a spell slot, you can do this a number of times equal to one fourth of your warlock level (rounded up). You regain one use of these abilities upon finishing a short rest and all uses of these abilities upon finishing a long rest.
Additionally your Gifts of the Serpent transformations gain additional properties.
Serpent Fangs, you can change the poison damage to either Acid or Necrotic and when you hit with a Serpent Fangs bite attack you can spend a bonus action to regain a number of hit points equal to the Poison, Acid or Necrotic damage done by the attack.
Serpent Tongue, you learn to speak all languages and you understand all languages spoken to you and you can cast Mass Suggestion once between long rests without expending a spell slot.
Serpent Blood, you may use your Charisma modifier for all hit dice you spend during a short rest, additionally you become immune to Poison damage, the Poisoned condition and all non magical diseases and your regeneration is tripled.
Serpent Skin, you only need to spend 5 feet of movement to get out of a grapple or to get up from being prone, additionally you gain a climbing speed equal to ten times your charisma modifier.
Serpent Eyes, you gain an additional 60 ft of darkvision and while you are in bright link you are permanently under the effect of the See Invisibility spell, additionally you gain one extra warlock spell slot.
Serpent Bones, you gain expertise in Initiative as well as ignoring the disadvantage to melee attacks imposed by being Restrained, Prone, Blind, Frightened or Poisoned.
The King is Dead, Long live the King
A serpent never truly dies. At 14th level you become immune to the flow of time and those who strike you down must pay the price. Your aging slows down to where it takes you 20 years to age one year and once you reach the middle point of your race’s lifespan at which point you stop aging completely and cannot die due to old age. Everytime you Shed you may choose to change your age, adjusting your physical appearance to match yourself at that age. You may even choose an age at which you have never lived such as being very old. You do not suffer any negative effects from old age and any effect that would magically age you will still age you but cannot kill you.
Additionally when a creature or an effect created by them kills you, They will automatically suffer d12s equal to your Charisma modifier + twice your Warlock level psychic damage. If this damage reduces the creature to below 0 hit points your consciousness transfers into the body of that creature whilst that creature’s consciousness is transferred into your dead body. You retain attunement to any items but all items you had remain on your old body. You take control of any equipment the new body has but any equipment that was attuned to the previous owner of the body is still attuned to them. When you take over the new body it is not knocked unconscious but instead stays up with 1 hp. All of your ability scores, feats, class levels and prepared spells transfer into the new body and you regain your old appearance at the end of your next long rest. Right after transferring your consciousness you are immune to all damage and condition effects until the end of your next turn.
You have 1 use of this ability and you regain all uses of this ability after 7 days. This ability has no effect on Constructs or Elementals.
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