Like the serpents they adore, snake speakers are highly adaptable hunters. Snakes are common throughout the world, and people who need to travel through snake-filled jungles often retain a snake speaker guide, trusting the guide to protect them from scaly poisoners.

Snake Speaker Magic

Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Snake Speaker Spells table. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn’t count against the number of ranger spells you know.

Snake Speaker Spells

Scaly Transition

Beginning at 3rd level, you take on limited serpentine aspects. Select one of the following features. Starting at 11th level, you can select another option.

 

Bite

You develop venomous fangs. When you use the Attack action and attack with a weapon, you can use a bonus action to bite a target within 5 feet of you with your fangs. You are proficient with the fangs, which deal piercing damage equal to 1d4 damage + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice) plus 1d8 poison damage on a hit.

Keen Smell

Your nose and olfactory organs change to resemble those belonging to a snake. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on scent and proficiency with Wisdom (Insight) checks.

Poison Resistance

You have resistance to poison damage.

Scales

Scales sprout along your body. When you aren't wearing your armor, your AC equals 13 + your Dexterity modifier.

Serpentine Movement

You have a climbing speed of 30 feet.

Speak with Snakes

Starting at 3rd level, you can comprehend and verbally communicate with snakes. A snake's knowledge and awareness are limited by its Intelligence, but it can give you information about things it has perceived within the last day. You can persuade a snake to perform small favors for you, such as carrying a written message to a nearby companion.

Serpent Shape

When you reach 7th level, you can use an action to cast polymorph on yourself, assuming the shape of a giant constrictor snake, flying snake, or giant poisonous snake. While you are in this form, you retain your Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Starting at 15th level, you retain the benefits of your Scaly Transitions feature while in the form of a snake, and you can use this feature twice between rests.

Sinuous Dance

Beginning at 11th level, your physical movements can beguile your enemies and strengthen your magic. You can choose to use Dexterity as your spellcasting ability score instead of Wisdom.

In addition, once per short rest, when you cast a spell, you can add your Dexterity and Wisdom modifiers together and use the result as your spellcasting ability score when determining the DC for that spell or spell attack bonus.

Bite

You develop venomous fangs. When you use the Attack action and attack with a weapon, you can use a bonus action to bite a target within 5 feet of you with your fangs. You are proficient with the fangs, which deal piercing damage equal to 1d4 damage + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice) plus 1d8 poison damage on a hit.

Keen Smell

Your nose and olfactory organs change to resemble those belonging to a snake. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on scent and proficiency with Wisdom (Insight) checks.

Poison Resistance

You have resistance to poison damage.

Scales

Scales sprout along your body. When you aren't wearing your armor, your AC equals 13 + your Dexterity modifier.

Serpentine Movement

You have a climbing speed of 30 feet.

Decoy Skin

Starting at 15th level, you learn to magically shed your skin and use it as an animate decoy. As an action, you can shed your skin, which creates a duplicate of yourself. The duplicate appears in an unoccupied space within 10 feet of you. It looks like you, has your Armor Class and saving throw bonuses, and has hit points equal to three times your ranger level. It lasts for 10 minutes or until it is reduced to 0 hit points.

As a bonus action, you can command it to move up to your speed, using any form of movement you possess, but it must remain within 120 feet of you. Your decoy can't take actions or use your class features, but it otherwise moves as directed. While your decoy is within 5 feet of you, its appearance and movements so closely mimic your own that when a creature that can reach you and your decoy makes an attack against you, it has a 50 percent chance of hitting your decoy instead.

It looks exactly as you looked when you used this feature, and it is a convincing duplicate of you. A creature can discern that it isn't you with a successful Intelligence (Investigation) check against your spell save DC. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.