Medium monstrosity (yuan-ti), neutral evil
Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 71 (13d8 + 13)
Speed 30 ft.
Proficiency Bonus +2
Proficiency Bonus +6 (5th Edition Advanced Mode)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 (+3) | 14 (+2) | 13 (+1) | 14 (+2) | 12 (+1) | 16 (+3) |
Saving Throws Wis +3, Cha +5
Skills Deception +5, Stealth +4
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses darkvision 120 ft. (penetrates magical darkness), passive Perception 11
Languages Abyssal, Common, Draconic
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
Shapechanger. The yuan-ti can use its action to polymorph into a Medium snake or back into its true form. Its statistics are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn’t transformed. If it dies, it stays in its current form.
Death Fangs (2/Day). The first time the yuan-ti hits with a melee attack on its turn, it can deal an extra 16 (3d10) necrotic damage to the target.
Innate Spellcasting (Yuan-ti Form Only). The yuan-ti’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13). The yuan-ti can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
- At will: animal friendship (snakes only)
- 3/day: suggestion
Magic Resistance. The yuan-ti has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Spellcasting (Yuan-ti Form Only). The yuan-ti is a 6th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). It regains its expended spell slots when it finishes a short or long rest. It knows the following warlock spells:
- Cantrips (at will): chill touch, eldritch blast (range 300 ft., +3 bonus to each damage roll), mage hand, message, poison spray, prestidigitation
- 1st-3rd level (two 3rd-level slots): arms of Hadar, darkness, fear, hex, hold person, hunger of Hadar, witch bolt
ACTIONS
- Multiattack (Yuan-ti Form Only). The Yuan-ti makes one constrict attack and one scimitar attack.
- Constrict. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 14) if it is a Large or smaller creature. Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the yuan-ti can’t constrict another target.
- Scimitar (Yuan-ti Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) stashing damage.
- Invoke Nightmare (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). The yuan-ti taps into the nightmares of a creature it can see within 60 feet of it and creates an illusory, immobile manifestation of the creature’s deepest fears, visible only to that creature. The target must make a DC 13 Intelligence saving throw. On a failed save, the target takes 11 (2d10) psychic damage and is frightened of the manifestation, believing it to be real. The yuan-ti must concentrate to maintain the illusion (as if concentrating on a spell), which lasts for up to 1 minute and can’t be harmed. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns. ending the fusion on a success, or taking 11 (2d10) psychic damage on a failure.
5th Edition Advanced Mode
Limiting the power of a character and making the overall difficulty of the game harder, does not reduce the creativity, indeed it does quite the opposite.
The Game Master has the option to use any and all of the instances proposed in this guide, or just some of them according to their preference.
It is the lack of something that move and motivate characters, not the abundance of it
DESCRIPTION
The Yuan-Ti Nightmare Speaker is a terrifying creature that serves the evil god Dendar, the Night Serpent. She is a half-blooded yuan-ti, also known as a malison, with a humanoid head and upper body and a serpentine lower body. She is always female, and has dark scales and glowing eyes. She can transform into a medium-sized snake at will, and has a natural affinity for magic and darkness.
COMBAT
The nightmare speaker is a master of fear, able to tap into the nightmares of her enemies and create horrifying illusions that only they can see. She feeds these fears to Dendar, and receives nightmarish visions from her in return. She interprets these visions as prophecies, and does her best to make them come true. She is loyal to Dendar, and seeks to spread her influence and power in the world.
The nightmare speaker prefers to avoid direct combat, using her stealth and deception skills to manipulate humanoid communities and acquire more victims to torture and terrorize. She uses her magic to create darkness, fear, and hexes, and to blast her foes with eldritch energy. She also wields a scimitar, and can use her lower body to constrict an enemy, slowly suffocating them. However, she derives more pleasure from terrifying her opponents than killing them. She can use her invoke nightmare ability to create an immobile illusion of the creature’s deepest fears, visible only to that creature. The illusion can damage and frighten the creature if they think it is real. The nightmare speaker can maintain the illusion for up to a minute, but has to concentrate to do so.
HABITAT / SOCIETY
The nightmare speaker lives in dark and secluded places, such as ruins, caves, or dungeons. She often keeps a collection of undead or snakes as her companions or guardians. She is among the cruelest of the yuan-ti, and has no regard for the lives or feelings of other creatures. She views them as either prey or tools for her schemes. She is also arrogant and ambitious, believing that she is destined to bring about the end of the world.
ECOLOGY
The nightmare speaker is a monstrosity that has been corrupted by Dendar’s influence. She is immune to poison and resistant to spells and other magical effects. She can see in the dark, even through magical darkness. She can communicate with snakes, and can cast a variety of spells using her innate power. She feeds on fear, both from herself and from others. She also consumes flesh and blood, preferably from living creatures that she has tortured or frightened. She does not reproduce naturally, but can create more yuan-ti by infecting humanoids with her venom or by performing dark rituals in Dendar’s name.