Stats: Slithering Spell Slingers
It’s not enough that there are three of them. No, the malison has to have three different types as well! Five for the price of three today, everyone!
The yuan-ti abomination is the strongest of the lot. Its AC isn’t bad and its HP is in the triple digits. On top of that, it’s immune to anything and everything poison and it has Magic Resistance. And Shapechanger, letting it turn into a giant snake, if you’re into… shape changing.
Yeah, I don’t know where I was going with that, let’s just move on.
It’s also got spells. They are:
- At will: animal friendship (snakes only)
- 3/day: suggestion
- 1/day: fear
Not exactly much of a list for combat, but still. Better than nothing. If nothing else, it could try to make the players run away or turn on each other.
The rest is simple. It’s got a scimitar, a longbow, and it can bite you. If it’s in snake form, it can constrict the target, grappling them and dealing damage. Beyond that, it’s a simple slugfest.
Onto the malison. All three of them. Which, in reality, are just the same monster but with varying snake parts. One has a human body and a snake head. Another has a human head and snakes for arms. The last has a human body with a snake body for legs. The only real difference between them are the combat actions, which are just the same as the abomination, only some varieties don’t have actions that the others do.
Riveting.
These guys are just the abomination but worse. They have the same spells, minus fear. As mentioned before, they have the same actions, just not as many as often. Boring. Next.
Finally, the pureblood. Which is just the abomination, but without shapeshifting and super weak. But at least it can cast poison spray! That’s something, right?
Maybe making this a two-parter wasn’t necessary…
Honestly, I’m not impressed by any of these. The abomination is the best one, simply because all of the others are just worse variations on it for lower levels. On one hand, it creates a clear sense of progression. On the other, it isn’t especially exciting to essentially be fighting the same monster over and over across the campaign.
Placement
This entry can best be described as a descending staircase. It started at its peak with some incredible lore. Then it descended down into some decent but not amazing designs. Finally, we reached the bottom with a very disappointing stats section.
With all that in mind, all of the Yuan-Ti are going to # on the Best of the Bestiary!
- Beholder
- Death Tyrant
- Mind Flayer
- Dragon Turtle
- Tarrasque
- Mummy/Mummy Lord
- Nagas (all three of ’em)
- Green Dragons
- Red Dragons
- Blue Dragons
- Black Dragons
- White Dragons
- Silver Dragons
- Couatl
- Behir
- Aboleth
- Sea Hag
- Slaadi (all six of ’em)
- Lamia
- Bronze Dragons
- Brass Dragons
- Copper Dragons
- Gold Dragons
- Chuul
- Vampire/Vampire Spawn
- Kuo-Toa
- Gibbering Mouther
- Kraken
- Intellect Devourer
- Thri-Kreen
- Shadow
- Chimera
- Sphinxes
- Death Knight
- Fomorian
- Bone Devil
- Dracolich
- Faerie Dragon
- Gelatinous Cube
- Lich
- Treant
- Peryton
- Troglodyte
- Remorhaz
- Unicorn
- Orcs (all four of ’em)
- Magmin
- Shield Guardian
- Kobold
- Kenku
- Hobgoblins
- Night Hag
- Green Hag
- Black Pudding
- Xorn
- Ankheg
- Hook Horror
- Succubus/Incubus
- Oni
- Purple Worm
- Wraith
- Storm Giant
- Hill Giant
- Empyrean
- Efreeti
- Grimlock
- Umber Hulk
- Minotaur
- Dao
- Cloud Giant
- Manticore
- Yuan-Ti (all five of ’em) <————————————–
- Scarecrow
- Drow (all four of ’em)
- Shadow Demon
- Modrons (all five of ’em)
- Marilith
- Drider
- Aarackockra
- Azer
- Demilich
- Spectator
- Gray Ooze
- Ochre Jelly
- Hydra
- Rakshasa
- Marid
- Salamander
- Harpy
- Werejackal
- Otyugh
- Satyr
- Half-Dragon
- Cambion
- Fire Giant
- Nothic
- Pixie
- Animated Armor
- Roper
- Banshee
- Basilisk
- Yochlol
- Bulette
- Cloaker
- Darkmantle
- Doppelganger
- Revenant
- Ghoul and Ghast
- Sahuagin (all three)
- Ettin
- Sprite
- Medusa
- Pit Fiend
- Erinyes
- Chain Devil
- Bearded Devil
- Barbed Devil
- Spined Devil
- Ice Devil
- Mimic
- Djinni
- Yeti
- Troll
- Merrow
- Nalfeshnee
- Wight
- Glabrezu
- Chasme
- Grell
- Barlgura
- Horned Devil
- Balor
- Water Weird
- Skeletons
- Shadow Dragon
- Myconids (all four of ’em)
- Piercer
- Werebear
- Lizardfolk
- Vrock
- Dretch
- Pseudodragon
- Gnolls (all three)
- Goristro
- Hezrou
- Manes
- Quaggoth
- Frost Giant
- Weretiger
- Werewolf
- Duergar
- Quasit
- Dryad
- Shambling Mound
- Flumph
- Goblin
- Nightmare
- Rust Monster
- Wereboar
- Wererat
- Githyanki
- Owlbear
- Planetar
- Imp
- Ogres/Half-ogres
- Roc
- Clay Golem
- Flameskull
- Displacer Beast
- Carrion Crawler
- Githzerai
- Grick
- Invisible Stalker
- Rug of Smothering
- Bugbear Chief
- Bugbear
- Flesh Golem
- Wyvern
- Vine Blight
- Twig Blight
- Needle Blight
- Mephits (all six of ’em)
- Bullywug
- Hellhound
- Ettercap
- Gas Spore
- Cockatrice
- Lemure
- Homonculus
- Merfolk
- Solar
- Deva
- Gorgon
- Hippogriff
- Griffon
- Will-O’-Wisp
- Cyclops
- Centaur
- Ghost
- Pegasus
- Fire Elemental
- Water Elemental
- Air Elemental
- Stone Giant
- Deep Gnome
- Dinosaurs (All six of them)
- Stirge
- Specter
- Iron Golem
- Stone Golem
- Earth Elemental
- Galeb Duhr
- Helmed Horror
- Flying Sword
- Crawling Claw
- Violet Fungus
- Shrieker
- Gargoyle
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