Malisons are of the greater Yuan-Ti taxonomic family, a species with both human and serpentine features. Malisons have the upper body of a human and the lower body of a great snake.
The Yuan-Ti were once humans who thrived in the earliest days of pre-Fall civilization, who worshipped serpents as totem animals. They lauded the serpent’s sinuous flexibility, its calculated poise, and its deadly strike. Their advanced philosophy taught the virtue of detachment from emotion and of clear, focused thought. Yuan-ti culture was among the richest in the mortal world. Their warriors were legendary, their empires always expanding. Yuan-ti temples stood at the centers of ancient metropolises, reaching ever higher in prayer to the gods they longed to emulate. In time, the serpent gods heard those prayers, their sibilant voices responding from the darkness as they told the yuan-ti what they must do. The yuan-ti religion grew more fanatical in its devotion. Cults bound themselves to the worship of the serpent gods and imitated their ways, indulging in cannibalism and humanoid sacrifice. Through foul sorcery, the yuan-ti bred with snakes, utterly sacrificing their humanity to become like the serpent gods in form, as well as in thought and emotion.
Yuan-ti life revolves around their temples, yet yuan-ti don’t love the gods they worship. Instead, they see worship as a means to attain power. A yuan-ti believes an individual who attains enough power can devour and replace one of the yuan-ti gods. The yuan-ti strive for ascension and are willing to commit the darkest atrocities to achieve it. The leader of a yuan-ti society, which is similar to a village, typically in a jungle, are cunning and ruthless, who readily sacrifice lesser yuan-ti if potential victory justifies such losses. They have no sense of honorable combat and strike first in decisive ambush if they can. There are no gender roles, but most yuan-ti are warriors.
Malison Traits
Malisons have the following traits:
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength, Intelligence, and Charisma scores each increase by 1.
Age. Malisons live for millennia, but mature very young, typically before the age of 10.
Size. Your upper body is that of a human, but your lower body is a great serpent – often more than 30 feet long. Despite this, your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base movement speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern colour in darkness, only shades of gray.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Oeridian and your choice of an appropriate regional dialect.
Serpentine Brethren. You can call upon snakes to aid you, casting animal friendship (snakes only) at will, with no spell point cost.
Snakeskin. You have resistance to poison damage, and advantage on saving throws related to poison.
Bite. You have sharp fangs, which are natural weapons you are proficient with. They deal 1d4 piercing damage and 1d4 poison damage, and have the finesse property.
Serpent’s Tongue. You have proficiency in Deception.
Constrict. You can use your powerful serpentine lower body to constrict opponents, which acts as a natural weapon with which you are proficient. You deal 2d8 bludgeoning damage and the target is grappled. You can only constrict one target at a time.
MALEDICTAE 