Yuan-ti, Abomination

The yuan-ti are descended from humans whose bloodlines have been mingled with those of snakes. Their evilness, cunning, and ruthlessness are legendary.

Yuan-ti constantly scheme to advance their own dark agendas. They are calculating and suave enough to form alliances with other evil creatures when necessary, but they always put their own interests first.

All yuan-ti possess some snakelike features, and many have snake body parts.

Yuan-ti abominations are monstrous snakes with humanlike arms. The snake-like features of an abomination may reflect any of a variety of venomous snakes, so an abomination may have a black mamba’s glossy scales or a viper’s wedge-shaped head. These features are usually consistent within a single troupe of yuan-ti, and often mark a troupe’s status within a tribe.

A yuan-ti abomination is 8 to 12 feet long and weighs 200 to 300 pounds.

Yuan-ti speak their own language, plus Common, Draconic, and Abyssal.

Yuan-ti are geniuses and fight as such. They plan elaborate traps and utilize their surroundings superbly in combat, preferring ambushes to direct confrontation. They also prefer ranged attacks and spells to melee.

In a mixed group, the least valuable and powerful attack first. This means that the purebloods go before the halfbloods, which go before the abominations. The group leader may order particular members forward before others if that makes for better strategy.

Abominations are the masterminds of yuan-ti society, and urge their lesser kin into battle from the rear. While their underlings fight, the abominations watch the proceedings carefully, identifying the most dangerous foes and their most worrisome abilities, then try to neutralize those enemies with their extensive spell-like and psionic abilities.

Alternate Form (Sp): All yuan-ti can assume the form of a Tiny to Large viper (see the Snake entry, page 280) as a psionic ability. The yuan-ti loses its natural weapons (if any) and gains the natural weapon of the viper form it assumes. If the yuan-ti has a poisonous bite of its own, it uses its own or the viper’s poison, whichever is more potent.

Detect Poison (Sp): All yuan-ti have the psionic ability to detect poison as the spell (caster level 6th).

Aversion (Sp): A yuan-ti abomination can psionically create a compulsion effect targeting one creature within 30 feet. The target must succeed on a DC 22 Will save or gain an aversion to snakes for 10 minutes. Affected creatures must stay at least 20 feet away from any snake or yuan-ti, alive or dead; if already within 20 feet, they move away. A subject unable to move away, or one attacked by snakes or yuan-ti, is overcome with revulsion. This revulsion reduces the creature’s Dexterity score by 4 points until the effect wears off or the subject is no longer within 20 feet of a snake or yuan-ti. This ability is otherwise similar to antipathy as the spell (caster level 16th). The save DC is Charisma-based.

Constrict (Ex): An abomination deals 1d6+6 points of damage with a successful grapple check.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, an abomination must hit a Large or smaller creature with its bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can constrict.

Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 17, initial and secondary damage 1d6 Con. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Produce Acid (Sp): An abomination has the psionic ability to exude acid from its body, dealing 3d6 points of acid damage to the next creature it touches, including a creature hit by its bite attack. If the yuan-ti is grappling, constricting, or pinning a foe when it uses this power, its grasp deals 5d6 points of acid damage. The acid becomes inert when it leaves the yuan-ti’s body, and the yuan-ti is immune to its effects.

Spell-Like Abilities: At will—animal trance (DC 16), entangle (DC 15); 3/day—deeper darkness, neutralize poison (DC 18), suggestion (DC 17); 1/day—baleful polymorph (DC 19; into snake form only), fear (DC 18). Caster level 10th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

Chameleon Power (Sp): A yuan-ti abomination can psionically change the coloration of itself and its equipment to match its surroundings, granting it a +10 circumstance bonus on Hide checks.

Skills: A yuan-ti abomination can always choose to take 10 on a Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened. A yuan-ti abomination has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line. *Yuan-ti abominations using chameleon power gain a +10 circumstance bonus on Hide checks.