Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Jun 23, 2003 7:29:30	Yuant-ti and Naga “First they are cowards, then they are bluffers, then they are warriors.” -From an Egyptian translation on snakes. Okay, this is really, really rough, but I wanted to chunk it up before investing too much time and effort into it. Both yuan-ti and naga will be prestige races, meaning you can spend experience points to aquire new racial abilities as your character progresses. Note that there are no costs listed yet, but generally, the first few transformations will all be possible before 4th level while the last transformation will be held of until 18th or higher, just to give you an idea. Although naga are mentioned, I've not really started on thei abilities yet, so ignore the references for now. Dark Sun’s First Prestige Races: Yuan-ti and Naga Yuan-ti: +2 Strength, +2 Intelligence Naga: +2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution Medium Sized Base Speed 30 Automatic feat, Sculpt Self (from Dragon Magazine #304, ogl content) Torpor: Yuan-ti and Naga are both susceptible to cold. They sustain an extra +2 hit points of damage per die from cold attacks and function in conditions of cold weather (below 40 degrees F) as if fatigued. Both Yuan-ti and Naga are born from eggs and begin their young lives appearing as human children with slitted eyes. Sometime after puberty, changes begin to take place as the human begins to shed. Throughout the yuan-ti or naga’s life, they begin to evolve more serpentine features. Yuan-ti normally evolve into a complete monstrous snake form while naga evolve as a serpent/human hybrid. The path each one takes is personal and by choice. Some of either species forestall these changes for as long as they can, but such action is frowned upon by both cultures and is rumored to be quite painful. Elderly yuan-ti or naga who still retain their human-like appearance are viewed with a strange type of both shame and reverence since the agony that they endure daily has ‘enlightened’ them in many ways, but they are never fully accepted into either culture. General Adaptations These are the first changes that a yuan-ti will experience. They form the basis for the more advanced paths that most every yuan-ti chooses to walk. None of these adaptations have a prerequisite and may be purchased freely with experience points at any time during the yuan-ti’s life. A yuan-ti wishing to follow a one of the more advanced paths of adaptation must purchase all four of these basic adaptations first before progressing. There is a penalty to yuan-ti who choose not to advance themselves along these Foci however (see below), and few yuan-ti are willing to endure the painful path of an Abomination, even for the rewards that such a choice can bring. Skin of Scales: The Yuan-ti sheds its thin and weak human flesh, revealing a full body of glittering scales. The coloration of these scales varies widely from diamond patters on tan, glossy black, bright green with yellow stripes. The colorings tend to change later in the yuan-ti‘s life to match its chosen foci. The yuan-ti gains a +2 bonus to its Armor Class. Tongue of the Serpent: The yuan-ti’s tongue elongates and becomes forked. The yuan-ti is now able to use this new appendage to ’taste’ the air and glean more information about its surroundings. The yuan-ti effectively gains the scent ability. Serpent‘s Kiss: The yuan-ti‘s canine teeth grow several inches and are folded backwards at rest, pointing down the yuan-ti‘s throat and it becomes able to ‘over-extend’ its jaw in order to jut the fangs forward. This gives them the ability to make a bite attack as a natural attack (1d4 damage, no Strength bonuses). Tail of the Serpent: The yuan-ti grows a lengthy serpentine tail. The tail is normally three to four feet long and is not prehensile. The added tail affords the yuan-ti an extra sense of balance, giving them a +2 bonus to all reflex saves. Advanced Adaptations These are specific paths that a yuan-ti can take during his lifetime. Once a path has been started, there is no changing one’s mind and no turning back. The four different paths are called Foci and are divided into the Foci of the Viper Lord, Foci of the Dark Hood, Foci of the Crushing Scale, and Foci of the Unseen Coil Foci of the Viper Lord (overview of the Viper Lords in yuan-ti society) Requires: Skin of Scales, Serpent‘s Kiss, Tail of the Serpent First Adaptation: The yuan-ti begins to exhibit far less human-like features and more serpentine ones. The face now looks like a human/reptilian cross. The Viper Lord also gains the ability to produce venom from special glands in the upper jaw. A successful bite attack can inject a mild poison (fortitude save, DC 15, initial and secondary damage 1d4 temporary Constitution). Second Adaptation: At this stage, the yuan-ti’s neck elongates slightly, adding 1 foot to its overall height while its face lengthens into a snout. The common scale colorations begin to become more uniform with a tan base, black speckles, and a small black diamond pattern that runs down the spine. The yuan-ti gains the following spell like ability True Strike usable once per day (SU). Third Adaptation: The upper corners of the yuan-ti’s snout become elongated, giving it a horned appearance and the humanoid nasal passages disappear completely. The yuan-ti’s venom increases in potency (fortitude save, DC 18, initial and secondary damage 1d6 temporary Constitution). Fourth Adaptation: Yuan-ti size grows from medium to large gaining all bonuses and penalties associated with such (as soon as I figure out what they all are ;) Fifth Adaptation and Higher: Not on your life, buck’o. This one’s going to be epic and will likely advance the yuan-ti even further in size category (and waiting to get the damn epic level book before I work it out.) Anywhoo, that's it so far, still working on the other 3 paths for the yuan-ti. The naga paths will be less physical changes and more spell-like abilities and skill bonuses and such.
#2 nytcrawlr Jun 23, 2003 8:04:11	Guess I'm going to have to re-read that issue of Dragon, hehe. Thought the whole idea of Prestige Races was pretty lame at first, but I've been warming up to the idea over the last few months.
#3 nytcrawlr Jun 23, 2003 8:13:37	Originally posted by Mach2.5 Fourth Adaptation: Yuan-ti size grows from medium to large gaining all bonuses and penalties associated with such (as soon as I figure out what they all are ;) Didn't bring my books, but it's -1 to AC, they get a natural armor bonus (bonus is up to you, wouldn't go more than +2 at this point since they got one earlier), stats change some too, penalty to hide as well. Fifth Adaptation and Higher: Not on your life, buck’o. This one’s going to be epic and will likely advance the yuan-ti even further in size category (and waiting to get the damn epic level book before I work it out.) I got it, not sure how prestige races work with epic though.