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The Yuan-Ti is a species fromDungeons & Dragons, born with serpentine characteristics and qualities, such as scales, split large tongues, or snake-like noses and eyes. They all boast a resistance to poison and an ability to speak with snakes.
Related:Dungeons & Dragons: Duergar Species Guide
The Yuan-Ti’s capabilities make for great versatility when selecting your character’s class and create pathways to engaging roleplay, adding a herpetological twist to your campaign. Here’s everything you need to know about making a character from this race in D&D.
The History Of Yuan-Ti
The Yuan-Ti were born from theancient, dark ritualsperformed by their ancestors tomerge their humanoid forms with that of a snake.Their society tends to circulate around religious cities deep within forests or jungles, with the heads of temples often being at the center of their social climate.
Accomplishment is heavily celebrated in Yuan-Ti culture, with achievements being cited as receiving their god’s favor.
While some Yuan-Ti remainedhuman-like in appearance, others were warped into more reptilian forms, such as having snake tails in the place of legs or hoods around the muscles of their neck.Some Yuan-Ti are almost entirely snake-like, sporting very little humanoid features, becoming prominent monsters in the Dungeons and Dragons canon calledYuan-Ti Abominations.
The warping of Yuan-Ti is common in their histories, with some Yuan-Ti attempting to achieve godhood through similar dark magic to that of the rituals done by their ancestors. One such ritual involves the slaughter of hundreds of snakes and a bath in their enemy’s blood, resulting in the painful transformation of the Yuan-Ti into aYuan-Ti Anathema,one of the most powerful forms a Yuan-Ti can take.
In former sourcebooks, Yuan-Ti were divided intoPurebloods,Malisons, andAbominations, but these classifications have been removed in favor of the more encompassing ‘Yuan-Ti.’ As such, be sure not to confuse the playable species with the monsters!
Because of this, Yuan-Ti are sometimes stereotyped and distrusted by other species, and you may find yourself drawn towards combating prejudice at the perceived intermingling of dark magic and the Yuan-Ti. Though some may believe Yuan-Ti to be practitioners of the dark arts,Yuan-Ti are variedand can be anything you want them to be.
Features
Poison Resilience
You haveAdvantageon any saving throws you make todismissoravoidthePoisoned Conditionon yourself. This will also grant youresistance to Poison damage.
Though they lack the ability to generate any non-magical venom of their own, unlike some of their snake counterparts, Yuan-Ti retained the ability toresistandadapt to any poison in their system, making themparticularly effective against enemies who rely on poison to do extra damage to your character.
Be sure to ask your DM about thearea your campaign is in. Not only doesPoison Resistancemake your character effective while fighting other Yuan-Ti, but it can be utilized in settings that make heavy use ofmonsterssuch asGiant SpidersandWyverns. Yuan-Ti would also be particularly practical in a campaign set in theUnderdark, where many creatures usepoisonto incapacitate characters.
Magic Resistance
This feature allows you to haveAdvantageonsaving throws against spellsdirected at your character.
Being the result of a magical ritual isn’t all people make it out to be, but it certainly has its advantages. Magic resistance is a feature not afforded to many playable species, and it can be absolutely crushing against spellcasters.
This feature in particular makes Yuan-Ti an attractive option for those looking to go up against magical opponents.
Darkvision
Your character cansee in dim light within 60 feet of youas if it were bright light andin darkness as if it were dim light.You only seein shades of gray.
Darkvisionis afforded to most of the fantastic species inDungeons and Dragons, though it’s a good feature to have, no matter how common.
Serpentine Spellcasting
Serpentine Spellcastingis a great trait forutility, giving you access toSuggestionandAnimal Friendship,therefore leaving a spellcasting Yuan-Ti free to take other spells, which is great for those odd situational moments that crop up in campaigns. The ability to only castAnimal Friendshiponsnakesis not only thematic but also leaves you withserpent animal companionsfor 24 hours.
In snake-ridden areas, one could accumulate as many snakes as the Dungeon Master allows with yourunlimited ability to befriend them.In terms of damage,Poison Sprayis also a usefulcantripto have on one’s character, especially with its10-foot radius,letting you have some space from your opponent in the eventyou run out of spell slots.
Best Yuan-Ti Class Options
WhileWizards of the Coasthas madespeciesless important to selecting a class for play, now you have more options than ever to play a character with the class you like. Still, some classes have advantages over others when it comes to the Yuan-Ti.
Best Feats For A Yuan-Ti
Featshelp assist your character bybolstering your abilitiesandadding new skillsto your character that you may not get inherently. They often allow you to explore avenues not covered by your class and can help flesh out the backstory of your character.
