Yuan-ti

Greyhawk Creature

Yuan-ti
Yuan-ti, as depicted in Dragon #365 (2008). Art by James Zhang.
General information
Alignment:	Usually chaotic evil
Type:	Monstrous Humanoid
Subtype:	none
First appearance:	Dwellers of the Forbidden City

The yuan-ti are a race of clever reptilian humanoids who mostly dwell in the jungles to the south of the Flanaess.

Ecology

The yuan-ti are oviparous. Females give birth to a clutch of 3-6 eggs every three months. These are normally left unfertilized and fed to the high priest and his inner circle, though eating yuan-ti eggs is considered sacrilege for anyone of lesser status. The yuan-ti, like the citizens of the Scarlet Brotherhood, are careful in breeding one another for maximum fitness and intelligence, and to ensure that the various castes exist in their proper ratios.

Yuan-ti have a gestation period of about 60 months, with about 30% of their young dying of birth defects in infancy. The yuan-ti do not practice infanticide, but the mutations prevalent in their race often cause their young to die on their own. Their young are raised communally, separated from their parents.

A yuan-ti hatchling sheds its skin 5-6 times before reaching maturity, which happens in 4 years for purebloods, 6 years for halfbloods, and 8 years for abominations. Rarely, adults may undergo another growth spurt, as a sign of divine favor. Purebloods can live about 2,000 years, halfbreeds 4,000 years, and abominations about 6,000 years.

Environment

Yuan-ti dwell in Hepmonaland and the Amedio Jungle. Cities under their control include Alocotla, Xapatlapo, and Xuxulieto. They may dwell in other places further south as well.

Yuan-ti typically inhabit subterranean complexes, most often originally built by other races, as the lack of hands in so many of their kind makes building difficult. They may also adopt natural caves, or even build tunnels under the cities of other races. They fill their lairs with traps and with corridors too narrow for anyone but snakes to slither through.

Typical physical characteristics

The yuan-ti come in several distinct castes or breeds. The three most prevalent, described in the Third Edition Monster Manual, are as follows:

• Purebloods appear mostly human, with minor reptilian features, such as slitted eyes, a forked tongue, or patches of scales on their skin. They serve as diplomats and infiltrators, pretending to be human.

• Halfbloods are humanoid in shape but have a wide variety of noticeable serpentine features, such as a snakelike tail in place of legs, a complete covering of scales, a hood like a cobra, a snake's head, or snakes in place of arms. Halfbloods serve as warriors and temple assistants.

• Abominations are almost completely snakelike, with only a few human features, such as arms or a humanoid head. A quarter of the yuan-ti abominations are the Shan-Pachan, with human heads and serpent bodies, who act as high priests. Other abominations include the Ma-Yin, who are snakelike with human arms, and the Ma-Zhi, who are fully serpentlike.

In addition to the three main breeds, other breeds have been described as well:

• Tainted ones are human agents of the yuan-ti who have willingly undergone a ritual of transformation to make themselves yuan-ti, gaining a venomous bite and slight psionic ability. They retain their human appearance but often develop reptilian mannerisms, such as frequently licking their lips or drawing out sibilant sounds as they speak. They first appeared in Monstrous Compendium: Monsters of Faerûn.

• Broodguards, also known as histachii, are humans who have undergone the ritual of transformation but have been found unworthy, degenerating into hairless, near-mindless reptilian monsters. The yuan-ti employ these wretches as watchers over egg-broods and other demeaning tasks. They first appeared as the histachii in Dragon Magazine #151 ("The Ecology of the Yuan-ti" by David Wellham, 1989).

• The Forgotten, or Yin-Shu, are humans, half-orcs, or half-elves who have yuan-ti blood in their veins due to ancient, unsuccessful experiments. Purebloods can sense them instinctively from up to 100 feet away. Yuan-ti attempt to convince them to willingly embrace their inhuman heritage, transforming them into halfbloods or purebloods using the Black Broth or other foul potions.

• Holy guardians are a rare breed specifically bred as temple guards; they are also sent on missions to obtain needed goods for abomination priests. Holy guardians are naturally servile and follow their superiors without question. They uniformly have a serpentine tail in place of legs and a snakelike head. They first appeared in Serpent Kingdoms.

• Mageslayers, another rare type of yuan-ti, are bred for the special purpose of battling or hunting down human magic-users, and most of their abilities are magical rather than psionic. Mageslayers have a humanlike head but a snakelike tail instead of legs. They first appeared in Serpent Kingdoms.

• Anathemas are by far the most powerful and loathsome of yuan-ti, worshiped as divine incarnations of Merrshaulk. They are truly bizarre in appearance, with a body like a 25-foot-long serpent; a pair of humanoid arms with clawed, three-fingered hands; and six serpentine heads rising from its shoulders. An anathema's power dwarfs even that of an abomination, but since they represent such unfettered chaos, they are usually found away from yuan-ti cities, establishing cults that worship Merrshaulk through them. They make a common practice of grafting yuan-ti body parts onto humans and other races for use as personal servants. Anathemas are extremely rare, however, and only a handful are likely to exist on any world. They first appeared in the Third Edition version of the Fiend Folio.

• Ignans are another rare subspecies of yuan-ti that dwell in hotter climes of the world, including in volcanoes and on the Elemental Plane of Fire. Ignans are similar to yuan-ti halfbloods, except they are slightly more powerful due to some of the fire spells they wield. Ignans were first described in Monster Manual IV.

Alignment

Yuan-ti are usually both chaotic and evil, though their caste system is fairly rigid and they cooperate well in their schemes. They are no strangers to long-term planning, either, but this only means their superior intelligence allows them to embrace chaos as an ultimate goal and ferment chaos as a means to an end, without falling victim to the weaknesses of disorder. They feel no particular kinship with other chaotic or evil beings, and will be happy to see them destroyed along with everyone else.

Yuan-ti drugs

Humans can be transformed into yuan-ti using a preparation known as the Black Broth, which includes distilled ophidian venom and other ingredients consecrated to the yuan-ti deity. This can only be completed about every 1,000 years, when the stars and planets signify a conjunction between the Prime Material Plane and the 111th layer of the Abyss.

Yuan-ti also create a highly addictive drug called white resin, made from rare herbs and yuan-ti venom. They introduce it into humanoid populations, using the drug to manipulate them. They also use them to control their slaves, but they're reluctant to do this too much, as extended use of white resin can drive humanoids mad, giving them reptilian features that obligate the yuan-ti to care for them after they become too mentally ill to work, due to their reverence of reptilian beings.

Osssra is an oil that, when burned, confers benefits on yuan-ti but acts as a poison to other races. Its smoke is strangely multi-colored. Osssra is described in detail in Serpent Kingdoms, and various "antidotes" to osssra, known as ophiotoxins, were described in Dragon #355.

Society

The yuan-ti, despite their love of chaos, have a fairly rigid caste system with slaves at the bottom, with purebloods as ambassadors, builders, artisans, and spies, halfbloods as guardians, warriors, and enforcers, and abominations as the mystics, philosophers, generals, judges, and leaders of a yuan-ti nest.

Yuan-ti society slightly favors males, as only males may be high priests. However, they are too intelligent to not utilize their females' talents, and in non-priestly or reproductive roles females are permitted to do everything that males are. Female purebloods are particularly useful as seductresses in the human world.

Religion

In Dwellers of the Forbidden City, the yuan-ti are described as "devout demon worshippers," and their god is depicted as a cobra-headed man (page 6). In Dragon #151, the (Oriental) yuan-ti described there are made to worship a demon lord called Sch'theraqpasstt, who resembles a great, black-scaled winged snake. The article goes on to say that the yuan-ti have turned to other creatures of the Abyss for power since Sch'theraqpasstt's decline. In Treasures of Greyhawk, the Amedio Jungle yuan-ti seem to worship a deity they call Sarthis, vaguely resembling a human with undefined reptilian features. Monster Mythology introduced Merrshaulk, who is described as a vast serpent with a human head and stubby forearms, as the yuan-ti patron. Like Sch'theraqpasstt, Merrshaulk is a deity in decline, albeit for different reasons, and both entities are said to live in the Abyss. Sch'theraqpasstt is said to have gone mad while attempting to merge with his Abyssal layer, while Merrshaulk is slowly falling into eternal sleep.

In The Scarlet Brotherhood, the yuan-ti civilizations described in in that book were all made worshippers of the Olman deity Tlaloc, a reptilian-headed god of rain.

The yuan-ti of Scuttlecove detailed in Dungeon #95 are cultists of Demogorgon.

In addition, there is a sub-faction of the yuan-ti, the Vanguard of Sertrous (outlined in Elder Evils), who follow the teachings of the ancient obyrith Sertrous, sometimes known as the first heretic. The Vanguard wish to assist Sertrous in reconquering his layer of the Abyss.

The yuan-ti venerate reptiles in general and consider it taboo to slay them. However, they will not take foolish risks to preserve reptilian life.

Language

Tlaman is the language of the yuan-ti of Hepmonaland. It is largely derived from Olman with phrases from Touv and the languages of snakes, altered to be best pronounced with forked tongues. It uses essentially the same pictographs as Olman, and an Olman speaker can understand approximately two-thirds of Tlaman.

Associated creatures

There are several reptilian creatures closely associated with the yuan-ti that are not yuan-ti themselves:

• Ti-khana are reptiles, such as snakes, lizards, and dinosaurs, that have been altered by the yuan-ti. Ti-khana are far more intelligent than the creatures from which they are created, and possess both the psionic abilities and cruel disposition of their yuan-ti creators. They appear more snakelike than their mundane ancestors, appearing somewhat elongated, with venomous fangs. The ti-khana first appeared in the Third Edition version of the Fiend Folio, with a ti-khana deinonychus showcased as an example. Ti-khana elasmosaurs are also mentioned fleetingly in Serpent Kingdoms.

• Ophidians are an unrelated race of serpent-people who are nonetheless commonly associated with the yuan-ti. Ophidians are not very intelligent, and are easily impressed by shows of power by yuan-ti, evil nagas, and dragons, whom they frequently serve as willing slaves. Their most potent weapon is their venom, which can change humans into degenerate ophidians. Most ophidians worship their yuan-ti masters as gods.

• Ssvaklors are a type of serpentine dragon created by yuan-ti using special rituals on a dragon egg, typically that of a black dragon. Ssvaklors are less intelligent than even humans and, like true dragons (a group of which they are not a part), have a breath weapon: a cone of poisonous gas. They are typically green and black in colour. Greater ssvaklors also exist, though they are simply a more powerful version of the "standard" ssvaklor with the ability to spit globs of poison to their foes. Like yuan-ti, ssvaklors' serpentine nature makes them natural swimmers. They are normally met in the company of yuan-ti and are often used as guardians by them. Ssvaklors first appeared in the Monster Manual III.

History

In approximately -1100 CY, the high priests of the Olman city-states Alocotla and Xapatlapo made a pact with Tlaloc. In an elaborate ceremony, they sacrificed and devoured one thousand infants, and all who partook of that feast were transformed into yuan-ti. These changes bred true, and yuan-ti continue to rule those two cities to this day, as well as the city of Xuxulieto and elsewhere.

Creative origins

The yuan-ti were created by David Cook in Dwellers of the Forbidden City.

Publishing history

The yuan-ti were reprinted in the 1st edition Monster Manual II and appeared in 2nd edition in Volume One of the Monstrous Compendium series. The histachii, later called the broodguard, was introduced in Dragon #151 and reprinted in the Kara-Tur Monstrous Compendium Appendix, and as the broodguard in Monsters of Faerûn.

Bibliography

• Babbit, Michael, and Chris Jones. The Slayer's Guide to Yuan-Ti. Swindon, England: Mongoose Publishing, 2003.

• Collins, Andy. "Yuan-ti." Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2003. Available online:[1]

• Cook, David. Dwellers of the Forbidden City. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1981.

• Cook, David, et al. Monstrous Compendium Volume One. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1989.

• Greenwood, Ed, Eric L. Boyd, and Darrin Drader. Serpent Kingdoms. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2004.

• Gygax, Gary. Monster Manual II. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1983.

• Jacobs, James. "Porphyry House Horror." Dungeon #95. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2002.

• Jacobs, James and Richard Pett. "Savage Tidings: The Market is Bad." Dragon #355. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2007.

• Laws, Robin. "Venom and Coil." Dragon #305. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2003.

• Reynolds, Sean K. The Scarlet Brotherhood. Renton, WA: TSR, 1999.

• Stewart, Doug, ed. Monstrous Manual. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1994.

• Wellman, David. "The Ecology of the Yuan-Ti." Dragon #151. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1989.

• Wyatt, James, and Rob Heinsoo. Monstrous Compendium: Monsters of Faerun. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2001.

External links

• Russ Taylor on Merrshaulk.

• Yuan-ti on Wikipedia.

  Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index

The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.

Topic	Type	Description	Product	Page/Card/Image
Yuan ti {yuan-ti}	Monster		Dragon magazine #359	97
Yuan ti {yuan-ti}	Monster		Into The Unknown: The Dungeon Survival Handbook, D&D 4e	3, 144, 156, 158
Yuan ti {yuan-ti}	Monster		From the Ashes: References Card	#12
Yuan ti {yuan-ti}	Monster		I1 Dwellers of the Forbidden City	2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 22, 23, 27
Yuan ti {yuan-ti}	Monster		Living Greyhawk, Living Onnwal Gazetteer, D&D 3.5e	110
Yuan ti {yuan-ti}	Monster		MC1 - Monstrous Compendium Volume 1	Insert (Yuan-ti)
Yuan ti {yuan-ti}	Monster		Monstrous Manual, AD&D 2e	369
Yuan ti {yuan-ti}	Monster		Monstrous Manual, AD&D 2e (Premium Edition)	369
Yuan ti {yuan-ti}	Monster		Monster Manual 1, D&D 3.5e (Premium Edition)	262-265
Yuan ti {yuan-ti}	Monster		Monster Manual 1, D&D 4e (Deluxe Edition)	269-273
Yuan ti {yuan-ti}	Monster		Monster Manual 1, D&D 5e	307-310
Yuan ti {yuan-ti}	Monster		Monster Manual 2, AD&D 1e	130
Yuan ti {yuan-ti}	Monster		PHBR5 - The Complete Psionics Handbook	124
Yuan ti {yuan-ti}	Monster		1991 TSR Trading Cards - Factory Set	584