Yuan-ti Anathema
| Harper Field Dossier | |
|---|---|
| Combat reference | |
| Type | The pinnacle of yuan-ti transformation — a great serpent body with arms and many snake heads |
| Vulnerabilities | Silence. Every working it knows is spoken; struck mute, it is only teeth and coils. Cold, force, and honest steel all bite in full |
| Resistances | Fire and lightning |
| Immunities | Poison and thunder — venom means nothing to it, though its body can still be fouled and sickened (the poisoned condition took hold at the bridge) |
| Condition Immunities | |
| Strong Saves | Magic slides off it — it shrugs at spells and magical effects that lesser creatures fail against |
| Senses | Reads the warmth of living bodies through the heat-pits below its eyes; darkness is no refuge from it |
| Movement | Swims as swiftly as it slithers, and will come up out of a river you thought was empty |
| Notable Abilities | A druid's grasp of vines and grasping earth — all of it spoken aloud; many biting heads and crushing coils within reach of its arms |
| Provenance | |
| Knowledge | Partial |
| First Encountered | Session 54, rising from the Winding Water at Boareskyr Bridge |
| Filed by | Agent Wren, of the Tellstone circle |
The Harpers' Read
An anathema is what a yuan-ti spends a lifetime of rites trying to become, and the hills keep very few of them — the bridge-keeper at Boareskyr had twenty years of books and had never once written one down. Treat every report of one as true until proven otherwise.
Your first move is not a blade. It is Silence. Everything the creature casts, it speaks, and a single well-placed hush strips it down to an animal — a big one, with many mouths, but an animal. After that, mind your elements: it bathes in fire and lightning without much complaint, and poison is a joke to it, but cold, force, and plain sharpened steel wound it honestly. Do not count on your spells landing at all — magic slides off the thing, so bring effects that give no save or allies who don't cast. Keep your distance while it dies; every one of those heads bites, and the arms are strong enough to crush. And do not bother hiding in the dark — it reads your body's warmth through the pits beneath its eyes. The company at Boareskyr Bridge killed theirs without taking a single blow, and that is the correct number of blows to take from an anathema.
Encounters of Record
- Session 54 — An anathema swam down the Winding Water to Boareskyr Bridge behind its clutch of spies and came ashore in front of the whole town. Karma bent its Entangle aside, Gootcha's Silence deleted its entire spell list, Baelgrum's Commanded it through a wolf pack, and Keyleth's longbow finished it before it ever completed an attack. The carcass was harvested in the street.
Harvest Profile
CR 12 — Very Rare ceiling. Rules: Monster Harvesting. Search all components by effect: Find Components.
| Component | Tool | Rarity | Effect | Primary for | Contributor to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anathema Venom Glands (signature) | Poisoner's | Very Rare | Many-fanged venom — virulent, layered neurotoxin Damage: Poison • Afflict: Poisoned |
Poison, Bomb | Weapon |
| Gemlike Serpent Eyes | Jeweler's (or Thieves' fine work) | Very Rare | Serpent gaze — gem-focus stock; beguilement and suggestion Afflict: Charm • Boost: Spell Power |
Wand, Wondrous | Staff |
| Mageward Ichor | Alchemist's | Very Rare | Spell-turning essence — warding against magic Resistance: Spells • Boost: Saving Throws |
Potion, Wondrous | Staff, Armor |
| Anathema Scale Coat | Smith's | Very Rare | Layered serpent-scale plating — fire- and lightning-warded Boost: Armor Class • Resistance: Fire • Resistance: Lightning |
Armor | Wondrous, Weapon |
| Heat-Pit Clusters | Navigator's | Very Rare | Heat-sense — perceive warm bodies through darkness; divination Sense: Blindsight • Sense: Heightened Senses • Utility: Divination |
Wondrous | Wand, Staff |
| Antivenin Organ | Herbalism | Rare | Antitoxin — resist & neutralize poison Restore: Cure Poison • Ward: Poison |
Potion | Poison, Wondrous |
| Six-Skull Crowns | Smith's | Rare | Serpent skull-crowns — helm and trophy stock Boost: Armor Class • Skill: Intimidation |
Armor | Wondrous, Weapon |
| Anathema Hide | Leatherworker's | Rare | Vast serpent-leather — supple and warded Boost: Armor Class |
Armor | Wondrous |
| Coiled Muscle Sinew | Leatherworker's | Rare | Constricting sinew — strength & grip Boost: Strength • Skill: Athletics |
Armor | Weapon, Wondrous |
| Envenomed Fangs | Poisoner's / Smith's | Uncommon | Venom-channeled fangs Damage: Poison • Damage: Piercing |
Weapon | Poison |
| Serpent Musk Gland | Alchemist's | Uncommon | Beast-calming serpent musk Skill: Animal Handling • Afflict: Charm |
Potion | Wondrous |
| Abyssal Ichor | Alchemist's / Calligrapher's | Uncommon | Faintly abyssal blood-ink; sigil reagent Boost: Spell Power |
Wondrous | Wand |
| Heat-Pit Membranes | Navigator's | Uncommon | Lesser heat-sense membranes Sense: Heightened Senses |
Wondrous | — |
| Supple Scale-Skin | Leatherworker's | Uncommon | Shed-ready scale-skin; light leather Boost: Armor Class |
Armor | Wondrous |
| Serpent Blood | Alchemist's / Poisoner's | Common | Structure only | — | Potion, Poison, Bomb |
| Anathema Fangs | Smith's | Common | Structure only | — | Armor, Weapon |
| Scale Handfuls | Smith's | Common | Structure only | — | Armor, Weapon |
| Rib Bones | Smith's | Common | Structure only | — | Armor, Weapon |
| Sinew Cords | Leatherworker's | Common | Structure only | — | Armor, Wondrous |
| Serpent Meat | Cook's | Common | Structure only | — | Rations |
Harvest Record
Harvested in Session 54; quantities include margin bonuses. Banked totals: Harvested Materials.
| Component | Qty | Outcome | Recovered by (roll) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anathema Venom Glands | 2 | Recovered— signature +1 at margin 10 | Shade(30) |
| Gemlike Serpent Eyes | 2 | Recovered— pairs | Gootcha(27) |
| Mageward Ichor | 1 | Recovered | Xanphina(21) |
| Anathema Scale Coat | 1 | Recovered | Baelgrum(20) |
| Heat-Pit Clusters | 1 | Recovered | Keyleth(20) |
| Antivenin Organ | 1 | Recovered | Karma(17) |
| Six-Skull Crowns | 2 | Recovered | Baelgrum |
| Envenomed Fangs | 5 | Recovered | Shade |
| Serpent Musk Gland | 3 | Recovered | Xanphina |
| Abyssal Ichor | 3 | Recovered | Xanphina |
| Heat-Pit Membranes | 3 | Recovered | Keyleth |
| Serpent Blood | 13 | Recovered | column sweeps |
| Anathema Fangs | 9 | Recovered | column sweeps |
| Scale Handfuls | 4 | Recovered | column sweeps |
| Anathema Hide | — | Left— no leatherworker | — |
| Coiled Muscle Sinew | — | Left— no leatherworker | — |
| Supple Scale-Skin | — | Left— no leatherworker | — |
| Sinew Cords | — | Left— no leatherworker | — |
| Serpent Meat | — | Left | — |
| Rib Bones | — | Left | — |
See also
- Yuan-ti — the serpent-folk and their other kinds
- Bestiary — the company's field bestiary
- Monster Harvesting · Harvested Materials · Find Components