Sinister Serpentfolk. The serpentine creatures known as gorgons are the scaled remains of a once-powerful, ancient empire of vicious rulers. Born from the dark goddess Lamia, the gorgons served their creator using their serpentine traits. Possessing scales, fangs, forked tongues, and the ability to petrify foes with a fearsome gaze, they quickly spread their influence across the continent. After a great war that led to their defeat, however, the gorgons were driven underground and forced to abandon their goddess. Due to this, modern gorgons lack some of the superior traits of their ancestors. The most common example lies in a gorgon's hair and tails - some gorgons may have serpents for hair, while others have more human-like hair; alternatively, some gorgons may have human-like legs, while others have massive snake tails in place of legs. Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1. Alignment. While their beliefs vary greatly from den to den, many gorgons wish to avenge their ancestors or to wreak havoc on the surface they were driven from. Most gorgons typically lean towards evil. Size. Gorgons with legs grow no larger than a human, and tailed gorgons merely grow a few feet taller. Your size is medium. Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Petrifying Stare. Lamia's power runs deep through your veins, allowing you to channel ancient dark magic into your eyes. You can use your action to attempt to petrify a creature you can see within 15 feet of you that can see you. That creature must make a Constitution saving throw. The DC is 8 + your Wisdom modifier + your proficiency bonus. On a failed save, the creature's body begins to be covered by cursed stone, halving their movement speed and giving you and your allies advantage on attack rolls against that creature for 1d4 rounds. This effect ends early if the creature regains hit points. After you use this action, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest. Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. Gorgonic Trait. Your heritage as a gorgon grants you a prominent physical trait from Lamia. Select one of the following traits and apply the bonuses they give you:
Snake Hair | Keen Tongues. The snakes that make up your hair enhance your senses, giving you advantage on Perception checks. | Eye of the Serpent. The myriad of serpents on your head grants you a sinister appearance. If a creature succeeds its saving throw against your Petrifying Stare, it is frightened for 12 seconds instead. |
Serpent's Tail | Slithering Might. The large, muscular tail you possess in place of legs grants you great speed and strength. You gain proficiency with the Athletics skill. | Sinister Coil. Your snake-like tail can act as a large third appendage when needed. When you grapple a creature, you can instead use your tail to wrap around them, allowing you to freely use both hands during the grapple. |
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Draconic.