Naga, River

Family: Nagas

Large monstrosity, neutral

Armor Class 18 (natural armor)
Hit Points 255 (30d10+90)
Speed 40 ft., swim 50 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
22 (+6)	18 (+4)	16 (+3)	17 (+3)	20 (+5)	18 (+4)

Saving Throws Dex +9, Con +8, Wis +10, Cha +9
Skills Nature +8, Perception +10
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities charmed, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 20
Languages Aquan, Common
Challenge 13 (10,000 XP)

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Amphibious. The river naga can breathe air and water.
• Rejuvenation. If it dies, the river naga returns to life in 1d6 days and regains all its hit points. Only a wish spell can prevent this trait from functioning.
• Spellcasting. The river naga is a 15th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 18, +10 to hit with spell attacks), and it needs only verbal components to cast its spells. It has the following druid spells prepared:
  • Cantrips (at will): druidcraft, poison spray, produce flame
  • 1st level (4 slots): create or destroy water, detect poison and disease, purify food and drink
  • 2nd level (3 slots): hold person, lesser restoration, moonbeam
  • 3rd level (3 slots): meld into stone, plant growth, sleet storm
  • 4th level (3 slots): control water, ice storm, polymorph
  • 5th level (2 slots): commune with nature, conjure elemental
  • 6th level (1 slot): heal
  • 7th level (1 slot): regenerate
  • 8th level (1 slot): control weather

ACTIONS

• Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, 10 ft. reach, one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) piercing damage, and the target must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw, taking 77 (14d10) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

ABOUT

With mottled scales of blue, green, and shades of purple, river nagas’ serpentine beauty belies their deadliness. Although doubtlessly intelligent, these nagas have more in common with normal snakes than most of their kind, preferring to be left to their own devices and lashing out at any creatures that would disturb them. A typical water naga measures 10 feet long and weighs 250 pounds.

Migratory. Where many nagas claim particular lairs as their homes, river nagas typically have a number of retreats, migrating from one to the next with the changing of the seasons. These nagas keep elaborate summer and winter lairs, with several favored shelters positioned between these so they can make a circuit of familiar rivers and deltas throughout the year. Fiercely territorial when it comes to their lairs, river nagas typically attack any that intrude upon their sanctuaries, only bothering to question interlopers once such creatures have been weakened by poison, if at all.

As their yearly treks make many river nagas especially well traveled, those who live near the serpents’ lairs- usually lizardfolk, fey, and human tribes-often court the snake creatures’ good graces with offerings of rich local delicacies, hoping to learn of nearby lands and pass on their own stories to distant neighbors. Enjoying flattery, exciting tales, and the adoration of those they see as lesser creatures, most water nagas take pride in their roles as travelers. However, while rarely malicious, they quickly grow bored of repetitive, mundane anecdotes and often embellish the stories they’ve heard with their own fictions-caring little for the repercussions such misleading tales might cause for their listeners. The congeniality of some river nagas does not extend to the entire race, and many unwary souls, even those with only the best intentions, face these serpentine creatures’ deadly bite.