Necrophidius

Medium construct, neutral

Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 55 (10d8 + 10)
Speed 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
17 (+3)	18 (+4)	13 (+1)	6 (-2)	10 (+0)	1 (-5)

Saving Throws Dex +6
Skills Acrobatics +6, Athletics +5, Stealth +6
Damage Resistances bludgeoning
Damage Immunities lightning, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages understands Common, but cannot speak it.
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

ACTIONS

• Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8+3) piercing damage. If the target is a creature other than an undead, it must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
• Dance of Death (Recharge 5-6). The necrophidius sways and moves in a hypnotic pattern. Each creature within 20 feet that can see it must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature is stunned until the end of the necrophidius’ next turn.

ABOUT

The soft scrape of bone reveals the long, sinuous skeleton of a large snake, its’ head a humanoid skull with a snake’s jaws.

Although the necrophidius is a mindless construct with no particular ability to comprehend the complexities of good or evil, these sinister-looking constructs are often crafted by evil or macabre creators seeking to imbue their guardians with a frightening aesthetic.

Constructed from bones harvested from serpents and humans, a necrophidius is animated by occult magic, not unlife. Each necrophidius is built from the skeleton of a large snake, but its skull has been replaced by that of a humanoid creature. Some death cults or particularly cruel crafters seek out the skulls of specific individuals against whom they bear grudges to provide the head for their necrophidius. The final step of the construction is the alteration of the teeth and jaws to give the creature a more serpentine visage, complete with fangs.

If a necrophidius’s creator dies, the construct follows the last series of commands it was given. If it cannot do so, the necrophidius aimlessly wanders the area near where it last served its creator and attacks any creatures it encounters. Some believe that those who know the secrets of a necrophidius’s origins can command it provided its original creator no longer exists and no one else currently commands it. There are also a number of reports concerning strangely aware and intelligent necrophidiuses that roam with a purpose and track down or hunt specific living creatures they interpret as the targets of former assassination missions.