Yuan-Ti

A mysterious and deadly people, the Yuan-Ti are a serpentine race of cold-blooded creatures typically found in the hot and humid jungles of the world. They have snake-like features, scaled gray-green skin, and often have terrifying abilities such as poisonous fangs or the power to induce hypnosis, sleep, or terror. They are known to the River Folk of Aegyptus as being a fierce and implacable enemy, and are infamous for using humanoids for food. They have even been known to skin humanoids and use these skins as rugs, or to make apparel such as belts, shoes, and the like.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The Yuan-Ti have scaled, reptilian skin and a variety of serpentine features, but their bodies also often retain two or more limbs of the more typical vertebrate tetrapods. There are a number of variations in their morphology, including those with a snake head but human-like arms and legs; those with a snake head and human legs, but snakes instead of arms (with additional, small heads and fangs those with snake heads, human-like arms, and snake lower bodies with a tail instead of legs; and those with multi-snake heads coming out of their elbows instead of just one. There may be other combinations as well.
Yuan-Ti are ectothermic, fully reptilian creatures, and are not mammalian in any way, even though some of their features may appear human or elven-like. They have forked serpentine tongues, "three-and-a-half chambered" hearts, and fangs rather than mammalian teeth.

Genetics and Reproduction

Yuan-Ti are either viviparous - the mother lays eggs in a nest - or ovoviviparous - the female produces eggs internally, but they hatch inside her body and the young are born live. In general, females that are bipedal are ovoviviparous, whereas those with serpentine lower bodies lay eggs.  The lowest members of the Yuan-Ti society guard the egg nests until the young hatch.

Ecology and Habitats

Yuan-Ti, being cold-blooded, tend to prefer warmer climates. They are found most commonly in the jungles of Africa.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Unknown

Facial characteristics

Snake-like or serpentine features, usually resembling snakes such as cobras, pythons, or adders.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Jungles of central Africa

Average Intelligence

Very high - human-like or greater

Civilization and Culture

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Yuan-Ti are unknown in most parts of the Roman Empire except in and around Aegyptus. They rarely interact with other sentient species except to make war or capture them for slaves or food. They are openly hostile toward Humans and Elves , the other species with whom they come into contact most often. Presumably their attitude toward other humanoid races such as Gnomes or halflings would be similar, but these groups rarely come into contact with Yuan-Ti.

by DM-Steven (via HeroForge)

Lifespan

Unknown

Average Height

6' for human-like Yuan-Ti

Average Length

Up to 10' long for more serpentine Yuan-Ti

Average Physique

Human-like or stronger

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Green, Gray, or Gray-Green scales