The Yuan-Ti
The children of Stygia are ancient peoples created by the demon Set at the behest of the Deity Sseth before creation was truly settled.
Since the death of their deity, and their servitude to a demon prince, the ophidian peoples have been attempting to rebuild their powers, and resurrect their god. As such, the snake cults have been working to restore themselves to a real power, with a real part of reality to call their own.
In order to restore their former glory, the Snake Cults have been using all methods at their disposal. Mostly indoctrinating the impressionable, kidnapping those they can't recruit, and performing blood magic with those they find useless.
The Yuan-Ti don't tend to perform Death Arts, worship the living gods, or bind the nameless spirits. However, when they are not using the magic of the ancient god, they are scavenging spells from the corpses of their past, and conjuring demons to serve them. Their whole society is bent toward the recovery of their former glory, building grander and larger temple, recovering the artifacts of their own past glory, and trying to recover their own society.
Most join the Snake Cults from the fringes of society, looking for enlightenment. The majority of the cultist are killed, used, or made into Brood Guards. But the rare cultist gets brought into the fold, especially those with The Gift or some other special spark. And so, the cult grows.
Yuan-Ti Setting
- Born Pure-blood 9 yrs 8 -
- Skills: 4g
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Traits: 2t: Snake Eyes
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Cultist 5 yrs 10 - Snake Cult, Outcast, Servitude, Relic Hunter
- Skills: 5pts: Heretical Doctrine, Ritual, Knife, Torture, Old Gods-wise
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Traits: 2t: Zealot, Snake Arms
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Harem Guard 3 yrs 5 - Outcast
- Skills: 5pts: Abomination-wise, Seduction, Appropriate Weapons, Inconspicuous
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Traits: 3pts: Eunuch, Crushing Jaws, Venomous Bite
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Brood Guard 5 yrs 6 +1P -
- Skills: 5pts: Savage Attack, Observation, Brood-wise, Child Rearing, Snake Husbandry
- Traits: 1 pt: Brood Guard
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Requires: Broken trait
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Malison 8 yrs 25 +1M,P Snake Cult, Outcast, Relic Hunter
- Skills: 10 pts: Intimidation, Savage Attack, Ritual, Conspicuous, Read, Write, Command, Snake Husbandry, Secrets of Lost Gods-wise, Ancient Temple-wise
- Traits: 3 pts: Any Snake Traits
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Requires: 2 Snake Traits
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Abomination 10 yrs 30 +1M,P Snake Cult
- Skills: 7 pts: Savage Attack, Rhetoric, Persuasion, Aura Reading, Poisons, Administration
- Traits: 2 pts: Snake Legs, Dangerous, Second Tongue, Mark of the Beast
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Requires: Malison and 4 Snake Traits
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Temple Guard 4 yrs 8 +1 P Snake Cult, Relic Hunter
- Skills: 5 pts: Observation, Poisons, Appropriate Weapons, Shifty Character-wise, Architecture-wise
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Traits: 2 pts: Quiet, Scaley Skin
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Madness 5 yrs 6 - -
- Skills: 4 pts: Religious Diatribe, Conspicuous, Brood Guard-wise
- Traits: 1 pt: Deranged, Faith in Dead Gods
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Requires: At least one snake trait, cannot have the Born Pure-blood lifepath
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Historian 10 yrs 15 +1 M Snake Cult, Relic Hunter
- Skills: 9 pts: Ancient History, Obscure History, Ophidian-wise, Calligraphy, Illuminations, Ancient Languages, Read, Write
- Traits: 2 pts: Dusty, Bookworm, Forked Tongue
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Requires: Malison, Cultist, Cult Priest, or the Obscure History skill
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Apprentice 5 yrs 8 +1 P Relic Hunter
- Skills: 7 pts: Mending, Mason, Hauling, Read, Write, Architect, Blacksmith
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Traits: 2 pts: Careful, Snake Arms, Snake Legs
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Mason 7 yrs 15 +1 M -
- Skills: 8 pts: Mason, Architecture, Engraving, Painting, Pyramid-wise, Temple-wise, Arch-wise, Unreasonable Request-wise
- Traits: 2 pts: Sworn to the Temple, Snake Legs, Snake Arms
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Requires: Apprentice
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Master Mason 10 yrs 30 +1 M -
- Skills: 7 pts: Arch-wise, Stone-wise, Terrifying Edifice-wise, Cyclops-wise, Etiquette, Intimidation, Rhetoric
- Traits: 2 pts: Diligent, Snake Tongue, Forked Tongue
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Requires: Mason
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Temple Mason 15 yrs 50 +1 M,P Snake Cult
- Skills: 10 pts: Oratory, Ritual, Engraving, Architecture, Mason, Temple-wise, Summoning, Circination, Ancient Artifacts-wise
- Traits: 3 pts: Corruption, Gifted, Second Tongue
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Requires: Mason and Malison
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Smith 3 yrs 10 +1 P Relic Hunter
- Skills: 6 pts: Mending, Scavenging, Blacksmith, Armourer, Weaponsmith, Whitesmith
- Traits: 2 pts: Muscles like Cordwood
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Requires: Apprentice
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Steel Smith 4 yrs 18 +1 M/P -
- Skills: 6 pts: Blacksmith, Whitesmith, Armourer, Riddle of Steel**
- Traits: 3 pts: Snake Tongue
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Requires: Smith
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Apprentice Spy 8 yrs 15 +1 M/P City, Noble Court
- Skills: 6 pts: Inconspicuous, Poisons, Disguise, Sleight of Hand, Knife, Human-wise
- Traits: 3 pts: Bound to the Snake
- Requires: Snake Eyes
** Yep, it's an Elven Spell Song, the Yuan-Ti may learn it, they do require two points to open it, and it is open ended for them. They taught it to the Elves, do not believe elven lies about the dwarves..
Snake Cult Subsetting
- Cult Priest 5 yrs 6 +1 M/P Yuan-Ti
- Skills: 7 pts: Obscure History, Suasion, Symbology, Ritual, Torture, Snake-wise, Yuan-Ti-wise
- Traits: 2 pts: Temple-bound, Faith in Dead Gods
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Requires: Cultist or Celebrant
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Cult Prophet 6 yrs 9 +1 M Yuan-Ti
- Skills: 5 pts: Astrology, Meditation, Heretical Doctrine, Ancient Prophesy-wise
- Traits: 3 pts: Cassandra, Touch of Ages, Dreamer
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Requires: Malison or Abomination
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Priest of Blood 7 yrs 14 +1 M,P Yuan-Ti
- Skills: 6 pts: Torture, Bloodletting, Ritual, Knives, Rituals-wise, Anatomy
- Traits: 2 pts: Sanguine, Snake Arms
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Requires: Cult Priest
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Celebrant 4 yrs 8 - -
- Skills: 4 pts: Heretical Doctrine, Religious Diatribe, Suasion, Cult-wise
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Traits: 1 pts: Faith in Dead Gods
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Cult Magister 9 yrs 32 +1 M/P Yuan-Ti, Outcast
- Skills: 7 pts: Symbology, Ancient Languages, Ancient History, Sorcery, Spell-wise
- Traits: 2 pts: Corrupted, Gifted
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Requires: Can not have the Faith in Dead Gods trait
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Cult Summoner 8 yrs 30 +1 M/P Yuan-Ti, Outcast
- Skills: 7 pts: Calligraphy, Circination, Summoning, Bargaining, Demonology, Spirit-wise
- Traits: 2 pts: Forked Tongue, Gifted
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Requires: Can not have the Faith in Dead Gods trait
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Preacher 6 yrs 10 +1 M Yuan-Ti
- Skills: 6 pts: Oratory, Rhetoric, Suasion, Religious Diatribe, Heretical Doctrine, Cultist-wise
- Traits: pts: Believer, Charismatic
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Requires: Cult Priest
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Hypnotist 8 yrs 12 +1 M,P Yuan-Ti
- Skills: 6 pts: Persuasion, Torture, Ancient Languages, Astrology, Tall Tale-wise, Grift-wise
- Traits: 1 pts: Hypnotic Eyes
- Requires: Preacher, Malison, or Abomination
Relic Hunter
- Spelunker 4 yrs 7 +1 P Yuan-Ti
- Skills: 3 pts: Cave-wise, Stone-wise, Trap-wise
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Traits: 2 pts: Accustomed to the Dark
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Temple Raider 3 yrs 8 - Yuan-Ti
- Skills: 5 pts: Temple-wise, Stealthy, Temple Guardian-wise, Appropriate Weapons
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Traits: 1 pt: -
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Expedition Guard 4 yrs 7 +1 P Yuan-Ti, Snake Cult
- Skills: 4 pts: Sword, Orienteering, Observation, Journey-wise
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Traits: 1 pt: -
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Warrior 5 yrs 15 +1P Yuan-Ti
- Skills: 6 pts: Sword, Two Fisted Fighting Training, Armour Training, Soldiering
- Traits: 2 pt: Hardened, Brutal, Scaley Skin
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Requires: Temple Raider, Temple Guard, or Expedition Guard
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Reinventor 10 yrs 25 +1 M,P Yuan-Ti, Snake Cult
- Skills: 9 pts: Ancient Technology-wise, Arch-wise, Cornerstone-wise, Masonry, Blacksmithing, Architecture, Mending, Enchanting, Circination
- Traits: pts: IT'S ALIVE, Corrupted, Geometic
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Requires: Cult Prophet, Recovered Magics, or Temple Mason
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Recovered Magics 7 yrs 20 +1 M Snake Cult
- Skills: 10 pts: Ancient Mage-wise, Summoning, Enchanting, Ancient Magics-wise, Symbology, Ancient History, Magic-wise, Calligraphy
- Traits: 3 pts: Haunted by Dark Spirits, Possessed, Corrupted, Gifted
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Requires: Temple Raider, Historian, or Celebrant
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Linguist 8 yrs 10 +1 M Yuan-Ti
- Skills: 5 pts: Ancient Languages, Read, Write, Foreign Languages, Obscure History
- Traits: 2 pts: Ink Stained Hands, Buried in Scrolls, Speaker of the Secret Language
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Requires: Recovered Magics, Reinventor, or Historian
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Diplomat 7 yrs 15 +1 M Yuan-Ti, Noble Court
- Skills: 7 pts: Persuasion, Foreign Languages, Foreign Peoples-wise, Human-wise, Oratory, Poisoner
- Traits: 2 pts: Obsequious, Well Spoken
- Requires: Malison, Apprentice Spy, or Cult Priest
Yuan-Ti Traits
The Yuan-Ti are born not made, but depending what traits someone has, it will define their station in life. Assume the Yuan-Ti was born with their traits, rather than having them grafted on.
If the character's backstory is that they had a Yuan-Ti priest give them the Snake Eyes trait via a Minor Miracle, they cannot take any other Snake Traits.
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Crushing Jaws: As Great Wolf
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Snake Tongue: The Snake may taste the air. Allowing them to use their Perception to detect that which is undetectable through other senses. The trait allows the Yuan-Ti to use perception as observation if scent would apply. This is especially powerful when paired with Keen Taste as the Yuan-Ti can now taste the nearby area, not just within its mouth.
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Venomous Bite: If the Yuan-Ti deals damage with a bite attack, increase Obstacle on tests by the Yuan-Ti's Forte - the Victim's Forte (so if the Snake has B6 Forte, and the Victim has B4 Forte, increase the victim's future tests by +2Ob). Unless another traits is used for Bites (usually Crushing Jaws), the damage is 1/2Power, Length: Shortest, VA -, Speed 3, Add 2.
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Scaly Skin: As the troll trait
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Forked Tongue: Low Speech, but only for snakes
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Hypnotic Eyes: This allows the Serpent to cast the Persuasion spell using only their eyes. The Duration is 1 day, plus 1/2 day per success over the obstacle.
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Snake Legs: This causes the character's speed to be capped at 6, but increases their maximum Power by 1.
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Snake Arms: This counts as Missing Limb (Arm), but the character gains snakes for arms. They can use tools that require manual dexterity, but only at +2 Ob. They also gain a brawling weapon: Power +2, Short, VA 1, Speed 2, Add 2, which can deliver venom, if they have it.
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Snake Eyes: Character trait
Other Traits:
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Brood Guard: Yuan-Ti Lifepath Trait - the Yuan-Ti Broodguard is both powerful and maimed. Their Perception must always be lower than or equal to their Power. They also gain 3D Armour from head to foot in snake scales. They also gains the benefits of the Venomous Bite, Crushing Jaw traits, and Forked Tongue (though without the access to Yuan-Ti lifepaths). They are powerful, but can never again advance in society.
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Cult Leader: This is a Call-On for Faith in Dead Gods - but only when getting +1D of Help from those without the Faith attribute.
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Bound to the Snake: Characters with this trait always have a lead back to the Yuan-Ti setting.
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Second Tongue: This is the Second Sight trait, but it requires the character to taste that which they are trying to read the Aura of. However, the Snake Tongue trait can make this less gross.
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Temple-bound: The Priest exists as part of the temple first and foremost. Yuan-Ti cults tend to form around locations, which often means that the snakes cause the region to be deeply affected by that temple. The Priest gains a 1D Infamous reputation with the local region, and a 1D Affiliation with the cult.
Skills:
Snake Husbandry: This is Spider Husbandry except for snakes. Generally requires the ability to speak to snakes.
