Bone Viper

Small Magical Beast

Hit Dice: 3d10+3 (19 hp),dying/dead –2/–13 Initiative: +2 Speed: 30 feet AC: 16 (+1 size,+2 Dexterity,+2 natural,+1 dodge),touch 14, flat-footed 13 Base Attack/Grapple: +3/–1 Attack: Bite +3 melee (1d6 plus poison) Full Attack: Bite +3 melee (1d6 plus poison) Space/Reach: 5 feet/5 feet (Face/Reach:5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet) Special Attacks: Eyes ofthe serpent,poison Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 feet,low-light vision, spawn egg bearer Saves: Fort +4,Ref+5,Will +2 Abilities: Str 10,Dex 15,Con 13,Int 6,Wis 12,Cha 14 Skills: Hide +9,Wilderness Survival +4 Feats: Combat Reflexes,Defensive,Skill Focus (Sneak)

Environment: Warm plains and forests Organization: Solitary,pair,or nest (4–16) Challenge Rating: 2 Treasure: Standard Advancement: 4–6 HD (Medium) Level Adjustment: +3

Nearly 3 feet long,this serpent has bright emerald scales and black eyes that gleam with a feral intelligence.Nestled beneath its forked tongue is a sharp,hollow,bony stinger that it uses to seize control ofits victim’s nervous system,allowing it to roost within its prey’s body and incubate its spawn.

Bone vipers have an affinity for magic,particularly spells that control other creatures.A bone viper can drill its stinger into the brain ofa captured or recently slain victim,turning it into a mindless slave.Bone vipers dwell within the throats ofthese captives and lay their eggs within their viscera. Using its control over the victim’s nervous system,a bone viper can direct its slave to perform tasks such as gathering food or erecting a crude shelter.The viper-infested victim can even pass itselfoffas a living,free-willed individual,though usually only for a short time.After 2d4 weeks,the viper’s eggs hatch.The newborn snakes devour the body and burst forth in search ofmore food,leading many bone vipers to gather stockpiles offood as their eggs draw near to hatching.

Bone vipers rarely target humanoids with their attacks, since such creatures are much more dangerous prey than wild animals.In dangerous,monster-infested regions,bone vipers tend to be more aggressive toward travelers.In those situations,the relative safety ofa humanoid host compensates for the danger involved in claiming one.

While bone vipers have low Intelligence scores,they can speak Common in rasping,lisping tones.They can be reasoned with,and sometimes they may agree to leave a victim’s body ifthey are promised a different suitable creature to nest within.Unscrupulous folk sometimes keep these creatures as pets and guardians.They capture rivals and opponents, allow the viper to nest within them,and then work with the snake to meet their goals.

Combat

Bone vipers typically attack from ambush,using their small size to sneak up on a lone target before unleashing their gaze attack.They are clever enough to approach small groups or lone travelers,often striking at night to claim a guard while his companions sleep.After claiming a victim,the serpent usually directs its host to gather food and supplies before fleeing from contact with its former companions.While the serpent can hide its nature for a short time,its low intelligence and poor grasp ofsocial norms eventually lead to its exposure.

Eyes ofthe Serpent (Su): Once per round as a free action,a bone viper can use a gaze attack to lull an opponent into a trancelike state.The victim ofthis attack must make a Will save (DC 12) or be stunned for 1d4 rounds.This is a mind-affecting effect.Ifa magical effect or a mirror is used to reflect the viper’s gaze back at it,it must succeed on a save to resist its own attack.The save DC is Charisma based.

Poison (Ex): Injury,Fortitude save DC 13,initial damage paralysis for 1d4 minutes,secondary damage paralysis for 1d6 hours

Spawn Egg Bearer (Ex): A bone viper can crawl into a paralyzed victim ifit can spend 10 undisturbed minutes with it.At the end ofthis period,the victim receives the bone viper egg bearer template (see below).

Bone Viper Egg Bearer Template

A creature that succumbs to a bone viper’s attacks becomes the viper’s puppet,an unwilling participant in its natural life cycle.

Creating an Egg Bearer

“Bone viper egg bearer” is an acquired template that one can add to any animal,giant,humanoid,or magical beast of Medium size or larger.The egg bearer uses the base creature’s statistics except as noted below.A recently dead creature can also gain this template ifthe viper burrows into it within five minutes ofthe creature’s death.

Speed: The bone viper has an imperfect control over its victim’s motor skills,giving it a slightly jerky motion as it moves.Reduce the speed for all the creature’s movement modes by 5 feet.

Special Attacks and Qualities: A bone viper can use its victim’s natural abilities and many ofits magical ones.The egg bearer uses its extraordinary (Ex) and supernatural (Su) abilities,but it loses all spell-like (Sp) abilities.In addition, it gains the following abilities.

Eyes ofthe Serpent (Su): The viper’s connection with its host allows it to channel its magical ability through the

bearer’s eyes.This ability works exactly as the viper’s eyes of the serpent special attack.

Viper Carrier (Ex): All egg bearers have an adult bone viper lodged within them.This viper cannot be the target of attacks or spells unless the characters can somehow see through the bearer’s body.Against area attacks and similar spells that could damage both the bearer and the viper inside it,the snake gains damage reduction 10/– due to the protective layers offlesh and bone around it.The viper can escape from its carrier as a standard action.It disengages its bony stinger from the carrier’s brain and drops to its feet.The viper may choose to hide within a defeated egg bearer’s body, allowing it to remain concealed unless its opponents cut open the creature’s corpse.

Mind-affecting effects are the viper’s one weakness when it is inside its carrier.Any such spells cast on the carrier affect the viper directly,due to the close mental connection it forges with its victim.

Viper Spawn (Ex): The viper’s young burst from the bearer’s torso with a sudden,sharp force.Ifthe eggs within a bearer hatch during an encounter,all creatures within 30 feet ofthe host must make Reflex saves (DC 14) or take 1 point ofdamage per Hit Die ofthe host creature.A successful save cuts this damage in half.The newborn vipers are too small and weak to have any effect on combat,though the full-grown viper emerges from the bearer to attack as normal.The egg bearer must make a Fortitude save (DC 20) to survive this experience.The bearer becomes dying ifit successfully saves;on a failed save,it dies.

Saves: The egg bearer uses its own Reflex and Fortitude save bonuses as normal,but it uses the viper’s Will save bonus.The creature suffers most attacks as normal except for mind-affecting ones.Those attacks (as explained above) directly affect the bone viper.

Abilities: Since the viper has imperfect control over its victim’s physical body,the egg bearer suffers a –2 penalty to Strength and a –4 penalty to Dexterity.The viper’s Intelligence,Wisdom,and Charisma scores replace the victim’s scores in those abilities.

Skills and Feats: Because the viper lacks its victim’s knowledge,it cannot access its victim’s learned abilities.The egg bearer loses the benefit ofall its skills and feats,though the viper can still use its own skills and feats.The viper does not learn its victim’s languages and gains no knowledge ofits memories.

Challenge Rating: As the base creature’s.

Level Adjustment: As the base creature’s.

Curing an Egg Bearer

Once a bone viper has claimed a victim,the unfortunate creature can survive for 2d4 weeks until the viper’s eggs hatch.A variety ofspells and treatments can remove the viper before that time.

A Heal check (DC 25) removes the viper and purges the eggs,though the viper is immediately free to attack.This procedure requires one hour ofwork,and the patient must be tied down or otherwise incapacitated.

Several spells can cure the victim.Any mind-affecting effect that compels,commands,or charms the viper can be used to force it out ofthe victim’s body. Remove disease destroys the eggs and forces the viper to abandon its victim immediately. Attack from within and other spells that cause internal damage injure the viper and its host.Both must save against the spell as normal.Such spells automatically destroy any eggs within the victim.

Ifa victim was recently dead when a viper inhabited it, there is a chance that the victim may survive.The viper can inject its egg bearer with a powerful healing draught that mends mortal injuries and keeps the victim’s brain in a deep coma.For purposes ofspells used to revive the fallen,start counting time when the viper leaves the body to determine how long the victim has been dead.

Bone Viper Encounter (EL 2)

While exploring some ancient ruins,the characters come across an elderly hermit who lurches and stumbles as he walks.The old man has long studied the ruins’ secrets and the mysteries ofthe dungeons beneath them.Unfortunately for him,a bone viper crept up on him while he slept.Ifthe PCs can lure the viper out ofthe hermit’s body,they can learn several important legends ofthis place.The viper might evacuate the hermit ifpresented with a new,suitable host or ifthe PCs use magic to compel it.