The venom of the agony viper can leave a storm giant writhing on the ground, like a worm beneath the hot summer sun. An expert in stealth, most don’t see the agony viper until they’re too busy screaming in pain to notice anything at all. A typical viper is nearly 5 ft. in length, mailed in color changing scales that can slowly adapt to almost any terrain. Its head is crowned with a central third eye, which it uses to detect the body heat of nearby prey. Slow and meticulous, these serpents have little reason to fear other creatures, biting anything that comes within reach. Agony vipers do not swallow their prey whole, instead tearing off chunks with their teeth into more manageable bits.
BANDED AGONY VIPER
Small Beast, unaligned
Armor Class 19 (natural armor)
Hit Points 76 (17d6 +17)
Speed 20 ft., swim 20 ft.
STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
8 (-1) | 22 (+6) | 13 (+1) | 4 (-3) | 16 (+3) | 1 (-5) |
Saving Throws Con +5, Wis +7
Skills Stealth +10, Survival +7, Perception +7
Damage Resistances poison
Condition Immunities prone
Senses blindsight 10 ft., passive Perception 17
Languages —
Challenge 10 (5,900 XP)
TRAITS
Ambush Master. The viper has a +5 bonus to attack rolls against surprised creatures.
Hide in Plain Sight. The viper can spend one minute camouflaging itself into the natural environment, during which time it can neither take other actions nor spend movement. Once camouflaged in this manner, the viper is invisible and has a +10 bonus to Dexterity (Stealth) ability checks for as long as it does not move from that space.
Torturing Venom. When the viper hits a flesh and blood creature with a bite attack, it may inject its venom into the target, which causes agonizing pain. At the start of each of the creature’s turns, it must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or fall prone, become incapacitated, and unable to utter any sound other than agonized screams until the start of its next turn. Once a creature has succeeded on three saving throws in this manner, the effect ends for it and the creature is immune to the effects of Torturing Venom for 24 hours. A creature immune to the poisoned condition has advantage on saving throws against this feature.
Viper Strike (1/round). When the viper hits a flesh and blood creature with a weapon attack, it can choose to deal an additional 55 (10d10) poison damage. If a creature is immune to poison damage dealt by this feature, it is instead has resistance.
ACTIONS
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 11 (1d10+6) piercing damage.
REACTIONS
Retaliate. When the viper is hit by a weapon attack from a creature within 5 ft. of it, it may make a bite attack against that creature.
Ref: TPKB1 p41