D&D: Five Snakes… Why Did it Have to Be Snakes
Do you ever just wanna be dripping with snakes? What about just part snake? Either way here’s five ways to snake in D&D.
Whether they’re on a snake, a snek, a danger noodle, or a snaaaake, these serpents have slithered their way into our hearts. They might have nested there as representations of wisdom and healing. Maybe they represent terror and venom. Either way, in D&D, there are plenty of ways to snake. Pick which one you like!
Play a Yuan-Ti
One of the easiest and most obvious ways to snake is to play a yuan-ti. Now they’ve seen some significant reworking in Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse but that just means they’re not going to make your DM worried as much.
They’re still among the most powerful player character races out there, with class features like innate magic resistance immunity to poison and unlimited animal friendship with snakes.
Besides being a very resistant character, any time snakes are about you have a lot of extra options to play around with.
Is Your Shape Wild?
If you can’t be a snake person, the next best thing is probably to be a snake. And depending on what magic you have access to, there’s a couple of ways to go about this. The first, and most reliable way, is to just play a Druid. Starting at 2nd level, you gain access to Wild Shape and can become any animal you like (with restrictions based on CR) but you can immediately transform into a giant poisonous snake a couple of times per day.
Eventually, when you get stronger (or decide to be a Circle of the Moon Druid) you can transform into a an even bigger and weirder snake, and then it’s time to slither in to the snake life.
Polymorph
Or if you don’t wanna be quite as granola-y, and would prefer to not play a druid, you can instead learn polymorph or make friends with someone who knows the spell. And this spell has a much better range–you’re not limited to becoming one snake–you could theoretically be transformed into all sorts of snake-like creatures from firesnakes to salamanders to yuan-ti abominations once you’re 7th level or higher. Then you can be a whole lot of snakes.
Find Familiar
Okay so you can’t become a snake, the next best thing is to make sure you always have one around. That’s where Find Familiar comes in. This spell will let you summon a spirit that takes the form of a common creature–including a poisonous snake. You can communicate with it telepathically and even experience the world through its senses, using the snake as a scout and new way to look at the world–after all snakes have heat sensing pits and can taste chemicals in the air.
Conjure Animals
What if you need a whole bunch of snakes in an absolute hurry? Well Conjure Animals is your friend, pal. When you cast the spell you summon fey spirits that take the form of beasts and get to pick from:
- One beast of Challenge Rating 2 or lower
- Two beasts of Challenge Rating 1 or lower
- Four beasts of Challenge Rating 1/2 or lower
- Eight beasts of Challenge Rating 1/4 or lower
And as it happens, Giant Poisonous Snakes are CR 1/4, so for one spell slot, you can get eight person-sized snakes that will do what you want.
Not too shabby.
Happy Adventuring!
