Serpent Student

In isolated communities, small villages, and nomadic tribes, the study and reverence of animals is often a central component of daily life. Their image mark walls, tools and clothing. Their actions are told in stories passed down through the ages.

By watching, respecting and emulating the animals around them, many have seized upon techniques that astound outsiders. So is the way of the Serpent Student. Those who follow this path generally receive training from a young age. They learn how to control their bodies to mimic the actions of the snake. Perhaps, more importantly, they learn to respect the great serpents of the world. As their talents progress, their discipline allows them to grow a closer bond to the snake spirits.

A proud few do not just resemble snakes in their movements, but change in form, to possess their physical traits. They strike quickly, access poisons, and even alter their senses.

When people first hear of these snake warriors, many assume them to be druids, monks, or even Yuan-ti styled cultists. While each might be true, they are in fact, far more diverse. One doesn’t need to be wholly focussed on the natural world to have received training in these ways, just as many might grow up worshiping Pelor and become a farmer, knight, or ranger. It is often those not considered to have a primal link who gain the most benefit. Assassins of this lunge from shadows quickly, and more easily shrug off the poisons of their enemies. Fighters find themselves more easily able to reach their targets, or in surprising ways. Even some drow arcanists take up this path as a way to gain advantage over those who focus only on spiders, adding the snakes venom, stealth and slyness to their mix of abilities.

• Secondary Role: Striker and/or Controller
• Source: Primal
• Granted Power: You gain the Viper Lunge power.