Ophidian (Dungeons & Dragons)

Ophidian

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the ophidian is a type of monstrous humanoid.

Publication history

The ophidian first appeared in the original first edition Monster Manual II (1983).^[1]

The ophidian appeared in second edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in the Dragon Mountain boxed set (1993), and reprinted in Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume One (1994).^[2]

The ophidian appeared for third edition Dungeons & Dragons on the Wizards of the Coast web site in the feature "Perilous Gateways - The Winding Serpent – Ophidian".^[3] The ophidian appeared in the third edition Fiend Folio (2003).^[4] The ophidian appeared for the Forgotten Realms setting as a player character race in Serpent Kingdoms (2004).^[5]

Description

An ophidian, also known as a snakeman, is a short-tailed, thick-bodied snake-like creature with human-like arms and hands, allowing it to employ weapons, shields, and magic items. An ophidian's fanged bite causes a human victim to eventually transform into an ophidian unless the process is prevented.

Campaign settings

Forgotten Realms

Ophidians are a race of serpent-people who are commonly associated with the yuan-ti. In the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, the ophidians are said to be snake-worshiping human cultists who discovered a powerful yuan-ti relic that transformed them into degenerate reptilian humanoids. Ophidians are not very intelligent, and are easily impressed by shows of power by yuan-ti, evil nagas, and dragons, whom they frequently serve as willing slaves. Their most potent weapon is their venom, which can change humans into degenerate ophidians. Most ophidians worship their yuan-ti masters as gods.

References