At 1st level, you have the magical ability to communicate with snakes. You can cast the spell speak with animals at will without expending a spell slot. When cast using this feature, you are only able to comprehend and communicate with snakes and other reptiles.

When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain proficiency with scimitars and the Deception skill.

When you select this option at 1st level, select one of the three sects to join: Deceit , Slumber , or Terror . All clerics of this domain share one spell per level, and your second domain spell at each level is determined on which sect you have chosen.

Serpent Domain Clerics come in many shapes and sizes and value ambition. Members of the church compete for positions of power and are willing to take any measure to ensure their rise within the ranks. The gods of the domain preach life and death as a balance. The duality of venom and antivenom is core to their philosophy. Sometimes the easiest way to gain power over others is by giving them something they desperately need. Other times a more direct and lethal approach is appropriate for toppling the noncompliant rulers.

"Rest easy, child. Your dreams are safe." A woman in decorative robes lays an orphaned child in her bed. After setting up incense, she says a prayer to the Night Serpent and invokes his power. Her mind reaches out and finds the lazy brute who killed this childs mother for a handful of coins. The next morning, the man is found comatose by a nosey neighbor. The Night Serpents priestess is pleased. He never will escape the eternal torment of his own nightmare and will eternally suffer for his crime.

A halfling in a top hat stands atop a stool pedaling medicine. "Just ten gold piecesss, have any miracle you need! Young or old, our miraclesss work, and our pricesss can't be beat!" Townsfolk flock around her to cure their ailments and save their children. None suspect the plot. The mayor approaches looking for a subtle cure for his embarrassing ailment. The halfling girl smiles, revealing pointed fangs. She hands him a vile. "Don't you worry sssir- jussst like all the othersss, thisss little gem will sssuprise you with how fassst it actsss!"

A bald man in plain robes sits at the base of a massive serpent statue with jade eyes. As the intruders break into the main chamber, the man's eyes snap open revealing slitted pupils. The thugs begin to surround him- their mistake. The monk draws his scimitar from his robes and with a sudden strike from out of nowhere, the three intruders scream in terror as blood drains from their open wounds into the cracks of the stone floor.

Channel Divinity: Shape of the Gods

At 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity feature to assume the shape of the gods.

As an action, you present your holy symbol and whisper a prayer to the serpent gods. You transform into a poisonous snake (MM Pg. 334) or a bonus creature determined by your sect. Your game statistics change to match your new form except for your mental ability scores (Wisdom, Intelligence and Charisma). You revert back to your normal form after 1 hour or your hit points in your current form are reduced to 0.

You assume the hit points of your new form, and you return to the number of hit points you had before you transform when you revert to your normal form. If you revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over into your normal form. You can only speak using your forked tongue trait while in this form, and can not cast spells other than speak with animals and your domain spells. Casting spells while transformed this way requires no verbal, somatic or material components.

Your gear melds into your new form. You can not activate, use, wield, or otherwise benefit from any of your equipment.

Bonus Creature

Sect Bonus Creature MM Page # Deceit Flying Snake 322 Slumber Giant Poisonous Snake 327 Terror Constrictor Snake 320

Imbue Venom

At 6th level, you gain use your Channel Divinity feature to imbue a weapon with venom of your gods. As an action, you present your holy symbol and touch a weapon. The weapon becomes imbued with a special poison from your sect's god. The poison lasts one hour. Once a creature passes a saving throw against the weapon's poison, it can't be affected by it again for 24 hours.

Deceit. A target hit by the imbued weapon must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be confused for one minute. At the start of the confused creatures turn, it uses its action to attack a random creature within its reach. If there are no creatures within reach, it takes its turn as normal. An affected creature repeats the save at the end of their turn, ending the effect early on a success.

Slumber. A target hit by the imbued weapon must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or be slowed for one minute. An affected creature repeats the save at the end of their turn, ending the effect early on a success.

Slowed Condition A slowed creature can use only an action or bonus action on its turn, not both, and cannot take reactions. It can only make one attack on its turn regardless of items or special abilities. Its speed is halved, receives a -2 penalty to its armor class and on Dexterity saving throws.

Terror. A target hit by the imbued weapon must succeed on a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC or be frightened of you for one minute. An affected creature repeats the save at the end of their turn, ending the effect early on a success.

Divine Strike

At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon attacks with the power of a snake. Once on each of your turns, when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 points of damage. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage improves to 2d8. The extra damage dealt’s type is determined by your sect.

Divine Strike

Sect Damage Type Deceit poison Slumber psychic Terror necrotic

Image of the Snake

At 17th level, you transform into a partial image of your god. Choose two of the following physical transformations. You can adopt these transformations as a bonus action, and can revert back to your original form as a bonus action.

Fangs. You grow massive venomous fangs. While transformed, you can make an unarmed strike as a bonus action using your fangs. You are proficient with this attack, and deal 1d6+ your Strength modifier points of piercing damage on hit. A creature hit by this attack must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or take 3d8 points of poison damage and become poisoned until the start of your next turn. A creature that passes the save takes half damage and is not poisoned.

Tail. Your legs form into a single serpentine tail. While transformed, your speed increases by 10 feet. You can make an unarmed strike as a bonus action using your tail. You are proficient with this attack, and deal 1d6+ your Strength modifier points of bludgeoning damage on hit. If you hit a medium or smaller creature with this attack, it becomes grappled by you with an escape DC equal to your spell save DC. You can only grapple one creature with this feature at a time.

Eyes. Your eyes transform into the slitted eyes of a snake. While transformed, you gain darkvision out to 120 feet and can see through magical darkness.

Scales. Your skin warps and hardens to form scales. While transformed, if you are wearing no armor, your AC equals 13 + your Constitution modifier + your Wisdom modifier.