Ranger: Snake Speaker Archetype

Like the serpents they adore, snake speakers are highly adaptable hunters. Snakes are common throughout the Southlands, with most of the deadliest species on Midgard found there. People who need to travel through the southern jungles often retain a snake speaker guide, trusting them to protect them from scaly poisoners.

Snake Speaker Magic

Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Snake Speaker Spells table. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn’t count against the number of ranger spells you know.

Snake Speaker Spells

Level	Spell
3rd	Charm Person
5th	Suggestion
9th	Tounges
13th	Confusion
17th	Dominate Person

Scaly Transition

Beginning at 3rd level, you can take on limited serpentine aspects. When you finish a long rest, select one of the following features. You gain the benefit of the chosen feature until the next time you finish a long rest. Starting at 11th level, you can select two options when you finish a long rest.
Bite. You can attack creatures with a venomous bite that deals 1d4 piercing damage and 1d8 poison damage. If you use the Attack action to attack with a weapon, you can use a bonus action to make this attack.
Keen Smell. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on scent and on Wisdom (Insight) checks.
Poison Resistance. You have resistance to poison damage.
Scales. Increase your Armor Class by 2.
Serpentine Movement. Gain a climbing speed of 30 feet.

Speak with Snakes

Starting at 3rd level, you can comprehend and verbally communicate with snakes. A snake’s knowledge and awareness are limited by its Intelligence, but it can give you information about things it has perceived within the last day. You can persuade a snake to perform small favors for you, such as carrying a message to a nearby companion.

Serpent Shape

When you reach 7th level, you can cast polymorph on yourself, assuming the shape of a constrictor snake, flying snake, or poisonous snake. Starting at 15th level, you can assume the form of a giant constrictor snake or a giant poisonous snake. You can use this feature once and regain use of it when you finish a long rest.

Sinuous Dance

Beginning at 11th level, your physical movements can beguile your enemies and strengthen your magic. You can choose to use Dexterity as your spellcasting ability score. Furthermore, you can add your Dexterity modifier and your Wisdom modifier together, using the result as your spellcasting ability modifier to cast one spell. You can do this once and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.

Decoy Skin

Starting at 15th level, you learn to magically shed your skin and use it as an animate decoy. As an action, you can shed your skin and have it occupy a space that is normal for a creature of your size, shares your Armor Class and saving throw modifiers, and has hit points equal to three times your ranger level. The decoy lasts for 10 minutes or until it is reduced to 0 hit points. As a bonus action, you can command it to move up to your speed using any form of movement you possess. While it is within 5 feet of you, its appearance and movements so closely mimic yours that when a creature that can reach you and your decoy makes an attack against you, it must roll a d6. On a 1, 2, or 3, the attack targets your decoy instead of you and deals normal damage on a hit. Your decoy can’t make attacks, cast spells, perform ability checks for anything other than movement, or use your ranger class features. It looks exactly as you looked when you used this feature, and it is a convincing duplicate of you. A creature can discern that it isn’t you with an Intelligence (Investigation) check against your spellcasting saving throw DC. You can use this feature once and regain use of it when you finish a long rest.