Snakes and serpents are a theme for many magical and mundane items, including those below.
New Magic Weapons
Black Asp
Fashioned of highly polished serpentwood, the black asp is ebony in color. The club's shaft has been carved in a sinuous, subtle curve, while the head has been fashioned to resemble a snake's head, jaws wide and teeth bared. Great time and attention has been paid to engraving every inch of the club's surface with a pattern of serpent scales.
The black asp is a +1 serpentwood club. Once per day, upon command, the head of the club becomes that of an actual serpent for 10 minutes. During this period, any successful strike with the club deals its usual damage and also poisons the creature hit. The poison deals 1d10 points of Constitution damage immediately (Fortitude DC 14 negates) and another 1d10 points of Constitution damage 1 minute later (Fortitude DC 14 negates).
At any time after activating the club's power, the wielder can choose to have the black asp spit its poison. This is resolved as a ranged touch attack with no range modifiers and a maximum range of 30 feet. When used in this fashion, less of the poison is delivered and the attack is less virulent. The poison deals 1d6 points of Constitution damage immediately (Fortitude DC 14 negates) and another 1d6 points of Constitution damage 1 minute later (Fortitude DC 14 negates).
Each time the black asp's spit attack is used, there is a 20% chance the club's serpent head will revert back to wood, prematurely ending the ability to inflict poison attacks.
Aura: Moderate necromancy; Caster Level: 10th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, poison, creator must have the Reptilian subtype; Market Price: 24,330gp; Cost to Create: 12,330gp + 1,040xp.
Diamondback
This +2 seeking vitriolic light crossbow is believed to have been the property of Tulsar Dhorom, leader of an ancient cult of snake-worshipping assassins. Tulsar and his cult were eventually wiped out by their enemies, but diamondback was not found amongst the assassin's belongings.
If the user of this weapon has the sneak attack class ability, they do an additional +1d6 points of sneak attack damage on every successful sneak attack they make with it.
Aura: Moderate evocation; Caster Level: 12th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, poison, true seeing, creator must have +1d6 sneak attack or more; Market Price: 72,335 gp; Cost to Create: 36,335gp + 2,880 xp.
Vitriolic
A vitriolic weapon constantly drips with magical poison. Any creature struck by a vitriolic weapon must make a Fortitude save (DC 16) or suffer 1d4 points of Constitution damage. The poison has no secondary damage.
A critical hit does not multiply the poison damage. Creatures immune to poison (such as undead and constructs) are immune to the Constitution damage dealt by this weapon.
Bows, crossbows, and slings so crafted bestow the vitriolic power upon their ammunition.
Aura: Moderate evocation; Caster Level: 10th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, poison; Market Price: +2 bonus.
New Miscellaneous Magic Items
Cobra’s Hood
A popular item with the leaders of serpent cults, this black hood has a flared design and a subtle scale-like pattern on the fabric. It is intended to be worn along with a similarly-designed cape or robe, but this is not actually required.
When the wearer of this headgear pulls it up around his head, his face becomes obscured, with only his eyes gleaming in the darkness. Any light that falls on his face catches a gleam of what might be scales.
The wearer gains a +2 competence bonus to Intimidate checks and a +2 competence bonus to checks made to disguise himself as any humanoid with the Reptilian subtype.
Aura: Faint transmutation; Caster Level: 3rd; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, change self, creator must have the Reptilian subtype; Market Price: 800gp; Cost to Create: 400gp + 32xp.
Figurine of Wondrous Power, Jade Serpent
This item appears to be a jade miniature statuette of a snake an inch or so in length, and is a favorite tool of assassins and conspirators in many nations.
When the figurine is tossed down and the correct command word spoken, it becomes a living viper of small size. The creature obeys and serves its owner. The jade serpent has all the normal characteristics of a small viper, except as follows:
• The jade serpent has Intelligence 10 and can speak and understands Common.
• The jade serpent can ethereal jaunt at will as a spell-like ability.
• The DC to resist the jade serpent's poison is 14, rather than the normal 10.
• Each time it attacks an opponent, the jade serpent can choose which ability score its poison will damage. The primary and secondary damage remains 1d6.
If a jade serpent is broken or destroyed in its statuette form, it is forever ruined. All magic is lost, its power departed. If slain in animal form, the figurine simply reverts to a statuette that can be used again at a later time.
Moderate transmutation; CL 11th; Craft Wondrous Item, animate objects; Price 15,000 gp.
Snake Rattler
This item looks similar to a child's wooden rattle. Carved from teak, it has a short handle and a bulbous head, decorated with inlays of bone and bronze.
Whenever the owner of the snake rattler shakes it vigorously, any snake within 30 feet must make a Will save (DC 11) or flee directly away from the character for 1d4 rounds.
Once per day, if the owner speaks the appropriate command word, the snake rattler will summon one snake to fight for the owner. The snake (which can be either a constrictor snake, or a large viper, at the character's choice) remains for a maximum of five rounds.
Moderate conjuration; CL 5th; Craft Wondrous Item, charm animal, summon nature's ally III; Market Price 14,400 gp; Cost to Create: 7,200gp + 576xp.
Rod of Asclepius
A first glance, this short, wooden rod appears to be little more than a rough-hewn tree branch with a living snake wrapped around it. Only on close examination can it be detected that the serpent is not a living creature but a fantastically life-like carving of bronze.
The rod of Asclepius can be wielded in combat as a +1 club.
Any creature touching the rod of Asclepius is immune to poison, and any poison already in their system is immediately neutralized (however, touching the rod does not restore any ability damage already suffered from the poison).
Additionally, the rod of Asclepius has potent curative and restorative powers. These powers can be activated up to three times per day, and can be used to do any one of the following (bearer's choice which):
• restore all points of ability damage lost from one ability score
• restore 1 point of ability drain from one ability score
• cure 3d8+9 points of hit point damage (this power can also be used to harm creatures injured by positive energy, exactly as if by a cure serious wounds spell; the Will save DC is 15)
• cure the recipient of blindness, deafness and disease
The rod of Asclepius can also be used to raise dead as a 9th level caster, but if it is used in this fashion it loses all magical powers for a period of 2d4 days.
Moderate conjuration; CL 9th; Craft Rod, restoration, cure serious wounds, neutralize poison, raise dead; Market Price 35,500 gp; Cost to Create: 17,750gp + 1,420xp.
New Non-Magical Item
Ironfangs
Ironfangs are quite literally that: a pair of prosthetic metal fangs, which can be placed over a character's own teeth and used to bite opponents.
Each set of ironfangs comes with a small leather bladder that fits into the top of a character's mouth, behind his teeth. This bladder can hold a reservoir of up to three doses of poison. If a character armed with ironfangs bites an opponent, he can press on the bladder with his tongue, squeezing the poison out of the bladder and down a narrow shaft bored through the metal teeth, directly into the opponent's wound. Any injection-based poison can be used with ironfangs.
Although a useful back-up weapon and popular tool for assassins, ironfangs are not without their drawbacks. A character wearing ironfangs suffers a -2 circumstance penalty on any Charisma-based skill check that requires vocalization, as the metal teeth interfere with clear speech. Additionally, there is a 20% chance to miscast any spell with a verbal component while wearing ironfangs. Finally, if a character makes attacking with ironfangs rolls a '1' on their attack roll, they have accidentally bitten themselves. They suffer 1d2 points of damage and must make a Reflex save (DC 15) or accidentally inject themselves with poison (if there is any in the ironfangs' reservoir).
Ironfangs are a light exotic weapon. An untrained user is treated as though they were making an unarmed attack in addition to the usual penalties for using a weapon with which they are not proficient.
| New Weapons | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exotic Weapon | Cost | Dmg (S) | Dmg (M) | Critical | Range Increment | Weight | Type |
| Ironfangs | 10 gp | 1 | 1d2 | x2 | — | ½ lb. | Piercing |
New Special Material
Serpentwood
Serpentwood trees are found only in the hidden depths of dense rainforests and murky swamps. Black-barked, they have a curving, sinuous trunk and extremely tough wood. Serpentwood trees are often tended by lizardfolk druids, who drain the venom of a dozen snakes into the trees' roots during the darkest night of each new moon. This venom, combined with the rituals performed by the druids, make serpentwood much stronger than normal wood.
Any wooden or mostly wooden item (such as a bow, an arrow, or a spear) made from serpentwood is considered a masterwork item. It weighs the same as a normal wooden item of that type but is much more resistant to damage. Items not normally made of wood or only partially of wood (such as a battleaxe or a mace) either cannot be made from serpentwood or do not gain any special benefit from being made of serpentwood. The Armor check penalty of a serpentwood shield is lessened by 2 compared to an ordinary shield of its type. To determine the price of a serpentwood item, add 10 gp per pound of the item's weight to the price of a masterwork version of that item.
Serpentwood has 10 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 10. Items crafted from serpentwood have hardness 10, and the same number of hit points as a normal wooden item of that type.
