Powerful spirit of self-doubt. A large fey.

You didn’t see the snake first, because its mirror-like scales made it blend in the background. Similarly, it’s length is hard to grasp: two or three horses long? You don’t have time to wonder as you see your own face at the end of the serpentine body, unhinging its jaws as it looks at you.

Risk averse, Silently strong, Twisted intelligence.

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HD: 4	Armor: as chain
Hit it: normal	Dodge it: normal
Move: normal

It resists mundane weapons and spells (because it’s a fairy). It can speak telepathically to eight people simultaneously and read surface thoughts. Because of that, it only speaks in questions and in the voice of the person they are talking to make them doubt and split their group. Also, as a imaginary creature, willpower must be used for attack rolls against it instead of dexterity. Its mirror-like scales make it functionally invisible when it doesn’t move.

Attacks (1/round)

Coils. The muttering snake makes a grapple attempt. The grappled target cannot breathe and every time it tries and fails to escape, it takes 1D4 damage.

Swallow. The muttering snake unhinge its jaw and makes a grapple attempt with disadvantage. A creature grappled this way is completely grappled (all of its limbs are held) and takes 1D4 damage per turn.

Tail Slap. The muttering snake makes a melee attack against two targets adjacent to it (1D6). On a hit, creatures with less than 7 fortitude fall prone.

Spellcasting. Suggestion, Mirror Image.

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Random Encounter

1. Monster: 1 muttering snake.
2. Lair: An oily warren smelling like wood shavings and filled with doubtful whispers.
     OR
   Omen: “You wonder if you have left something behind.”
3. Spoor: “Maybe if you split you could cover more ground”.
4. Tracks: Oil residues that smell like wood shavings.
5. Trace: A group of adventurers. One of their members left by themself and never came back.
6. Trace: A lone mirrored scale.

D6 What the Monster Wants

1. To goad people into making bad decisions.
2. Remove all traces of itself in the area.
3. Create a cult of doubters. Every time somebody disparears, the cultists claim they had doubts about that person.
4. Make a deal with adventurers without ever being seen. It wants them to kill a rival.
5. Lure the prettiest, confident face to its perdition.
6. Find a truly confident and driven person.

Salvaging the Body

Even dead, the head of a muttering serpent looks like whoever is looking at it. It is well sought after by introspective wizards. Its mirror scales are extremely valuable and make extravagant armor, but their invisibility property fades if it is not washed every day.

D6 Symbolism

In local cultures the muttering serpent is a symbol of …

1. Doubt
2. Imagination
3. Trickery
4. Loneliness
5. Taboo
6. Sacred

Credits

Muttering serpents are a creation of Jacob Hurst, Evan Peterson, and Donnie Garcia found in Hot Springs Island. The creatures are not statted in the book, so I made my own version. — SaltyGoo