Spirit Naga
A spirit naga is a long, venomous serpent with a pale human-like face, tangled dark hair and a calculating intelligence. It coils through ruined keeps, forgotten crypts, marsh temples and abandoned graveyards, using magic and enthralled servants to turn a desolate refuge into a hidden court.
Unlike the watchful guardian naga, a spirit naga seeks corrupted places and vulnerable minds. It prefers deception, enchantment and ranged magic to a fair fight, closing to bite only when prey is trapped or weakened.
Spirit Naga — D&D 5.5e / 2024
Large Fiend, Chaotic Evil
AC 17
Initiative +3 (13)
HP 135 (18d10 + 36)
Speed 40 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 (+4) | 17 (+3) | 14 (+2) | 16 (+3) | 15 (+2) | 16 (+3) |
| Save +4 | Save +6 | Save +5 | Save +3 | Save +5 | Save +6 |
Immunities Poison damage; Charmed and Poisoned conditions
Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 12
Languages Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu
CR 8 (XP 3,900; PB +3)
Traits
Fiendish Restoration. If the spirit naga dies, it returns to life after 1d6 days with all its Hit Points restored. A Wish spell can prevent this return.
Actions
Multiattack. The spirit naga makes three attacks, choosing Bite or Necrotic Ray for each attack.
Bite. Melee Attack Roll: +7, reach 10 ft. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) Piercing damage plus 14 (4d6) Poison damage.
Necrotic Ray. Ranged Attack Roll: +6, range 60 ft. Hit: 21 (6d6) Necrotic damage.
Spellcasting. Intelligence is the spellcasting ability (save DC 14). No Somatic or Material components are required.
At Will: Detect Magic , Mage Hand , Minor Illusion , Water Breathing
2/Day Each: Detect Thoughts , Dimension Door , Hold Person (level 3), Lightning Bolt (level 4)
Spirit Naga — Pathfinder 1e
CR 9 XP 6,400
CE Large Aberration
Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +22
Defense
AC 23, touch 14, flat-footed 18 (+5 Dex, +9 natural, −1 size)
hp 95 (10d8+50)
Fort +8, Ref +10, Will +10
Offense
Speed 40 ft., swim 20 ft.
Melee bite +10 (2d6+6 plus poison)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks charming gaze
Spells Known (CL 7th)
3rd (5/day): displacement , fireball (DC 16)
2nd (7/day): cat’s grace , invisibility , summon swarm
1st (7/day): charm person (DC 14), cure light wounds , divine favor , magic missile , shield of faith
0 (at will): bleed , daze (DC 13), detect magic , mage hand , open/close , ray of frost , read magic
Statistics
Str 18, Dex 20, Con 21, Int 12, Wis 17, Cha 17
Base Atk +7; CMB +12; CMD 27 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Ability Focus (charming gaze), Combat Casting, Eschew MaterialsB, Lightning Reflexes, Skill Focus ( Perception ), Stealthy
Skills Bluff +13, Escape Artist +13, Intimidate +9, Knowledge (arcana) +14, Perception +22, Spellcraft +11, Stealth +15, Swim +12
Languages Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu
Ecology
Environment temperate marshes
Organization solitary or nest (2–4)
Treasure standard
Special Abilities
Charming Gaze (Su). Functions as charm person to 30 feet; Will DC 20 negates. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Poison (Ex). Bite—injury; Fort DC 20; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d4 Con damage; cure 1 save.
Spells. A spirit naga casts as a 7th-level sorcerer and can also use cleric-list spells. Those cleric spells count as arcane spells for the naga.
Spirit Naga — D&D 3.5e
Large Aberration, Usually Chaotic Evil
Hit Dice 9d8+36 (76 hp)
Initiative +1
Speed 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class 16 (−1 size, +1 Dex, +6 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 15
Base Attack /Grapple +6/+14
Attack Bite +9 melee (2d6+6 plus poison)
Full Attack Bite +9 melee (2d6+6 plus poison)
Space/Reach 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks Charming gaze, poison, spells
Special Qualities Darkvision 60 ft.
Saves Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +9
Abilities Str 18, Dex 13, Con 18, Int 12, Wis 17, Cha 17
Skills Concentration +13, Listen +14, Spellcraft +10, Spot +14
Feats Ability Focus (charming gaze), Alertness, Combat Casting, Eschew MaterialsB, Lightning Reflexes
Environment temperate marshes
Organization solitary or nest (2–4)
Challenge Rating 9
Treasure standard
Advancement 10–13 HD (Large); 14–27 HD (Huge)
Languages Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu
Special Abilities
Charming Gaze (Su). Treat as charm person out to 30 feet; Will DC 19 negates. Charisma sets the save DC.
Poison (Ex). Injury; Fortitude DC 18; initial and secondary damage 1d8 Constitution. Constitution sets the save DC.
Spells. The spirit naga casts as a 7th-level sorcerer and may also choose spells from the cleric list and the Chaos and Evil domains as arcane spells.
Typical Spells Known (6/7/7/5; save DC 13 + spell level)
0: cure minor wounds , daze , detect magic , mage hand , open/close , ray of frost , read magic
1st: charm person , cure light wounds , divine favor , magic missile , shield of faith
2nd: cat’s grace , invisibility , summon swarm
3rd: displacement , fireball
Description
A spirit naga is a great serpent about fourteen feet long, with a slender body, dark scales and a pallid human-like face framed by lank black hair. Long yellowed fangs fold against the mouth until it strikes. Its eyes are watchful and expressive, and its face can pass from cold amusement to sudden fury with unnerving speed.
Combat
A spirit naga prefers to begin a fight from cover, behind servants, or from a position that forces enemies through a narrow approach. It uses enchantment, illusion and destructive magic to separate intruders, turn allies against one another and punish anyone who reaches its inner chambers.
Its gaze is used before the bite whenever possible. Charmed victims become sentries, guides, false prisoners or shields. If opponents close, the naga strikes with its fangs and venom, then withdraws through water, rubble or passages too cramped for larger pursuers. A wounded spirit naga is patient enough to abandon a lair, recover and return for revenge later.
Habitat and Society
Spirit nagas are native to the warm riverlands and monsoon-fed wetlands of South Asia, with populations extending east through South East Asia. They are found along the great river systems of the Indian subcontinent, in Sri Lanka, Burma, Siam, the Khmer lands, Laos and the Mekong basin, and into Vietnam. Smaller northern populations survive around spring-fed valleys, caves and lakes below the Himalayas, while old colonies persist on Java.
A spirit naga wants water nearby but seldom lies exposed in it. Its preferred lairs are ruined river temples, flooded crypts, abandoned stepwells, cave springs, marsh forts, burial chambers, overgrown reservoirs and deserted palaces with submerged foundations. In the Deccan, old ruins within and beyond the Vijayanagara Empire provide exactly the combination of masonry, water and human traffic that a spirit naga can exploit.
Most spirit nagas are solitary. A settled naga surrounds itself with charmed servants, frightened scavengers, grave robbers, mercenaries or minor spellcasters and uses them to watch roads, carry messages and keep strangers away. Nests of two to four occur around exceptionally valuable lairs, but such alliances are unstable and full of private bargains and planned betrayals.
Spirit nagas learn the languages of the peoples living around their lairs. South Indian specimens commonly speak Sanskrit, Kannada and Telugu ; Tamil is also common farther south. Bengali and Sinhala occur in eastern and island populations, while Burmese, Khmer, Thai and Lao are common farther east.
Ecology
A spirit naga can hunt for itself, but a successful one soon stops wasting time on routine foraging. Servants bring food, valuables and information; travellers are watched before they are attacked; and nearby settlements gradually become part of the naga’s territory whether their inhabitants realise it or not.
Water remains central to the creature’s range. Rivers, springs, wells and reservoirs provide concealment, escape routes and access to settlements. A water naga is more likely to occupy open water, while a spirit naga usually claims the stonework, tombs, caves and ruins around it.
Treasure
Spirit nagas keep standard treasure, but they favour portable wealth and objects that increase their influence: coins, gems, jewellery, spellbooks, scrolls, ritual objects, maps, letters and magical items. Valuable documents are often kept in the driest chamber of the lair, apart from the naga’s sleeping place and guarded by servants or traps.
Adventure Hooks
The Drowned Shrine
Offerings vanish from a riverside shrine, and pilgrims who investigate return fiercely protective of the ruin. A spirit naga has opened an older flooded chamber beneath the sanctuary.
The Borrowed Garrison
A ruined marsh fort is occupied again, but the soldiers inside belong to three different lords and none remembers receiving orders to serve there.
The Nest of Three
Three spirit nagas share a reservoir beneath an abandoned palace. Each secretly offers the adventurers safe passage and treasure in exchange for killing the other two.
Related SpiralWorlds
Nagas — the main naga reference and related species.
South Asia — primary Earth range for naga traditions and populations.
South East Asia — Mekong, Khmer, Siamese and neighbouring naga country.
Himalayas — northern lake, spring and valley refuges.
Guardian Naga — sacred-site counterpart and natural rival.
Dark Naga — another manipulative and dangerous naga.
Lunar Naga — a related naga tradition.
Water Naga — aquatic naga reference.
Royal Naga — five-headed naga sovereign.
Aberrations — strange and unnatural creatures of the Bestiary.
World Bestiary — return to the full SpiralWorlds creature reference.
Sources and Licensing
D&D 5.5e / 2024 mechanics use SRD 5.2.1. Pathfinder 1e mechanics use the Pathfinder Bestiary Spirit Naga. D&D 3.5e mechanics use the 3.5 System Reference Document Spirit Naga. Setting material, Earth placement and campaign prose are SpiralWorlds adaptations.