Ophidian Ophidians ( also pluralized as ophidia and also known as snakemen ) were a cruel race of serpentfolk that often served as slaves to the yuan - ti or spirit naga s . With the pterafolk , they were counted among the " Hidden Folk " . Description . Ophidians had snake - like bodies , except that they were neither long nor thin , with short and stubby humanoid appendages . They stood upright . They had forked tongues like serpents . They had the ability to change their scale color to match their environment , but their natural color was a spotted green or yellow , with some individuals having some black , brown , or red scales . The greens could range from dark - brownish green to pale blue - green and black scales could also be a faded gray - black . Abilities . Besides their ability to change color , ophidians had a poisonous bite that was also cursed , similar to the bite of a lycanthrope . Any humanoid bitten by an ophidian was in danger of magically morphing into an ophidian , beginning within one to five days . A victim would also lose his or her memories and would be filled with an urge to return to wherever the bite occurred . This process usually took fourteen days but could range from eight to sixteen days . The spells " remove disease " or " remove curse " , could stop the transformation , but they would not reverse the process . That required the power of a " heal " , " regeneration " , or stronger spell . If the change was already complete , only a " wish " or " miracle " could restore the victim . Ophidian poison became inert and lost its magical curse only a few minutes after leaving the snakeman ' s body . Ophidians were capable climbers and swimmers , and like true snakes had the ability to unhinge their jaws to allow them to swallow larger prey . By this means , some ophidians would swallow halfling s whole . Personality . Ophidians took a natural delight in destruction and torture of others . Ophidians were not very intelligent creatures . They seemed quite content to follow the orders of their more intelligent masters . Magic was of no interest to the ophidians , not were they usually skilled enough to master it , though there were some exceptions to this rule . Ophidians were fond of snakes and sometimes kept giant constrictor snakes as companions . Combat . The yuan - ti used ophidians as front - line troops . Ophidians usually armed themselves with weapons , preferring scimitar s , sword s , club s , or mace s , but occasionally using battleaxe s or scourge s . About half carried shield s . These weapons were always provided by their masters or scavenged ; they did not have the skill to craft their own weapons . They strongly disliked the use of ranged weapons . They stalked their prey and would set up ambushes , preferring warm - blooded victims , such as small animals , making skillful use of their natural camouflage . Society . Most ophidians were found in the Serpent Hills , but they could be found anywhere snakes could live , preferring hot jungles or underground terrain . Ophidians were generally a subservient race , acting as slaves to yuan - ti , dark and spirit naga s , or black or green dragon s . As such , they had little culture of their own . If an ophidian ' s master was slain or lost , it was likely to seek another one out . Ophidians that were not slaves lived in small family groups , led by the oldest female . On occasion , ophidians might ally with lizardfolk , but they would never live with them . A family of ophidians typically would adopt an ophidian created by one of their own bites . Life Cycle . Mating season for ophidians was year - round . Mating was always initiated by females , with a hypnotizing dance . Females laid between two and seven eggs roughly two months after mating , placing them in a shallow hole and covering them . After depositing the eggs , the mother would abandon them . Eggs took about three months to hatch . Young ophidians would swarm about looking for food unless directed by another creature . A brood surviving adulthood together tended to go on to form its own family group , although ophidians did not form strong bonds with their kin . Ophidians living as slaves under the yuan - ti had their mates chosen for them by their masters as part of breeding programs . Language . Ophidians spoke their own language and usually yuan - ti . About half could also speak Common or a language of the region in which they lived . Some learned to speak Draconic . Religion . They did not have their own religion , but sometimes worshiped the powerful beings they served by offering gifts . Some even worshiped giant constrictor snakes . Cleric s were almost unheard of among the snakemen , although some became adept s . Enslaved ophidians , of course , worshiped whatever gods they were instructed to worship . History . Ophidians originally came from the Forest of Wyrms , though most did not live in that area . Yuan - ti legends claimed that ophidians all descended from a single human tribe in the Shining Plains that had followed the snake cult of Varae . These cultist eventually found a powerful artifact from the Netherese House Orogoth within the ruined sarrukh city of Ss ' thar ' tiss ' ssun located in the Forest of Wyrms that transformed them into ophidians and gave them the curse to pass on to their victims . This transformation was said to have occurred in 375 DR , yet ophidians were already a part of the kingdom of Najara , which fell in 90 DR , so this story could not be entirely true . In truth , ophidians were created twice . The human descendants of the first ophidians came from " servants " of House Orogoth . Around −2300 DR , during the Silver Age of Netheril , the wizards of the House accidentally placed the " Serpent Curse " upon their servants . For centuries , these early tribes of ophidians fought amongst themselves and against other races , such as lizardfolk and gnome s . During this time , they worshiped dragon s and lived primarily in the High Moor and the Serpent Hills . From there , they migrated to the Forest of Wyrms in −361 DR , where they discovered Ss ' thar ' tiss ' ssun . The ophidians found the Naja Fountain and after the fall of Netheril helped establish Najara under the rulership of a ha - naga king named Terpenzi and a group of yuan - ti nobles , the Hss ' tafi tribe , which were summoned to Najara by magics taught to the ophidians by Terpenzi . After the fall of Najara in 90 DR , most ophidians migrated back to the Serpent Hills , but others traveled south to more tropical lands . A second group of ophidians were then created in 361 DR . A large migration of humans from the Shoon Imperium and Cormyr brought new settlers into the Shining Plains , and Varae - worshipers from among these immigrants indeed rediscovered Ss ' thar ' tiss ' ssun and the artifact of House Orogoth , which turned the entire group into ophidians as had happened so many centuries before . By 1372 DR , the bulk of the population of the Serpent Hills was ophidians . Uses . The skin of ophidians could be made into a type of leather armor that maintained a small degree of color - changing ability .