Serpent vine snake

Serpent vine snakes, or simply serpent vines, were magical cross between a giant constrictor snake and a vine.
==Description==
In a placid state, serpent vines were almost indistinguishable from mundane plants, especially for those unfamiliar with the creatures. Their snake bodies were long and covered in a tangle or smaller vines and heart-shaped leaves. These vines and leaves were part of a serpent vine snake's body and aided in its movement, functioning as tiny appendages. They were green in color but could adjust the hue to blend in with surrounding vegetation or match other vines hanging from the trees.
==Behavior==
These creatures were extremely aggressive towards humans and demihumans and put effort into pursuing, attacking, and consuming them. Despite their malice and conniving magical tactics, serpent vines were intelligent enough to avoid attacking stronger creatures or large parties. They were also intelligent enough to avoid such opponents as groups of drow due to their innate resistance to charm magic.
==Combat==
Serpent vines possessed limited spell-casting abilities and preferred to stay in the trees with good vantage points for their luring magic. They could use the spectral force spell thrice per day to lure the prey into an ambush by creating images of delicious-looking fruit grown on the serpent vine's body and around the maw. Other spell-like magics they possessed included charm person, hold person, suggestion, and mass suggestion, once per day each. Under the effects of such magics, humanoids often walked into a vine's trap and calmly surrounded themselves to be bitten, poisoned, and devoured. Being intelligent creates, serpent vine snakes attacked victims under the accents of the suggestion spells first, and only after then, moved on to those who were charmed and magically restrained.
Despite their aggression, serpent vines did not like open battles, and once their magics were exhausted, or if all spells failed, they camouflaged and attempted to slither away. They were known to attack groups of no more than three if unable to use magics, constricting one of the opponents and immobilizing the rest with venomous bites.
==Ecology==
Serpent vine snakes were solitary creatures that inhabited sprawling subterranean forests. In natural habitats, serpent vines did not tolerate their kin. Most of the time, serpent vines were found in trees or hanging off canopies; only very rarely could they be found on the ground among leaves and shrubbery.
Serpent vines considered such humanoids as humans, dwarves, elves, hin, and gnomes to be a delicacy and always attempted to consume them when encountered, but hunted, killed, and consumed any warm-blooded creatures. Halflings and gnomes had flesh that was especially sweet and favored by these creatures. In their subterranean ecosystems, serpent vines killed not just for survival but also for entertainment, leaving decaying corpses behind that, in turn, provided food for scavengers, carnivores, and plant life.
They procreated via laying eggs once every four months. Each litter contained one to six eggs, usually stored inside hollowed-out trees or thick branches. The parent stayed with its eggs for three to four weeks, keeping them warm until hatching. Upon hatching, serpent vine snake youth were just long and were equipped to survive on their own in the wild.
==History==
Serpent vine snakes were believed to had originated in Undermountain, created by one of the Mad Mage's apprentices. Since then, most, if not all, encounters with serpent vines had happened in the Wyllowwood of Undermountain. However, some sages believed that stories of living vines in the jungles of Chult were, indeed, proof of serpent vine snakes found outside the mega-dungeon.
In the late 14 century DR, several serpent vine snakes that reached in length were created via magic by the medusa mage Samanthiss and her vintner expert maedar mate in a vinery outside the Dragon Falls village in the Vast. The snakes were used to defend the vineyard from unwanted visitors and roaming monsters but did not attack humanoid visitors unprovoked.
==Appendix==
===Appearances===
===References===
Category:Snakes
Category:Plant creatures
Category:Creatures found in underground locations
Category:Creatures found in forests
Category:Creatures found in jungles
Category:Creatures found in Chult