Bone naga

Bone nagas were a form of undead created from nagas, normally from and by dark nagas, as guardians.

Description
Bone nagas were essentially skeletal nagas, normally around in length, with a "cold, cruel light" in place of eyes.

Personality
Bone nagas were loyal to their creators but loathed their servitude.

Abilities
Bone nagas were undead, with the normal abilities thereof (immunity to poison, sleep, paralysis, disease, and such). They retained their intelligence, however, and had the spellcasting talent known in other nagas, being able to cast spells as a sorcerer of moderate skill and power, thought without needing most components.

Bone nagas also possessed the venomous fangs and stingers of living nagas.

Bone nagas were, notably, naturally able to detect thoughts, although they themselves were immune to all forms of mindreading and mildly resistant to some psionic attacks (specifically, they could not be forced to cast spells). They could not speak, instead relying on telepathy to communicate with other creatures, although some few reports rather confusedly claimed they spoke Common.

Combat
Bone nagas typically used their ability to read minds to determine the strengths and weaknesses of their enemies before going into battle, whereupon it opened with intimidating telepathic taunts and spells to soften enemies up. They would always focus their melee attacks on living creatures, which were susceptible to their venom, instead of on undead or constructs.

Ecology
As undead without any need to eat or drink, bone nagas had no meaningful interaction with the ecology of their home except that they would sometimes kill large, aggressive creatures (including humans) for sport or for practice. Otherwise, they served as their masters intended: guardians, most often of young nagas or nonmagical treasure.

Powdered bones from bone nagas could be used in place of powdered iron (by wizards) or unholy water or smoldering dung (by clerics) when making a circle for protection from good.

Notable Bone Nagas

 * Hexcali was a spirit naga who was killed by yuan-ti, and was then raised by them as a bone naga in the Slitherswamp level of Undermountain.
 * Lod
 * Terpenzi

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Tomb of Annihilation • Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
 * Video Games
 * Dungeon Hack
 * Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
 * Reclamation • Rotting Roots • Fangs and Frogs
 * Fathomless Pits of Ill Intent
 * Fathomless Pits of Ill Intent