WotC's Yuan-Ti vs. Your Yuan-Ti

[Mattachine]

I definitely prefer the yuan-ti as wanting to be as snake-like as possible. The "pureblood" are lowly, human-like, but they have their uses. The abomination are the most blessed. The truly freakish anathema are divine, but too violent to roam free. This was the interpretation I got from their original appearance in AD&D.

I also prefer the original context for the driders back in AD&D--they were cursed by Lolth as failing her tests. They were outcasts among drow, and they sometimes served Lolth directly.

 

[avin]

My Yuan Ti see humans as weaklings. And so, the more serpentine members are the most respected.

 

[S'mon]

Can't XP - but yes KM, I like your approach a lot better.

 

[I'm A Banana]

What is more monstrous - a monster that decides to be human, or a human that decides to discard its humanity?

For me, at least, the question then becomes: what's more terrifying to you, a person who does an evil thing, or an evil thing that looks exactly like a normal person?

To me, the horror of the yuan-ti is the same horror you experience when you see a snake next to your ankle: that rock, that twig, that blade of grass was hiding something deadly and dangerous, and you didn't know until it was too late. For the yuan-ti, that's the pureblood, who as the masterminds and plotters of the yuan-ti, keep their motives hidden until your vision is suddenly going blurry and that barkeep's eyes take on a slightly yellow tinge and are those fangs in his smile?

Clearly, I'm a bit of an outlier this time, though.

 

[Minigiant]

I have played with the WOTC Yaun-ti.

In my own world, Six Kingdoms, yaun-ti are humans who worship a snake monster who wish to become more snakelike. The more human yaunti are most useful but most despised. The most snakelike are beloved but closest to crazy land. The goal is to become some seven headed snake beast but the transformation leave the yuant-ti with the mindset of a ravenous animal devoid of upper thought.

Yeah. I don't hide away the anathema.

The ladder is:
Anathema
Abominations
Malisons
Actual snakes
Purebloods
Human descendants of Yaunti

 

[JeffB]

I definitely prefer the yuan-ti as wanting to be as snake-like as possible. The "pureblood" are lowly, human-like, but they have their uses. The abomination are the most blessed. The truly freakish anathema are divine, but too violent to roam free. This was the interpretation I got from their original appearance in AD&D.

I also prefer the original context for the driders back in AD&D--they were cursed by Lolth as failing her tests. They were outcasts among drow, and they sometimes served Lolth directly.

All of this.

 

[Dausuul]

I think D&D's traditional approach to yuan-ti (which is what Wyatt is describing) makes perfect sense. The yuan-ti are a snake cult, and in a snake cult, the more you look like a snake, the more awesome you are. And from a story point of view, I much prefer to have the monstrous nature of the cult be not immediately apparent.

My only issue is with nomenclature. "Pure-blood" sounds like a term that would be used by the yuan-ti themselves, but I can't see why they would use a term connoting superiority and perfection to refer to the people they see as least perfect. I think "pure-blood" should describe the big snake guys, and they should have a different name for the human-looking ones.

But that isn't Wyatt's fault, nor even WotC's. The wonky nomenclature of yuan-ti dates back to AD&D. I'm not a fan of the "malison" and "snaketongue cultist" names they introduced in 4E, but at least they don't convey that the folks on the bottom of the hierarchy are at the top.

 

[Klaus]

To me, yuan-ti will always evoke the Snake Men of Masters of the Universe fame.

[sblock]

[/sblock]

Snake Men's King Hissss disguises himself as human, but is the most inhuman of all Snake Men. He has humanoid legs, but from the waist up he's a writhing mass of snakes (including snakes for arms).

 

[B.T.]

I never understood why the purest of the Yuan-Ti were called "abominations," but that's how it's been (since 3e at least).

 

[JasonZZ]

I never understood why the purest of the Yuan-Ti were called "abominations," but that's how it's been (since 3e at least).

Abominations from the perspective of their human enemies, perhaps.

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