Amphitere

The amphitere is a winged snake heavier than a boa, with bold, heavy scales and oversized eyes made even more striking by wattled rings around them. Its wings, feathered or membranous, look far too small to lift it, hinting that magic keeps it aloft. It has two tongues: an ordinary forked one and a second ending in a poisonous arrowhead point. Some also bear an arrowhead stinger on the tail. Coloring varies by region, usually matching the local snakes.

It strikes with either its bite or its pointed tongue, each dealing 1-4; a tongue hit also calls for a save vs. poison (Type E). Any amphitere with a tail spike can lash for 1-6 at the same time as a mouth attack. It can also coil like a constrictor for 1-3 per round, though it cannot bite while doing so. One successful attack wraps the victim, after which damage lands automatically each round until the prey escapes. Besides killing the snake, a victim can unwind the coils with an Open Doors roll at -1.

Amphiteres live alone, pairing only briefly to mate. The female raises her young by herself and drives them out at about 6 weeks, so any young found in a lair are too small to help her fight.

These are timid predators, snatching lone travelers, sentries and stray livestock. Children are their preferred human prey, since adults are too big to swallow whole. Plenty of enemies are willing to strike first and finish one before it can respond: griffons, hippogriffs and giant raptors hunt them, and wild pigs raid nests built too near the ground.

Normally rare, they can boom in a rich year. In lean times the weaker young starve while the strong eat; in good times the population doubles, setting up future famine. The usual result is a mass migration, the swarm flying off together before scattering to resume solitary lives. A massed swarm may hold 200 individuals, and attacking one without powerful area spells like fireball is madness, yet local rulers are often tempted, since one big fight is quicker than hunting each snake down later.

Taken young, an amphitere can be trained as a pet or guard, fetching about 500 gp. Being cowardly, it works best hidden in ambush spots around an estate rather than patrolling in the open, and indoors it lurks in rafters and upper floors.