Giant Cobra

This huge hooded snake shows two staring eye-shapes on the back of its flared hood. Giant cobras can live a century and grow cleverer with age, ranging from semi- up to low intelligence (2-7).

The cobra rears into a tall, weaving column, spreads its hood, and lunges almost too fast to see. Its 4-inch fangs inject venom that kills in 2d4 rounds; a victim who saves at -2 takes 10 points of damage instead. Its hypnotic swaying also charms creatures of animal intelligence or lower, holding them effectively paralyzed for 2d6 rounds.

Open flame scares it off, imposing -6 on its morale checks. It never hunts or fights after dark and flees any battle at night.

Giant cobras are loners living in burrows taken from other animals, with only scraps of victims' gear inside. Each early spring they breed, often at a traditional site where swarms of snakes gather every year. The female lays 2d10 eggs in a shallow scrape and watches over them, abandoning the young once they hatch. Because the snakes multiply fast, people destroy any nest they find, though eggs fetch 10-500 gp from snake charmers, assassins and daring cooks. Snake cults and assassins sometimes keep trained cobras, which never become safe to handle carelessly.

The snake alternates basking and hunting; in cool lands or monsoon season it may stay holed up over half the time. It gorges on a goat, a favorite domestic animal, or a halfling-sized demihuman, then rests for days or weeks. Some giant weasels prey on it.

Grooved daggers can carry the venom, but it weakens by +1 to the save each turn: no penalty after 20 minutes, +4 after an hour, +10 after two, and harmless after three.

Elder giant cobras gain one Hit Die, ignore the fire morale penalty, hoard shiny things (treasure type W), and prefer threats and stealth to open attack. They speak Common with a lisp plus the giants' trade tongue. Their sway transfixes people too: a target saves vs. paralysis or stays hypnotized while the snake concentrates and 2d6 rounds after. Their venom kills in 1d4 rounds (save at -4), and a successful save still means 10 points of damage and 1d6 rounds of paralysis. Legend speaks of an undying giant elder, the Coil Eternal, whose shed skin is said to heal and to grant wisdom when eaten, but no one has ever seen it.