[Shadow of the Godtree] Seal of the Serpent (Patreon)

Seal of the Serpent

Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)

Component: Fiend (demon) soul

A fragment of an abyssal serpent of cataclysmic might is sealed in each of these iron helmets. The glowing yellow marks on the eyes of its snake ornaments indicate that the seal is intact. When they fade… be ready to run, pray, or plead for your life. And be ready for none of it to make a difference.

You gain a +1 bonus to AC while wearing this helmet.

Shatter the Seal. As a bonus action while wearing this helmet, you can shatter the seal binding the abyssal serpent within, allowing it to empower you until you’re reduced to 0 hit points. While empowered by the serpent, you gain the benefits listed below, but take 2d8 fire damage at the end of each of your turns, which can’t be reduced or prevented in any way.

• Your weapon attacks deal an extra 2d6 fire damage on a hit.

• Your walking speed is increased by 10 feet.

• As part of the bonus action used to shatter the seal, and as bonus action on subsequent turns, you can briefly transform one of your arms into the abyssal serpent and strike at a target within 10 feet of you. Make a melee weapon attack against that target (+8 to hit), which deals 2d6 piercing damage on a hit.

• As an action, you can fully transform into the abyssal serpent for a moment and fly to an unoccupied space on the ground you can see within 30 feet of you without provoking opportunity attacks. You crash down on that space, creating a burst of flame in a 20-foot-radius sphere centred on you. Each other creature in the area must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw, taking 8d6 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. You then revert to your original form. Once this action has been used, it can’t be used again until you shatter the seal once more, unless you roll the maximum amount on the fire damage you take at the end of each of your turns.

Once this property of the helmet has been used, it can’t be used again until the next dawn, at which point the seal reforms..

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Legendary variant: Increase the AC bonus to +2, the attack bonus to +9, the range of the attack to 15 feet, the DC to 17, and the radius of the sphere to 30 feet.

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Find the rest of the Godtree set here!