Melusines

Singular; Melusine. Plural: Melusines.

Children of the Gazing Sculptors, Medusanites, Typhon's Fallen Snakes. Melusine's have as many nicknames as they have snakes for hairs. To survive an encounter with Medusa is one thing, but to procure a child with them? Utter madness, I say. Pray they don't retain their parental fury and learn how to truly petrify their enemies.

A melusine is the offspring of a medusa and a humanoid, possessing the humanoid shape of one and the serpentine magic of the other. Feared for a deadly sight they barely possess, melusines often live their lives either as citizens of isolated or diverse communities. Those that take on the life of an adventurer can perhaps delve deeper into their monstrous ancestry, wielding their monstrous heritage to take on a path no other has gone.

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Monstrous Might

Melusines are renowned for their serpent-hair, scaled skin, slitted eyes, and unhinging jaw. The complexions of their scales are as diverse as the types of snakes, their living hair even mimicking the appearance and mannerisms of existing snake species. The attitude of a melusine's hair is often thought to be the genuine emotions of their owner, leading to the idea that they are quick to reveal a melusine's true emotions towards certain people.

While melusine's possess a weaker glare than their medusa parents, capable of causing rapid muscle tension rather than outright petrification, they gain from this heritage an innate resistance to petrification. Their hair also share their own deadly use, with the snakes capable of being deadly in their own right through venom and fangs.

Melusines are most known for sharing a more feminine appearance akin to their lamian lineage, but it does not mean it is a universal trait. Male melusines often present themselves to reflect a lineage to Typhon, a great serpent giant of old, growing their hair to circle their arms.

Warden's Children

With melusines rare in their own right, one may find them where medusa's have been taken on the role of guardians and seers, their magic and might providing them great gifts from towns that seek their protection. Immediate descendants will often serve as caretakers, emissaries, or courtiers for their parent, their lineage continuing as protective guardians to the communities that accepted their ancestor's presence.

Their heritage does not provide them any favors from other medusas, however. Many consider them as lesser kin, just as wary of their intentions and arrivals into their territories as with other humanoids.

Veiled Sight

Due to the immortal fear around a melusine's sight, it has become almost commonplace for them to wear some sort of eyewear to hide their eyes from strangers. Many settle with glasses, goggles, or thick veils, though religious and more unlucky melusine's wear thick blindfolds and rely on their serpentine hair's sight. Those that take on a life of adventuring are quick to abandon this tradition outside of towns, their freezing sight a valuable asset for the survival of their party.

Melusine's may take on the life of an adventurer for many reasons; seek out the ancestral den of their monstrous ancestor, live a life unbridled by the constant glares towards their sight, or learn how to fully wield the lineage they were provided. With time, perhaps they may even prove more powerful than the medusa they originate from.

Melusine Traits

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Strength score increases by 1.

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Age. Melusine's tend to age as fast as their humanoid parent, living for up to 300 years.
Creature Type. You are Humanoid, but count as a Monstrosity for the purposes of being detected.
Rarity. Scarce.
Size. You are Medium or Small (your choice when selecting this race).
Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Freezing Sight. Your monstrous eyes have mutated, becoming a different gaze compared to both your parents.
- As a bonus action, you can force a creature within 30 feet of you that you can see to make a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + proficiency + your Constitution modifier). On a failed save, their movement is reduced to 0 feet until the end of their next turn. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all expended uses upon finishing a long rest.
- At 5th level, the target is instead restrained until the end of their next turn.
- This has no effect on creatures immune to being petrified.
Hardened Gaze. You have advantage on saving throws against being petrified.
Hair of Fangs. Your fanged hairs are considered natural weapons in which you are proficient with. Whenever a creature successfully grapples you, you successfully grapple them, and each time they start their turn grappled or grappling you, you can spend your reaction to make a natural weapon attack with your hair against them. On a hit, you deal an amount of poison damage equal to 1d4 + your Constitution modifier, as well as 1d4 piercing damage.
Perceptive Eyes. You gain proficiency in the Perception or Insight skill (your choice).

d6	Melusine Characteristics
1	I let my hair choose how it looks, though I have snacks to convince them into specific shapes.
2	I avoid looking at people in the eyes, even if I know my gaze is under control.
3	I whispers with my snakes as if they were the angel and devil on my shoulders.
4	I wear a loose veil over my eyes, to which I use to heighten my other senses.
5	My parent petrified their mortal love. I seek to gain the ability to reverse petrification.
6	I grow my snake-hair long, wearing them across my body like jewelry.