Smoke Snake
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Climate/Terrain | Woods or Smoke Quasi-Elemental Plane |
| Frequency | Rare |
| Organization | Group |
| Activity Cycle | Any |
| Diet | Fire Cinders |
| Intelligence | Animal (2-4) |
| Treasure | Nil |
| Alignment | Neutral |
| No. Appearing | 1 or 2-12 |
| Armor Class | 10 |
| Movement | 3" Fl C |
| Hit Dice | 1-1 |
| THAC0 | 20 |
| No. of Attacks | 0 |
| Damage/Attack | Nil |
| Special Attacks | Smoke Inhalation |
| Special Defenses | Coalesce |
| Magic Resistance | Nil |
| Size | M (6' long cloud) |
| Morale | UInsteady (5) |
| XP Value | 175 |
Description
On their native plane these beings are very long, sinuous creatures that are noticeable only for their faint red hue.
Combat
To lay its eggs, the Smoke Snake will now seek out a warm, sheltered place free from rain or other hazards. Often times, this will be the nostrils of a man or beast that is close to the fire. The Snake is relatively odorless, compared to normal smoke, and it may easy escape the notice of a sleeping victim when it enters the lungs. If the victim fails a saving throw versus breath weapons the snake has successfully entered the lungs. Once inside, the Snake begins to lay its wispy eggs, simultaneously causing the victim to choke and gag from lack of clean air. A victim of a Smoke Snake inhalation will continually suffer from the effects of a stinking cloud spell until the snake and its eggs are removed. He will also take 1hp of burn damage to his lungs each turn.
The chrysalis state of a Smoke Snake can easily be damaged by a physical attack. Simply breaking it apart is insufficient to slay it, however, and if placed on an open fire it will immediately coalesce and recover. In its native form the Smoke Snake cannot be damaged by physical attacks. However it can be dispersed with water or a strong wind. Each round of dispersal will inflict 1hp of damage to the snake until it is completely destroyed.
Habitat/Society
On the prime material plane these creatures are found alone. On their home plane, however, they form small groups of intertwining snakes for defense against larger predators.
Ecology
If they enter a harsh environment such as the prime material plane they will enter a chrysalis state. In this form they closely resemble a short, smooth piece of weathered driftwood. A traveler may find such a stick while out collecting firewood, and then place it on a burning pile. Once in contact with an open flame, the Smoke Snake emerges from the chrysalis state and begins to take on its natural form - a serpentine creature made from smoke. However, this being will be very difficult to distinguish from the other smoke emerging from the fire, and therein lies the danger.