Wednesday 25 April 2012

Bardick Snake (Echiopsis curta)

The bardick is a small snake found in leaf litter and among vegetation debris in semi-arid areas of the southern part of the continent. It is grey or grey-brown in colour and typically grows to no mre than about 60cm in length. The head is distinct, being broader tha the neck. It preys on small lizards, frogs and small mammals. Its venomous status is uncertain, but the venom has been found to have similarities with death adder venom. Females produce a litter of between 3 and 14 live young.




Description

The Bardic Snake is an evil Yuan-Ti character. The Yuan-Ti are known as a deceitful and controlling race, and so the idea of one who would sing lies in order to weaken an enemy is fitting, as is the Bard's use of enchantment spells to control enemies. This particular Yuan-Ti is also an experienced veteran warrior and has dabbled in necromancy (hence the Blackguard and Pale Master levels). Because of these factors, this particular build has very solid role-playing qualities. However, it is made also as a power build designed to gain both Epic Divine Might and Hymn of Requiem while achieving high saves, spell resistance, and AC as well as significant power with enchantment spells. It is extremely versatile, with countless options for how to approach a battle. As such, there are very few types of enemies that this character is hard-pressed to deal with. In fact, this build tested favorably against most builds I tested it against in the Battle of the Builds mod. This is remarkable considering 1v1 completely ignores the important party buffing aspect of Bards.



Part of the aim of this build is versatility. It is fun to have multiple viable options on how to approach a battle. The Bardic Snake can approach things in a lot of different ways. He can be use epic divine might to be a major melee damage dealer. He can pump up his defense with inspirations, songs, and spells to become a tank. He can debuff opponent's will saves and then throw out hard to resist enchantment spells. He can throw down a series of bombs like curse song, hymn of requiem, and ice storm and watch like a Wizard or Sorcerer does as his party mops up the severely weakened/damaged enemies. Inspire Regeneration can make him a poor man's cleric between battles. Pumping up Hide and Move Silently (which I dont do, but is certainly possible) and using inspire competence or using invisibility can make him a good scout. Inspire competence in conjunction with sleight of hand or appraise or a conversation skill can get you things you want more easily. With a high Use Magic Device, your battle options extend to any arcane OR divine spell that can be found on a scroll or wand! The Bardic Snake will also be the major buffer for your party like any other Bard. The options are just endless with this character! You can be creative too. For instance, I recently discovered that with NWN2s dumb AI, it is a legitimate strategy to use Inspire Slowness and then have your Bard run in and draw all the aggro of a group. He can run around without getting caught while the rest of your party gets easy attacks of opportunity and sneak attacks on the chasing enemies without taking damage. If your party's health is too low to win a battle head on, this Bard tactic can be a lifesaver. Anyways, let's get down to the essentials:



Range

E. curta ranges from southern Western Australia through South Australia, and west to Victoria and New South Wales. It is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN..



Habitat

E. curtis inhabit semiarid grasslands and shrublands. They are usually found under rocks, debris, fallen vegetation, etc.

Food and Venom

The species is nocturnal. They prey upon a wide variety of rodents, lizards, amphibians, and sometimes birds and insects- an unusual variety for a small elapid. These snakes are venomous, and, like all elapids, inject their venom swiftly through fangs placed in the front of the jaw.



Reproduction

Little is known about either of these snakes' reproductive habits except that Bardicks are ovoviviparous, and that females give birth to anywhere from 3-14 young around August.

0 comments:

Post a Comment