Argument Serpent

Tier 2 Standard

Argument Serpent

Tier 2 Standard

*"We were arguing about the cartouche. We were not arguing about anything important. The Serpent did not care."*

Motives & Tactics: ## Description An Argument Serpent is a translucent, ink-veined coil thirty to sixty feet long, the body composed of interlocked layers of resonance-text that shift and re-argue with themselves as the creature moves. Its head is a small, elegant skull-shape; its eyes are inkwells. It moves silently. It is heard before it is seen, because the air around it crackles faintly with phrases in two voices that cannot quite agree. ## Motives Feed. Argument Serpents have no goal beyond consumption of unresolved conflict. They are drawn to disputes the way moths are drawn to flame — but the dispute is the flame, and the Serpent is what burns in it. ## Tactics A Serpent will approach a dispute and circle. It will not strike while the dispute is verbal. The moment a weapon is drawn or a spell is cast, the Serpent strikes the dispute's loudest participant. PCs who suspend their disagreement and present a united front cause the Serpent to lose interest. PCs who escalate cause the Serpent to grow visibly, in real time.

Difficulty: 13 | Thresholds: 9/17 | HP: 7 | Stress: 4

ATK: 3 | Resolving Strike: Close | 1d12+3 mag

Features

Feed on Discord - Passive: At the end of each round of combat, if at least two PCs took actively conflicting actions in that round (attacking different priority targets, casting opposing spells, arguing aloud about tactics), the Serpent regains 2 HP and gains a +1 to its next attack roll. If the party acted in clear coordination, the Serpent loses 1 HP from hunger.

Resolving Strike - Action: The Serpent attacks at +3. On a hit, the target takes 1d12+3 magic damage and must succeed on a Presence roll (DC 13) or be Silenced for one round (cannot speak, cast verbal spells, or argue). The Serpent prefers to strike the PC who has been loudest in the current dispute.

United Front - Reaction: When all PCs within Close range of the Serpent spend their actions in coordinated effort — choosing the same target, using complementary abilities, or visibly agreeing on a course of action — the Serpent must succeed on an Instinct roll (DC 14) or disengage and slither away for one full round. The party may attempt this once per scene.

Ink-Veined Body - Passive: When the Serpent takes damage from a physical attack, the attacker is splashed with resonance-coded ink. Wash it off within ten minutes (a quick Agility roll, DC 10) or the ink marks the wearer as 'in dispute' to other Argument Serpents in the region for the next 24 hours.