AC 14
HP 120 (16d8 + 48; bloodied 60)
Speed 30 ft.
Proficiency +3; Maneuver DC 15
Skills Deception +5, Insight +5, Perception +5, Stealth +7
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages Common
Petrifying Gaze.
When a creature starts its turn within 60 feet of the medusa and can see the medusa’s eyes, it can choose to shut its eyes until the beginning of its next turn unless it is surprised or incapacitated . Otherwise, the medusa uses its petrifying gaze on the creature. If the medusa sees its own reflection and doesn’t shut its eyes, it is subject to its own gaze.
A creature subject to the medusa’s petrifying gaze makes a DC 14 Constitution saving throw . If it rolls a natural 1 on the save, it is petrified instantly. If it otherwise fails the save, it is restrained as it begins to be petrified. The creature repeats the saving throw at the end of its turn, ending the effect on itself on a success and becoming petrified on a failure. The petrification can be removed with greater restoration or similar powerful magic.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The medusa makes any combination of two attacks with its snake hair and longbow.
Snake Hair. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) poison damage, plus an additional 3 (1d6) piercing damage if the target is a creature that is surprised or that can’t see the medusa.
Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) poison damage.
Combat
The medusa ambushes (or otherwise reveals its eyes suddenly) so its opponents can’t avert their gaze. It makes melee attacks against creatures with averted eyes. When bloodied , it hides if possible, setting up further ambushes.
Names
Afyon, Baiza, Calliope, Emrian, Lesena, Thenestra
Legends and Lore
With an Arcana or History check, characters can learn the following:
DC 10 Medusas have writhing serpents in place of hair. A creature that meets a medusa’s gaze turns to stone.
DC 15 Only powerful divine magic can restore a creature petrified by a medusa’s gaze..
DC 20 A medusa that sees its own reflection might inadvertently petrify itself.
Ancient history books speak of vain mortals who challenged a god of love, seeking to rival him in beauty, and were cursed for their arrogance. Medusas tell a different story, one of a close-knit band of snake-haired warriors called the Gorgons, who toppled the cruel and capricious deity they once served. As the god fell, he bestowed upon the Gorgons a terrible curse that would prevent them from ever again uniting their powers. Whichever version of the story is true, the curse is the same: every creature who gazes into a medusa’s eyes, including another medusa, transforms into a lifeless statue.
Queen Mother. First among her people, Queen Medusa was said to be the warrior who struck the killing blow against the god-king. Even today, Medusa’s name invokes terror and awe, and it is said she still lives somewhere in the vast wastelands of the world.
The children of Queen Medusa are called medusas. They have inherited her curse, turning those that look upon them into gray stone. Though some live in veiled secrecy in towns or cities, most medusas dwell alone in wild places. Many despise the mortals that hunt them, decorating their lairs with statues of would-be medusa-slayers.
Statues of Salt and Bronze. It’s said that each of Queen Medusa’s original companions petrified their victims into a different substance. The few medusas that survived their dying god’s wrath passed on their own forms of his curse. Thus, some medusas’ gazes petrify creatures into statues of salt, bronze, marble, coral, silver, and so on. In any case, the process of removing the petrification is the same.
Wilderness Behavior
1 With blindfolded eyes and blindsense out to a distance of 30 feet; sculpting
2 Looking for a beautiful specimen for its statue garden; ugly people are allowed to pass
3 Lying in ambush
4 Weeping near an accidentally petrified friend
5 Veiled, sitting on an ancient throne that looks like a coiled cobra; demands tribute
6 Staring at a portrait, brooding over tragic memories
7 Hunting a dangerous and evil human, possibly an archmage or assassin
8 Singing; will spare anyone who joins in
City Behavior
1 Living as a blind artist
2 Living as a rich, eccentric human who lives alone
3 Wearing a wig and half-mask, working as a dancer, actor, or assassin
4 Robbing and petrifying a victim in a back alley
1 Realistic stone statues of warriors in action poses
2 What first appear to be minotaur or troll guards are in fact painted statues
3 Two massive statues, 30 feet tall
4 A farm on which all the animals wear blindfolds
5 A statue of a beautiful woman with snake hair
6 DC 15 Perception check: distant hissing
Feared and hunted to near extinction, medusas live isolated lives in the forgotten places of the world: ancient ruins, deep caverns, or high mountaintops.
CR 5–10 medusa ; medusa with basilisk , gelatinous cube , or walking statue ; medusa with 1 to 3 cockatrices , grimlocks , or gargoyles
Treasure 100 gp, 400 petrified gp on petrified statues, gold snake bracelet (250 gp), boots of levitation
CR 11–16 2 medusas ; medusa with cyclops , earth elemental , gorgon , or stone giant ; medusa queen
Treasure 1,000 gp, 800 ep, aquamarine pendant necklace (750 gp), 5 skillful faceless portraits (100 gp each), marvelous pigments , 2 shield (mirrored)