AC 18 (natural armor)
HP 136 (16d10 + 48; bloodied 68)
Speed 40 ft., swim 40 ft.
Proficiency +4; Maneuver DC 16
Saving Throws Dex +8, Con +7, Int +7, Wis +8, Cha +8
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities charmed , poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Common
Amphibious. The naga can breathe air and water.
Forbiddance. The naga’s lair is under the forbiddance spell. Until it is dispelled, creatures in the lair can’t teleport or use planar travel. Fiends and undead that are not the naga’s allies take 27 (5d10) radiant damage when they enter or start their turn in the lair.
Magic Resistance. The naga has advantage on saving throws against spells and magical effects.
Spellcasting. The naga is an 11th level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 16). The naga has the following cleric spells prepared, which it can cast with only vocalized components:
Cantrips (at will): mending , thaumaturgy
1st-level (4 slots): command , cure wounds , false life
2nd-level (3 slots): calm emotions , hold person , locate object
3rd-level (3 slots) clairvoyance , create food and water
4th-level (3 slots): divination , freedom of movement
5th-level (2 slots): flame strike , geas , scrying
6th-level (1 slot): forbiddance
ACTIONS
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) piercing damage. The target makes a DC 15 Constitution saving throw , taking 35 (10d6) poison damage on a failure or half damage on a success.
Spit Poison. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one creature. Hit: The target makes a DC 15 Constitution saving throw , taking 35 (10d6) poison damage on a failure or half damage on a success.
Command (1st-Level; V). One living creature within 60 feet that the naga can see and that can hear and understand it makes a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw . On a failure, the target uses its next turn to move as far from the naga as possible, avoiding hazardous terrain.
Hold Person (2nd-Level; V, Concentration). One humanoid the naga can see within 60 feet makes a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw . On a failure, the target is paralyzed for 1 minute. It repeats the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.
Flame Strike (5th-Level; V). A column of divine flame fills a 10-foot-radius, 40-foot-high cylinder within 60 feet. Creatures in the area make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw , taking 14 (4d6) fire damage and 14 (4d6) radiant damage on a failure or half damage on a success.
Multiattack. The naga casts a spell and uses its vampiric bite.
Vampiric Bite. The naga attacks with its bite. If it hits and the target fails its saving throw against poison, the naga magically gains temporary hit points equal to the poison damage dealt.
BONUS ACTIONS
Shapeshift. The naga changes its form to that of a specific Medium humanoid, a Medium snake-human hybrid with the lower body of a snake, or its true form, which is a Large snake. While shapeshifted, its statistics are unchanged except for its size. It reverts to its true form if it dies.
Combat
The guardian naga casts flame strike on groups of enemies. Otherwise it either bites or spits poison. It might cast hold person against a creature immune to poison or one it believes has a low Wisdom. The guardian naga dies in defense of its lair.
Naga Lairs
1 The Autumn Archives
2 The Chambers of the Moon
3 The Chapel of Heretics
4 The Emerald Atheneum
5 The Serpent’s Isle
6 The Tomb of the Nine Queens
Names
Andev, Ishkrita, Kamini, Nagrava, Riswan, Sa-Ida
Legends and Lore
With an Arcana or Religion check, characters can learn the following:
DC 10 Nagas are serpent-like beings with humanoid faces. Ancient magic requires that every naga serve as the caretaker for a specific location. A naga goes mad if the location it guards is destroyed.
DC 15 Nagas wield powerful and ancient magic, and their bites can be deadly.
DC 20 Though its body can die, a naga’s spirit is immortal. A naga that dies returns to life in a new body a few days later.
When a naga is defeated and the site it guards is defiled, the naga sometimes seeks revenge by making a bargain with an archdevil. The naga receives increased magical power to locate and destroy its foes and all that they hold precious. In exchange, it gives up its ability to return to life: the next time the naga dies, the archdevil keeps its soul. Usually, only a spirit naga is desperate enough to make such a bargain, but occasionally a guardian naga may do so as well.
1 In humanoid form, seeking allies against a spirit naga
2 Welcomes visitors who they prove themselves worthy
3 Worshipped by locals as a minor god
4 The forbiddance spell protecting its lair has failed; requires the material component so it can recast the spell
1 Ancient carvings depict giant serpents
2 Pilgrims make their way to a nearby holy site
3 Burial chambers contain the remains of the naga’s previous bodies
4 A fresh corpse; DC 13 Medicine check: the creature died from a snakebite
Nagas guard underground treasure in tombs and dungeons.
CR 5–10 guardian naga ; spirit naga ; spirit naga with giant scorpion , mummy , rug of smothering , or shadow demon ; spirit naga with 1d4 + 4 shriekers , skeletons , charmed commoners , or zombies
Treasure 1,000 gp, 1,000 ep, royal signet ring (750 gp), gold crown (acts as a rod of rulership set with a gem of seeing but requires only one attunement slot)
CR 11–16 guardian naga with 2 mummies or walking statues ; guardian naga with couatl or earth elemental ; spirit naga with 2 or 3 basilisks , hell hounds , mummies , or wights
Treasure 1,000 gp, 6 gold idols (750 gp each), potion of superior healing , tome of understanding , talisman of ultimate evil