Roll20 uses cookies to improve your experience on our site. Cookies enable you to enjoy certain features, social sharing functionality, and tailor message and display ads to your interests on our site and others. They also help us understand how our site is being used. By continuing to use our site, you consent to our use of cookies. Update your cookie preferences .
×
Create a free account

Pathfinder Second Edition

Compendium

Type to search for a spell, item, class — anything!

Advertisement Create a free account

Medusa

Ready to play? Build unlimited Pathfinder 2e characters Create Now

Monstrous humanoids that resemble humans with snakes instead of hair, medusas are best known for their petrifying gazes that—if lingered upon—can permanently transform mortals to stone. Medusas are shrewd and manipulative adversaries who collect and covet secrets, and who use threats and guile to exploit the fears of weaker creatures. A Medusa may seek out powerful magic items, use Divination magic to discover Secret Knowledge and unlock forbidden power, or infiltrate a society to beguile influential politicians. Their ability to worm their way into powerful organizations makes them natural leaders of Criminal outfits and thieves’ guilds, and their interest in Magical phenomena leads some to pursue careers as oracles who offer to help adventurers find what they seek—for a price. Of course, if wit and deception proves insufficient, a Medusa can always simply turn rivals into ornate stone decorations with little more than a glare.

Exceptionally agile and surprisingly hardy, a Medusa rarely backs down from a conflict even when cornered. Many adventurers who thought themselves readied to resist the Effects of a medusa’s gaze have nevertheless fallen to a Medusa, as these creatures are also often Deadly archers able to riddle their foes with venom-coated arrows from a distance. Still, a Medusa may barter for their life if no alternatives remain, and the secrets carried by these powerful villains often make it more than worth sparing the monster’s life.

Attributes

Medusa

Creature 7

LEMediumHumanoid
  • Perception16; darkvision
  • LanguagesCommon
  • Skills deception 16 diplomacy 14 stealth 16
  • Str2Dex5Con4Int 2Wis1Cha2
  • Items +1 composite shortbow (60 arrows) shortsword
  • AC 25 (all-around vision)Fort15Ref16Will14
  • HP 105
  • Petrifying Gaze 30 feet. When a creature ends its turn in the aura, it must attempt a DC 25 Fortitude save. If the creature fails, it becomes slowed 1 for 1 minute. The medusa can deactivate or activate this aura by using a single action, which has the concentrate trait. A monster’s aura automatically affects everything within a specified emanation around that monster. The monster doesn’t need to spend actions on the aura; rather, the aura’s effects are applied at specific times, such as when a creature ends its turn in the aura or when creatures enter the aura. If an aura does nothing but deal damage, its entry lists only the radius, damage, and saving throw. Such auras deal this damage to a creature when the creature enters the aura and when a creature starts its turn in the aura. A creature can take damage from the aura only once per round. The GM might determine that a monster’s aura doesn’t affect its own allies. For example, a creature might be immune to a monster’ frightful presence if they have been around each other for a long time.
  • Biting Snakes TriggerA creature ends its turn adjacent to the medusa. Effect: The medusa makes a snake fangs Strike against the creature.
  • Speed25 feet,
  • Melee shortsword 18 (agile, finesse, versatile S) Damage1d6+8 piercing plus serpent venomsnake fangs 16 (agile, finesse) Damage1d4+8 piercing plus serpent venom
  • Ranged composite shortbow 19 (deadly 1d10, magical, propulsive, range increment 60 feet, reload 0) (range 60)Damage1d6+7 piercing plus serpent venom
  • Focus Gaze (arcane, concentrate, incapacitation, transmutation, visual) The medusa fixes their glare at a creature they can see within 30 feet. The target must immediately attempt a Fortitude save against the medusa's petrifying gaze. If the creature was already slowed by petrifying gaze before attempting its save, a failed save causes it to be petrified permanently. After attempting its save, the creature is then temporarily immune until the start of the medusa's next turn.
  • Serpent Venom (poison) Saving Throw: DC 25 Fortitude; Maximum Duration: 6 rounds; Stage 1: 1d6 (1d6) poison damage and enfeebled 1 (1 round); Stage 2: 2d6 (2d6) poison damage and enfeebled 2 (1 round)