Source: Monster Manual (2024) p. 205. Available in the SRD and the Free Rules (2024)
Medusa
Snake-Haired Recluse with a Petrifying Gaze
Habitat. Desert
Treasure. Any
With their hair of living snakes and their infamous petrifying gazes, medusas are hubristic creatures that inhabit sites of fallen glory. They often dwell beyond the fringes of civilization or travel in disguise, leaving trails of petrified victims. Some medusas dominate groups of monsters or criminals, controlling them with threats of petrified doom, while others recruit servants that are immune to being petrified, such as gargoyles and gorgons.
Medusas are born or created through preternatural circumstances. Roll on or choose a result from the Medusa Fates table to inspire what led to a medusa’s creation.
Medusa Fates
dice: 1d6
The Medusa Was…
1
Born a medusa and lives unaware of whatever curse or circumstances afflicted its ancestor.
2
Created by a god and tasked with guarding a treasure or secret.
3
A cultist who made a fiendish bargain and enjoyed rewards that have since faded.
4
An explorer transformed and compelled to defend a cursed ruin.
5
A vain noble whose magical attempt to gain eternal beauty backfired.
6
The victim of a bite from a magical serpent or reptilian god in disguise.
