Yuao-Ni

Racial Traits

+2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma
Size: Yuao-ni are medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Type: Yuao-ni are monstrous humanoids with the reptilian subtype.
Low-Light Vision: Yuao-ni can see twice as far as a human in dim light.
Darkvision: Yuao-ni can see in total darkness at a range of 60 feet.
Speed: Yuao-ni have a base land speed of 30 feet and a climb and swim speed of 20 feet.
Bite: Yuao-ni have a bite attack that deals 1D6 piercing damage.
Poison: Like their larger cousins, yuao-ni can secrete a poison from thier skin that afflicts any non yuan-ti or yuao-ni who come into contact with it. Type: Contact, DC: 12 + constitution modifier. Onset: -. Frequency: 1/round for 4 rounds. Effect: 1D3 constitution damage. Cure: 2 saves. The duration refreshes each round that the yuao-ni remains in contact with its victim and the victim fails its fortitude save against it.
Improved Grab: If a yuao-ni hits with its bite attack, it can start a grapple as a free action. If it wins the grapple, it can constrict.
Constrict: A yuao-ni deals 1D4+1 1/2 strength modifier points of damage with a successful grapple check.
Camouflage: Yuao-ni naturally blend in with jungle terrain and receive a +4 racial bonus to stealth checks in such areas.
Daylight Sensitivity: Yuao-ni are dazzled in areas of bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell.

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Alternate Racial Traits

Climate Adaptation: Some yuao-ni evolved color patterns specific to other terrains. Choose a terrain type. Their camouflage functions in that terrain instead of jungle terrain.
Constrictor: Some yuao-ni tribes, particularly those who fled to the Western border of the Dowella Jungle in the past, have lost their poison glands and adapted stronger constricting muscles in their place. The DC to resist their poison is reduced by 2, it only deals 1d2 constitution damage, its duration is 3 rounds, and the cure is one save. But they gain a +2 racial bonus on grapple checks and deal 1D8 + 1 1/2 times strength modifier with a successful grapple check.
Daylight Acclimation: Some Yuao-ni are more used to life outside of the shade trees of the jungle. They loose darkvision and daylight sensitivity.
Flatland Runner: Yuao-ni who live outside of environments with many trees to climb and water to swim in have adapted to be able to run faster as a result. They lose either their climb speed, swim speed or both. If they lose their climb speed, they can ignore rough terrain while in one terrain type, chosen from the list of terrains the ranger can select as favored terrains. If they lose their swim speed, their base land speed increases to 40 feet.
Viper: Some yuao-ni tribes, particularly those who fled to the desert in the past, have more potent venom, but weaker constricting muscles, and prefer to strike and back away, rather than constrict their enemies. They lose improved grab and constrict, but their poison DC increases by 2, its type changes to injury, which is applied on a bite attack, its damage increases to 1D4, its duration increases to 6 rounds, and it requires 2 consecutive saves to cure.

Racial Subtypes:

Desert yuao-ni: These yuao-ni have adapted to life in the Xt'Chtli Desert. They have daylight acclimation, climate adaptation (desert,) and flatland runner (usually giving up both and selecting desert terrain, though some retain their swim speed and spen considerable time in the waters of the oasis they live in.) The majority also have viper. Those who don't have a unique color pattern wherein each of their scales is rimed with a dark green.
Fernplain yuao-ni: These yuao-ni have addapted to life in the fernplains on Xaishre: They have climate adaptation (plains,) and flatland runner (giving up climb and selecting plains terrain.) Most have constrictor and/or daylight acclimation as well.

Description

Yuao-ni are weaker decedents of yuan-ti abominations; runts and weaklings who were pushed to the southern and eastern fringes of their home in the Dowella Jungle, where they eventually formed their own society. Over the following centuries, the availability of less and smaller food caused an evolutionary pressure to become smaller. During this time, they had little interaction with their larger cousins and formed new cultures of their own. Their language shifted as well, and the name "yuan-ti" eventually became "yuao-ni." Near the end of this period the yuao-ni were rediscovered by the yuan-ti, who had largely forgotten about them. When they did, they were ashamed of what their people had become. They saw the yuao-ni as a disgrace to Merrshaulk and sought to kill them all in his name. The much weaker yuao-ni had little choice but to flee. Some fled east to the Xt'Chtli Desert, while other fled eouth to the Fernplains. Over the follwing millenia, they gradually changed and adapted to their new environments.
The yuao-ni who immigrated to the desert were poorly suited to the harsh climate. They were used to living in the shade of Dowella's trees and found the sun's harsh rays blinding, so they made wide brimmed hats to shield their eyes with chin straps to hold them to their heads. Their color made them easy to spot by would be predators, so they made coats of tan leather to hide it. They found oases to live in and learned how to herd giant beetles and harvest their eggs for food. Over the following few centuries, into modern times, they slowly became acclimated to their new home. They developed darker lenses over their eyes to defent against the sun, and color patterns that helped them blend in with the sand. Most don't wear the leathers they used to wear in the past, but many still wear the wide brimmed hats.
The yuao-ni who escaped to the fernplains had similar troubles with the sun, and mostly used fern leaves to cover their heads. They came into immediate conflilct with the myugids, who they mistook for unintelligent prey animals at first. To this day, tensions between the two races are still high, and whether or not to consider myugids food is still a divisive topic amnog the yuao-ni. Like their desert-dwelling cousins, the yuao-ni of the Fernplains eventually grew acustomed to the sun, though many still enjoy resting in the shade of the large trees. Unlike their cousins, their scales have changed little over the years, and to an untrained eye, they look very much like yaun-ti children.