Medium Monstrosity, Lawful Evil
- AC
- 15
- Initiative
- +6 (16)
- HP
- 127 (17d8+51)
- Speed
- 30 ft.
| Score | Mod | Save | |
|---|---|---|---|
| STR | 10 | +0 | +0 |
| DEX | 17 | +3 | +3 |
| CON | 16 | +3 | +3 |
| INT | 12 | +1 | +1 |
| WIS | 13 | +1 | +4 |
| CHA | 15 | +2 | +2 |
Actions
Multiattack. The medusa makes two Claw attacks and one Snake Hair attack, or it makes three Poison Ray attacks.
Claw. Melee Attack Roll: +6, reach 5 ft. Hit: 10 (2d6+3) Slashing damage.
Snake Hair. Melee Attack Roll: +6, reach 5 ft. Hit: 5 (1d4+3) Piercing damage plus 14 (4d6) Poison damage.
Poison Ray. Ranged Attack Roll: +5, range 150 ft. Hit: 11 (2d8+2) Poison damage.
Petrifying Gaze (Recharge 5-6). Constitution Saving Throw: DC 13, each creature in a 30-foot Cone. If the medusa sees its reflection in the Cone, the medusa must make this save. First Failure: The target has the Restrained condition and repeats the save at the end of its next turn if it is still Restrained, ending the effect on itself on a success. Second Failure: The target has the Petrified condition instead of the Restrained condition.
How to run Medusa
A medusa on the party's side is one of the most interesting allies in the bestiary, because every scene with her becomes a logistics problem. Maybe she was cursed and the party broke part of the curse. Maybe she runs a shrine where the gaze is sealed by ritual veil, and the party has earned a favor. Maybe she's hunting the same target for her own reasons. Lawful Evil with Cha 15 and Deception +5 means she's a clean negotiator; she keeps her bargains and reads the table well.
In combat she's a controller you have to coordinate around. Her Petrifying Gaze on Recharge 5-6 in a 30-foot cone is a brutal opener if the party can position outside it. Tell the players where the cone points before her turn so they don't walk into it. Once the gaze fires or fails to recharge, she switches to three Poison Rays at +5 for 11 each, picking off whichever enemy is wearing the least armor. She prefers range over melee because Snake Hair pulls her into the front line, and her Cha 15 prefers leverage to brawling.
She asks for two things in return for her help: she keeps any prisoners she petrifies, and she does not unveil for anyone she has not personally trusted. The party will be told to look at the floor when she enters a room. A player who breaks that rule for laughs gets a Con save and a hard lesson. She leaves the moment her score is settled, with no farewell and a single instruction for how to find her again.
Have her wear a copper veil that hums faintly. The party should always know when she is about to remove it.
A medusa runs an encounter as a hostage situation that the party doesn't realize they're inside. CR 6, AC 15, 127 HP, Stealth +6, Deception +5, Common plus one other language, and a 30-foot cone gaze that turns people to stone over two failed Con saves at DC 13. The fight begins long before initiative. The medusa walks into the parley wearing a hood, a veil, or a cloak across her hair, and the players talk to her for a scene before she ever flexes the gaze.
When combat starts, lead with Petrifying Gaze if it's available. The cone is 30 feet, the save is a soft DC 13, and even on a first failure the target is Restrained until they save out, which usually pulls a wizard or rogue out of position for two rounds. While the gaze recharges, switch to Multiattack: two Claws plus one Snake Hair (10 + 10 + 19 average per turn, with the Snake Hair carrying 4d6 poison) on anyone in melee, or three Poison Rays at +5 out to 150 ft. for 11 each on a ranged target. Use the rays when the front line has closed and the squishies are still in the open.
Position around mirrors and reflective surfaces. The medusa knows her own gaze is reciprocal: if she sees her reflection in the cone, she has to save against her own ability. Run her in a chamber she has prepared, with no polished metal, no still water, no glass. Players who think to bring a buckler-mirror or who break a window mid-fight should be rewarded with an in-fiction tactic, not a free win. Have her position with her back to a wall and force the party to enter the cone or skirt the edges. Darkvision 150 ft. means a torch-out fight changes nothing for her.
Show one of her statues breathing. A petrified scout from last week, mid-scream, eyes still wet. The party should understand the stakes before anyone fails the first save.
Stat block from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 © Wizards of the Coast LLC, used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.