[Supers] GURPS Unofficial Handbook to the Marvel Universe, Reboot Edition

[Phantasm]

SERPENT MEN

The Serpent Men – also known as Snake Men, Lizard Men, Old Ones, or occasionally simply as Snakes – are an ancient race, created allegedly one million years ago by Sligguth, an ancient demon who is reputed to be a spawn of the Elder God Set (see Demons; Set). At some point in the distant past, the Serpent Men came to worship Set himself as their creator.

Serpent Men are human size and weight, and most have human proportions. They are warm-blooded carnivores, unable to fully digest plant matter (though some are known to eat it anyway, either for taste or fiber). They possess fine scales covering their skin, sharp claws on their hands and feet, sharp teeth, jaws that can detach when necessary to open the mouth extremely wide, long tails that can be used as a club or assist in a grapple, a nictitating membrane in their eyes to protect against glare and dust, and highly flexible bodies. Many are gifted sorcerers, though the majority that use illusion magic to hide from humanity use enchanted jewelry produced by Serpent Men sorcerers.

It is not known how the Serpent Men and humanity coexisted in ancient times. Tales of the Serpent Men were known in Pre-Dynastic Egypt and ancient India, and some artwork from the ruins of Atlantis hint at wars between the two peoples. The full details may never be known.

In the early 17th Century, a small fishing village called Starkesboro, located on the South Carolina coastline, was infiltrated by Serpent Men, who swiftly replaced the people in the town. These Serpent Men lived in relative peace with humanity, although they worshipped Set and had an inverted serpent-entwined cross in their church. Those who left the town for any reason - to fight in wars or to seek an education elsewhere - were given magic rings or amulets to disguise their true nature. Many were even given mind-altering enchantments to make them unaware of their true nature; these enchantments were known to fool a telepath.

The Serpent Men of Starkesboro were led by a priestess of Set. However, recently the priestess began to espouse the teachings of a different deity: Set's "sister", Gaea, the Elder Goddess who is Set's opposite, a nurturer, not a devourer (see Gaea). This priestess sought protection from Dr. Stephen Strange, Earth's Sorcerer Supreme, when the town turned against her (see Doctor Strange). Strange investigated and discovered Starkesboro's secret; it was only through the assistance of various other secret Gaea-worshipers was Strange able to escape being a human sacrifice for Starkesboro's newly selected replacement priestess. Strange ultimately defeated the priestess with the unwilling assistance of his enemy Silver Dagger, a former high-ranked Cardinal of the Vatican (see Silver Dagger). Silver Dagger then took it upon himself to teach the Serpent Men of Starkesboro about Christianity, with Strange wondering if maybe they'd exchanged one religious fanatic for another. (In one of Silver Dagger's later encounters against Strange, he claimed he'd succeeded in turning the town Christian. However, he was not assisted by any Serpent Men, so the validity of his claims may be in doubt.)

When and how the Serpent Men will make themselves known next is unknown.

It should be noted that a race physically identical to the Serpent Men of Earth is known to exist on the same world in the Microverse as the Kingdom of K'ai (see Microverse). These Serpent Men rule a kingdom called Felassa in the deserts and coastal floodplains of that world's eastern continent, and possess a culture similar to Earth's Bedouin culture. One Serpent Man of K'ai, Kessass the Sorcerer, was seen assisting Lord Visis in the latter's attempt to usurp the throne of K'ai; another, Durnass the Tracker, has on occasion given assistance to Queen Jarella and her friends (see Durnass; Jarella; Kessass; Visis). What connection the Serpent Men of Felassa have to the Serpent Men of Earth, if any, is currently unknown.

52 points
Attribute Adjustments: HT +2 [20]
Advantages: Claws (Sharp Claws) [5]; Damage Resistance 2 (Tough Skin, -40%) [6]; Double-Jointed [15]; Extra Arms 1 (Temporary Disadvantage: No Fine Manipulators, -30%) [7]; Nictitating Membrane 1 [1]; Protected Vision [5]; Striker (Crushing; Tail) (Limited Arc, -40%; Alternative Attack, ×1/5) [1]; Teeth (Sharp Teeth) [1].
Perks: Scales [1].
Disadvantages: Restricted Diet (Carnivore) [-10].
Features: Born Biter 3 [0].