Frontiers of Eberron: Threshold focuses on the region that lies between Breland and Droaam—a region where interaction between humanity and creatures often considered “monsters” is far more common. As such, Frontiers includes traits for a number of the species of Droaam, including gargoyles, harpies, worgs, and more. This preview presents the current iteration of an iconic Droaamite species: the Medusas of Cazhaak Draal, as developed by myself and Imogen Gingell. Frontiers of Eberron will include additional information about Cazhaak Draal itself, and medusa culture.

THE MEDUSAS OF CAZHAAK DRAAL

"You aren't in your Five Nations any more," Sheshka said. She had sheathed her sword, but her voice was deadly. "You have come to my home. Your soldier threatened me with a blindfold. A blindfold, on my soil. Would I come into your castle and strip away your sword, or demand that you wear chains?"

"We can't kill with a glance," Beren said.

"And that excuses your threat to pluck out my eyes? Should I cut off your hands so you cannot strangle me?" The medusa's eyelids fluttered, but remained closed. "Hand, tooth, steel – we are all deadly."

The Queen of Stone

Proud and deadly, medusas have long been feared by both the denizens of the Barrens and the people of the east. Today the medusas of Cazhaak Draal are a vital part of Droaam, serving as priests, architects, magistrates and more; they are valued for their intelligence and discipline as well as their deadly gaze. But there are also medusas who follow their own paths—mystics guided by the whispers of the Shadow, artists in search of inspiration, adventurers seeking to learn more about the world beyond their walls. A handful of medusas served with House Tharashk during the final years of the Last War, and as long as they follow local ordinances, medusas won’t be met by mobs or hunted by templars in the cities of the Five Nations. But they will draw attention and will often be met with suspicion or fear when dealing with those who have little experience with Droaamites.

SERPENT AND STONE

Medusas are monstrosities; whether they were shaped by the daelkyr or the Shadow, they’re supernatural creatures with inhuman features. From a distance, they can be mistaken for human. Up close, the differences are clear. Medusas blend aspects of mammal and reptile; some medusa bloodlines have scaled skin, while others appear to be carved from stone. Culturally, Cazhaak medusas often appear calm and confident, cool as stone. This reflects both the weight of their power and the confidence it gives them; to a medusa, all other creatures are fragile. Beyond this, the Cazhaak faith is strong among the medusas and there's a serenity that comes from being one of the Shadow’s chosen people. However, not all medusas share these characteristics. There are medusas who embrace the passions of the Fury, and those who feel no devotion to the Cazhaak Six and follow different paths.

Cazhaak medusas can live up to 250 years; they rarely show the effects of aging until the very end, and even then it’s common for respected elders to be petrified and preserved in Cazhaak Draal. Most Cazhaak medusas are female, but roughly one in five are male; there’s no mechanical difference between the medusa genders.

WHISPERS IN THE STONE

The Cazhaak priests say that the first medusas were held in bondage in a realm of stone, where they were forced to carve strange monuments and mazes, to labor endlessly in mines, to raise towers only to raze them and start again. The Shadow recognized their potential and ambition and gave them the power to break their chains; after an exodus that led them through many strange demiplanes, they finally reached the shelter of Cazhaak Draal. While the medusas thank the Shadow for their gifts, other scholars feel that this story shows that the medusas were created by the daelkyr Orlassk, and rebelled against their creator. Whether their gifts flow from the Shadow or from the daelkyr, medusas have an affinity for stone and for other creatures that possess the power of petrification. This isn’t a primal bond like that of a druid or a Lorghalen gnome; it’s in many ways a deeply unnatural connection, a reflection of the fact that for a medusa the line between flesh and stone is flexible. Many medusas say that they can hear stone whispering in its sleep; others say that stone sings a song. Medusas with an especially strong affinity for stone can master a number of supernatural powers, from being able to mold and shape stone to locating veins of minerals and ore by listening for their songs.

As a medusa, consider your relationship to the stone. If you’re playing a character with spells related to stone, you could tie these to this gift; a ranger with a spell like entangle could be causing tendrils of stone to rise up from the earth rather than plants. Even if you don’t have any magic, consider that statues and walls may be whispering to you; what do they have to say?

THE SERPENT MANE

From a distance, a medusa can be mistaken for a human. The serpent mane is the first thing that dispels that illusion—a wreath of writhing snakes coiling around the medusa’s face. Typically, the actions of the serpents are an expression of the medusa’s mood. If you’re playing a medusa, consider how your serpents may react to situations or to strangers. If you’re angry, do they hiss and snap at your foe? If you’re curious about someone, do your serpents follow their movements even while you try to play it cool?

While the serpent mane is usually driven by subconscious reflex, it's as much a part of a medusa as their fingers and toes and a medusa can exert full, conscious control over their mane when they wish to. There are a few times when this comes into play.

• Serpentine is the language of the medusas of Cazhaak Draal, and it blends traditional speech with the hissing and motions of the serpent mane. There’s a distinct subset of Serpentine that relies solely on the motions of the serpents, allowing medusas within 30 ft to communicate silently, provided that they can see one another. Any creature can learn Serpentine as an exotic language or understand it through the use of magic, but only a creature with a functioning serpent mane can speak Serpentine fluently.
• A medusa can see through the eyes of their serpent mane. This requires them to exert control over the mane, focusing all of the serpents in a particular direction; it’s easy for an observer to tell when a medusa is using this ability and where the serpents are looking. The most important aspect of this is that it allows a medusa to operate without penalty while their primary eyes are closed or covered. It’s more natural for a medusa to view the world through their primary eyes, and most prefer it; but they can act normally even while wearing a blindfold or while their eyes are closed.
• Some medusas can use their serpent manes as weapons, attacking nearby enemies with a venomous bite. However, just as there are many snakes in the world that aren’t poisonous, there are many medusa bloodlines that don’t have venomous manes, and this includes the playable medusa presented here.

THE MEDUSA’S GAZE

If there’s one thing people know about medusas, it’s the deadly power of the medusas’ gaze—that a single glance can turn a victim to stone. On the streets of Graywall, troll and gnoll alike will lower their eyes and step aside to let a medusa pass. This infamy serves medusas well, but like much of what’s known about medusas, the stories aren’t entirely accurate. All medusas possess a petrifying gaze… but the power of the gaze varies dramatically. Cazhaak tradition recognizes three degrees of power.

• The Gray Gaze is the most common level of power. Meeting the eyes of a medusa with the Gray Gaze disrupts the victim’s life force, slowing them for an instant. Extended disruption will cause petrification, but a quick glance will only cause discomfort. The medusa can consciously boost this effect—think of this like glaring at someone you’re angry at—but there’s a limit to how often they can summon this power.
• Stone Eyes are the intermediate level of power. A medusa with Stone Eyes can potentially petrify a creature nearly instantly, without wearing them down with the Gray Gaze. However, this still requires a conscious expenditure of energy and focus, and this energy is a limited resource.
• Shadowswift is the most potent level of power. Petrification is swift and there are no limits on the power of the gaze.

The medusa presented in the Monster Manual is Shadowswift, able to petrify instantly and continually. By contrast, the traits presented here are for a medusa that possesses the Gray Gaze. Their gaze is painful but not instantly lethal, and a medusa must focus their energy to generate a more dramatic effect. Over time, they can build up to Stone Eyes—or they can simply maintain the Gray Gaze. Medusas generally don’t discuss these differences with outsiders; it’s to their benefit for outsiders to assume that every medusa has the Shadowswift gaze.

Whatever its potency, the gaze of a medusa is dangerous even to friends, and as a result Cazhaak medusas are quite skilled at avoiding eye contact. In conversation, where a medusa directs their eyes reflects their esteem for the person they’re speaking with. A Cazhaak medusa will drop their eyes toward the ground to show respect, or look up and over the person if they wish to indicate disdain; when speaking to an equal, they glance to the left or right. If a medusa wishes to show trust, they direct their gaze to the person, but close their eyes.

While the medusa’s gaze is a constant effect, it is a supernatural gift as opposed to being biological. Over time, a medusa can learn to enhance this power—using their gaze as a focus for the spells presented under the Shadow’s Magic trait, whether to increase the power of the Gray Gaze or to restrain multiple creatures at once. While this may use a spell slot, the effect is channeled through the medusa’s gaze.

Mechanics vs Story. In the story being told here, anyone who directly meets the gaze of a Cazhaak medusa suffers. The fact that a medusa has the choice not to harm the people around it reflects a lifetime of practice and the fact that they can always close their eyes. The fact that it requires a bonus action to use the Gray Gaze reflects the challenge of actively meeting someone’s gaze, especially when people know the consequences. So while mechanically the gaze is presented as a cantrip the medusa casts, that is just the cleanest way to mechanically represent the concept within the system; the IDEA is still that anyone who meets the medusa’s gaze would suffer the effects of the Gray Gaze.

MEDUSA NAMES

Cazhaak medusas typically use a single name, usually two or more syllables with a sibilant sound. This is accompanied by additional elements in Serpentine—hissing and a particular shaping of the serpent mane—that other creatures can’t reproduce, so there’s an additional layer of complexity that typically goes unappreciated.

Female Names: Arasha, Ashaka, Hashkanel, Lillis, Orashka, Sheshka, Shahara, Slynter, Syskanel, Tashka

Male Names: Ashlak, Euryshal, Hasslak, Hymliss, Orrass, Sarrash, Slynter, Stoliss, Tarrash

PLAYING A MEDUSA

In playing a Cazhaak medusa, the crucial question to answer is why are you adventuring? Cazhaak Draal is an insular community united by faith and devotion to its queen. Over the last decade, the Queen of Stone has bound her people to the cause of Droaam. So as a medusa adventurer, are you somehow serving your queen and your people, or have you broken ties with them? Are you an envoy, an explorer, or an exile? Perhaps you’re a hermit who’s following the whispers of the stone or an acolyte guided by visions of the Shadow; or maybe you’re a folk hero who believes all malefactors must face the gaze of justice!

If you follow the Cazhaak faith, the Shadow urges the faithful to pursue their ambitions and achieve their full potential—whatever the cost. What are your ambitions? What do you see as your greatest talents, and how can you improve upon them?

MEDUSA TRAITS

Your medusa character has the following traits.

Creature Type. You are a Monstrosity.

Size. You are Medium.

Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You discern colors in that darkness only as shades of gray.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Serpentine and your choice of either Goblin or Common.

Fearsome Presence. You have proficiency in the Intimidation skill.

Petrifying Gaze. You know the Gray Gaze cantrip. Your spellcasting ability for this spell is your choice of Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma. You can cast it without components. If you would kill a creature using this spell, you can choose to permanently petrify that creature instead.

Medusa’s Gift. When a creature fails its saving throw against your Gray Gaze cantrip, you can choose to augment the effect. Instead of suffering disadvantage on its next Dexterity saving throw, the creature is restrained for 1 minute. The restrained creature can repeat the cantrip saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. You must concentrate to maintain this effect. If you lose your concentration, the creature is no longer restrained.

You can use this trait to augment your Gray Gaze spell a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Shadow’s Magic. If you have the Spellcasting or the Pact Magic class feature, the spells on the Medusa Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class. You can cast your medusa spells without material components.

Medusa Spells

New Cantrip: Gray Gaze

Transmutation cantrip

Casting Time: 1 bonus action

Range: 30 feet

Components: V, S, M (a pebble with a hole in it)

Duration: Instantaneous

Classes: Druid, Warlock, Sorcerer

You turn your gaze on a creature you can see within range. If that creature can see your eyes, their body stiffens and cracks as if it were turning to stone. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take necrotic damage equal to your proficiency bonus and have disadvantage on the next Dexterity saving throw it makes before the end of its next turn.

Medusa Racial Feats

Shadow’s Gift of Stone

Prerequisites: Medusa

Your inherent magical power comes into its own. You gain the following benefits:

• Increase your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma by 1, to a maximum of 20.
• You learn the 1st and 2nd level spells on your Medusa Spells table. Your spellcasting ability for these spells is the same as your Petrifying Gaze. At 6th level learn 3rd level Medusa spells, at 8th level you learn 4th level Medusa spells, and at 10th level you learn 5th level Medusa spells. You can cast each of these spells without expending a spell slot and without material components. Once you cast any of these spells in this way, you can't cast that spell in this way again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast these spells using spell slots you have of the appropriate level.

Stone Eyes

Prerequisites: Medusa, 8th-level

Your magical power has matured, and you can finally realize the legends of your people. If a creature that you have restrained or paralyzed with a spell or your Medusa’s Gift trait fails a saving throw to end the effect by 5 or more, you can choose to turn that creature to stone. Any magical effects causing the creature to be restrained or paralyzed end, and the creature is instead petrified for 1 minute. You must concentrate to maintain the effect. If you lose your concentration, the petrified condition ends. If the creature is still petrified after 1 minute, it is petrified permanently.

That's all for now. Keep in mind that this is an early draft that will most likely evolve before the final release. Thank you for your support!