In the myths, Lamia was a queen who had children with Zeus, so
of course Hera got jealous and took it out on her, because let’s face it, Hera is not the Goddess of Woman Have Some Respect For Yourself And Get A Divorce; You Deserve Better. She cursed Lamia to lose her kids—in some tellings, she made Lamia kill them herself. This drove Lamia to despair, so she stole other people’s children and ate them. As one does. These actions made her become monstrous in appearance, suffer from insomnia, and lose the ability to close her eyes. Zeus gave her the ability to remove her own eyes, so she wouldn’t have to look at herself. These things made sense to the ancient Greeks, guys. Her myths were intertwined with those of other snake-women monsters, and Lamia was not only used as a bogeyman to frighten children, but also—because the ancient Greeks had much the same view of snake-women as half the internet—she also started seducing young men and eating them.
D&D, of course, mostly has ignored the “child-eater” aspect in favor of “seducer.” The 1e MM gave them their primary look of female human upper half and animal (lion) lower half, and it’s one of those boobs-ahoy illustrations for them that titillated oh-so-many pubescent gamers. 2e was somewhat less cheesecake (whether that’s a good thing or a bad depends, of course, on your point of view). It also firmly established what was only hinted at in 1e: lamias either charm and seduce their (male) victims or use illusions to pose as damsels in distress, thus providing yet another reason why the adventurers will never trust another female NPC. 3e went with a badly-posed and -proportioned
male lamia. The illustration for 5e was that of a female again, but I feel she’s more handsome then sexy. One thing I do miss from AD&D is the idea that lamias can have any beastly lower body (goats and deer being common), not just the lion that became the norm starting with 3e and that has continued with Level Up—although fortunately LU gives us the snake lamia variant.
This entry is not about the lamia.
Instead, it’s about the
sa’ir, the animalistic offspring of a lamia and a person or monster she’s seduced. Interestingly, the article decides to use one of the real-world myths, that lamia are hermaphroditic, and can thus, in male form, impregnate female humans, who will also give birth to sa’ir. I assume this kills the mother, as both the lamia and their unfortunate humanoid mates give birth to
litters of these things.
While I can’t recommend that you play as lamias-as-seducers and have them bed (or worse) your PCs, if you
do use them that way, well, here are the fruits of their loins.
Sa’ir
The Ecology (Love Life) of the Lamia, Dragon Magazine #192
Creature by Spike Y. Jones, art by Susan Van Camp.
The offspring of a lamia and a usually-unwitting humanoid, sa’ir are animalistic in both appearance and mentality. They have the head, mane, and forepaws of a male lion (although sa’ir are sexless and sterile) and the hindquarters and horns of a goat. The prowl the wastelands near their lamia parent’s lairs
Unwilling Loyalty. Although they have no
affection for their lamia parent, they are also bound to them. They will obey their parent’s orders and will not harm them, even as they resent them; nor will they journey too far from their parent’s lair. In return, lamias are also tied to their offspring. Their fiendish nature means that most lamias have little love for their beastly young and they usually prove to be cruel parents, but at the same time, lamias are also incapable of truly harming them.
According to some legends, a sa’ir also is bound to its mortal parent, and this parent is capable of freeing a sa’ir from their bond with their lamia. The legends don’t speak as to what happens to the sa’ir after it is freed, and whether it will turn on its lamia parent or simply leave—but it’s so rare that the mortal parent lives after mating with the lamia that even trying is practically a moot point.
Climate/Terrain: temperate, subtropical; Abyss, desert, grassland, hill
Legends and Lore
With an Arcana or Nature check, the characters can learn the following:
DC 10. Wherever you find sa’ir, you’re sure to find a lamia nearby.
DC 15. Sa’ir are the offspring of a lamia and a humanoid or a monstrosity.
DC 20. Sa’ir are forced to obey their lamia parent; they can’t betray the lamia or ignore their orders.
Sa’ir Encounters
CR 0-2 1 sa’ir
CR 3-4 1-2 sa’ir
CR 5-10 1d4+1 sa’ir; lamia and 2 sa’ir
Treasure: bronze collar with carved amethyst stone (250 gp), 2 gold hoop earrings and 2 horn-tips (150 gp each)
Signs
1. DC 15 Perception check: a strange set of footprints that are half-feline, half-caprine.
2. A distant, bleating roar and the sound of goats butting heads.
3. The ravaged remains of an antelope.
4. The ravaged remains of a person; with a DC 13 Perception or Investigation check: this person had recently been a captive of someone.
Behavior
1. Sunning itself after a large meal.
2. Dragging a living captive back to its lamia master.
3. Hungry; will attack on sight.
4. Disguised as a herd animal, slinking closer to the herd its marked as its next meal.
5. Scouting; will attack if the party seems badly injured
6. Watching the party warily; will report back to its lamia master.
Sa’ir
Large monstrosity (fiend); Challenge 2 (750 XP)
AC 15 (natural armor)
HP 38 (4d10+16; bloodied 19)
Speed 40 ft.
STR 20 (+5)
DEX 10 (+0)
CON 19 (+4)
INT 5 (-3)
WIS 14 (+2)
CHA 8 (-1)
Proficiency +2;
Maneuver DC 15
Saving Throws
Skills Perception +4, Stealth +2 (+1d6)
Damage Resistances fire
Condition Immunities charmed
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages understands Abyssal but can’t speak
Compelled to Obey. The sa’ir must obey an order given by a lamia.
Keen Vision. The sa’ir has advantage on Perception checks that rely on sight, and on checks and saving throws made to see through illusions.
Innate Spellcasting (1/day). The sa’ir can cast
disguise self without the need for any components. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma.
Running Leap. With a 10-foot running start, the sa’ir can long-jump up to 25 feet.
Sure-Footed. The sa’ir has advantage on Strength and Dexterity saving throws made against effects that would knock it prone.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 10 (1d10+5) piercing damage.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 12 (2d6+5) slashing damage.
Gore. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 14 (2d8+5) piercing damage. If the sa’ir moved at least 20 feet strait towards the target immediately before the hit, the target takes an extra 9 (2d8) piercing damage and must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Combat
Sa’ir are vicious combatants, fighting with teeth, claw, and horns with equal gusto. They retreat only when reduced to 8 hit points or fewer or ordered to by a lamia.
Variant: Chimeral Shrimp
These beings vaguely look like man-sized mantis shrimp, colored with muddy jewel tones, their shells sport several pairs of pearly, goat-like horns, and their raptorial claws are tipped with spikes that resemble lion’s teeth. They wear “manes” of kelp and coral they attach to themselves as a show of status. They are the offspring of giant lanternfish and the merfolk, sea elves, and marrow they’ve charmed.
A chimeral shrimp can breathe water but not air and has a swim speed of 40 feet. They gain the following trait:
Snap: The chimeral shrimp gains advantage on initiative checks.
Unbinding A Sa’ir
At the Narrator’s discretion, it may be possible to sever the connection between a lamia and any sa’ir children they have without killing one of them, thus depriving the lamia of valuable tools. This doesn’t guarantee that the sa’ir will feel particularly grateful, however. Possible methods include the following:
· Using a
wish.
· Forcing the sa'ir to remain within a
hallowed area for a day and a night cast by a cleric who follows a Good or Lawful deity.
· Bringing the sa’ir or lamia through a portal to another plane (rather than through a spell such as
plane shift); when the portal closes, it breaks the connection.
