Black mamba

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For a list of all snakes, see list of snakes.

black mamba S
HP	25-52
HD	7
XP	455
Speed	18
AC	4
EV	15
Will	20
Attack1	20 (bite: poison)
Resistances	rPois+
Vulnerabilities	None
Habitat	Land
Intelligence	Animal
Uses	Uses nothing
Holiness	Natural
Size	Medium
Type	snake, black mamba
Flags	Cold-blooded

A large and astonishingly fast tropical snake whose bite bears a deadly venom. “The latter lived in the country, and before his house there was an oak, in which there was a lair of snakes. His servants killed the snakes, but Melampus gathered wood and burnt the reptiles, and reared the young ones. And when the young were full grown, they stood beside him at each of his shoulders as he slept, and they purged his ears with their tongues. He started up in a great fright, but understood the voices of the birds flying overhead, and from what he learned from them he foretold to men what should come to pass.” -Pseudo-Apollodorus , _Library and Epitome_, 1.9.11. circa 150 BC. trans. Sir James George Frazer, 1913. “A snake, with mottles rare, Surveyed my chamber floor, In feature as the worm before, But ringed with power.” -Emily Dickinson, “In Winter In My Room”. circa 1860.

Useful Info

Black mambas are very fast snakes with painful poisonous bites. Although not the deadliest of the snakes, they are hard to escape and can be very dangerous to squishy characters when first encountered. They can be found in the Lair and the Snake Pit.

Tips & Tricks

• Be cautious around this creature if you lack poison resistance or decent AC. Their bites can cause serious damage even if poison isn't an issue.
• Their magic resistance isn't especially high, which makes them susceptible to Hexes and wands of disintegration. Considering their high evasion, disabling them (or simply blowing them up) may be your best bet at surviving an early one even if it takes a shot or two.