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The Serpents of Achaea
Serpents are Achaea’s stealth specialists. They descend from the serpentlords of legend, can secrete venoms from their own fangs, hypnotise enemies into trances and implant subliminal commands, and traverse the continent through a private network of dimensional wormholes. The class is one of the most mechanically demanding in Achaea, and one of the most rewarding once mastered.
Serpent lore and origin
The Serpent class has roots as ancient as any other class in Achaea. In the times of legend, two members of the fourth generation of humanity, Loki and Ekanel, were born appearing slightly serpentine, and lived in the primal forests. They mated and had numerous serpentine children. Generations later, this strain of humanity had become so serpent-like that they could secrete venoms through developed fangs, hypnotise with their gaze, and more. Eventually, through interbreeding with other races, the Serpents ceased to be a race and became instead a set of traits possessed by individuals of all races.
Modern Serpents are often attracted to shady careers, though there are notable ones who have chosen a cause and fought for it their entire lives. They might be found in any city or might choose to be cityless wanderers instead. The class is one of the most flexible in Achaea: no factional pressure, no alignment lock, accepted in every city.
What a Serpent does, in plain terms: fights with a whip and a dirk (or strikes with their fangs), applies dozens of venoms in carefully timed sequences, hypnotises opponents and plants harmful suggestions, traverses a wormhole network that crosses the continent, climbs into treetops and travels by branch, sharpshoots at distance with the fabled Darkbows. A competent Serpent is described in the lore as “an extremely frustrating opponent”: few can inhibit their movement enough to pin them down.
This is one of Achaea’s most mechanically demanding classes. The combat is built around precise venom timing, stacked hypnotic suggestions, and mobility through wormholes. The skill ceiling is among the highest in the game.
Signature combat identity: venoms, hypnosis, and the wormhole
Three things make a Serpent a Serpent.
The first is venom. Through the Venom skill, a Serpent’s dormant glands produce dozens of distinct venoms: Sumac for minor damage, Curare for paralysis, Voyria for instant death, Loki for unpredictable effects, Aconite for stupidity, Ekanelia for late-game lethality, Selarnia to force shapechangers back to mortal form, and many more. The Serpent SECRETEs a venom, the glands produce it, then a BITE delivers it. Venoms can also be applied to arrows or dirk strikes. The class is built around stacking venoms in precise sequences to overwhelm an opponent’s curing.
The second is hypnosis. Where Venom is a natural ability and Subterfuge is partly magical, Hypnosis is presented in the lore as a science discovered by a forgotten Serpentlord. A Serpent HYPNOTISEs a target, SUGGESTs subliminal effects (paranoia, vertigo, claustrophobia, recklessness, anorexia, pacifism, a wide menu of trivial and complex suggestions), then SEALs the trance with a timer. When SNAPped, by the Serpent or by anyone else, the suggestions activate. A skilled Serpent layers hypnosis on top of venoms on top of dirk strikes, building toward a moment where the target is overwhelmed.
The third is the wormhole. Subterfuge contains the Splice ability, creating a personal dimensional wormhole, and Warp to enter it, Vortex to drag enemies through, Channel to throw objects through. A serpent who has spliced wormholes across the continent moves at will between distant rooms. Combined with arboreal movement (Swinging through treetops, Scan to spot below) and stealth (Hide, Ghost, Cloak), the Serpent is the most mobile combat class in Achaea.
Add archery (Bowmanship, Aiming, Darkbows, Snipe, Pinshot) for ranged work and a pet snake for fight support, and you have a class that fights at five layers: venom, hypnosis, dirk strikes, archery, and wormhole positioning. There’s nothing else in Achaea quite like it.
The three skills of a Serpent
A Serpent commands three skill sets: Subterfuge, Hypnosis, and Venom. A fledgling Serpent gains Subterfuge and Venom; Hypnosis is granted upon embracing the class.
Signature abilities: Rattle, Hide, Scales
Subterfuge is the largest and most varied of a Serpent’s skills. It encompasses the coded Serpent Lord tongue (Rattle), archery (Bowmanship, Aiming, Darkbows, Crossbows, Snipe, Pinshot), the conjuring of illusions (Illusion, Dispel, Lightwall), dimensional wormholes (Splice, Warp, Vortex, Channel, Sources, Secondsight), stealth and movement (Hide, Ghost, Cloak, Dash, Weaving, Swinging, Scan), the dirk (Backstab, Doublestab, Slit, Execute), and the personal pet snake.
Abilities (56)
| Ability | Description |
|---|---|
| Rattle | Knowledge of the coded Serpent Lord tongue. |
| Hide | Conceal yourself from view. |
| Scales | Coat yourself in protective, serpentine scales. |
| Garrote | Choke the life out of a target with your whip. |
| Evade | Misleading your pursuer. |
| Shadow | Shadowing a target in order to track them. |
| Flay | Flay the anti-venom sileris coatings from your enemies. |
| Waiting | Awaiting a target to be shadowed. |
| Pacing | The ability to anticipate and keep pace with others. |
| Bask | Bathing in the hot sun. |
| Block | Obstructing departure with your body. |
| Swinging | Swinging up into the treetops. |
| Secret | Give someone an item without their knowledge. |
| Scan | Scanning the forest floor from the treetops. |
| Bowmanship | Use of the valued projectile weapon. |
| Seize | Grabbing unwary victims from the forest floor. |
| Colours | Dye your arrows to categorise them. |
| Shove | Sending a hapless victim crashing to the forest floor. |
| Noose | Covert and deadly assassination from the trees. |
| Aiming | Increase your accuracy in shooting. |
| Listen | Detect action and conversations nearby. |
| Dispel | Rid your environment of illusions. |
| Lipread | The ability to understand what is said while deaf. |
| Eavesdrop | Listen even through closed doors. |
| Slit | Cut the throat of a helpless victim. |
| Wind | Further increase your accuracy through wind compensation. |
| Ghost | Give yourself a ghostly appearance. |
| Doublestab | Quickly administer two venoms to a target with your dirk. |
| Envenom | Dip your arrows in venom. |
| Seek | Sense for dimensional wormholes. |
| Warp | Open and enter a dimensional wormhole. |
| Illusion | Create an illusion of your choosing. |
| Crossbows | A powerful projectile weapon. |
| Cloak | Hide your actions from others. |
| Dash | Sprint in a particular direction. |
| Lightwall | Create a palpable wall of light. |
| Resonance | Allow sounds to resonate through a distant wormhole. |
| Darkbows | Using the infamous darkbows of Hashan. |
| Splice | Create a dimensional wormhole. |
| Pinshot | Focus your fire upon the feet of your victim. |
| Appraise | View the contents of another adventurer’s inventory. |
| Backstab | Attack from the shadows. |
| Channel | Hurl an object through a dimensional wormhole. |
| Pickpocket | Deftly pilfer from unsuspecting targets. |
| Case | The more you know… |
| Bind | Hog-tie an unconscious or sleeping opponent. |
| Execute | Subject your enemy to a merciless execution. |
| Sources | Sense out all dimensional wormholes. |
| Weaving | Weave and dodge like the cobra itself. |
| Yank | Use a whip to pull an opponent into your room. |
| Vortex | Suck an unwilling target into a wormhole. |
| Snipe | The ability to sharpshoot. |
| Cancel | Destroy a wormhole. |
| Secondsight | See wormholes with greater clarity. |
| Snake | A pet snake to assist you in combat. |
| Distraction | The blindspot is where you thrive. |
| Phase | Alter your status in space-time itself. |
Signature abilities: Hypnotise, Seal, Analyse
Hypnosis is the most “science” of the Serpent’s skills. A Serpent HYPNOTISEs a target (potentially without them noticing via Mesmerise), implants SUGGESTions, SEALs the trance with a timer, and SNAPs to activate. Any adventurer can trigger the snap once it’s sealed. Starting a new hypnosis clears previous suggestions, so suggestions must be implanted before sealing.
Hypnotic techniques (7)
| Ability | Description |
|---|---|
| Hypnotise | Their minds are yours. |
| Seal | Poised to strike. |
| Analyse | Discover the implanted suggestions in someone. |
| Impulse | Some pressure here, some manipulation there. |
| Cleanse | Clean yourself or another of suggestions. |
| Mesmerise | Much subtler, near-undetectable hypnosis. |
| Imprint | Store the mental state of your subject. |
Trivial suggestions (15)
| Ability | Description |
|---|---|
| Amnesia | Causes the victim to forget to do his next action. |
| Paranoia | They are out to get you, believe me. |
| Loneliness | Fear of being left on your own. |
| Claustrophobia | Fear of enclosed spaces. |
| Stuttering | Anxious difficulty with speech. |
| Hallucinations | Vivid hallucinations to plague your foe. |
| Dementia | Hugely distorts victim’s perception of the world. |
| Deadening | Weakening of the mind. |
| Epilepsy | Throw your victim’s nervous system into disarray. |
| Agoraphobia | Fear of open spaces. |
| Masochism | The love of your own pain. |
| Recklessness | Ignorance of health and disregard for well-being. |
| Vertigo | Fear of heights. |
| Confusion | Causes the mind to become confounded. |
| Stupidity | Abject, stumbling idiocy. |
Complex suggestions (10)
| Ability | Description |
|---|---|
| Clumsiness | Inability to use weaponry effectively. |
| Addiction | A terrible addiction. |
| Pacifism | Loss of desire to cause anyone harm. |
| Hypersomnia | A condition that prevents insomnia. |
| Nausea | A distinctly miserable feeling. |
| Anorexia | Loss of desire to eat. |
| Disrupt | Destroy your opponent’s mental equilibrium. |
| Generosity | Indiscriminate, overwhelming generosity. |
| Action | The ability to suggest an action of your choice. |
| Hypochondria | The conviction that one is constantly afflicted. |
Signature abilities: Secrete, Bite, Purge
Venom is unique to Serpents. The class’s dormant glands produce dozens of distinct venoms through SECRETE. Each venom has a risk factor: more powerful venoms can backfire on the Serpent if held too long. BITE delivers; PURGE clears unused venom.
Notable venoms: Sumac (minor damage), Voyria (the deadliest, can kill a bull in seconds), Curare (paralysis), Aconite (stupidity), Loki (unpredictable in its effects), Selarnia (forces shapechangers back to mortal form), Ekanelia (late-game lethality), Camus (concentrated Sumac), Transcretion (instant secretion of any venom).
Denizens are immune to most non-damage venoms.
Abilities (35)
| Ability | Description |
|---|---|
| Secrete | The ancient ability of producing venom. |
| Bite | Sinking your fangs into an unfortunate victim. |
| Purge | Cleansing your venom sacs of poison. |
| Shrugging | Resist the detrimental effects of venoms. |
| Sumac | Minor damage. |
| Xentio | Loss of coordination. |
| Oleander | Blindness. |
| Eurypteria | Gives the victim delusions of invulnerability. |
| Kalmia | Inhibits the respiratory system. |
| Digitalis | Causes unbearable shyness. |
| Darkshade | Makes the victim allergic to sunlight. |
| Curare | A venom of muscular paralysis. |
| Epteth | Shrivel up the arms of your unlucky victim. |
| Prefarar | Increase the recipient’s sensitivity. |
| Monkshood | Disfigure your victim, causing disloyalty in those around. |
| Euphorbia | Induces spasmodic vomiting. |
| Colocasia | Gives blindness and deafness. |
| Oculus | Forces the recipient’s eyelids open. |
| Camus | A more powerful version of Sumac. |
| Vernalius | A venom that weakens the muscles. |
| Epseth | Cause the legs of your victim to become useless. |
| Larkspur | Causes great dizziness. |
| Slike | Give the curse of anorexia to your victim. |
| Voyria | The deadliest venom known to mankind. |
| Delphinium | Put your victim to sleep. |
| Transcretion | The ability to instantly secrete a venom. |
| Notechis | Induce haemophilia in a target. |
| Vardrax | Grants an insatiable addiction. |
| Loki | An unpredictable toxin. |
| Aconite | Cause sheer stupidity in your opponent. |
| Selarnia | Forcing your victim back into mortal form. |
| Gecko | Causes the recipient to become foully oily. |
| Scytherus | A venom that thins the blood. |
| Nechamandra | A venom that chills the veins. |
| Ekanelia | A lethality profound. |
Serpent Houses and cities
See Achaea’s city-states for the cities where these Houses recruit.
Serpent is unrestricted by alignment. 16 Houses across all 6 cities + 2 cityless, same wide acceptance as the other unrestricted classes.
| House | City | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The Dawnblade | Targossas | Targossan martial House. Serpents who lean toward Light find a home here. |
| The Harbingers of Redemption | Targossas | Targossan succour House. |
| The Dread Legates | Mhaldor | Mhaldorian military House. Serpents serving Evil. |
| The Insidium | Mhaldor | Mhaldorian rites House. |
| The Esoteric Consortium | Ashtan | Ashtan martial House. |
| The Savants of the Wheel | Ashtan | Ashtan academic House. |
| The Nemesian Vanguard | Ashtan | Ashtan front-line House. |
| The Vashnarian Shield | Cyrene | Cyrene guardian House. |
| The Virtuosi | Cyrene | Cyrene artistic House. |
| The Discurean Outriders | Cyrene | Cyrene explorer/academic House. |
| The Krymenian Academy | Hashan | Hashan academic House. |
| The Somatikos | Hashan | Hashan body-discipline House. Often a natural Serpent home in Hashan. |
| The Scions of the Ithmia | Eleusis | Eleusis forestal House. |
| The Heartwood Kin | Eleusis | Eleusis nature House. |
| The Grand Merchant Collective | (cityless) | The trader House. Common Serpent home for rogue/criminal play. |
| The Carnivalis Institute of Jestering | (cityless) | The Jester-founded House. |
To check current House availability in-game: HOUSE LIST SERPENT.
A note on the class’s flexibility: Serpents have the widest “everywhere I show up I fit” range of any combat class in Achaea. The lore explicitly supports a cityless wanderer playstyle. The flexibility is part of the class identity.
What an Achaea Serpent might look like
Class shapes silhouette; race shapes everything else about a character’s appearance. The art below shows what a Serpent can look like across two of Achaea’s 14 playable races. These are illustrative examples. Any race can play a Serpent.
How to roleplay a Serpent in Achaea
A Serpent’s identity is mystery. Your character is hard to read, hard to pin down, and rarely says what they mean. The class lore positions Serpents as inheritors of an ancient strain of humanity, and the modern Serpent carries that lineage, sometimes openly, more often as a secret.
Three things make Serpent roleplay distinct:
You can be anything. No factional lock. No alignment pressure. A Serpent can serve Targossas, Mhaldor, Ashtan, or no city at all. This flexibility is the class. Players who lean into it, moving cities, switching allegiances, keeping their real motives hidden, get the strongest material.
Your venoms tell a story. A Serpent who always opens with Curare reads differently than one who opens with Aconite or Voyria. Players who develop a signature venom pattern, and let it be known among rivals, build a recognisable character through their combat habits.
Your wormholes are personal geography. Where you splice wormholes is part of your character’s life. A Serpent who has wormholes in safehouses, hideouts, allied territory, and one private place no one knows about. That’s a character with depth.
A few practical notes:
Combat has the highest skill ceiling in Achaea. Venom timing, hypnosis stacking, dirk inline with strikes, wormhole positioning, archery setup: all at once. The class rewards years of practice. Don’t pick Serpent as your first class unless you’re committed.
The Cyrene Bardic Sagas have a Pazuzu connection. Worth knowing because Serpent characters in Cyrene sometimes overlap thematically with the Bardic Woe tradition.
Discretion matters. Serpents who openly broadcast their venom load, their hypnosis suggestions, or their wormhole positions are doing it wrong. The class is built on layered concealment.
If you want the most mechanically demanding combat class in Achaea, the deepest flexibility for character identity, and a stealth/affliction toolkit unmatched in the game, Serpent delivers.
Other classes to consider
Three classes worth a look if Serpent is on your shortlist (or browse all 21 Achaea classes for the full comparison):
Blademaster: The Named-Blade Tradition
The other precision-timing combat tradition. Blademasters chain Striking inline with TwoArts the way Serpents chain venoms with dirk strikes. Different weapon, different fiction, similar mechanical demands. Choose Blademaster if the sword aesthetic appeals more than the venom-and-stealth aesthetic.
Jester: Absurdity as a Weapon
The other trick-combat class. Where the Serpent uses precise venoms and timed hypnosis, the Jester uses bombs, balloons, magical puppets, and bad jokes. Same flexibility (16 Houses, no factional lock), very different combat identity. Choose Jester if the playful chaos of acrobatics-and-traps appeals more than serpentine cold precision.
Depthswalker: Tsol’teth Time-and-Shadow
The shadow/time analog. Shares the wide House acceptance and the mechanical demands. Where the Serpent stacks venoms, the Depthswalker bends time. Where the Serpent uses wormholes, the Depthswalker uses Shadowmancy’s Step and Disperse. Often appeals to the same kind of player.