Basilisk (Basic Lore)

Basilisk (CR 8)
Neutral - Medium - Magical Beast
The basilisk, often called the "King of Serpents," is not really a serpent at all, but rather a two-legged semi-slithering reptile with a nasty disposition and the ability to turn creatures to stone with its gaze. Folklore holds that, much like the cockatrice, the first basilisks hatched from eggs laid by snakes and incubated by roosters, but little in the basilisk's frankly weird physiology supports this claim. Basilisks live in nearly any terrestrial environment, from forest to swamp to arctic to desert, and their hides tend to match and reflect their surroundings -- a desert-dwelling basilisk might be tan or brown, while one that lives in a forest could be dappled green. They tend to make their lairs in caves, ravines, dungeons, and arroyos, and often infest ruins and sewers. Basilisks are quite comfortable living in cities with humanoid races, and their considerable stealth and sluggish habits make them eerily effective at remaining undetected. Basilisks, amazingly enough, can be tamed as guard creatures quite well if they are raised from eggs. Hooding their deadly eyes makes them into surprisingly affectionate and very loyal pets.