Lizardfolk

Lizardfolk

One may mistake the lizardfolk for brothers amongst the children of the reaches, instead of the outcasts they are. Prowling from the bogs of Minamishiwa, they do not think and feel like us; their thoughts are as icy and cold as their blood, the secrets of their homeland forever held in the murk and grime.

Alien Minds

Large, scaled humanoids resembling lizards with slightly longer necks and snouted faces. Lizardfolk do not process thought in the same manner as other races, with their emotions majorly resolving around the fires or rage and fear to protect themselves, or the pursuit of their own pleasure. For example, humans confronted by an angry troll experience fear on a basic level. Their limbs shake, their thinking becomes panicked and jumbled, and they react by instinct. The emotion of fear takes hold and controls their actions. In contrast, lizardfolk see emotions as traits assigned to other creatures, objects, and situations. A lizardfolk doesn't think, "I'm scared." Instead, aggressive, stronger creatures register to the lizardfolk as fearsome beings to be avoided if possible. If such creatures attack, lizardfolk flee, fighting only if cornered. Lizardfolk aren't scared of a troll; instead, they understand that a troll is a fearsome, dangerous creature and react accordingly.

Lizardfolk never become angry in the way others do, but they act with aggression toward creatures that they could defeat in a fight and that can't be dealt with in some other manner. They are aggressive toward prey they want to eat, creatures that want to harm them, and so on. Pleasurable people and things make life easier for lizardfolk. Pleasurable things should be preserved and protected, sometimes at the cost of the lizardfolk's own safety. The most pleasurable creatures and things are ones that allow lizardfolk to assess more situations as benign rather than fearsome.

Minions of the Yokai

The virulent powers radiating through the bogs of Minamishiwa generate horrible monsters that torment and subjugate the lizardfolk tribes to their whims. Yokai are fickle creatures, and rampages have been known to destroy entire tribes on a whim. Lizardfolk will follow the orders of their masters to the letter, as it is necessary to avoid enraging a creature that will cause them fear. As such, they have earned a deadly reputation for territorial savagery and violence, as they fight off any invader into their homeland to the last man. Merchant ships coming from the south give their island a wide berth to avoid a rain of arrows and javelins.

Lizardfolk adventurers

It is not common for a lizardfolk to be away from their bogland homes, however for one reason or another they may have come to the mainland. The following list will provide possible examples as to why your lizardfolk may be on their journey:

• Your yokai master burned your village, leaving only you to escape.
• The promise of the mainland's many wonders was too tantalizing to resist.
• You have committed a crime against your tribe, and ran away before you were executed.
• Without a tribe, you look to start your own with strange fleshy soft friends.
• Your yokai master has ordered you to complete a task, and returning empty handed will surely end in your death.
• A raid on the other islands gone awry caused you to wash ashore, you are now forced to adapt to this new world.
• You have joined one of the many pirate crews on the mainland's west coast, and have since retired to fly your own flag.
• The world has many pleasures, you will never experience them all on your little island.

Lizardfolk Names

Lizardfolk take their names from the Draconic language. They use simple descriptives granted by the tribe based on an individual's notable deeds or actions. For example, Garurt translates as "axe," a name given to a lizardfolk warrior who defeated an orc and claimed his foe's weapon. A lizardfolk who likes to hide in a stand of reeds before ambushing an animal might be called Achuak, which means "green" to describe how she blends into the foliage.

ability score increase: Your Constitution increases by 2, and your Dexterity increases by 1.

age: Lizardfolk reach maturity around age 14 and rarely live longer than 60 years.

Size: Medium

speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Draconic.

race features:

Swim. You have a swimming speed of 30 feet.
Bite. Your fanged maw is a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the normal bludgeoning damage for an unarmed strike.
Cunning Artisan. As part of a short rest, you can harvest bone and hide from a slain beast, construct, dragon, monstrosity, or plant creature of size small or larger to create one of the following items: a shield, a club, a javelin, or 1d4 darts for blowgun needles. To use this trait, you need a blade, such as a dagger, or appropriate artisan's tools, such as leatherworker's tools.
Hold Breath. You can hold your breath for up to 15 minutes at a time.
Hunter's Lore. You are proficient in two of the following skills of your choice: Animal Handling, Nature, Perception, Stealth, and Survival.
Natural Armor. You have tough, scaly skin. When you aren't wearing armor, your AC is 13 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield's benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.
Hungry Jaws. In battle, you can throw yourself into a vicious feeding frenzy. As a bonus action, you can make a special attack with your bite. If the attack hits, it deals its normal damage, and you gain temporary hit points equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1), and you can't use this trait again until you finish a short or long rest.

Lifespan

60 years

Average Height

above 6 feet.

Geographic Distribution

• The Islands of the Reaches