Lizardfolk

Lizardfolk, also known as lizard men, were a race of reptilian humanoids native to Urbûn.

Basic Information

Biological Traits

Lizardfolk were semi-aquatic reptilian humanoids. Their skin was covered in scales and varied in color from dark green through to shades of brown and gray. Taller than humans and powerfully built, lizardfolk were often between 6 and 7 feet (1.8–2.1 m) tall and weighed between 200 and 250 pounds (90.7–113 kg). Lizardfolk had non-prehensile muscular tails that grew to three or four feet in length, and these were used for balance. They also had sharp claws and teeth. Although non-reptilians struggled to tell the difference between males and females, lizardfolk could easily distinguish themselves.
Lizardfolk had to keep their skin relatively moist and needed to wet their bodies regularly if they were in dry climates. For this reason they were particularly fearful of desert landscapes

Growth Rate & Stages

Lizardfolk females laid clutches of eggs, from which their young hatched. The eggs were kept well protected in the tribe's lair. The life of a hatchling was especially hard. Lizardfolk reached maturity within five years of hatching. As lizardfolk aged, their bodies slowed down. Most lizardfolk over the age of 60 spent their days laying on warm rocks in the sun. Although lizardfolk aged much the same and had a similar lifespan to humans—the oldest reached 80 years of age—it was rare for lizardfolk males to grow old as they usually died in combat long before.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Lizardfolk were omnivorous, but strongly favored meat when they could get it. According to stories, to the lizardfolk, the most delicious meat was humanoid flesh, especially human, but this claim was more-or-less unfounded. However, some tribes did consume captives and enemies slain in battle. but more civilized tribes often resisted this craving. Meanwhile, ritual cannibalism of deceased tribe-members was customary. Lizardfolk were quick to consume anything that was edible. For this reason, lizardfolk never kept pets.
When hunters brought back prey, adult lizardfolk ate first, taking what they wished. The young were usually left with the scraps, and more often than not subsisted on edible plants foraged from around the tribe's lair

Additional Information

Social Structure

Tribal Structure Lizardfolk gathered into tribes. A typical tribe might have 150 lizardfolk, with around 50 male, 50 female, and 50 hatchlings, Another might have only 30–60 adults, with half as many hatchlings and one tenth that number in unhatched eggs.
Lizardfolk society was patriarchal and leaders held their positions for their strength and power alone. Although challenges for leadership were rarely made, anyone in the tribe could try and seize power from the leader. This would leave the tribe unorganized and vulnerable until a new leader took charge or the old leader had reasserted their position. Lizardfolk leaders were most often barbarians or even druids. In a tribe, they would be assisted by two lieutenants. Many skilled warriors were fighters and barbarians.
Tribal shamans, meanwhile, were usually clerics who worshiped Semuanya. Shamans rarely served as leaders, and by-and-large only offered advice.
Females in the tribes were responsible for hatching eggs, raising young, and maintaining the camp. All the females in the tribe would work together to raise the young. They monitored their hatchlings closely, as the young were difficult to handle and tended to wander off, away from camp and into the wilderness.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

The eggs and skin of lizardfolk were bitter and inedible. The skin of lizardfolk could be fashioned into armor.

Civilization and Culture

Average Technological Level

Lizardfolk fashioned primitive weaponry and tools from wood, stones, and plants they found in the wetlands. Lizardfolk preferred weapons they could fashion themselves from what was available, and so they tended to be simple and limited in variety. More advanced tribes made use of a wider range of weaponry and shields. Moreover, they would sometimes utilize weapons they found or stole; tribal leaders typically got to use items that had been stolen or bartered from other races. The barbed dart was a weapon unique to the lizardfolk. However, their claws and teeth were often sufficient. Camps varied in style from tribe to tribe. The simplest were just damp leaves used for bedding, but more developed lizardfolk tribes built crude dwellings.
They did not keep animals as pets or mounts, but rarely a lizardfolk druid might employ their magic to charm a dinosaur and ride it into battle to awesome effect.

History

The lizardfolk themselves has no written history. Lizardfolk themselves believe they were one of the first humanoid races on Aestria. In their story, lizardfolk had dwelled in the swamps since the beginning and that all the civilized races outside had evolved from weak lizardfolk who could not endure their harsh life and left the swamps. Thus, the lizardfolk could look down upon the civilized races as weaklings. Outsiders thought it more likely that lizardfolk were an offshoot of the ancient Creator Race known as the sarrukh, appearing long before any of the interloper races came to Aestria. Regardless, it was clear that lizardfolk had an unimaginably ancient culture, virtually unchanged over the eons.
In −1732 BC, the Lapal tribes imported large numbers of lizardfolk as slaves from the Great Swamp of Rethild. Many of the lizardfolk escaped into the land that would become Halruaa.
In −189 BC, the armies of Serpentes conquered the Tashalar. The army was made up of lizardfolk and yuan-ti.
In 289 BC, lizardfolk claimed the flooded city of Marsember in Cormyr after King Torst and his brother were slain in the flooding.
In -993 BC, several lizardfolk tribes migrated eastward from Serpent Hills into the newly formed Marsh of Chelimber.
In -1330 BC, the community of Reeshov saw an influx in lizardfolk after the creatures were freed from mind flayer control.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Neighboring lizardfolk tribes would often ally against formidable enemies, even against other hostile lizardfolk tribes. The relationship of lizardfolk to other races was considered to be mostly that of hunter to prey. Lizardfolk of somewhat more civilized nature understood that other races might know something worth learning, and were ready to parley. Lizardfolk were most likely to negotiate with halflings. Nevertheless, lizardfolk considered themselves stronger and thus better than most other races and therefore thought of themselves as "real people". Lizardfolk referred to most of the civilized races as "softskins".
Lizardfolk rarely interacted with other races as their swampy homelands were home to few other sentient creatures. Their main competitors in the swamps were bullywugs, whom lizardfolk tended to despise. They sometimes allied with locathahs, or choose to serve highly dominant creatures like dragons or nagas.
In places where lizardfolk raiding parties threatened civilization, interracial relations could be particularly bad, In the coastal village of Gaerod Pool the hunting of lizard folk became a sport.

Average Height

6 and 7 feet (1.8–2.1 m)

Average Weight

200 and 250 pounds (90.7–113 kg)

Lizardfolk

Lizardfolk possess an alien and inscrutable mindset, their desires and thoughts driven by a different set of basic principles than those of warm-blooded creatures. Their dismal swamp homes might lie hundreds of miles from the nearest human settlement, but the gap between their way of thinking and that of the smooth-skins is far greater.

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

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

alignment: Most lizardfolk are neutral. They see the world as a place of predators and prey, where life and death are natural processes. They wish only to survive, and prefer to leave other creatures to their own devices.

Size: Medium

speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a swimming speed of 30 feet.

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

race features:
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 bludgeoning damage normal 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 or 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 gain proficiency with 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 (minimum of 1) equal to your Constitution modifier, and you can't use this trait again until you finish a short or long rest.
Lizardfolk Quirk. You can use the Lizardfolk Quirks table to determine a personality quirk for a lizardfolk character or to inspire a unique mannerism.

d8	Quirk
1	You hate waste and see no reason not to scavenge fallen enemies. Fingers are tasty and portable!
2	You sleep best while mostly submerged in water.
3	Money is meaningless to you.
4	You think there are only two species of humanoid: lizardfolk and meat.
5	You have learned to laugh. You use this talent in response to all emotional situations, to better fit in with your comrades.
6	You still don't understand how metaphors work. That doesn't stop you from using them at every opportunity.
7	You appreciate the soft humanoids who realize they need chain mail and swords to match the gifts you were born with.
8	You enjoy eating your food while it's still wriggling.

Forgotten Realms:

Lizardfolk were semi-aquatic reptilian humanoids. Their skin was covered in scales and varied in color from dark green through to shades of brown and gray. Taller than humans and powerfully built, lizardfolk were often between 6 and 7 feet (1.8–2.1 m) tall and weighed between 200 and 250 pounds (90.7–113 kg). Lizardfolk had non-prehensile muscular tails that grew to three or four feet in length, and these were used for balance. They also had sharp claws and teeth. Although non-reptilians struggled to tell the difference between males and females, lizardfolk could easily distinguish themselves. Lizardfolk had no interest in money or jewels. They also did not much value accumulating knowledge if it was not practically useful. They largely valued things based on whether or not it was good to eat. If it was, it quickly got their attention; if not, it was ignored. Lizardfolk could often become distracted at the appearance of food, even if they were in combat. They were easier to parley with after a meal, and a hungry lizardfolk was completely obstreperous. Lizardfolk could be highly dangerous when provoked. However, they were not inherently evil; they were simply savage and had a hard time fitting in with the civilized world. Those that ventured into towns or cities were often alarmed, frightened, or offended by the environment. Few tried to adapt, let alone assimilate into Faerûnian societies. Instead, they felt their part was to learn about "softskin" ways and in turn show them how "real people" lived. Lizardfolk had to keep their skin relatively moist and needed to wet their bodies regularly if they were in dry climates. For this reason they were particularly fearful of desert landscapes.

Greyhawk:

Lizardfolk are primitive reptilian humanoids that can be very dangerous if provoked. Although they are omnivores, lizardfolk prefer meat. Lizardfolk make their homes in temperate marshes and swamps. They are passable swimmers however, and may also be found in underwater cave systems. Lizardfolk have been encountered in significant numbers in the Gnatmarsh, the Hool Marshes, the Mistmarsh, the Rushmoors, and the Vast Swamp. Lizardfolk are tall humanoids that look like a cross between a powerfully built human and a lizard. They have a long tail, clawed hands, and a toothy jaw. They are usually six to seven feet in height, with gray, green, or brown scales. Lizardfolk use their tails, typically three to four feet long. Lizardfolk commonly weigh from 200 to 250 pounds. There are several species of lizardfolk however, and these can range from three-foot tall pygmies to nine-foot tall giants. Lizardfolk can hold their breath for a very long time, by human standards.

Eberron:

Lizardfolk is a name for the collective reptilian tribes that inhabit the jungles of Eberron. Some lizardfolk, like the poison dusk and blackscale tribes, live in the wilds of Q'barra, where they defend their lands from the human colonists of New Galifar and Hope, destroying what they see as the "human infestation." The coming of humans to Khorvaire has caused nothing but problems for the lizardfolk of Q'barra. 2,400 years ago, the lizardfolk on the coasts of Q'barra faced the plundering of Malleon the Reaver. Then, during the Last War, human colonists came to Q'barra searching for a new life. These humans sought to create settlements on existing lizardfolk lands, and came into conflicts with both the worshipers of the Cold Sun, but also the Cold Sun Federation. Even though the Cold Sun Tribes have negotiated a fragile peace with the new nations of New Galifar and Hope, conflicts between the human settlements and the lizardfolk continue to this day. There are three kinds of lizardfolk in Eberron: Cold Sun, Blackscale, and Poison Dusk. The Cold Sun lizardfolk are more rightfully simply called "lizardfolk", and date back to Eberron's beginning. However, they are frequently called the "Cold Sun" lizardfolk to differentiate them from the other species of lizardfolk: the blackscale and the poison dusk. Most of these species of "original" lizardfolk have banded together to form the Cold Sun Federation, though there are some tribes of lizardfolk that are not part of this federation. The blackscale lizardfolk see themselves as the chosen of Masvirik, the Cold Sun. They cite their black scales as proof that Masvirik's servant Rhashaak favors them over all. The blackscale are Rhashaak's warriors, using their superior strength and their access to the vaults of Haka'torvhak to bully and enslave the other lizardfolk species. They are extremely hostile, and will openly assault any non-reptilian race that they come across. The blackscale often live off the "tributes" made to them by the lesser lizardfolk tribes, especially the poison dusk. However, they will follow the orders of any lizardfolk dragon priest chosen by Rhashaak, no matter what species they may be. Poison dusk lizardfolk are the smallest of the three species of lizardfolk in Q'barra. While they are smaller and weaker, they are also faster and more intelligent. They are highly skilled trackers and hunters, and use everything from poisons to nets to bring down their prey. They prefer to strike from the shadows, and will often use guerrilla tactics, such as poisoning an enemy's food supply, to win the day.