Lizardfolk

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

Description

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.
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.
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.
Lizardfolk were strong and hardy beings, and their thick scaly hides protected against attack. They could hold their breaths far longer than humans could, up to twice as long as an equivalent human. This ability enabled them to operate underwater in their marshy homes.
The lizardfolk's tails aided them in keeping their balance and in leaping, and made them particularly gifted swimmers.
Lizardfolk were also noted to have darkvision.

A lizardfolk wielding a bone club

Personality

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.

Society

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 Epizón. 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.

Combat

Most lizardfolk had little interest in battle tactics or strategy, and they fought as a disorganized mass of individuals. Despite their impressive hunting skills, lizardfolk often relied on strength and weight of numbers in battle, and simply charged their foes head-on. At the most, they would try to push foes into water, where lizardfolk often enjoyed an advantage.
However, if lizardfolk were being attacked or pursued, or their camps were in danger or their territory invaded, their hunting skills came to the fore and they laid traps, snares, and pitfalls. They organized ambushes and raided enemy supplies. The more advanced tribes attempted cleverer strategies and traps. A great many lizardfolk lairs were defended by traps.

Technology

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. 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.

Activities

The lizardfolk had no traditions of farming, cultivation, or animal raising, so food was acquired through fishing, hunting, scavenging, or stealing. Those that dwelled near other humanoids raided their neighbors for food, supplies, and even slaves. The tribe's survival was its primary, or indeed, only concern. When they felt threatened, or when food shortages would lead to starvation, a tribe would do absolutely anything to guarantee its survival, even committing acts others would see as despicable.
Most lizardfolk were content to live their lives out in the swamps and marshes where they were born in the Antler Marshes, on occasion, some would venture outside their swampy homes to hunt bigger and more dangerous prey. Sometimes a lizardfolk even desired to know more about the outside world, but mostly to bring knowledge back to their leader. When they did so, lizardfolk rarely traveled alone. If they left the swamp, they would do so in pairs or groups of three. Lizardfolk feared that, without others of their own kind with them to remind them of who and what they were, they would lose their identity and be seduced by the ways of civilization and never come home again.

Religion

Most lizardfolk worshiped Epizón, who focused solely on the survival and propagation of the lizardfolk species. This religion was maintained by clerics who served as tribal shamans; they bestowed Epizón's blessings on the lizardfolk people whenever required. Although they had no shrines or temples, nor even regular ceremonies, lizardfolk were very proud of their religious traditions and their deity. However, Epizón was an uncaring and unfeeling god who dismissed even the suffering of his followers, expecting them to take care of themselves.
Thanks to Epizón's close links to nature, and because lizardfolk were naturally close to the land, ready to take what it gave them, many lizardfolk had no problem shifting to worshiping nature itself. This led to a high number of lizardfolk druids.
Although strictly speaking a part of the Draconic Pantheon, Epizón was the only god which lizardfolk worshipped and they cared very little for the other gods of the pantheon.
When a member of the tribe passed away, they were eaten by the others in a ceremonial wake. In this way, they became part of the tribe again, not just figuratively but literally.

Relations

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 chose to serve highly dominant creatures like dragons or nagas.
In rare events when lizardfolk were aided by members of other humanoid races and became respected among a tribe, robed lizardfolk shamans created large enchanted amulets of bronze. These items were universally recognized by all lizardfolk and proclaimed that the wearer was a trusted friend. The amulet protected the wearer from any and all lizardmen attacks unless forced to defend themselves. The magics weaved by the lizardfolk were complex dweomers that made it instantly apparent if the medallion was copied. Additionally, these amulets were attuned to a specific wearer, making them useless when sold, gifted, or stolen.

Player Race Features

• Ability Scores. Choose any +2; choose any other +1.
• Speed. 30 feet, swim speed equal to your walking speed.
• Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a swimming speed equal to your walking speed.
• Bite. You have a fanged maw that you can use to make unarmed strikes. When you hit with it, the strike deals 1d6 + your Strength modifier slashing damage, 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.
• Hungry Jaws. You can throw yourself into a 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 proficiency bonus. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
• Natural Armor. You have tough, scaly skin. When you aren't wearing armor, your base AC is 13 + 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.
• Nature's Intuition. Thanks to your mystical connection to nature, you gain proficiency with two of the following skills of your choice: Animal Handling, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Stealth, or Survival.
• Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Draconic.