Lizardfolk

In all my dealings with the lizardfolk. I was never able to tell what they were thinking. Their reptilian eyes belied no hint of their intentions. I gave them supplies. They gave me the willies. ” — A merchant's account of his experience with the lizardfolk of the Lizard Marsh.

Only a fool looks at the lizardfolk and sees nothing more than scaly humanoids. Their physical shape notwithstanding, lizardfolk have more in common with iguanas or dragons than they do with humans, dwarves, or elves. 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.
Despite their alien outlook, some lizardfolk make an effort to understand and, in their own manner, befriend people of other races. Such lizardfolk make faithful and skilled allies.

Alien Minds.

The lizardfolk's reptilian nature comes through not only in their appearance, but also in how they think and act. Lizardfolk experience a more limited emotional life than other humanoids. Like most reptiles, their feelings largely revolve around fear, aggression, and pleasure. Lizardfolk experience most feelings as detached descriptions of creatures and situations. 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.

Cold and Calculating.

Most humanoids describe cold-blooded people as lacking in emotion and empathy. The same label serves as an apt depiction of lizardfolk. Lacking any internal emotional reactions, lizardfolk behave in a distant manner. They don't mourn fallen comrades or rage against their enemies. They simply observe and react as a situation warrants.
Lizardfolk lack meaningful emotional ties to the past. They assess situations based on their current and future utility and importance. Nowhere does this come through as strongly as when lizardfolk deal with the dead. To a lizardfolk, a comrade who dies becomes a potential source of food. That companion might have once been a warrior or hunter, but now the body is just freshly killed meat.
A lizardfolk who lives among other humanoids can, over time, learn to respect other creatures' emotions. The lizardfolk doesn't share those feelings, but instead assesses them in the same clinical manner. Yes, the fallen dwarf might be most useful as a meal, but hacking the body into steaks provokes aggression in the other humanoids and makes them less helpful in battle.

Utility and Survival.

The lizardfolk mindset might seem unnecessarily cruel, but it helps them survive in a hostile environment. The swamps they inhabit are filled with a staggering variety of threats. Lizardfolk focus on survival above all, without sentiment. Lizardfolk assess everyone and everything in terms of utility. Art and beauty have little meaning for them. A sharp sword serves a useful and good purpose, while a dull sword is a dead weight without a whetstone.
Lizardfolk see little need to plan more than a season or so into the future. This approach allows them to maintain their current level of influence in the world, but it limits their growth. Lizardfolk have no interest in developing writing, making long-term plans, or cultivating other methods to progress beyond their simple existence as hunters and gatherers.

Hapless Soft Ones.

At their core, lizardfolk view other humanoids with an indifference verging on pity. Born into the world lacking stout scales and sharp teeth, it's a wonder they have managed to survive for so long. The typical human would barely make it through a day in the swamps. Still, if other creatures prove useful to lizardfolk, those creatures can trigger a protective response made all the stronger by their apparent weakness. The lizardfolk assess such beings as hatchlings, young ones incapable of protecting themselves but who might prove useful in the future if they receive care.

Lizardfolk Personality.

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.

Basic Information

Anatomy

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.

Biological Traits

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.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Beware the lizardfolk, my friends, they too walk with a dark purpose these days, darker even than their usual love for human flesh to eat.” — Beriand

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.

Biological Cycle

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 14 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.

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.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Lizardfolk generally inhabited marshes and swamps in the temperate and warm regions of Faerûn.[8] The majority dwelled in swamps in well-hidden lairs, but around a third of the lizardfolk population actually laired in underwater caves that were filled with air.
There were populations of lizardfolk in Chessenta and the Chondalwood, around the Lake of Steam and the Vilhon Reach, on the Nelanther Isles, and in the Western Heartlands. In particular, communities lived in the Deepwash, the Flooded Forest, the Marsh of Chelimber, the Marsh of Tun, and the Great Swamp of Rethild. Lizardfolk could also be found in the cooler swamps of the Sword Coast like the Lizard Marsh, Mere of Dead Men and the swamps at the mouth of the Winding Water.
In Chult, lizardfolk could be seen on the shores of the River Olung.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

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. Lizardfolk make no distinction between male and female in their naming conventions. Each example name includes its translation in parenthesis.

Lizardfolk Names: Achuak (green), Aryte (war), Baeshra (animal), Darastrix (dragon), Garurt (axe), Irhtos (secret), Jhank (hammer), Kepesk (storm), Kethend (gem), Korth (danger), Kosj (small), Kothar (demon), Litrix (armor), Mirik (song), Othokent (smart), Sauriv (eye), Throden (many), Thurkear (night), Usk (iron), Valignat (burn), Vargach (battle), Verthica (mountain), Vutha (black), Vyth (steel)

Major Organizations

Religion

Most lizardfolk worshiped Semuanya, who focused solely on the survival and propagation of the lizardfolk species. This religion was maintained by Cleric who served as tribal shamans; they bestowed Semuanya'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, Semuanya was an uncaring and unfeeling god who dismissed even the suffering of his followers, expecting them to take care of themselves.
Thanks to Semuanya'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 Druid.
However, the lizardfolk had other gods. Their original god was Essylliss, who focused on the lizardfolk themselves. But as Semuanya's influence grew, Essylliss's worship declined until he was almost forgotten. He was followed by a bare few lizardfolk.
There was also the cult of Sess'innek, a demon lord who represented dominion and his version of civilization. He sought to corrupt the lizardfolk, and created the demonic lizard kings to this end; they operated as tribal leaders or shamans. Sess'innek's followers were hostile, territorial, and greedy. They tried to convert all other lizardfolk to their cult, or else kill them off, and they attacked Semuanya's shamans on sight.

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.
A species of giant gourds was staple of the Lizard Marsh. These enormous edible fruits were hollowed and dried out by the lizardfolk of the Marsh, making them into oversized containers, often bigger than an adult human in size. These gourds were painted, decorated, and used to store various liquids, such as fresh water, fermented alcohol, and small swimming snacks

Major Language Groups and Dialects

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

Lizardfolk Speech

Lizardfolk can master Common, but their mindset results in a speech pattern distinct from other humanoids.
Lizardfolk rarely use metaphors. Their speech is almost always literal. They might pick up idioms, but only with some difficulty.
Names confuse them, unless they are descriptive. They tend to apply their own naming conventions to other creatures using Common words.
Lizardfolk use active verbs to describe the world. A lizardfolk in cold weather might say, "This wind brings cold" rather than "I feel cold." Lizardfolk tend to define things in terms of actions, rather than effects.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

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.

Common Myths and Legends

History of the Lizardfolk

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 or xenophobic. 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 Bullywug, 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 Lathtarl's Lantern the hunting of lizard folk became a sport.
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.

Yuan-Ti Purebloods are a Monstrous Race. You should ask the DM if you can play it. Patron Deity:
Semuanya

Scientific Name

Kecuala

Lifespan

Up to 80 years

Average Height

6′ – 7′ (1.8–2.1 m)

Average Weight

200–250 lbs. (90.7–113 kg)

Average Length

Tail length: 3′ – 4′ (0.9–1.2 m)

Geographic Distribution

• Mere of Dead Men

Related Organizations

• Scaly Death tribe

Related Myths

• History of the Lizardfolk