Reptilians

Basic Information

Anatomy

Reptilians are semi-aquatic reptilian humanoids that can represent anykind of reptile from dinosaur to salamander. Their skin is covered in scales and varied in color from dark green through to shades of brown and gray. They are often taller than Humans and powerfully built. Lizard Folk have non-prehensile muscular tails that grow between 0.90m-1.20m in length, and these are used for balance. They mostly also have sharp claws and teeth.

Genetics and Reproduction

Reptilians females lay clutches of eggs, from which their young hatch. The eggs are kept well protected in the tribe's lair.

Growth Rate & Stages

The life of a hatchling is especially hard. Reptilians reach maturity within five years of hatching.
As Reptilians age, their bodies slows down. Most Reptilians over the age of 60 spend their days laying on warm rocks in the sun. Although Reptilians age much the same and have a similar lifespan to Humans—the oldest reach 80 years of age—it is rare for Reptilian males to grow old as they usually die in combat long before.

Ecology and Habitats

Reptilians live in temperate and warm climates like marshes, swamps and jungles.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Reptilians are omnivorous, but strongly favor meat when they can get it. According to stories, to the Reptilians, the most delicious meat is humanoid flesh, especially human, but this claim is more-or-less unfounded. However, some tribes do consume captives and enemies slain in battle, but more civilized tribes often resist this craving. Meanwhile, ritual cannibalism of deceased tribe-members is customary.
Reptilians are quick to consume anything that is edible. For this reason, lizardfolk never keep pets.
When hunters bring back prey, adult Reptilians eat first, taking what they wish. The young are usually left with the scraps, and more often than not subsisted on edible plants forag from around the tribe's lair.

Biological Cycle

As time progresses Reptilians age, eventually their bodies will reach a point where they can no longer sustain themselves and will eventually die.

Behaviour

Reptilians have no interest in money or jewels. They also od not much value accumulating knowledge if it is not practically useful. They largely value things based on whether or not it is good to eat. If it is, it quickly got their attention; if not, it is ignored. Reptilians can often become distracted at the appearance of food, even if they are in combat. They are easier to parley with after a meal, and a hungry Reptilian is completely obstreperous.
Reptilians can be highly dangerous when provoked. However, they are not inherently evil; they are simply savage and have a hard time fitting in with the civilized world. Those that venture into towns or cities are often alarmed, frightened, or offended by the environment. Few try to adapt, let alone assimilate into societies. Instead, they feel their part is to learn about "softskin" ways and in turn show them how "real people" live.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Reptilians gather 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.
Reptilians society is patriarchal and leaders hold their positions for their strength and power alone. Although challenges for leadership are rarely made, anyone in the tribe can try and seize power from the leader. This will leave the tribe unorganized and vulnerable until a new leader took charge or the old leader has reasserted their position. Reptilian leaders are most often barbarians or even druids. In a tribe, they will be assisted by two lieutenants. Many skilled warriors are fighters and barbarians.
Tribal shamans, meanwhile, are usually clerics who worshipe Kurama. Shamans rarely serve as leaders, and by-and-large only offer advice.
Females in the tribes are responsible for hatching eggs, raising young, and maintaining the camp. All the females in the tribe will work together to raise the young. They monitor their hatchlings closely, as the young are difficult to handle and tend to wander off, away from camp and into the wilderness.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

The eggs and skin of Reptilians are bitter and inedible.
The skin of Reptilians can be fashioned into armor.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

The Misty Swamps, The Urbane Jungle

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Reptilians predominantly use sight to observe the world around them but can use other senses such as hearing to do so as well.

Civilization and Culture

Average Technological Level

Reptilians fashion primitive weaponry and tools from wood, stones, and plants they find in the wetlands. Lizardfolk prefer weapons they can fashion themselves from what is available, and so they tend to be simple and limit in variety. More advance tribes made use of a wider range of weaponry and shields. Moreover, they will sometimes utilize weapons they find or steal; tribal leaders typically get to use items that have been stolen or bartered from other races. The barbed dart is a weapon unique to the Reptilians. However, their claws and teeth are often sufficient.
Camps vary in style from tribe to tribe. The simplest are just damp leaves use for bedding, but more developed Reptilians tribes build crude dwellings.
They do not keep animals as pets or mounts, but rarely a Reptilian druid might employ their magic to charm a dinosaur and ride it into battle to awesome effect.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Human Language, Draconic, Language of animals

Culture and Cultural Heritage

When a member of the tribe passes away, they are eaten by the others in a ceremonial wake. In this way, they become part of the tribe again, not just figuratively but literally.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

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

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Neighboring Reptilian tribes will often ally against formidable enemies, even against other hostile Reptilian tribes.
The relationship of Reptilians to other races is considered to be mostly that of hunter to prey. Reptilians of somewhat more civilized nature understand that other races might know something worth learning, and are ready to parley. Reptilians are most likely to negotiate with hybrid races. Nevertheless, Reptilians consider themselves stronger and thus better than most other races and therefore thought of themselves as "real people". Reptilians refer to most of the civilized races as "softskins".
Reptilians rarely interact with other races as their swampy homelands are home to few other sentient creatures. Their main competitors in the swamps are Goblins, whom Reptilians tend to despise. They sometimes ally with Yuna-Ti, or choose to serve highly dominant creatures like dragons or hybrids.
In places where Reptilians raiding parties threaten civilization, interracial relations can be particularly bad, In the coastal village of Pestis the hunting of Reptilians became a sport.
In rare events when Reptilians are aided by members of other humanoid races and become respected among a tribe, robed Reptilians shamans creat large enchanted amulets of bronze. These items are universally recognized by all Reptilians and proclaimed that the wearer is a trusted friend. The amulet protects the wearer from any and all Reptilians attacks unless forced to defend themselves. The magics weave by the Reptilians are complex dweomers that made it instantly apparent if the medallion is copied. Additionally, these amulets are attuned to a specific wearer, making them useless when sold, gifted, or stolen.

Scientific Name

Lizard Folk

Lifespan

105 years

Average Height

1.8–2.1 m

Average Weight

90.7–113 kg

Average Length

Tail length: 0.9–1.2 m