Vrex

The Vrex are an intelligent reptilian species native to the planet Kul. They are large, heavy-set bipeds with tails, resembling certain large species of lizard on Earth.

Biology and Appearance

Vrex stand close to 7 feet tall, with heavy-set muscular frames covered in tough scaled skin. Despite having a long history of forging weapons, the Vrex possess claws and teeth that can hold their own in unarmed combat. Vrex also have long tails for improved balance and agility. In the harsh, unforgiving land of Kul, the Vrex evolved notable sexual dimorphism, with sexes resembling those of Terran species. Female Vrex are typically green to brown in scale color, while male Vrex possess vibrant, mottled coloration. This feature evolved for the purpose of drawing predators away from the child-bearing female Vrex, as a method of protecting their young. Female Vrex can also, when a male isn't present, reproduce asexually and create viable offspring from it. Despite these differences, the two Vrex sexes have no notable difference in size or weight.

Society and Culture

The Vrex have a nomadic culture due to the inhabitability of their home planet; no one home can remain a viable place to live for long, whether that be due to predators, seismic activity, volcanic eruptions storms, or any other harsh aspect of the planet. Hence, Vrex society consists of countless nomadic tribes, that occasionally meet up to exchange resources and generally aid each other, until parting ways once again.
Vrex culture is based in unity. They did not have the luxury of becoming the apex predator on their home planet, so they had to prosper as a group. As such, Vrex are very keen to establishing allies and borderline heroic in the ways that they help people. Instead of a society where they would remove the "weak" in their unbearable fight to survive, they instead fostered a society built on solidarity.
Several cultural quirks have arisen solely from their homeworld. One of these is the Vrexian belief in their star; to them, it is a symbol of endurance. Vax emphasizes the importance of resilience in the face of adversity, drawing a parallel to their survival in the brutal desert landscape. It is not necessarily a deity, just a symbol of their hardship. A popular Vrexian proverb has came about thanks to this belief: Braah Vax num, which translates to "still the sun rises".
Vax is also located on the outskirts of the Caldwell 84 globular star cluster, which is the most striking part of the night sky (Kul has no moons). This star cluster is believed to be where Vrexian animating spirits go, with each star representing one of their fallen. The star cluster parallels their cultural values of endurance and unity, with the belief that the Vrexian spirit continues and endures even in death, and that they are still together. This belief is also reinforced by the fact that stars within a globular cluster regularly move and shift position, which the Vrex have observed.

Characteristics

Homeworld	Kul
Predominant language	Vrexi
Pigmentation	Dark green-brown (female) Varied & bright, mottled (male)
Average height	6'10"
Average weight	300 lbs

Vrex Features

As a Vrex, you have the following traits.
Ability Score Increase. One ability score of your choice increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increase by 1. Alternatively, three ability scores of your choice each increase by 1.
Age. Vrex reach adulthood just after hitting 10 standard years of age, and usually live just over 50.
Size. Vrex are, on average, nearly 7 feet tall and weigh around 300 lbs. Regardless of your position in that range, your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Claws. Your claws are a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. Additionally, your unarmed strikes deal 1d6 kinetic damage.
Savage Attacks. When you score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, you can roll one of the weapon’s damage dice one additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.
Stealthy Hunter. You have proficiency in the Survival and Stealth skills.
Toughness. Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Vrexi and one other language of your choice. Vrexi is a short, deliberate language with few syllables and harsh consonants. It makes frequent use of the K, S, X, and V sounds. In writing it is similarly short and deliberate. It is thought that these qualities evolved out of a need to speak quickly and carefully, so as to not waste time conversing in their brutal homeworld.