You guys know how goblins and kobolds (and I think orcs, aasimars and tieflings) got some more emphasis on some books but lizardfolk have only gotten an entry in Monster Codex? Well...I feel like I can rectify the situation.
I am planning on making some expanded rules for lizardfolk-some tribes, some "fallen tribes", new feats, spells, maybe an archetype or two, and probably some class bonuses (hey, if boggards can get them why can't lizardfolk?). I have plans to do this morning, but later today I'll try to get some info down.
I will not, however, if something like this has already been done. If it has, let me know so that I won't have to make a repeat of something that someone has already done.
-KoolKobold
You might want to think about looking at lore about the Sleestak from the live-action Saturday morning TV show, The Land of the Lost from the 1970s.
(That show was WAY smarter than it appeared to be at first glance!)
You might want to think about looking at lore about the Sleestak from the live-action Saturday morning TV show, The Land of the Lost from the 1970s.
(That show was WAY smarter than it appeared to be at first glance!)
Hmm...I may use some of that as inspiration for a few of the featured tribes; I do have plans for 3 "fallen tribes".
And for a bit of emphasis on what fallen tribes are; they are simply lizardfolk who were once a tribe, but, due to a change in the lands, their numbers decimated by an enemy, or through quasi-enslavement, they have lost a good amount of their tribal culture.
See I view the lizardfolk as Golarion's equivalent of some of the more native cultures of our world (like Native Americans during the 1800's)-the reverence to nature, the mistrust of other, more "advanced" humanoids, their bond within other members of the tribe, and how they are often perceived falsely as "savages" are just some of the reasons why I see some parallels. So, of course, we can also expect that as some tribes of Native Americans have succumbed to the European settler ways (more often than not by force), some tribes of lizardfolk had to change their way of life.
I'm more or less also using the sad tale of Native American history as just part of inspiration for some of the lizardfolk tribes-I do also plan on having some based off of tribes from the Congo, the Amazon, and some Pacific islands. Also, I'm not saying that I'm gonna make a lizardfolk equivalent of the Trail of Tears-I'm going to look more into how life in many tribal countries of the world (both past and present) work for some inspiration.
How about a tribe based off lizards in the Arizona badlands - or basically something from a dry, rocky environment?
How about a tribe based off lizards in the Arizona badlands - or basically something from a dry, rocky environment?
Hmm...I have a few ideas for some desert environments. I'll get them up soon.
(That show was WAY smarter than it appeared to be at first glance!)
That's for sure. I recently received the series on DVD as a gift and after watching it again there is some real science going on in some of the episodes. Many of the episodes were well written, and head and shoulders above the other Sid and Marty Krofft kids' shows.
While I will make the new tribes (and the fallen tribes) I will definitely need help with some actual statistical stuff-you know, feats, magic armor/weapon qualities, spells, etc. I'll post the fallen tribes info now:
Alignment: CE
Location: Wanshou, Tian Xia
Leader: Io’Kiosh (CE male lizardfolk elemental [electricity] bloodrager 10)
Total Tribe Number: 140 adults
Associated Animal: Cobra
Allies: Zhanagorr the Kraken, kappa, evil fey, boggards
Enemies: locathahs and tritons
Other NPCs: Opia (CN female lizardfolk witch 7), Iwua (NE female lizardfolk hunter 5/ranger 3; animal companion: Wiywa, cobra)
Common Classes: hunter, ranger, fighter; Animal Companions: giant geckos, monitor lizards, cobras (use viper statistics)
Special: Swim speed increases to 30 ft, base speed decreases to 20 ft, and replace +4 racial modifier to Acrobatics with Survival
While the main monstrous residents of Wanshou are the toad people called boggards and the turtle people called kappas, there was a tribe of lizardfolk who stayed clear from the rebellion. However, on the day before the storm, a young male lizardfolk named Io’Kiosh felt his rage surging like lightning. He zapped his mother and father to scorched corpses, then took over the tribe, worshiping the Kraken as a deity. The kraken wanted to enslave the lizardfolk, but Io'Kiosh's bloodlust and power impressed him to the point where the slaves usually consider the lizardfolk bloodrager the captain-though in reality he's more of a favored pet.
Alignment: LN
Location: Isger
Leader: Haarikoor (LN male lizardfolk ranger 8/barbarian 3; animal companion: Spirit-Fang, wolf)
Total Tribe Number: 16 adults
Associated Animals: dog, hawk, wolf
Allies: Sisters of the Golden Erinyes
Enemies: goblinoids, House of Thrune
Other NPCs: Uworrawu (N female lizardfolk life shaman 5; familiar: Fleet-Fate, fox)
Common Classes: all have some levels in ranger, with multiclassing in either hunter or fighter; common animal companions: dogs, hawks, wolves
Special: Replace swim speed with climb, and replace the skill points and racial modifiers from Swim to Climb; they lose their claw attacks, but gain a +2 racial modifier to Dexterity and Intelligence.
Already odd before the War, the Chitter Scales are LN, with a strict sense of honor and integrity. They numbered around 300 armed soldiers and casters when they entered the war; by the time it was over (within a month after they entered) only 10 soldiers were left alive. And there were even fewer hatchlings and mating females-of the 60 who couldn't fight, 45 of them were elderly and couldn't reproduce anymore. So the tribe was essentially dead. Their leader is a hunter named Haarikoor, a cold blooded orphan to the Goblinoid Wars who had hunted down any remaining goblins that were retreating to the Chitterwood forest. He watches over the remainder of the tribe, knowing full well that a second Goblinoid Wars is arriving, and their lives are most likely doomed.
Alignment: NE
Location: Orca Archipelago
Leader: None (follows the Pirate Princess)
Total Tribe Number: 500
Associated Animals: orca, shark, mosasaur
Allies: Pirate soldiers (Taldans, Tiens, goblins, and tengus)
Enemies: other lizardfolk tribes, enemies of the Pirate Princess
Other NPCs: N/A
Common Classes: Always brawlers, but with some levels in barbarian (brutal pugilist archetype) or fighter.
Special: Do not have a swim speed, do not have a bite or claw attack; however, they gain Weapon Focus (unarmed strike) and Skill Focus (Acrobatics) as bonus feats, and a +2 racial bonus to Strength and Wisdom but a -2 penalty to Dexterity and Charisma.
Once a neutral, ocean worshiping tribe, they were enslaved by the aristocrat who dragged the pirates into slave soldiers. The reptilians resisted at first, but when their eggs and hatchlings were being used as shark bait, they caved in. A few generations later, they abandoned their traditions, becoming brutish, short sighted lizards with the blood thirst of the worst pirates. Many of the other soldiers revere these lizardfolk with fear and respect-fear that an angry one may rip their heads off with their fists, and respect for their bravery and boldness in battle.
NOTE: The last fallen tribe are part of a homebrew campaign I'm designing; their home, Orca Archipelago, and their leader the Pirate Princess, I'll explain more on another topic.
Instead of making a new set of mechanics for the lizard-guy in each environment, you could have some variant racial traits that you can get by swapping out one of the "base" features.
Ah, like how I've done with the fallen tribes?
I meant the way they do with paid races, but your way is more than sufficient.
Alright I have made some alternate racial traits for the lizardfolk, depending on the environment.
Desert Devotee: The few lizardfolk tribes of Osirian, Thuvia and Rahadoum have been in the hostile deserts longer than even the first Osirian Empire; thus they are more adapted to the hot and unbearable conditions of their homes. They gain the desert runner trait (as in the same ability that the katasha have) and they do not fall under penalties of hot weather conditions. They can also go without water for a number of days without water equal to 4 times their Constitution modifiers before they risk suffocating. This replaces the swim speed, the Acrobatics racial modifier, and hold breath.
Ocean Saurian: Some lizardfolk tribes near the oceans (like the Ancient Oracles of the islands near Magnimar) are more at home in the open ocean than on land. Their base speed is reduced to 15 ft but their swim speed is increased to 40 ft. They also gain a +4 racial bonus on Swim checks and Perception checks while underwater. In addition, they also gain the aquatic subtype with the amphibious special quality. This alters the standard lizardfolk's speed and replaces the Acrobatics racial modifier.
Primal: While most lizardfolk are already primordial, there are a few tribes in the Mwangi Expanse that are more savage than even the typical lizardfolk. They have a base CR of 3 and their base HD changes to 4. In addition, they lose their swim speed but gain a +2 racial bonus on saves vs enchantment effects. They loose all proficiency with simple weapons and shields, but their claw attacks threaten a critical hit on a natural 19 or 20 and a +2 bonus to their natural armor; their bite and claw attacks also deal one damage die step higher than a monster of its size. Their ability scores are as followed: Strength 17, Dexterity 12, Constitution 16, Intelligence 6, Wisdom 14 and Charisma 10. They lose the Multiattack feat and have the following feats: Power Attack and Weapon Focus (claws). They replace their Acrobatics racial modifier and instead gain a +4 racial bonus on Intimidate and Survival checks (in jungle terrain). They lose their hold breath ability but gain darkvision 60 ft and hatred (humans). Most of these primal lizardfolk gain levels exclusively in barbarian. This alters the entire stat block of the lizardfolk.
CN Medium humanoid (reptilian)
Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft; Perception +7
DEFENSE
AC 18, touch 11, ff 17 (+1 Dex, + 7 natural)
hp 30 (4d8 (18) + 12 (Constitution)
Fort +7, Ref +2, Will +3; +2 vs enchantment
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft
Melee 2 claws + 7 (1d6 + 3/19-20), bite + 6 (1d6 + 1)
Special Attacks hatred (humans)
STATISTICS
Str 17, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 10
Base ATK +3; CMB +6; CMD 17
Feats Power Attack, Weapon Focus (claws)
Skills Intimidate +8, Perception +7, Survival +6 (+10 in jungle); Racial Modifiers +4 Intimidate and Survival (in jungle terrain)
Languages Draconic
primal lizardfolk barbarian 3/ranger 2 CR 8
CN Medium humanoid (reptilian)
Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft; Perception +
DEFENSE
AC 22, touch 12, ff 20 (+3 armor, +2 Dex, +7 natural)
*while raging AC 20, touch 10, ff 18 (+3 armor, +2 Dex, +7 natural, -2 rage)
hp 82 (9 HD; 4d8 (18) + 3d12 (18) + 2d10 (10) + 36 (Constitution)
*while raging hp 100 (9 HD; 4d8 (18) + 3d12 (18) + 2d10 (10) + 54 (Constitution)
Fort + 14, Ref + 7, Will + 5; +2 vs enchantment effects
*while raging Fort +16, Will +7; +2 vs enchantment effects, spells, supernatural abilites and spell-like abilities
Defensive Abilities uncanny dodge
OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft
Melee 2 claws + 15 (1d8 + 6/19-20), bite + 14 (1d6 + 6)
*while raging 2 claws + 17 (1d8 + 8/19-20), bite + 16 (1d6 + 8)
Special Attacks rage (14 rounds/day), rage powers (superstition +2, witch hunter +1), hatred (humans), favored enemy (elves +2), combat style (natural attacks)
STATISTICS
Str 22, Dex 14, Con 18, Int 6, Wis 16, Cha 8; *while raging Str 26, Con 22
Base ATK +8; CMB +14 (+16 while raging); CMD 26 (28 while raging)
Feats Power Attack, Weapon Focus (claws), Extra Rage, Improved Natural Weapon (claws) [bonus], Improved Initiative, Aspect of the Beast (wild instinct)
Skills Acrobatics +9, Intimidate +11, Perception +10, Survival +11 (+15 in jungle, +12 to follow tracks, +16 to follow tracks in jungle); Racial Modifiers +4 Intimidate and Survival (jungle terrain)
Languages Draconic
SQ trap sense +1, track +1, wild empathy +1
Gear +1 leather armor
I may have badly botched the statistics for the Primal Lizardfolk and the Primal Lizardfolk Chief, so if anyone wants to point out any errors that would be great.
Are these for your players? If so I would only stat something up for the one they want. If they are for the GM, you can mostly steal stats from other humanoids & add or trade some of the reptilian traits.
If stats are the important/interesting part for you I think choosing different lizards would be more satisfying than different cultures. The lizard-folk from the bestiary is based on the monitor family. What would a chameleon based humanoid look like statistically? An iguana? a gecko? A skink?
Also Kobold Press included lizardfolk in the Advanced Races Compendium. Warhammer also has lots of lizardy stats.