Lizard men are a species of primitive, uncivilized, violent, semi-aquatic, reptilian, bipedal humanoids that live through scavenging, raiding and, in less hostile areas, by fishing and gathering. Lizard men are the natural rulers of the swamps and wetlands they inhabit. These creatures are one of the fittest of all humanoid races; only their awkwardness on land and general lack of social and technical sophistication prevent lizard men from ruling the regions they inhabit.
Lizard men dwell in swamps, marshes or large bodies of water. These creatures are seldom encountered in salt water, although there are some tribes that live along seacoasts. Lizard men usually reside in caves, either underwater and air-filled or of the more traditional, terrestrial variety. Some more civilized lizard men dwell in simple villages composed of crude huts. Lizard men have a tribal society based on physical prowess and ability. These creatures have no place in their society for the weak or ineffective. Those lizard men judged flawed or greatly inferior are eaten by their fellows. Few species are more clear examples of the survival of the fittest than lizard men.
Known for their savage ferocity and strength, these creatures live by the "law of the jungle". Those lizard men that have survived to adulthood only did so by demonstrating cunning, tenacity, strength, and competence. There are no unfit lizard men; such were food for the tribe long ago. Few indeed are the lizard men who die of natural causes.
Lizard men appear similar to bipedal alligators, growing to heights between six and seven feet tall and weights between 200 and 250 pounds. A lizard man's tall, lanky, muscular frame is covered by small, durable scales, ranging in color from various shades of green to greenish-gray and even to occasional greenish-brown hues. Some lizard men have small patches of lighter colored scales along their back, neck, and heads, although such "freckles" may both fade and form with age, depending upon the individual. Usually the scales of a lizard man's underbelly will be significantly lighter, ranging from off-white to khaki to yellowish-green. Such scales are somewhat softer and more supple, but still well-armored. A lizard man's skin is cool and dry to the touch, much like a snake's skin. Lizard men do not wear armor of any sort, although they often use shields; a few lizard men adventurers have been even know to wear magical bracers or rings of protection. Although referred to as lizard "men", the species does not in any way differentiate roles by gender. It is nearly impossible for a non-lizard man to distinguish the gender of these creatures without extremely close inspection (which is liable to get the curious party eaten!).
Naturally armed with taloned claws and rows of vicious teeth set into powerful jaws, these creatures are fearsome hand-to-hand combatants. Their limbs are slightly longer than those of other humanoids, affording these creatures with a superior reach. Each hand has four fingers and a fully opposable thumb. Each digit ends in small, sharp, non-retractable claws. These claws naturally quit growing once they reach a length of approximately one inch, so trimming them is not necessary. Cut claws grow back in a matter of weeks. In addition to their usefulness in combat, these talons give lizard men excellent traction in all terrains. Lizard men do have claws on their feet, but are both too clumsy and slow to use these talons effectively, even against prone targets.
Out of the water, lizard men are rather ponderous. They move with a slow gait and are unable to chase down nearly any prey. While lizard men have quick reactions, their mass prevents them from moving long distances in a short amount of time. In the water, however, this all changes; lizard men can both internally regulate their buoyancy and move with great speed.
Lizard men possess a wide, muscular tail. Three to four feet long, these powerful members are not prehensile, being mostly used for balance (on land) and locomotion (in the water). Much like a crocodile, lizard men can undulate their tails in order to propel themselves very quickly through the water. Although most lizard men have very limited motor skills with their tail (much as a human has writing with the wrong hand), some lizard men have been known to undergo rigorous training in order to use their tails in battle. Under the right circumstances, a skilled lizard man can use its tail to sweep a knight off his feet or smash a foe with bone-crushing force.
A lizard man's jaws are large, powerfully muscled, and hinged farther back than in other humanoids, making their bite just as deadly as that of a crocodile. Like all reptiles, a lizard man's jaws are made of three independent bones, rather than the single one found in mammals. Another reptilian trait shared by lizard men is that their jaws are ringed with numerous sharp teeth that constantly replenish themselves and are uniform rather than specialized for different tasks. Thus, all teeth are equally suited for tearing hunks of meat from the carcass of much larger prey. If a few teeth break they will be replaced naturally over time. Lizard men swallow large chunks of food whole, to be broken down by stomach acids. True carnivores, lizard men prefer fresh meat and are quite willing to hunt much larger and capable creatures to get it. All the same, lizard men are able to derive nutrients from a very wide variety of sources, from carrion to refuse, so they rarely go hungry and very little of a prey goes to waste. Any truly undigestible matter (such as metal buttons or large bone fragments) are spit up later as a solid pellet, much like a snake does. It is worth noting that lizard men enjoy eating their prey live, even whole and wiggling when possible; squirming, fluffy bunnies are a delicacy as is fresh human flesh.
A lizard man's eyes a set facing forward on either side of its large head. Distinctly reptilian, these yellow-green eyes afford the creature with stereoscopic, color vision. A lizard man's eyes are also well protected; they are deeply set, small, and shielded by bony ridges. In addition, lizard men have a pair of transparent nictitating membranes that automatically close to protect the eyes from sand, dirt, or other foreign particles. The membrane also shuts when a lizard man submerges. Underwater, the membranes appear a light blue-green and serve to filter light, so a lizard man can see normally.
While many humanoid species possess infravision, lizard men possess a similar yet distinctly different capability. On either side of a lizard man's snout are pits for sensing heat, much like those possessed by snakes. These sensors allow a lizard man to detect the thermal radiation of other creatures within a range of approximately 30 feet. But, instead of a visual sense, a lizard man's heat-sensing capabilities are an independent; blinding a lizard man's eyes in now way restricts its ability to sense heat. In all other respects, lizard man have all the standard benefits of 30' infravision.
On either side of the tip of a lizard man's snout are its nostrils. It is worth noting that a lizard man does not smell through its nose; the nostrils seal tightly underwater and are used simply for breathing. Lizard men commonly float just below the surface of the water with only their nostrils above water, much like crocodiles, waiting to ambush prey. Although lizard man can breathe in this way, like all reptiles, they lack a hard palette and therefore cannot breathe through their nose while eating as mammals can.
A lizard man's sense of smell and taste are both located on its tongue. Just like a snake, a lizard man can "taste" scents in the air. This sense is far more acute than a human's sense of smell; there are some lizard men who can even track to a very limited degree by scent.
Like all reptiles, lizard men possess neither external ears nor specialized ear bones. As a result, they have inferior hearing with respect to other humanoids, although have evolved so they suffer no auditory impairment or disorientation in the water. Within about 30', a lizard man can use its hearing as a targeting sense to home in on prey; a useful adaptation for creatures who commonly live in murky swamps.
Internally, a lizard man's organs are in roughly the same place and serve the same function as those of most humanoid races. The major difference, however, is that lizard men are cold-blooded, meaning their body temperature is not internally regulated, but rather dependent upon the environment. This gives the races advantages and disadvantages over warm-blooded mammals, including most other sentient species.
Lizard men do not expend calories keeping themselves warm, since the environment sustains these creatures' body temperature. Accordingly, lizard men are able to be more active and still use fewer calories than a similar mammal. Likewise, lizard men's metabolic process "burns" slower, so their lung capacity is many times that of a human. It is quite normal for a lizard man to hold its breath for many minutes at a time and this is used when hunting; prey is simply held under until long after it has quit struggling.
Being cold-blooded also has disadvantages for lizard men. They are limited as to which climates they can survive in. Extreme heat causes lizard men to become quickly exhausted. In this regard, lizard men are more vulnerable than humans. Temperatures up to 100 degrees are not any problem, but much beyond this and the lizard man begins to cook from the inside. Lizard men do not sweat, so all heat has to radiate away from their bodies. Around 110 degrees is the limit a lizard man can survive without permanent brain damage. Likewise, lizard men become sluggish in colder climates. Below approximately 50 degrees, a lizard man's ability becomes impaired while below 40 degrees, the lizard man will slowly freeze to death.
As a general rule, lizard men almost always dwell in or near large bodies of water, like swamps and shorelines. Such locations tend to be thermally consistent environments. A high humidity actually is advantageous for lizard men as it help insure a more uniform temperature over time and inhibits the ability of mammalian prey to dissipate heat and avoid exhaustion. Note, inland forests and hills tend to have more "weather" than parallel coastal regions, with wider temperature fluctuations between night and day. And, even a coastal forest doesn't offer half the places to hide that a swamp does.
While lizard men do not need to keep their hide damp in order to survive, they are subject to uncomfortable itching, irritation, and pealing when their skin dries out. While this condition is not in any way life threatening, it does distract the lizard man, blunt its senses, and generally put it at a slight disadvantage. For this reason, lizard men will usually make sure they keep their hide damp by wetting it down at least once a day.
Lizard men tend to have short, violent lives. They mature quickly, but age just as fast. Like all reptiles, lizard men continue growing throughout life. In fact, the easiest way to determine a lizard man's age is by its height. Although lizard men have the potential to live more than two centuries, very few surpass six decades. Lizard men reach their physical peak after only 16 years and by 30 years of age have already begun a noticeable downward slide. Those lizard men who cannot still provide for the tribe quickly find themselves feeding the tribe.
Lizard men live in a communal society. Rather than being lawful or structured, lizard men simply place very high priority on the survival and improvement of the species. If structure is needed to achieve success than it will be used, but likewise, if structure is disadvantageous, it will be immediately abandoned. For lizard men, social hierarchy is defined by personal prowess and ability rather than wealth, birth order, or familial lineages. Indeed, as discussed below, lizard men have distinctly different parental roles and social order from other sentient species.
Lizard men mate once a year. Fertilization occurs internally. All members of the tribe are expected to participate (failure to do so usually means being the first meal for the next generation). Because of their bulk, lizard men breed in water, with the eggs laid on nearby muddy or sandy margins. Culturally, this has become highly ritualized; all lizard men tribes are organized around a large, central, communal pool for these activities. This breeding pool is revered as sacrosanct; woe to the invader who befouls it for they're inviting the eternal wrath of all members of the tribe.
Other than internal sex organs, there is no real difference between the genders among lizard men; for them, it is an issue dealing exclusively with breeding. As ability is paramount in this tribal society, males and females are judged exclusively on their capabilities. Males and females do not bond or form families; when mating season occurs, all adult members of the tribe gather in the breeding pool to reproduce. This is both a social responsibility as well as a potentially dangerous contest. As with all other aspects of lizard men society, might makes right. Accordingly, the largest and most powerful lizard men get first choice of mates (both male and female). It is common for minor combats to break out in the mating pool, although these are usually settled quickly. Some tribe members may gather at the pool only to be continually deprived an opportunity to mate, but since the society is gender-neutral (females seek out breeding partners as actively as males), it is likely that only one or two members of a given tribe will be consistently left out of breeding. To the lizard men, this is one more way to ensure the survival of the species by preventing the weakest from breeding.
All lizard men must succeed or fail (live or die) on their own merits. Favoritism, especially for one's own offspring, is taboo. All lizard men eggs are laid in the tribe's breeding pool to be guarded by the whole community. When the eggs hatch a few months later, the hungry hatchlings compete for food in the pool. Usually about half of a given breeding period's hatchling will be eaten by the other half within a few days. Again, lizard men regard this as a natural process of weeding out the weak and ensuring the strength of the tribe. After a week, the remaining young are carefully feed and educated by the entire tribe. These young have proven their fitness as hatchlings and will be protected until adolescene from external threats. Just like crocodiles, all adults hearing a hatchling's cries for help will respond. The concept of individual parenthood is foreign to lizard men; their society places all emphasis on the collective responsibility of the tribe to protect and teach the young thus ensuring the survival of the species. The viewpoint of lizard men often seems alien to other species and the feeling is usually mutual.
Because lizard men don't have "parents", they don't understand words like "mother" and "father". In contrast, however, lizard men clearly grasp the concept of "aunt" and "uncle"; any adult member of the tribe which helped raise the individual in question. Similarly, lizard men don't trace blood-kinship, but do recognize "siblings" ("spawn-brethren", those hatched from the same breeding cycle), "cousins" (older/younger members of the same tribe), "elders" (the aunt/uncles who raise a given group), and "fellow beings" (lizard men of other tribes). Beyond this, there are only different kinds of "prey" (some dumb, some smart, but including all other sentient species).
Lizard men are on poor terms with most other races. Elves, dwarves and gnomes are distrustful of lizard men while centaurs, naamar and al karak elam show open hostility. Humans, goblins, and orcs occasionally trade with lizard men but are just as often hunted. Having few friends, tribes may band together in the face of a common threat, but these alliances usually break down once the threat is removed.
Leadership among lizard men is, naturally, based on ability. When a conflict arises, however, lizard men are quick to resort to mortal combat by dueling. While for more minor tribe members, a quick battle and clear slaughter are acceptable, the duel for tribal leadership is highly ritualized. Both parties strip naked (including weapons and magical items) and enter the breeding pool. Whichever lizard man emerges from the pool alive is the new chief. If a lizard man flies from the pool, it becomes a permanent outcast and exile from the tribe; it will be eaten alive if it ever returns.
Magic is foreign to lizard men. Shaman and tribal priests are viewed with a mixture of fear and awe; they are powerful but tainted. Lizard men enjoy combat and struggle; to bring down a foe through prowess and raw power. It is for this reason that the tribal chief is chosen exclusively through mortal combat, an institution which nicely keeps shaman "out of office". But all lizard men also respect the results a few well-placed spells can have.
Mages are generally seen as prey since all lizard men know the "cost" of magic is the ability to fight. Even an arch-mage must be wary of the dangers of a swamp (not many wizards can cast spells underwater!). At the same time, powerful mages may be served and even worshipped for their immense and often divine-appearing might.
Lizard men wear few ornaments or jewelry. Lizard man clothing is limited to functional attire such as belts, straps and pouches. Lizard men weapons are usually limited to primitive spears, javelins, nets, tridents and daggers. Other weapons are possible but are rare given these creatures' semi-aquatic existence and inability to forge metal. A limited number of lizard men use shields, although helms and armor are out of the question. When hunting game, lizard men use weapons such as spears and javelins. When fighting in close quarters, these creatures usually resort to their natural weaponry unless there is some advantage not to do so. Against lesser or weaker foes, lizard men often charge headlong into battle. When faced with more potent foes, these creatures can prove quite cunning and wily. Lizard men commonly take advantage of their superiority in water-based combat. Snares, ambushes and raids are some of these creatures' favored tactics. Lizard men rarely take prisoners intentionally, but do take advantage of all still-living, fallen foes.
Those defeated by lizard men but not slain can expect brutal slavery, sacrifice or even a public meal! Lizard men are omnivorous in the extreme; they can digest nearly anything. Lizard men prefer meat, the fresher the better and have been known to gather corpses (both friend and foe) for food. Lizard men enjoy eating their food live, on those rare occasions possible, and have a special fondness for human flesh.
Armor Class: lizard men have a base armor class of 5 due to their scaled hide. Lizard men can and commonly do employ shields to further augment their protection. They cannot, however, wear any sort of human-like armor over their scales. There have been a few cases of lizard men crafting special hide armors for added protection, although such covering seriously hamper a lizard man's already slow movement, effectively slowing them in exchange for a one point bonus to AC. Lizard men can use items of protection (rings, broaches, etc), although cloaks will only very rarely be used (too much drag in the water). Finally, lizard men can employ bracers of defense, although the lizard will only enjoy whichever protection is superior: their base AC of 5 or that of the bracers, not both.
Tail Use: lizard men can train to use their tail to attack foes to their rear. Such an attack causes either 1d6 damage or forces the target to save vs breath weapon to remain standing (not both). This proficiency costs one weapon slot and can only be employed at targets behind the lizard man, usually at -2 to hit due to limited visibility. A lizard man may spend a second weapon slot on tail use, allowing the lizard man to strike any foe within range without penalty using its tail.
Nictitating Membrane: this membrane grants a lizard man underwater vision at no penalty as well as a +4 vs blinding saves dealing with material touching the eye (sand, fingers, slime, etc).
Tracking by scent: lizard men have a chance to identify well-known individuals by scent. This chance is 1/5 that of scrying the individual; i.e. 20% for personally very well known individual, 5% if trying to match a person to a garment. In addition, a lizard man can learn to track using its sense of smell. This costs a single proficiency slot. The lizard men can then track at half normal chances (i.e. 5% per level, modified by circumstance) although all penalties to tracking in this way are doubled and this tracking is not cumulative with regular tracking; each is a separate roll.
Hearing: lizard men suffer a -5% penalty to hear noise. In the water, however, lizard men are particularly attuned to vibrations and enjoy the benefits of blind fighting against moving or struggling targets within 30'.
Breathing: a resting lizard man may hold its breath for up to one minute per two points of constitution, three times longer than a human.
Temperature range for lizard men: unlike mammals, lizard men are more limited in what climates they can function, according to the following table:
| Temperature |
Penalty to DEX, MOV, AC |
Penalty to STR, CON, to hit |
Penalty to INT, WIS, PER, saves |
other effects | damage |
| above 110 | -1 | -3 | brain damage | per round | |
| 110 to 100 | -1 | per turn | |||
| 100 to 50 | |||||
| 50 to 40 | -1 | per day | |||
| 40 to 32 | -2 | -1 | per hour | ||
| 32 to 20 | -3 | -2 | -1 | per turn | |
| 20 to 0 | -3 | -3 | -2 | slowed | per minute |
| below 0 | -4 | -4 | -3 | slowed | per round |
Dry skin: lizard men who do not wet down their skin at least once per day will begin to flake and peal. While not dangerous, this pealing will trigger a skin molting for the lizard man. Each day of pealing, the lizard man in question must make a saving throw versus death. Each time the save is failed, the lizard takes a cumulative penalty of -1 to AC, to hit, CHR, and PER, with a maxium of -4 AC, -2 to hit, -3 CHR and PER. Each day spent with a moisturized skin will remove one point worth of penalties.
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Lizard men character classes and life spans:
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