Lizardfolk: Gator Fellers

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 tribes of the Lizard Marsh.

I have a soft spot for the lizardfolk. I played as one in the last campaign I played in. But when I wrote that character, I pretty much ignored the lore as it was written in this book entirely. So, let’s have a look at the actual lizardfolk, shall we?

Lore: Xenophobic Hunters

Living in forbidding grottos, half-sunken ruins, or watery caverns, the primitive reptilian lizardfolk are fiercely territorial. Rarely do they trade with outsiders. More often than not, travelers will be driven away by a band of hunters. They have no concept of morality, instead doing what is necessary to survive. They don’t care who they are; any who wander into their territory is their prey, to be hunted and eaten. Although, on the rare occasion they ally with outsiders, they quickly become highly loyal and fierce allies.

Lizardfolk are omnivores, but they prefer humanoid flesh above other things. Prisoners taken back to the camps often become the main course of a grand feast that involves much dancing and many stories and songs. Those that aren’t cooked are sacrificed for Semuanya, the lizardfolk god.

Also, they’re good at making stuff. That’s just kinda slipped in there between paragraphs.

Magic is seen with religious awe among lizardfolk. Those capable of it become the shamans that lead the tribe, leading in the name of Semuanya. Sometimes, a tribe will produce a figure touched by Sess’inek, a demon lord, who controls them instead. Those are larger and more cunning, and are most definitely evil. Their kings and queens will overthrow shamans and bring other tribes into theirs, forcing their twisted beliefs on them.

Though some tribes worship dragons and work for them, should one be in their territory.

This is some pretty decent lore. It isn’t anything mind-blowing, but you can definitely make something out of it. Maybe the party comes across a tribe and they have to either earn their trust or become part of a feast. Or perhaps a beloved NPC is taken and some evil lizardfolk are going to eat them, so the party has to save them. You’ve got some options as a DM.

Design: Scaly

What do you call a furry who is into lizards?

What else were you expecting me to say? What else is there to say? It’s an anthropomorphic lizard. I’m fairly sure I saw the exact same thing in some animated Disney movie.

Boring. Next.

Stats: Three For the Price of One

Alright. We’ve got three flavors of lizardfolk here. Luckily, they aren’t all that complicated.

Normal lizardfolk are the weakest of the lot. Their AC is decent, but their HP is low. All they really have to them is a wide selection of weapons, none of which deal anything more than a single d6.

Shamans are a bit stronger. Their AC is lower and their HP ain’t much different. But they’ve got spells! Including:

• Cantrips (at will): druidcraft, produce flame, thorn whip
• 1st level (4 slots): entangle, fog cloud
• 2nd level (3 slots): heat metal, spike growth
• 3rd level (2 slots): conjure animals (reptiles only), plant growth

They’re also capable of changing their form for an hour. Aside from that, all they can do is bite and claw, so long as they’re in their lizard form. Overall, definitely a more dangerous beast than the vanilla flavor.

The king/queen is the bulkiest of the lot. Their AC is tied with the regular lizardfolk, but their HP is higher than both the others put together twice over. They’re fairly basic, with a small collection of melee attacks. But they have a unique ability called Skewer; with this, they can add a fair bit of extra damage to their trident and gain temporary HP equal to the amount of damage dealt.

On their own, none of these three are particularly dangerous. Not that you’d ever be fighting one; you’ll typically be facing some combination of all three. Even then, it isn’t the most unique or interesting battles you’ll experience as a player. Once the shaman runs out of spells or dies, the fight becomes a basic slugfest. Until then, though, it can be decently fun, if not especially memorable.

Placement

This is a decent entry. It has some great lore, but not much else. The design is basic and boring and the stats make for a decent early-game encounter, provided you use all three in some combination or another.

With all that in mind, let’s put the Lizardfolk on the Best of the Bestiary!

1. Beholder
2. Death Tyrant
3. Dragon Turtle
4. Green Dragons
5. Red Dragons
6. Blue Dragons
7. Black Dragons
8. White Dragons
9. Silver Dragons
10. Couatl
11. Behir
12. Aboleth
13. Sea Hag
14. Lamia
15. Bronze Dragons
16. Brass Dragons
17. Copper Dragons
18. Gold Dragons
19. Chuul
20. Kuo-Toa
21. Gibbering Mouther
22. Kraken
23. Intellect Devourer
24. Chimera
25. Death Knight
26. Fomorian
27. Bone Devil
28. Dracolich
29. Faerie Dragon
30. Lich
31. Kobold
32. Kenku
33. Hobgoblins
34. Night Hag
35. Green Hag
36. Ankheg
37. Hook Horror
38. Storm Giant
39. Hill Giant
40. Empyrean
41. Efreeti
42. Grimlock
43. Dao
44. Cloud Giant
45. Drow (all four of ’em)
46. Shadow Demon
47. Marilith
48. Drider
49. Aarackockra
50. Azer
51. Demilich
52. Spectator
53. Hydra
54. Marid
55. Harpy
56. Werejackal
57. Half-Dragon
58. Cambion
59. Fire Giant
60. Animated Armor
61. Banshee
62. Basilisk
63. Yochlol
64. Bulette
65. Cloaker
66. Darkmantle
67. Doppelganger
68. Ghoul and Ghast
69. Ettin
70. Pit Fiend
71. Erinyes
72. Chain Devil
73. Bearded Devil
74. Barbed Devil
75. Spined Devil
76. Ice Devil
77. Djinni
78. Nalfeshnee
79. Glabrezu
80. Chasme
81. Grell
82. Barlgura
83. Horned Devil
84. Balor
85. Shadow Dragon
86. Lizardfolk <—————————–
87. Vrock
88. Dretch
89. Gnolls (all three)
90. Goristro
91. Hezrou
92. Manes
93. Frost Giant
94. Duergar
95. Quasit
96. Dryad
97. Flumph
98. Goblin
99. Githyanki
100. Planetar
101. Imp
102. Clay Golem
103. Flameskull
104. Displacer Beast
105. Carrion Crawler
106. Githzerai
107. Grick
108. Invisible Stalker
109. Rug of Smothering
110. Bugbear Chief
111. Bugbear
112. Flesh Golem
113. Vine Blight
114. Twig Blight
115. Needle Blight
116. Bullywug
117. Hellhound
118. Ettercap
119. Gas Spore
120. Cockatrice
121. Lemure
122. Homonculus
123. Solar
124. Deva
125. Gorgon
126. Hippogriff
127. Griffon
128. Cyclops
129. Centaur
130. Ghost
131. Fire Elemental
132. Water Elemental
133. Air Elemental
134. Stone Giant
135. Deep Gnome
136. Dinosaurs (All six of them)
137. Iron Golem
138. Stone Golem
139. Earth Elemental
140. Galeb Duhr
141. Helmed Horror
142. Flying Sword
143. Crawling Claw
144. Violet Fungus
145. Shrieker
146. Gargoyle