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Lizardfolk

This reptilian humanoid has green scales, a short and toothy snout, and a thick alligator-like tail.

Lizardfolk CR 1

XP 400
N Medium humanoid (reptilian)
Init +0; Senses Perception +1

DEFENSE

AC 17, touch 10, flat-footed 17 (+5 natural, +2 shield)
hp 11 (2d8+2)
Fort +4, Ref +0, Will +0

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft., swim 15 ft.
Melee morningstar +2 (1d8+1), bite +0 (1d4), or claw +2 (1d4+1), bite +2 (1d4+1)
Ranged javelin +1 (1d6+1)

STATISTICS

Str 13, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 9, Wis 10, Cha 10
Base Atk +1; CMB +2; CMD 12
Feats Multiattack
Skills Acrobatics +2, Perception +1, Swim +8; Racial Modifiers +4 Acrobatics
Languages Draconic
SQ hold breath

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Hold Breath (Ex)

A lizardfolk can hold its breath for a number of rounds equal to 4 times its Constitution score before it risks drowning.

Examples
Whisperscale Chief (Terror Lizardfolk Ranger 3; (CR 4)
Whisperscale Hunter (Terror Lizardfolk; (CR 1)
Image used by permission of Purple Duck Games.

ECOLOGY

Variants

Source Classic Monsters Revisited.

While the swamp-dwelling lizardfolk presented here are the most common breed, they are hardly the only one. Presented below are several variants, both intentionally created and the natural result of divergent evolution between tribes.

Lizard King: lizardfolk continue to grow throughout their lives, and once every few generations, a tribe is blessed with a lizard king—an individual who for unknown reasons has a lifespan twice the length of his fellows, as well as the strength of arms to keep it. Due to their vastly superior size and experience, these individuals inevitably become chieftains and warriors of the highest caliber. Lizard kings are usually size Large and have 5 hit dice. Upon his 100th birthday, a lizard king’s status is officially acknowledged, and he is honored with the presentation of a special weapon, the war trident, reserved exclusively for the use of his kind. These large, two-handed tridents are much heavier than normal (12 pounds) in order to take advantage of their wielders’ great strength, and as a result they lose their range increment but deal 1d10 points of damage and have a ×3 critical hit multiplier. In addition, extensive ritualistic practice with this weapon gives the lizard king the Improved Critical (war trident) feat as a bonus feat. A war trident is worth 20 gp, although most are masterwork and many are inlaid with precious metals and fetch higher prices.

Sandfolk: These lizardfolk are covered in thick, horny scales, and also bear the unique ability to squirt poison from their mouths as a ranged attack. Treat them as lizardfolk, but trade the hold breath special ability for the ability to squirt poison as a ranged touch attack up to 10 feet away (poison, contact; save Fortitude DC 13; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1 Con damage; cure 1 save).

Cliffborn: In the mountainous rainforests, many tribes of lizardfolk have adapted the ability to climb agilely on walls like geckos. Treat cliff born as standard lizardfolk with a climb speed of 30.

The Unseen: The Unseen are lizardfolk with the ability to change their skin color instantly and at will, allowing them to blend into their surroundings. This ability gives them a +10 racial bonus on Stealth checks.

Environment temperate swamps
Organization solitary, pair, band (3–12), or tribe (13–60)
Treasure NPC gear (heavy wooden shield, morningstar, 3 javelins)

Lizardfolk are proud and powerful reptilian predators that make their communal homes in scattered villages deep within swamps and marshes. Uninterested in colonization of the dry lands and content with the simple weapons and rituals that have served them well for millennia, lizardfolk are viewed by many other races as backwater savages, but within their isolated communities lizardfolk are actually a vibrant people filled with tradition and an oral history stretching back to before humans walked upright.

Most lizardfolk stand 6 to 7 feet tall and weigh 200 to 250 pounds, their powerful muscles covered in scales of gray, green, or brown. Some breeds have short dorsal spikes or brightly colored frills, and all swim well by moving with flicks of their powerful 4-foot-long tails. While completely at home in the water, they breathe air and return to their clustered mound-dwellings to breed and sleep. As their reptilian blood makes them sluggish in the cold, most lizardfolk hunt and work during the day and retreat to their homes at night to curl up with other tribesmen in the shared warmth of large peat fires.

Though generally neutral, lizardfolks' standoffish demeanor, staunch rejection of civilization's “gifts,” and legendary ferocity in battle cause them to be viewed negatively by most humanoids. These traits stem from good reasons, however, as their own slow rate of reproduction is no match for warm-blooded humanoids, and those tribes who don't defend their wetland territories to the last breath quickly find themselves overwhelmed by the mammalian hordes. As for their tendency to consume the bodies of dead friends and enemies alike, the practical lizardfolk are quick to point out that life is hard in the swamp, and nothing should go to waste.

The lizardfolk presented here dwell in a swampy environment. Lizardfolk tribes can exist in other environments as well, but they lose their swim speed and instead gain a climb speed of 15 feet.