Jiangshi (Race)

#### [ Lizardfolk Reskin, origin from Xiaojiang only ]

**Jiangshi** are vampiric reanimated corpses, similar to a zombie, but known for their viciousness, fanged maw, and the way they walk: always hopping or skipping.

They are reanimated by necromancers and often used as minions or slaves to perform tedious work. They tend to be disposable, living on borrowed time, with their consciousness ending by the whims of their animators.

Sometimes, jiangshi develop a personality if they are socialised or talked to often by their necromancers or other people. They can develop their own wants and desires beyond their intended purpose. However, they often do not attempt individuality or escape from their necromancers as the ones who do are instantly destroyed. They tend to be rare sights among most communities, and sightings are usually equated to careless necromancy -- wizards who allow them to roam freely are typically despised by society.

Xiaojiang's jiangshi may possess more freedom than the jiangshi around other parts of Kara-Tur. This is because they are able to travel around the fairly developed Xiaojiang city via the bottoms of its canals and sewers. Despite this, many necromancers teach their jiangshi hygiene and they tend to be clean freaks themselves (because who wants a smelly servant trekking cess around your house, anyway).

Some necromancers want their jiangshi to be strong, and teach them about cultivation, encouraging them to pursue it. These spellcasters can have varying reasons and agendas for doing so.

## Swimming Speed Feature Reflavour: Sewer Swimmer

Your swimming speed is a learned ability due to the conditions you have to live in: forced to travel the city only through the canals and sewers.

## Cunning Artisan Feature Reflavour: Maker of the Macabre

Jiangshi can be eccentric and use body parts of creatures they've slain to craft items.

As part of a short rest, you can harvest bone and hide from a slain beast, construct, dragon, monstrosity, or plant creature of size Small or larger to create one of the following items: a shield, a club, a javelin, or 1d4 darts or blowgun needles. To use this trait, you need a blade, such as a dagger, or appropriate artisan’s tools, such as leatherworker’s tools.

## Hold Breath Feature Reflavour: Barely Alive

You can hold your breath for up to 15 minutes at a time as you are not fully alive.

## Natural Armour Feature Reflavour: Painless

Your nerves have rotted and long gone, and you do not feel pain. As such, you tend to be unhindered by injuries. When you aren’t wearing armor, your AC is 13 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield’s benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.

## Appearance

They have ashen skin, and are dressed in fine silks (resembling Qing dynasty style clothing). As humans are the most populous race, necromancers most often use (preferably fresher) human corpses for creating jiangshi, and they would appear like just-dead humans.

## Age

They tend to be living on borrowed time, animated by a necromancer. Their life ends by the whims of the one who animated them.