Lizardfolk

## Overview

Lizardfolk can lay claim to one of the oldest civilizations on Gleam, though whether any other race acknowledges it as a civilization is questionable. Lizardfolk look to the warm-blooded, fast-breeding creatures outside their native swamps and see not progress of any sort, but a threat. As such, they avoid interaction with the outside world as best they can, taking special pains against falling prey to any sort of behaviors that might result in them becoming dependent on or indebted to an outsider group.

With the only thing that they can rely on while still maintaining their independence being literally ancient practices and their own jaws and claws, they come off as savage, bestial folk who would sooner die than use modern weapons or techniques. No lizardfolk would disagree, but they would be quick to point out the histories-on-histories that even the smallest of their daily rituals carry within their unspoken margins - if they expected any outsider to understand. Instead, they view all peoples and lands outside of their homes with a heavy dose of fear and xenophobia which combines with their large, reptilian forms to create an atmosphere of cold, antisocial judgement directed at any warm-blooded creatures that interacts with them.

## Mechanics

Standard Racial Traits

* Ability Score Modifiers. Lizardfolk get +2 Strength and Constitution, and no penalty.
* Type: Lizardfolk are humanoid with the reptillian subtype.
* Size: Lizardfolk are Medium sized, and thus have no bonuses or penalties for their size.
* Base Speed: Lizardfolk have a base speed of 30 feet.
* Languages: Xenophobic. Lizardfolk start play knowing only their racial language of Lizardfolk.

Defensive Racial Traits

* Natural Armor: Lizardfolk have tough scaly skin, granting them a +1 natural armor bonus.

Offensive Racial Traits

* Natural Attacks: LIzardfolk gain a natural bite attack (1d3), as a primary natural attack, or a secondary natural attack if wielding a manufactured weapon. Lizardfolk also get two claw attacks (1d4), both of which are primary natural attacks.

Movement Racial Traits

* Natural Swimmer: Lizardfolk have a swim speed of 30 feet, and thus gain a +8 racial bonus on Swim checks.

Alternate Trait

* Natural Climber: Lizardfolk may instead have a climb speed of 15 feet, and gain a +8 racial bonus on climb checks. This trait replaces Natural Swimmer if taken.

## Society

Lizardfolk are nothing if not insular, and even when living outside of their native swamps and wetlands, they form their own separate communities within larger settlements. The only known examples of lizardfolk choosing to live in mixed societies involve either exiled lizardfolk settling down after being unable to survive on their own, or a village of lizardfolk giving up political sovereignty in order to avoid a pogrom at the hands of a more powerful warm-blooded town that seeks to expand into their territory. In both cases, it's done as a last resort when doing otherwise would result in utter destruction.

Isolated lizardfolk societies are incredibly complex, with traditions passed down over hundreds of generations still intact. Living in hunter-gatherer settlements, each member has a certain role as determined by their time and location of birth, scale pattern, and parentage, as well as the season, behavior of local fauna, and colors and arrangement of local flora. When each lizardfolk fulfills their role, determined by thousands of years of the society's understanding of their ancestral territory, the settlement will be able to survive. If too many of the lizardfolk fail to uphold the harmony of their people and lands, then disaster will befall them.

## Religion

To the anger of the Inquisition, lizardfolk do not pay homage to any gods that the wider world would understand. They intrinsically reject all warm-blooded gods and even in their worship of Basang Ba, Ketar Mozog, and Masik, their myths and rituals bear no similarity to religious practices outside of their swamps.

Lizardfolk see Basang Ba as they do all grippli - a spiritually-attuned neighbor - and not as one who controls or creates storms and natural disasters, but as a deity who merely names that which is already there and pleads with the spirits of the world on the lizardfolk's behalf. In their racial language, she is addressed as Talantlachi (Namer/Named Among the Clouds).

Ketar Mozog's domain is interpreted not as one involved with social interactions and unspoken agreements, but as one involving the preservation of oral history and racial memory. In their racial language, he is addressed as Oroquinyaz (Second-Breath).

Masik's experimentation and joy in failure are forgotten entirely, and lizardfolk instead treat him solely as a solemn but kind god of death. In their racial language, he is addressed as Huluthoa (The Stranger).

A relatively small portion of their reverence is given to these interpretations of gods, which ignores their Apparitions altogether, and instead the majority of lizardfolk worship is directed to nature itself via various druidic traditions, or even towards local demigods and spirits that other societies have forgotten or see unfit of prayer.

## Relations

Lizardfolk have difficulty telling many other races apart. As a result, they see drelmans, parmans, aasimar, tieflings, ganzi, aphorites, changelings, dhampir, dwarves, duergar, fetchlings, gnomes, hobgoblins, ifrits, kitsune, orcs, oreads, parmans, ratfolk, suli, sylphs, and undines as little more than threats.

For lizardfolk who are born as other races, aasimar and tieflings are normally considered bad omens that will lead to the interference of less-than-friendly gods. Lizardfolk-born ganzi and aphorites often leave of their own volition, the ganzi seeking more variety in life and aphorites seeking a more stable foundation to support their works.

Lizardfolk-born changelings, oreads, and undines are welcomed as good omens, while dhampir and fetchlings are loved until they reach maturity, and then quietly and gently encouraged to live elsewhere.

Lizardfolk-born ifrits usually end up exiled before they even reach maturity, while sylphs are often apprenticed to the wisest and oldest lizardfolk in the settlement as they eagerly take in centuries of oral history.

Drow are able to interact with lizardfolk meaningfully due to their emotional understanding and ability to carefully handle any fears that may arise, while elves often explicitly support the right of lizardfolk to remain untouched and unbothered in their natural habitats.

Ghorans and skinwalkers are both easily accepted in lizardfolk societies, although while a ghoran may be comfortable in minutes, it usually takes at least a couple years before a skinwalker is fully at home. Grippli, as neighbors to the lizardfolk in their swamps, are a trusted and valuable ally, and return the sentiment.

Halflings don't fear lizardfolk, instead feeling a bit of pity for them in their communal mud mounds, and often invite them to share a friendly meal or a smoke. Kobolds pity lizardfolk as well, but attempt to improve their lot by attempting to use their draconic privilege to assume control, which never goes over well.

Nagaji see lizardfolk as doing the honorable work of carrying the knowledge of a dead culture into the future, but wisely do not share this opinion with living lizardfolk, and continue to be one of the trading partners that lizardfolk have full confidence in.

Vishkanyas find their manipulations and machinations fall flat against lizardfolk, who see nothing wrong with slaying a vishkanya whose words would cause harm against the solidarity of their society.

Goblins are welcome among lizardfolk as festive, cheery guests - they are still voracious warmblooded creatures, but their sheer inability to conquer others means that lizardfolk have no fear and thus no ill-will against them.