Lizardfolk Traits

As a lizardfolk, your heritage is ancient and your patience and endurance far greater than most. Your people are hunters and raiders, and entirely at home in marshes and water. You gain the following traits.

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Age. Lizardfolk mature faster than humans, reaching adulthood at 16. They also have shorter lifespans, with few lizardfolk living longer than 60 years.

Alignment. Typical lizardfolk are highly territorial, following the beliefs and traditions of their tribes. They have no notion of civilized morality, and they find the concepts of good and evil alien. As such, lizardfolk tend toward neutrality. Lizardfolk who choose to leave their villages, or who are banished, may do so for a variety of reasons, including an alignment conflicting with typical lizardfolk society.

Size. Lizardfolk are slightly larger than the average human. Your size is medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. You have a swim speed of 30 feet.

Natural Armor. If you are not wearing armor, your base AC equals 12 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.

Natural Attacks. You have proficiency with your bite, which deals 1d6 piercing damage.

Natural Predator. You have proficiency with the Stealth skill.

Hold Breath. You can hold your breath for a number of minutes equal to your Constitution score.

Languages. You speak, read, and write Draconic, plus one additional language of your choice (typically Southern).

Lizardfolk Racial Variants

Lizardfolk have developed a range of abilities beyond those that are adapted for life in the swamp, and the race shows more variation than some.

The lizardfolk choose up to two of the following variants, so long as the two do not conflict by replacing the same ability. For instance, both Gout of Blood and Poisonous Bite replace your bite ability, so you cannot choose those two together. Likewise, Climber and Chromatophore both replace swim speed, so those can also not be chosen together.

Climber. While climbing you suffer no movement penalties, you are considered proficient in the Athletics skill, and add double your proficiency bonus to checks made to climb, instead of your normal proficiency bonus. This ability replaces your swim speed and hold breath abilities.

Chromatophore. You can alter the color of your skin and can blend into your environment. You gain advantage on Stealth checks made to hide as long as you are not moving. If you are wearing no armor and carrying no items, you may attempt to hide even if you have no cover or obscurement. You can’t use this ability to hide while you are being directly observed. This ability replaces your swim speed and hold breath abilities.

Digger. You can burrow through soft sand, dirt, and mud at a rate of 10 feet per round. This ability replaces your swim speed ability.

Glider. You take no damage from falls. You gain a fly speed of 40 feet but cannot hover. At the end of any round you fly, you must have descended at least one-quarter the distance you traveled or you fall. This ability replaces your swim speed and hold breath abilities.

Gout of Blood. Some lizardfolk can force a jet of hot blood from their eyes to disorient predators and prey. As an action, you can target any creature within 15 feet with this ability and force the target to make a Wisdom saving throw against a DC equal to 8 + your proficiency modifier + your Dexterity modifier. On a failed save, the target is frightened. The frightened creature can repeat this save at the end of each of its turns, ending the condition on a success. Creatures wearing full-face helmets, eye protection, etc. gain advantage on the save. You may use this ability a number of times per day equal to your Constitution modifier, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. This ability replaces your bite attack.

Regeneration. Some lizardfolk heal at an impressive rate. Whenever you spend at least one Hit Die to regain hit points during a short rest, you regain an additional number of hit points equal to twice your Constitution modifier. Severed fingers and toes regrow after 24 hours. Severed hands and feet regrow after three days. Severed limbs regrow after one week. If the severed body part is present and whole, you can reattach it during a short rest as long as you spend at least one Hit Die to regain hit points and perform no other actions, even light duties. You gain one level of exhaustion when you begin regenerating a limb. While a limb is regenerating, as well as for one day after the regrowth is complete, you cannot have less than one level of exhaustion. This ability replaces your natural armor and natural predator abilities.

Poisoned Bite. Lizardfolk are sometimes born with venomous fangs or poisonous saliva delivered through their bite attack. You can make a bite as an unarmed strike that deals piercing damage. On a successful bite attack, the target must make a Constitution saving throw against a DC equal to 8 + your proficiency modifier + your Constitution modifier. On a failed save, the target gains the poisoned condition for 1 minute. The target can repeat the save at the end of its turn, ending the effect on a success. On a successful save or when the poisoned condition ends, the target becomes immune to your poison for 24 hours. You may use this ability a number of times per day equal to your Constitution modifier, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. This ability replaces your bite, natural armor, swim speed, and hold breath abilities.

Purple-Blooded. Some lizardfolk carry waste products through their blood, excreting toxins that build up in their systems and granting resistance to infections. You gain advantage on saving throws against poisons and diseases. This ability replaces your natural armor.

Pygmy. Many remote tribes of lizardfolk are much smaller than their common kin. Your Dexterity increases by +2 and your Wisdom increases by +1. Your size becomes Small. This replaces your normal ability score bonus and your Medium size.

New Lizardfolk Class Archetypes

Lizardfolk characters follow their class progression normally, but replace several class features for the variants described below.

Ambush Predator (assassin)

Killer’s Craft. At 3rd level, you gain proficiency with the poisoner’s kit. Additionally, you can use the bonus action granted by your Cunning Action to apply poison to a weapon. This ability replaces Bonus Proficiencies.

Patience. At 9th level, you learn to wait in a single spot with infinite patience. As long as you don’t move, you have advantage on any saving throw against falling asleep or succumbing to exhaustion. While you remain stationary you can undertake light activity (to remain on watch only) for the entire duration of a long rest, and still gain its benefits. If you move, or engage in any other sort of activity, you must rest as normal for the remainder of the long rest to complete it. This ability replaces Infiltration Expertise.

Sniper. At 13th level, you do not automatically reveal your location when you attack while hidden. You must be at least 10 feet away from any creature that could potentially hear or see you to use this ability. Whenever you attack, you can make a new Dexterity (Stealth) check. Any creature that might detect you gains advantage on its passive Wisdom (Perception) score. If successful, you remain hidden. This ability replaces Imposter.