Homebrew Blackscale Lizardfolk Species Details

Predatory Mindset

The Blackscale’s share the reptilian, detached nature of their kin, with a few distinct differences. Blackscales, along with their enlarged, powerful frames, are possessed of a slightly more impulsive mindset. However, this is not to say that they are purely animalistic brutes. Indeed, they share the same cognitive ability as their green fellows, but will often act more instinctually.

For example, let us say a group containing a human, a common lizardfolk and Blackscale are confronted by an angry troll. The human is struck with fear, shaking in their boots. The Greenscale doesn’t experience fear, but tries to assess its strength to determine how they should react.  The Blackscale, however, does not necessarily consider flight at all, and immediately jumps to considering how to defeat it. It possesses the same level of reasoning, but that reasoning is in service to its instinctual thoughts.

Unlike their kin, Blackscales are likely to act with aggression toward any creatures that present themself as an adversary, regardless of whether they could resolve the encounter in some other manner. They are aggressive toward prey they want to eat, creatures that want to harm them, and creatures that they judge to be any threat at all.

Tribal Loyalty

At their core, Blackscales are social predators in their natural environment. In the jungles and swamps of Chult and comparable areas, cooperation in a necessity to survive at all. To this end, Blackscales are fiercely protective of those whom they are allied with, and unflinchingly loyal to those they trust. An additional aspect is that they see your average humanoid the same way we might look at a child or enfeebled elder. Still, if other creatures end up being dependable allies to lizardfolk, those creatures can trigger a protective response made all the stronger by their apparent weakness. The lizardfolk assess such beings as hatchlings, young ones incapable of protecting themselves but who might prove useful in the future if they receive care.

Blackscale Lizardfolk Personality

Use the same quirk table as the  Lizardfolk to determine a personality quirk for a Blackscale character or to inspire a unique mannerism.

Blackscale Lizardfolk Names

Blackscale Lizardfolk take their names from the Draconic language, like their green cousins. They use simple descriptives granted by the tribe based on an individual’s notable deeds or actions. Blackscales, however, due to their more combative lifestyle, are more likely to be named after a particular victory or beast. Lizardfolk make no distinction between male and female in their naming conventions. Each example name includes its translation in parenthesis.

Lizardfolk Names: Aryte (war), Baeshra (animal), Darastrix (dragon), Garurt (axe), Jhank (hammer), Kepesk (storm), Kethend (gem), Korth (danger), Kothar (demon), Litrix (armor), Mirik (song), Othokent (smart), Sauriv (eye), Throden (many), Thurkear (night), Usk (iron), Valignat (burn), Vargach (battle), Verthica (mountain), Vutha (black), Vyth (steel)

Blackscale Lizardfolk Traits

A Blackscale Lizardfolk has the following traits:

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 2. Your Dexterity and Charisma scores decrease by 1.

Age

Similarly to their verdant brethren, Blackscale Lizardfolk reach maturity around age 14 and rarely live longer than 60 years.

Alignment

As a subspecies of  Lizardfolk, Blackscales are largely neutral. Aditionally, however, their slightly worse impulse control and generally overwhelming strength often leads them to be more chaotic, but this is hardly universal.

Size

Blackscales are tall and rippling with muscles, usually standing between 6'6" and 8'. They also tend to weigh more than most races due to having a muscular, 4' to 5' tail, rarely being less than 300lbs overall. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a swimming speed of 30 feet.

Robust Musculature

Your limbs and tail are natural weapons, giving you an additional 1d4 damage on unarmed strikes.

Semi-Aquatic

Experienced in the amphibious combat of your swampy, jungle home, you can hold your breath for up to 15 minutes at a time and have advantage on Grappling while partially or fully submerged in water.

Subsistence Culture

You gain proficiency with two of the following skills of your choice: Intimidation, Nature, Perception, Stealth, and Survival.

Natural Armor

You have even tougher, thicker skin than your green kin. When you aren’t wearing armor, your AC is 13 + your Strength modifier. You may use your natural armor to determine your AC in the event that the armor you are wearing would leave you with a lower AC. A shield’s benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.

Voracious Appetite

In battle, you can throw yourself into a vicious feeding frenzy. As a bonus action on your turn, you can make a special attack with your bite (1d4 piercing). on a successful hit, you gain temporary hit points (minimum of 1) equal to your Constitution modifier. This trait can be used once per short or long rest.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Draconic.