Homebrew Argonian Species Details

"In studying the various races of Tamriel, I have found a few strange aberrations. Among the human-shaped, the Argonians may be the most fascinating. They are cold-blooded, in both the physiological and psychological sense, and yet they somehow manage to operate in all climes with the same resilience as mammals. Their preference for sub-tropical and tropical climates notwithstanding, to see an Argonian moving through sub arctic or arctic regions with the same facility as their mammalian rivals is simple astounding."

— Cirantille, On Argonains

Argonians or 'Saxhleel', as they call themselves, are an oviparous race of reptillian people native to the large and marshy province of Tamriel known as Black Marsh. They can be found in smaller numbers throughout the continent. Argonians are one of the few races completely unrelated to men and mer and think of themselves as coming from, and ultimately returning to, the Hist.

Cultural Mindset

Argonians possess the most alien personalities in all of Tamriel from a human or meric perspective. They tend to speak with a certain detachment that might seem particularly strange to individuals with a formal upbringing centred around manners. Argonians do not facially express their emotions as much as men and mer do, though anger is fairly easy to detect through bared teeth and narrowed eyes. Argonians are fiercely loyal and will fight to the death for those they have named as friends. Their allies have long since learned that there is always a reason for everything they do.

Their culture seems to easily forgive the slights committed between tribes. This is due, in part, to their belief in reincarnation. A member of one tribe maybe be reincarnated as a member of another after death, for example a Bright-Throat may return as one of the Dead-Water. For this reason, to hate each other is to hate themselves as they are all people of the root: it is better to forget and move on.

Most Saxhleel prefer to live in the Now- not dwelling on the past or the future but simple the present. The concepts of "past" and "future" are foreign to them as they pay little heed to the passing of days. Moreover, they care little about the relics within the ancient xanmeer ruins dotting the marshlands unless they pose a great threat. They would rather have more practical things such as fresh food or sturdy tools instead of relics of their old civilization. In spite of this, the passage of time is not meaningless to them. The months on the Argonian calendar do have significance to the people of Black Marsh. Marking the progression of the great cycle is sacred.

Masters of Survival and Adaptation

Enigmatic and intelligent, the Argonians are experts of guerrilla tactics, and their natural abilities suit their swampy homeland. They have developed immunities to diseases that have plagued many would-be explorers in the region, and they are capable of easily exploring underwater locations due to their ability to breathe both on land and in water. Argonians have also developed some resistance to poison due to the many perils of their homeland.

Argonians have gills on their necks and are covered in scales. In addition to their natural armour, this ability to breathe has given them a significant advantage when protecting their marshy homeland. Argonians are trained in guerrilla warfare and often drown their enemies by dragging them to the water and holding them under. Many lie in wait in the murky waters ready to ambush ships or soldiers marching alongside rivers. They then either kill them or are forced to flee back into the water and vanish into the depths where they cannot be followed.

Tribes of Black Marsh

Argonians generally utilize two types of names from different languages: The Argonian tongue of Jel and Common Tamrielic. Names derived from the Jel language can either be single-word names or hyphenated. Names in Common Tamrielic are gender neutral and often hyphenated describing their habits that they have heard others comment on frequently.

Male Jel Names: Amusei, Deekus, Gajul-Lei, Gatulm, Guleesh, Talen-Jei, Teekeus, Veezara, Wixulbeeh, Xukas, Zeechis

Female Names: Amussa, Buki, Deertsa, Ix-Utha, Lameesh, Meetza, Ocheeva, Pad-Maxath Rulzik, Shaleez, Wujeeta

Common Names: Born-Under-Stars, Eyes-Of-Steel, Hides in Reeds, Plays-In-Puddles, Runs-in-Wilds, Scouts-Many-Marshes, Sees-All-Colours, Takes-In-Light, Walks-Under-Shadows

Most Argonians born within Black Marsh belong to a specific tribe which they mention upon introduction. These tribes live and build their lives around a Hist Tree, a sacred species of giant sentient spore trees that grow in the swamps. The Argonians were shaped by the Hist and believe their souls are given to them from the sap they ingest as hatchlings. These trees can activate a collective consciousness between all Hist and Argonians in times of great need to allow communication.

Tribe Names: Ca-Uxith, Hapsleet, Moss-Skins, Naga-Kur (Dead-Water), Paatru, Root-Whisper Tribe, Sul-Xan, Veeskhleel (Ghost People), Wasseek-haleel (Bright-Throats)

Tribal Variation

Throughout the different tribes, many Argonians can vary in not only culture but strong physiological differences as well. The Paatru are described as looking more "toad-like" while the Naga of the Dead-Water Tribe are a group of Argonians resembling puff adders, having huge mouths filled with dripping needle like fangs. The Ghost-People of the Veeskhleel have extremely pale looking scales with green tinges that almost resemble decay.

The differences in appearance also varies when considering war paint and tattoos, the Bright-Throat are so named due to their colourful array of body paint and tattoos while the Dead-Water paint themselves in menacing blood-red war paint.

Argonian Traits

Your Argonian physiology and instinct for survival grants you these traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Age

Young Argonians grow quickly. Many tribes can walk hours after hatching, attain the size and development of a 10-year-old human child by the age of 3, and reach adulthood by 15. They live to be around 80.

Size

Argonians stand around the same size as humans between 5 to 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a swimming speed equal to your walking speed.

Argonian Resilience

Adapted to the many poisons and toxins found in their homeland of Black Marsh, your Argonian blood gives you advantage on saving throws against disease and being poisoned, you also have resistance to poison damage.

Bite

You have a fanged maw that you can use to make unarmed strikes. When you hit with it, the strike deals 1d6 + your Strength modifier piercing damage, instead of the bludgeoning damage normally used for an unarmed strike.

Natural Armor

You have tough, scaly skin. When you aren’t wearing armor, your base 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.

Amphibious

You can breathe air and water.

Histskin

Your Argonian physiology allows you to use your bonus action to regenerate health equal to 1d12 + your Constitution Modifier; rounded up. This can only be used once per long rest.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Jel. Jel is thought to be the language closest to thought. The language sounds harsh to most other creatures and includes many somatic components making it difficult to understand for Non-Argonians.