Homebrew Half Dragon Lizardfolk Species Details
If you’re considering taking a scaled one along on an adventure, remember this important fact. The strange, inhuman glint in its eyes as it looks you over is the same look you might give a freshly grilled steak.
Only a fool looks at the lizardfolk and sees nothing more than scaly humanoids. Their physical shape notwithstanding, lizardfolk have more in common with iguanas or dragons than they do with humans, dwarves, or elves. Lizardfolk possess an alien and inscrutable mindset, their desires and thoughts driven by a different set of basic principles than those of warm-blooded creatures. Their dismal swamp homes might lie hundreds of miles from the nearest human settlement, but the gap between their way of thinking and that of the smooth-skins is far greater.
Despite their alien outlook, some lizardfolk make an effort to understand and, in their own manner, befriend people of other races. Such lizardfolk make faithful and skilled allies.
Battle-Born
As a half dragon you have bested your lizardfolk counter parts in every situation, you're stronger, faster, bigger and you can breath a concentrated energy out of your maw to wipe out most foes, although you're the only one that wants to eat what you've killed with it afterwards.
While most lizardfolk appreciate primitive weapons, you appreciate metal weapons and martial weapons that increase your combat strength even more. You've been fighting and hunting since you were a young lizard killing most things and defeating other lizardfolk that are stupid enough to challenge you.
Passionate and Arrogant
Most humanoids describe cold-blooded people as lacking in emotion and empathy. The same label serves as an apt depiction of lizardfolk.
This is not the case for you, the dragon blood in you causes your emotions to awaken, making you feel things the lizards around you don't, or cant. Not only are your emotions awakened they're stronger than most creatures, sometimes even taking hold of you when you feel especially strong about certain subjects. You cant decide if your emotions are a blessing or a curse, while you feel all of the positive emotions that make life worth living, you also feel the negative ones, and all of these emotions are heightened.
Since birth you have not seen anyone around you that is your equal, this awakens the draconic arrogance in you that makes you feel that you are better than everyone else around you. You feel you deserve more things then others because you are the strongest, always fighting for a dominant position and never taking orders. You want to be a leader not a follower, why follow someone that's weaker than you?
A lizardfolk who lives among other humanoids can, over time, learn to respect other creatures’ emotions. The lizardfolk doesn’t share those feelings, but instead assesses them in the same clinical manner. Yes, the fallen dwarf might be most useful as a meal, but hacking the body into steaks provokes aggression in the other humanoids and makes them less helpful in battle.
Lonesome Leader
With your unlocked emotions and intelligence, you have never fit in with the other lizardfolk. Other lizardfolk are cold, calculating and feel no need for emotions, while you feel them all and more. You've never connected with other lizardfolk due to your individuality.
Lizardfolk as whole value unity and have a cold personality and rationality, as well as devalue intelligence. You on the other hand are an individual, and you value your individual nature, you don't feel the need to lower yourself to the other lizards around you.
Even though you should hate the lizardfolk around you, you don't. The lizardfolk part of you cant seem to truly hate them, which frustrates you all the more that lizardfolk are like this.
Need for Change
Lizardfolk don't feel the need for change and ostracize anyone that has intelligence, this has led them to stagnate over time, while the major races have built empires and kingdom your kind have been cast away in the swap, and they have convinced themselves that they like it there.
Lizardfolk have no written language and pass all of their knowledge by word of mouth, causing massive amounts of information to be lost to the challenges of time. You on the other hand want change, you've seen what the other races can do, building kingdoms, empires, craftsmanship among races that let them set themselves apart from others.
The dragon pride in you wants more for the lizardfolk people, you want lizardfolk kingdoms, and lizardfolk empires, and you want all of it under your rule.
Lizardfolk Personality
You can use the Lizardfolk Quirks table to determine a personality quirk for a lizardfolk character or to inspire a unique mannerism.
Lizardfolk/ Half Dragon Quirks
| d8 | Quirk |
|---|---|
| 1 | You are extremely arrogant, believing yourself to be invincible and charging straight into hordes of enemies. |
| 2 | You sleep best while mostly submerged in water. |
| 3 | Money is meaningless to you. |
| 4 | You are extremely passionate, so much in fact that your emotions control you. |
| 5 | You have learned to tell jokes. You use this talent in response to all emotional situations, to better fit in with your comrades. |
| 6 | You still don’t understand how metaphors work. That doesn’t stop you from using them at every opportunity. |
| 7 | You appreciate the strong humanoids who use martial might to overcome things that most of their race could not. |
| 8 | You enjoy breathing your breath weapon on your food before you eat it. |
Lizardfolk Names
Lizardfolk take their names from the Draconic language. They use simple descriptives granted by the tribe based on an individual’s notable deeds or actions. For example, Garurt translates as “axe,” a name given to a lizardfolk warrior who defeated an orc and claimed his foe’s weapon. A lizardfolk who likes to hide in a stand of reeds before ambushing an animal might be called Achuak, which means “green” to describe how she blends into the foliage.
Lizardfolk make no distinction between male and female in their naming conventions. Each example name includes its translation in parenthesis.
Lizardfolk Names: Achuak (green), Aryte (war), Baeshra (animal), Darastrix (dragon), Garurt (axe), Irhtos (secret), Jhank (hammer), Kepesk (storm), Kethend (gem), Korth (danger), Kosj (small), 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)
Half Dragon Lizardfolk Traits
Your lizardfolk/ Half Dragon character has the following racial traits.Draconic Ancestry
You have draconic ancestry. Choose one type of dragon from the Draconic Ancestry table. Your breath weapon and damage resistance are determined by the dragon type, as shown in the table.
Draconic Ancestry
| Dragon | Damage Type | Breath Weapon |
|---|---|---|
| Black | Acid | 5 by 30 ft. line (Dex. save) |
| Blue | Lightning | 5 by 30 ft. line (Dex. save) |
| Brass | Fire | 5 by 30 ft. line (Dex. save) |
| Bronze | Lightning | 5 by 30 ft. line (Dex. save) |
| Copper | Acid | 5 by 30 ft. line (Dex. save) |
| Gold | Fire | 15 ft. cone (Dex. save) |
| Green | Poison | 15 ft. cone (Con. save) |
| Red | Fire | 15 ft. cone (Dex. save) |
| Silver | Cold | 15 ft. cone (Con. save) |
| White | Cold | 15 ft. cone (Con. save) |
Breath Weapon
You can use your action to exhale destructive energy. Your draconic ancestry determines the size, shape, and damage type of the exhalation. When you use your breath weapon, each creature in the area of the exhalation must make a saving throw, the type of which is determined by your draconic ancestry. The DC for this saving throw equals 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus. A creature takes 2d6 damage on a failed save, and half as much damage on a successful one. The damage increases to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level. After you use your breath weapon, you can’t use it again until you complete a short or long rest.
Damage Resistance
You have resistance to the damage type associated with your draconic ancestry.
Ability Score Increase
Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.
Age
Lizardfolk reach maturity around age 14 and rarely live longer than 60 years. Lizardfolk have a natural lifespan comparable to humans but very few ever actually die of old age. As a half dragon your lifespan is double that of a normal lizardfolk.
Alignment
Most lizardfolk are neutral. They see the world as a place of predators and prey, where life and death are natural processes. They wish only to survive, and prefer to leave other creatures to their own devices. As a half dragon whatever nature your parent has usually influences your alignment, but as a individual this doesn't have to influence your alignment.
Size
Lizardfolk are a little bulkier and taller than humans, and their colorful frills make them appear even larger. As a half dragon your size is one larger then normal lizard folk. Your size is Large.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a swimming speed of 30 feet.
Bite
Your fanged maw is a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d8 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
Cunning Artisan
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
You can hold your breath for up to 15 minutes at a time.
Hunter’s Lore
You gain proficiency with two of the following skills of your choice: Animal Handling, Nature, Perception, Stealth, and Survival.
Natural Armor
You have tough, scaly skin. When you aren’t wearing armor, your AC is 15 + 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.
Hungry Jaws
In battle, you can throw yourself into a vicious feeding frenzy. As a bonus action, you can make a special attack with your bite. If the attack hits, it deals its normal damage, and you gain temporary hit points (minimum of 1) equal to your Constitution modifier, and you can’t use this trait again until you finish a short or long rest.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and Draconic. Draconic is thought to be one of the oldest languages and is often used in the study of magic. The language sounds harsh to most other creatures and includes numerous hard consonants and sibilants.