Homebrew Gek'ko Species Details

I tend to not care so much for the scaled creatures. But these ones have a funny way of sticking to ya.

— Felcia, Human Sorcerer and adventurer

Although appearing similar to the Lizardfolk of the swamp, the Gek'ko of the deserts and canyons are smaller, gentler, and much less alien to most humanoids. Living in small villages built into cliff sides and desert cave systems, the Gek'ko (sometimes known colloquialy as "Geckofolk") have been known to help lost travelers in the desert. Although generally peaceful and timid, they show surprising aptitude at defending their homes. For those that come in peace, they have found trade partners, allies, and friends.

Reptilian Appearance, Human Hearts

The Gek'ko reptilian nature comes in their appearance, but also in how they think and act, they are surprisingly human. Gek'ko tend to live in small family clusters, within small villages, so they can be initially wary of outsiders. But those who bring tidings of peace find a home, and friends, among the desert lizards, as well as adept storytellers and merchants.

Gek'ko will will generally seek peaceful solutions to confrontations, and will happily employ diplomacy when needed. However, if their homes are threatened, they can turn into ferocious defenders, and will hold their homes at great cost.

Generally Gek'ko prefer simple living and more rustic conditions. Gek'ko who travel to the cities find themselves often overwhelmed by the amounts of people. However, some have found success as trader, merchants, and even mercenaries and bards, where their affable nature and storytelling ability makes negotiations and entertainment that much easier.

The Land of the Scale

The land of the Gek'ko has shaped their personalities, cultures, and religion. The deserts they hail from are rocky expanses, filled with cliffs, plateaus, caves, and deep river valleys. The difficult terrain has lead to the development of the distinctive toe pads of the gek'ko, allowing them to be unparalleled climbers. This maneuverability allowed the gek'ko to build tight knit communities high in the rocks, away from potential enemies. Gek'ko herd animals, engage in irrigation and agriculture, and forage and hunt to supplement their diet. Omnivorous, the gek'ko are notably not picky, eating insects at a much higher rate than most other races.

Gek'ko religion is focused on the worship of Macularion, a gecko god of the air, sun, moon, and rain, and his wife, Euplafaria, the living flame, goddess of the home, rocks, fire, and agriculture. The religion focuses on the constant interrelationship of earth and sky, and of embracing duality and opposing ideas. Gek'ko believe that their souls are merely borrowed by their current vessel, and will return again as part of this constant cycle. In this way, geckofolk have an important oral and written historical tradition. 

Gek'ko Personality

You can use the Gek'ko Quirks table to determine a personality quirk for a Gek'ko character or to inspire a unique mannerism.

Geckofolk Quirks

d8	Quirk
1	You constantly scale walls and ceiling without a second thought of what others might think if this happens mid conversation.
2	You sleep best while hanging upside down.
3	You can't help but try to make a deal, not matter what the price tag says.
4	You embrace the duality of existence-you constantly contradict yourself in speech.
5	You have a tell! You grab your tail in your hands and wring it nervously.
6	You strongly dislike when you are confused with a lizardfolk, to the point where this has started fights.
7	Always gotta keep a snack handy! You always have some fresh bugs and insects for when you get hungry, and will chow down no matter the setting or present company.
8	You dislike being in the city, and will do whatever you can to leave quickly.

Gek'ko Names

Gek'ko take their names from the Draconic language, like their distant lizardfolk cousins. Geckofolk will usually have a first name, associated with a specific characteristic ("Svent" or "Arrow", for a great hunter), followed by a family name. family names date back to ancient times, and are not draconic in origin, but the legacy of an older language that the ancestors of the Gek'ko spoke, but have since lost. As a result, these are translated into common, and are usually rendered as simple adjective-noun combinations like Redfire or Serpentstounge.

Gek'ko Traits

Your Gek'ko character has the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.

Age

Gek'ko reach maturity around age 16 and rarely live longer than 80 years.

Size

Geckofolk are a little slimmer and shorter than humans, but their thick tails make them appear larger. Your size is Medium.

Speed

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

Lizard Assistance

Once per day, summon either a Lizard or Giant Lizard to aid you in and out of battle. The summoned lizard can understand, communicate with and obey the player, with commands traveling up to 50ft. The summon stays active until dismissed by the player or killed. Only one instance of Lizard Assistance can be active at a time, but does not replace a Ranger's Beast Companion when summoned, and can be activated alongside it.

Desert Foraging

The Gek'ko are masters of desert survival. As part of a short rest, you can search the area to find supplies, including food, water, torches, and firewood from the surrounding area. You can also instead perform a Thorough Check for supplies, including a quarterstaff, shield, dagger, javelin, or 1d4 darts or arrows. To perform a Thorough Check, you must do so prior to a normal search. You must pass a perception check in order to do so.

Toe Pads

You gain advantage on acrobatics checks, disarmament checks, and, while climbing, athletics checks. 

Desert’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 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.

Languages

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