Lizardmen

Lizardmen are the natural rulers of the swamps they inhabit. These savage, semi-aquatic, reptilian humanoids live through scavenging and raiding. The less hostile tribes tend to be fishers and gatherers, though there seem to be more of the violent, war-loving tribes scattered across the land.

Lizardmen grow to heights between six and seven feet tall. The average weight of these humanoids is between 200 and 250 pounds. Their coloration ranges from dark green to gray to brown, and scales cover most of their bodies. Lizardmen have three- to four-foot-long tails, which are not prehensile. Only those very familiar with the race can tell the difference between males and females. They wear only the simplest of ornamentation - strings of bone and other barbaric items.

Lizardmen usually dwell in marshes and swamps. They live underwater in air-filled caves, emerging to hunt, forage, and raid nearby communities - including other lizard man camps. Most tribes have about 150 members, including females and hatchlings. The tribes sometimes form loose alliances against common enemies, though these last only as long as the threat is obvious.

These omnivorous humanoids eat almost anything. The foulest, most savage tribes crave human flesh. Tales of these savage lizardmen ambushing humans abound, for they seek both living and dead flesh to feast upon.

A small number of lizardman tribes have evolved to a higher level of civilization, and it is from these tribes that commonly encountered lizardmen are assumed to come. These lizardmen live in crude huts, make and use shields, and have discovered the benefits of ranged weapons. They make and use barbed darts and javelins, use crude clubs in melee, and some have learned to capture and use the weapons of humans and demi-humans.

Among the Civilized

Lizardmen are barbarians. Even those from the advanced tribes are considered savages by the civilized world. When a lizardman enters an area of civilization, he faces many of the same problems which confront barbaric humans - the ways he knows are not the ways of culture and civilization. The lizardman has left the swamps behind, but his savage nature remains. Perhaps, as a member of an advanced tribe, he has decided to learn more of the wonders of the civilized world. Once he has amassed enough knowledge, he will return to his tribe to teach them. Or, as a member of a more primitive tribe, the lizardman has been forcefully taken from the swamps and thrust into the outer world. Now he fights beside adventurers until he can find his way home - or just because he likes the violence in which his new companions get involved.

Lizard men are known for their strength, their natural cunning, and their alien ways. They are true outsiders- not only are they from different lands and primitive cultures, but they are reptilian. Lizardmen have a much different outlook on the world than mammals. They are born from eggs, they spend much of their life in water, and they are closer to the natural laws of survival than their civilized counterparts. They have alien minds, with alien tastes, and alien perceptions. Often, a lizardman will be at odds with even other humanoids as to the way to proceed. "Eat-or-die" is often the basic instinct running through a lizard man's mind, and this very rarely, if ever, goes along with traditional ideals of honor, chivalry, and fairness.

As a savage, the lizardman is in tune with the natural world. This does not mean he is an avid protector of nature (as centaurs, for example, are wont to be), but that he understands nature's signs and can survive in places others would find inhospitable. Remember also, lizardmen do not understand civilization very well. They are often alarmed, frightened, or offended by many of its most common features.

In combat, lizardman warriors fight as individuals. The civilized concepts of cooperation and strict planning are unknown to him, and he will often find his own course in any battle. Against equal or lesser opponents, a lizard man may charge directly into the fray. When facing superior opponents, a lizard man may turn to wily tactics or sheer ferocity. The savage warrior has a few weaknesses, however. He can be distracted by food and simple treasures, even in the midst of battle.