Lizardfolk
Draconos. Spawn of Yig. Saurians. Lizardfolk. The reptilian people have many names, nearly as many as they have differing physical traits. Despite their varied appearances across the world, they share an ancestry, no matter where they reside or how different they appear.
Physiology
Lizardfolk vary in appearance more than any known people in the world. Height, build, color, patterns, scale density, posture, even the shape of their hands and feet can vary dramatically from one lizardfolk to another.
However, there are some common traits. All lizardfolk stand upright and possess scaled skin, snouts, two arms with clawed hands, two legs with clawed feet, and a tail. They are also all oviparous and cold-blooded.
Height and bulk varies greatly. They grow to be 4 to 6 ft tall when they mature. Some remain slender while others nearly rival dwarves in heartiness.
Never Stop Growing
Unlike other people, lizardfolk do not cease growing after they reach maturity. They continue to grow at a slower pace until death, allowing elders to be twice the size of young adult lizardfolk.
Unique Features
Lizardfolk are known for having a vast variety of unique features among bloodlines. Extendable tongues, independently moving eyes, detaching and regrowing limbs, prehensile tails, neck dewlap, elongated necks, armored crests, sharp spines, dorsal fins, adhesive pads on their hands and feet, camouflage, and elongated snouts are just a few of their possible features.
Cold-Blooded
Without internal means to regulate body temperature, lizardfolk rely on external means to stay warm. Fire and magic are among the two most common.
If they get too cold, they will get stiffer, losing dexterity and mobility. If they continue to freeze, they will slip into a deep sleep and either wake when properly warmed or die.
Shedding Scales
As they grow, lizardfolk must shed their scales. If they wait too long, their scales harden further, granting them extra protection. However, it also restricts their movement, limiting their mobility. If they continue to refuse to shed their scales, the unshed scales will cause increasingly harmful problems.
Some delay shedding because the new scales will be soft for a short time, leaving them more vulnerable. Though lizardfolk have increased dexterity while their scales are soft.
Limbic System
Due to their unique evolutionary development, lizardfolk have key differences in their limbic system from most other folk.
Because of this, many lizardfolk are quicker at physical reactions and decision-making. They also commonly possess better memories than most people.
However, this can also make them have strong snap reactions to things like fear, anxiety, and aggression. Because of their own sudden emotional changes and quick reactions, some understand a creature or person's initial reaction may not reflect their true feelings.
Reproduction
When breeding, lizardfolk have a unique choice. They can mate with a partner or reproduce via parthenogenesis; a form of asexual reproduction where development of an embryo occurs without fertilization.
Parthenogenesis will only produce a female offspring. Because of this, females are the most common among lizardfolk.
Qualities
- Scales - Thick scales protect them from physical attacks
- Vomeronasal Organ - Lizardfolk can use this to sense things invisible to the eye
- Parietal Eye - Few things can sneak up to a lizardfolk
- Resilient - It takes a lot to effect a lizardfolk
- Scavenger - Lizardfolk can eat nearly anything without becoming ill
- Burst of Speed - Their powerful bodies allow for quick movements without telegraphing
- Energy Conservation - Lizardfolk can survive in more extreme situations than most people can
- Advanced Limbic System: Reaction - Lizardfolk react quickly
- Advanced Limbic System: Memory - Lizardfolk have incredible memories
- Quick Recovery - Physical trauma doesn't phase lizardfolk like it does most others
- Fast Healing - Lizardfolk bodies heal physical wounds quickly
Shortcomings
- Language Barrier - Because they lack lips, it can be difficult to understand a lizardfolk speaking a languages that requires lip movement
- Carrier's Constraint - Even if they are strong or swift, lizardfolk can lack endurance
- Advanced Limbic System: Emotional Responses - Lizardfolk feel and react upon emotions quickly
- Cold-Blooded - Lizardfolk require outside sources of heat to keep them warm and mobile
- Poor at Adapting - They don't adapt well to sudden changes to their environment