The Tales of the Valiant roleplaying game is here! PDF and VTT versions are available now!

The Player’s Guide contains the classic fantasy people for player characters: elves, dwarves, and humans, and some new-school favorites like kobolds and sydereans. But there’s room for more kinds of people in modern fantasy!

This blog series of extra lineages doesn’t appear in the Player’s Guide . . . but if you like these, let us know here and in the Kobold Discord server. There’s potential for them to appear in an official capacity in the future!

In the Monster Vault, lizardfolk have a suite of abilities that make them great monsters. But what if a player wanted to play as one?

Lizardfolk

Long before mammals exerted their dominance over the world, reptiles thrived—and evolved. Lizardfolk were among the first reptilian humanoids, and the traits they developed to survive the primordial eras are largely unchanged today.

Lizardfolk range in appearance, but they are all scaled bipeds who stand slightly taller than a human on average. Some lizardfolk develop frills on their heads, spines, and limbs, but just as many do not. The coloration of a lizardfolk’s scales ranges from dull ochres through to vibrant greens, though blue, black, and gray scaled examples can be found as well.

The ancient ruins of temples erected to worship primordial reptilian deities litter the known lands, indicating that their builders were prominent across continent-sized territories. Glyphs and runes hewn into the surviving stone faces prove the power and vitality of the antediluvian lizardfolk civilization. The reasons for the collapse of that civilization are shrouded as much by meddling mammalian gods as much as by the mists of time themselves.

Despite the decline of their civilizations, lizardfolk exist all over the world. They live primarily in small scattered settlements away from the cities and territories of other races. While each settlement has its own identity, they share characteristics in that they are mostly focused around hunting and gathering. Lizardfolk also tend to be youth-centric, with older members of the community teaching the youngest members the basics of survival while the mature adults take care of the community’s needs.

LIZARDFOLK LINEAGE TRAITS

Your lizardfolk character has certain hereditary traits dictated by their lineage.

Age. Lizardfolk mature rapidly and reach adulthood by age 16. They rarely live longer than 60 years.

Size. Your size is Medium. Male and female lizardfolk stand 6 feet tall on average, with the females being notably slimmer than the males.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. You have a swimming speed equal to your walking speed.

Armored Scales. When you aren’t wearing armor, your AC is equal to 12 + your DEX modifier. You gain the benefits of a shield as normal, as long as you have proficiency with it.

Bite. You can make unarmed strikes with your sharp teeth. When you hit with your Bite, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your STR or DEX modifier (your choice).

Hold Breath. You can hold your breath for a number of minutes equal to your CON score (minimum 10 minutes).

Heritages

These heritages are open to characters of any lineage, but lizardfolk founded them and their values lead these communities.

MUD RUNNER HERITAGE

Mud runner heritage characters hail from lizardfolk communities located in bogs and swamps. The mud runner lizardfolk are widely regarded as the descendants of the ancient lizardfolk empires. Their oral tradition stretches back millennia and their storytellers are welcome in all lizardfolk communities.

From a young age, mud runners are taught to survive in their mucky environment. They learn how to identify dangerous flora and fauna well before they reach maturity. Many of the skills they are taught are adaptations of behaviors they see in their local wildlife, such as alligators and constrictor snakes.

Some mud runner communities habitually ambush swamp travelers and present them as tribute to local dominant monsters such as black dragons. While these settlements have earned the distrust of their neighbors, they represent only a small percentage of mud runners as a whole.

Death Roll. Watching the reptiles of the swamp has taught you how to control your prey. When you have grappled a creature, you have advantage on unarmed strikes you make against it, and your target has disadvantage on attacks it makes against you. When you move a grappled creature, your speed is halved only if the creature is two or more sizes larger than you.

Predator. You have proficiency in your choice of the Stealth or Survival skill.

Spear Fisher. When you use a spear to make a ranged attack against a target that is underwater, you can attack the creatures at long range.

Languages. You know Common and one other language. Most mud runners choose Draconic.

RAIN CREEPER HERITAGE

Hailing from coastal rainforests, rain creeper heritage characters are well suited to lives of adventure. Their skills allow them to move quickly, even amid the exposed tree roots of their homes, and to stay hidden from other predators.

Rain creeper settlements range from collections of tents and lean-tos, to semi-permanent treetop villages. They are led by the eldest male of the community, which means aggressive groups of rain creepers cycle through leaders at a rapid pace. Despite the simple method of determining leadership, the members of the community respect their leader, and there are relatively few intrigues relating to them.

Rain creeper communities tend to be pious. They venerate gods whose areas of interest include animals, forests, mountains, and the elements. The religious leader of the community is always an uncoupled female. In addition to her religious duties, she determines which members of the community may attempt to have children. Rain creeper families lobby hard for the right to reproduce.

Forest Camouflage. You have advantage on DEX (Stealth) checks while you are in a forested area or while you are within 5 feet of a tree that is of at least Large size.

Psychedelic Resistance. Your culture’s ritual consumption of psychotropic amphibians allows you to shrug off illusory effects. You have advantage on saving throws against illusions, as well as on INT (Investigation) checks to determine whether or not an object or image is illusory.

Pine Runner. Your base walking speed increases by 5 feet. You have a climbing speed equal to half your walking speed.

Languages. You know Common and one other language. Most rain creepers select Draconic.

he Tales of the Valiant Player’s Guide and Monster Vault are on sale now in PDF and VTT format.
Books are coming to backers and stores in June!
Visit the Kobold Press Discord for more info!