Roleplaying a Lizardfolk is pretty hard

[Rakku]

A friend of mine got The Tales from The Yawning Portal recently and wants to try out the new Tomb of Horrors. He asked me to build a tank if possible and the Lizardfolk from Volo's Guide came to mind. Lizardfolk's natural armor gives a nice boost to AC, I love all the flavor that comes with the race and lizards in general, so I thought it'd be perfect.

The thing is that actually roleplaying a Lizardfolk is really dificult. To begin with, there's the lack of empathy thing. Lizardfolk are not robots without any emotions, but they express them in such a different manner than other humanoids. Because they are so calculating and pragmatic, they might not get angry, sad, excited or scared in a number of situations that most other characters would. Volo's Guide gives the example that, if a creature threatens a Lizardfolk, they don't feel afraid, they don't tremble, scream or even get nervous; they merely consider the creature fearsome because of its size or apparent strenght and they either run away until cornered or fight if they think the threat can be eliminated easily. They don't really get angry, offended or insulted in general; they just react agressively towards someone that tries to harm them. Then, there's the problem of companionship. Lizardfolk don't care about the past and never mourn their dead, so if a fellow adventurer falls in battle, they don't get sad, they just lament the loss of an useful ally. In fact, they only value others because of their usefulness, so how do I form connections with other PCs?

I would appreciate some ideas or experiencies you had while roleplaying Lizardfolk for inspiration.

But the hardest thing about making a Lizardfolk PC is coming up with their backstory and objectives. At least according to the 5e Monster Manual and Volo's Guide, Lizardfolk rarely leave their tribes, especially when they already have a delimited territory of their own, and aren't really drawn to exploring foreign lands. On top of that, they are not interested in growing their communities through expansion or diplomatic relationships with other civilizations. They don't trade with other races more than necessary. They don't seek money (at least, not large ammounts of it). They have no concept of honor in battle, and don't crave challenging combats like other warriors do. They worship wizards and sorcerers and are fascinated by magic in general, but I'm not making a wizard so I don't know how to use that.

And beyond that, they have no desire to better themselves in any way other than becoming an effective hunter gatherer. They don't seek political power, knowledge, religious epyphanies, economical influence, cultural enrichment, exciting adventures, friendship or love. They have no motivation to avenge anyone, and very rarely go to war if their territory is not trespassed.

So, given all of that, why would a Lizardfolk even be an adventurer? Unless they are a magic user trying to refine their abilities to improve their tribe's chances of survival, or are commanded by a Dragon or a Lizardfolk king/queen to do so, I don't know why would they even leave home to begin with.

Sorry for the long ramble. TL;DR: How do you roleplay a lizard?

Any tips or suggestions are highly appreciated. Cheers.

[Sigreid]

I'm not going to be very helpful. What you are describing is why I haven't tried one or a Yuan-ti. I think they could be fun and interesting for a very short time, then either you'd devolve into a caricature or it wouldn't be fun anymore.

[Mortis_Elrod]

Lizardfolk adventurous would be the rare type that want something that they think they need but also isn't available to them. In my group we have a running gag that they value daggers more than actual currency. Since with nothing but a dagger and a fresh kill you can make more weapons and other bits than the price of a dagger. As well as they can be thrown and carried nearly everywhere, easily concealable, and can be used by everyone. Thats value like no mere coin can represent. My lizardfolk appreciate daggers and carry lots of them (will even trade in daggers). The rare adventurer may want to travel because its a more fulfilling than a life in the swamp/jungle/marshes. Fulfillment in life is a need for most self aware creatures, and lizardfolk are one of those (i think).

[Malifice]

A friend of mine got The Tales from The Yawning Portal recently and wants to try out the new Tomb of Horrors. He asked me to build a tank if possible and the Lizardfolk from Volo's Guide came to mind. Lizardfolk's natural armor gives a nice boost to AC, I love all the flavor that comes with the race and lizards in general, so I thought it'd be perfect.

The thing is that actually roleplaying a Lizardfolk is really dificult. To beging with, there's the lack of empathy thing. Lizardfolk are not robots without any emotions, but they express them in such a different manner than other humanoids. Because they are so calculating and pragmatic, they might not get angry, sad, excited or scared in a number of situations that most other characters would. Volo's Guide gives the example that, if a creature threatens a Lizardfolk, they don't feel afraid, they don't tremble, scream or even get nervous; they merely consider the creature fearsome because of its size or apparent strenght and they either run away until cornered or fight if they think the threat can be eliminated easily. They don't really get angry, offended or insulted in general; they just react agressively towards someone that tries to harm them. Then, there's the problem of companionship. Lizardfolk don't care about the past and never mourn their dead, so if a fellow adventurer falls in battle, they don't get sad, they just lament the loss of an useful ally. In fact, they only value others because of their usefulness, so how do I form connections with other PCs?

I would appreciate some ideas or experiencies you had while roleplaying Lizardfolk for inspiration.

But the hardest thing about making a Lizardfolk PC is coming up with their backstory and objectives. At least according to the 5e Monster Manual and Volo's Guide, Lizardfolk rarely leave their tribes, especially when they already have a delimited territory of their own, and aren't really drawn to exploring foreign lands. On top of that, they are not interested in growing their communities through expansion or diplomatic relationships with other civilizations. They don't trade with other races more than necessary. They don't seek money (at least, not large ammounts of it). They have no concept of honor in battle, and don't crave challenging combats like other warriors do. They worship wizards and sorcerers and are fascinated by magic in general, but I'm not making a wizard so I don't know how to use that.

And beyond that, they have no desire to better themselves in any way other than becoming an effective hunter gatherer. They don't seek political power, knowledge, religious epyphanies, economical influence, cultural enrichment, exciting adventures, friendship or love. They have no motivation to avenge anyone, and very rarely go to war if their territory is not trespassed.

So, given all of that, why would a Lizardfolk even be an adventurer? Unless they are a magic user trying to refine their abilities to improve their tribe's chances of survival, or are commanded by a Dragon or a Lizardfolk king/queen to do so, I don't know why would they even leave home to begin with.

Sorry for the long ramble. TL;DR: How do you roleplay a lizard?

Any tips or suggestions are highly appreciated. Cheers.

Tribe wiped out as a hatchling, and adopted by humans, youve come to percieve human society as your tribe.

You adventure to better humanity by clearing nearby tombs of horrors that lurk within.

[Lappy9001]

You could always be an outcast. You don't have to be an atypical lizardfolk; you made a mistake in the past and it's big enough that you are no longer welcome in your tribe, or any tribe for that matter.

You could always strike out on your own, sure but lizardfolk are nonetheless social, and being a hermit isn't ideal.

Perhaps you have learned about the other races. You knew already that the non-reptilians put a big emphasis on currency, so maybe you picked up a job like a mercenary or caravan guard which lead you in contact with the party.

Sticking with a motley crew of adventurers is a more pragmatic decision than working as a laborer in a city. You're more likely to be accepted, which is logically superior to being a second class citizen and you can earn enough to afford necessities.

After a while, maybe you do begin to form comraderie and appreciate the finer things in life. It's a good hook for some character development as your lizardfolk learns to open up more and rely on others as friends rather than simply allies.

[Saeviomage]

Danger at dunwater (a 1e module) suggests that Volo is an idiot who doesn't know what he is talking about.

In the module, the lizard men:

a) Demand weregild and the return of any taken treasure.
b) Are uniting multiple races against the threat of the Sahuaguin
c) Have two political factions: progressives that are responsible for a and b, and the conservatives, who are happy just to disappear into the swamp with nothing (ie - the type of lizardmen that volo seems to have met).
d) The conservatives are described as not yet being brave enough to depose the progressives
e) the lizardmen as a whole are specifically described as being fearful of certain things

Furthermore in the 3.5e DMG II, there is the town of saltmarsh (the jumping off point for Danger at Dunwater):
The lizardmen form an embassy in saltmarsh after the conclusion of danger at dunwater, furthering relations between humans and lizardmen
At least one lizardman is actively plotting against the town, with (IIRC) a religious motivation.

Given that - your adventurer can be motivated by:
1. Being a progressive, fed up with the conservative views of his tribe
2. Religion
3. Wealth
4. Destroying a greater threat
5. Forming alliances
6. Fear
7. Ambition

[Trum4n1208]

It's a rather clichéd reason, but I've always been fond of the "tribe loses ancestral Homeland and now lives as refugees in a foreign land, able bodied members of the tribe constantly seek funds and experience with the goal of reclaiming their lost Homeland" as a driving force for tribal characters, and it would work with Lizardfolk. Or, you can simply be atypical. After all, your average band of adventurers are likely an assortment of oddballs and such from their cultures, why would a Lizardfolk adventurer be any different?

[CantigThimble]

One idea I've had for a lizardfolk that I've kind of played out before (one of my previous characters had a lizardfolk sidekick for a while) was a renaissance lizardfolk. Basically, the lizardfolk was hedonistic, in the context of his tribe that lead him to kind of animalistic behavior. You combat threats to keep danger away, you keep useful things and people close at hand and you make sure you can acquire your next meal. However, exposure to more complex food and to music was fascinating to him. Those were things that he found extremely enjoyable and wanted to seek out in civilization. While this didn't lead to him really fitting in with humans it lead him to treat civilization as a potential source for other potential unknown pleasures, which is why he became an adventurer. It wasn't quite curiosity as we know it but was outwardly similar.

[Finback]

So, given all of that, why would a Lizardfolk even be an adventurer? Unless they are a magic user trying to refine their abilities to improve their tribe's chances of survival, or are commanded by a Dragon or a Lizardfolk king/queen to do so, I don't know why would they even leave home to begin with.

Sorry for the long ramble. TL;DR: How do you roleplay a lizard?

Any tips or suggestions are highly appreciated. Cheers.

Semuanya sent them on a vision quest? Maybe it's part of Semuyana's hope to reconcile the lizardfolk's abstract thoughts by learning how to *unlearn*. And what better way to unlearn complexity, then hanging out with murderhobos? ;)

Or maybe it's something more instinctive. Maybe their entire tribe is dead. They need some sort of social bonded group, even if they can survive fine on their own, because that's how lizardfolk see the world - you aren't truly 'alive' if you're not in a tribe, so you bonded to the first group you were able to find some social common ground with.

Maybe they're an outcast for some reason that's not their fault - maybe the shaman thought them cursed, and to stay would kill the tribe. Now, you have inklings that you're not cursed, since nothing bad has happened to you since you left.

[Finback]

One idea I've had for a lizardfolk that I've kind of played out before (one of my previous characters had a lizardfolk sidekick for a while) was a renaissance lizardfolk.

My immediate thought there was that could mean there was a lizardfolk Renaissance**. That is, a heyday of their culture - maybe they had a fullblown civilisation*, and your PC stumbled onto the ruins. Others now shunned you because you went to the "ghost place", but something made you realise there was more to it - maybe you touched a magic item that showed you the glories of the Scaled Empire. Maybe you just understood the hieroglyphs, and realised there was nothing really stopping the lizardfolk from being a civilisation again, except their own fears.




* I know in Forgotten Realms, the very first civilisations *were* reptilian.
** RUFFED COLLARS. Frillnecked lizards were very "in". Their most famous poet was Shake-Spear.

[Beelzebubba]

Well, if you look at the 'lizard brain' idea from neuroscience, that might give you ideas. Maybe they operate pretty low on the Maslow's Hierarchy?

It's instinct to accumulate wealth and power in order to attract the best mate and provide the most resources for your children and clan. (It is kind of weird to imagine a social animal with language that still operates like that, but I guess that's the challenge.)

If I were to do it, I imagine it's like being a sociopath in a social setting. They learn to 'play the game' because if they don't, there's obvious negative impact to them and their goals, but they don't care about it as much as all these emotional little monkeys they're adventuring with. So, I could see one rehearsing the key phrases and social customs that seem to placate these weird nervous over-reacting scale-less things, but only doing them like an actor playing a part rather than really embracing it.

And, what would wealth and power be? I could see typical adventurer spoils being enough - it's shiny things that can be traded with this alien culture of soft pink hairless things around us.

Maybe watch some Star Trek series 1 and role play Spock?

[Alimack]

As a big fan of Lizardfolk aesthetically, I've had some of the same concerns after reading their description in Volo's Guide... I think you could get away with doing as Saeviomage suggests and ignoring some of Volo's more extreme claims (classic mammalian stereotyping... everything that doesn't live like humans or elves has to have an 'alien intelligence'). One might also argue that even though their brains are set up quite differently from those of other races, the fact that they're sapient and self-aware means that functionally they can't be all that different from other adventurers. If they have societies at all they'll still have politics, economics and culture, even if those are set up in unfamiliar ways (I like Mortis_Elrod's dagger currency as an example of this).

Another angle could be that as they don't really plan for the future they could end up adventuring and exploring Just Because; for the immediate pleasure of meeting and eating interesting new creatures, say, or because they've started and there's no real reason to stop. There's a bit about Hapless Soft Ones in Volo's that reminded me of the character Queequeg from Moby **** - a 'savage' from a fictitious Pacific island who started travelling on whaling ships as a way of learning about Christian civilization. He quickly concluded it was a giant waste of space that could offer him nothing, but he carries on sailing around the world without any particular goal in mind, taking a faint pleasure in looking after and educating the vaguely pathetic white men he finds himself surrounded by. Good for a nautical campaign?

[Alimack]

oh, I also love the Renaissance Lizardfolk / Lizardfolk Renaissance ideas. Shake-Spear would make a good bard (in fact Shake-Spear was THE bard), travelling the world to find new stories to commit to memory and later grossly exaggerate.

[Quoxis]

Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock Holmes from "Sherlock" comes to mind. But otherwise:

My advice would be not to stick too much to DnD racism.
MOST lizardfolk don't see the appeal in going on adventures. ALMOST NO member of the race has the slightest idea about empathy.
There are always exceptions. Chaotic evil goliath warlocks. Lawful neutral high elf druids. True neutral halfling fighters. If you don't like the template, alter it (with allowance of your DM). Make that exception your main thing. Maybe your character was cast out of their tribe for being too kind towards an outsider which was percieved as a threat to the tribe, and they were forced to live an adventurer's life by circumstance. Maybe their tribe was destroyed and they joined an adventurer's group out of convenience and found mirroring human behavior to be of advantage as the other members were more likely to help them that way. Be creative.

(Of course i'm not saying you should just defacate on the rules, but you don't have to take everything too seriously. Talk to the DM and group!)

[Regitnui]

I did a training one-shot not so long ago where one of the players picked up a lizardfolk rogue who was adventuring for money and strength. Not so much shiny coins, but the stuff he could use to go back to his tribe and set himself up as a king. He didn't see the value in terms of coins and wealth, he saw it as better equipment and higher-quality tattoos.

Player liked the character so much I'm considering bringing him back as an envoy sent by the Q'barran lizardfolk to the Lhazaar High Prince...

[CaptainSarathai]

Remember - all of that stuff does apply, and Lizardfolk are pretty sociopathic except for living in a tribe. That is an imperative to them. From a sociopathic viewpoint, living in a tribe is more beneficial than being alone. From the Lizardfolk's evolutionary standpoint, they must value living in groups more than they value things like personal survival, or else they would be more like dragons and live in solitary conditions.

So all you need to do, is get your character out of one tribe, and into another. That tribe could he the adventuring party, or it could be a culture or organization that the party works for.
Other than that, it's pretty easy; Lizardfolk are extreme utilitarians.
"Why mourn? He's gone, crying does no good, and that's just a body."
"Why are we risking our lives for someone who is not the tribe? People die every day, this one is no different"
You play the odds. I think that a Lizardfolk would be pretty close to K2-SO from 'Rogue One.' You're aware of the odds, and very cynical about them, but you go along with the group because of a sense of loyalty (to your tribe). If the whole tribe dies, it doesn't matter if you live, because now you are no longer part of the tribe. So you might say, "the odds of us defeating an ancient dragon seem very slim, many of us will probably die, and I don't think we should bother to do this," but if that doesn't convince the party to change course, you're going to follow them right in to that dragon's lair, and fight just as hard as anyone to save your tribe.

[Sigreid]

IIMO the problem isn't getting them off adventuring, it's playing a sociopath who is not malicious, but is literally not capable of understanding the emotional ties of those around them for a long term campaign.

[Quoxis]

IIMO the problem isn't getting them off adventuring, it's playing a sociopath who is not malicious, but is literally not capable of understanding the emotional ties of those around them for a long term campaign.

Is cynicism that hard for you? Boy, you must live a happy life.

[Pr6i6e6st]

Watch how a lizard acts and act like your putting a voice to his thoughts. It might help give you a small sensation of what it's like.

Like you said, their thought process is quite alien to us. But basically, things are what they are in the simplest form. You think along the lines "can I eat it?" If so, "can I kill it?" If so, "am I safe to try?". Or "can it be useful?"

Maybe it can be broken down into a flow chart. I'll see if I can find one, maybe I'll even make one.

[Sigreid]

Is cynicism that hard for you? Boy, you must live a happy life.
It's not cynicism. It's close to apathy. I think it's very likely that a lizard man would take everything at face value. Subversion, other than ambushes is usually an emotional calculation.

And yes, I have a pretty good life.

[Mortis_Elrod]

Remember - all of that stuff does apply, and Lizardfolk are pretty sociopathic except for living in a tribe. That is an imperative to them. From a sociopathic viewpoint, living in a tribe is more beneficial than being alone. From the Lizardfolk's evolutionary standpoint, they must value living in groups more than they value things like personal survival, or else they would be more like dragons and live in solitary conditions.

So all you need to do, is get your character out of one tribe, and into another. That tribe could he the adventuring party, or it could be a culture or organization that the party works for.
Other than that, it's pretty easy; Lizardfolk are extreme utilitarians.
"Why mourn? He's gone, crying does no good, and that's just a body."
"Why are we risking our lives for someone who is not the tribe? People die every day, this one is no different"
You play the odds. I think that a Lizardfolk would be pretty close to K2-SO from 'Rogue One.' You're aware of the odds, and very cynical about them, but you go along with the group because of a sense of loyalty (to your tribe). If the whole tribe dies, it doesn't matter if you live, because now you are no longer part of the tribe. So you might say, "the odds of us defeating an ancient dragon seem very slim, many of us will probably die, and I don't think we should bother to do this," but if that doesn't convince the party to change course, you're going to follow them right in to that dragon's lair, and fight just as hard as anyone to save your tribe.

This is actually my mindset as a player to my party anyway. Of course i love lizardfolk (and other lizardraces. cept kobolds. sorry you aren't cool enough), and they make my favorite rangers/monks/druids/ and other seminature/survivory/ barbaric but not really character. The make ok barbs too but i doubt a lizardfolk would ever fly into a rage. maybe a feeding frenzy. MAYBE.

[Regitnui]

This is actually my mindset as a player to my party anyway. Of course i love lizardfolk (and other lizardraces. cept kobolds. sorry you aren't cool enough), and they make my favorite rangers/monks/druids/ and other seminature/survivory/ barbaric but not really character. The make ok barbs too but i doubt a lizardfolk would ever fly into a rage. maybe a feeding frenzy. MAYBE.

Well, the rage is just heightened combat prowess... I can certainly see a lizardfolk "bear" barbarian just wading into combat and tearing at any flesh that gets near him while shrugging off anything that doesn't immediately kill him.

[Rakku]

So many replies! Thanks guys!


Danger at dunwater (a 1e module) suggests that Volo is an idiot who doesn't know what he is talking about.

Volo's perspective seemed rather restrictive. Glad to see there's more to Lizardfolk society than what's described in 5e.


You could always be an outcast. You don't have to be an atypical lizardfolk; you made a mistake in the past and it's big enough that you are no longer welcome in your tribe, or any tribe for that matter.

You could always strike out on your own, sure but lizardfolk are nonetheless social, and being a hermit isn't ideal.

Perhaps you have learned about the other races. You knew already that the non-reptilians put a big emphasis on currency, so maybe you picked up a job like a mercenary or caravan guard which lead you in contact with the party.

Sticking with a motley crew of adventurers is a more pragmatic decision than working as a laborer in a city. You're more likely to be accepted, which is logically superior to being a second class citizen and you can earn enough to afford necessities.

After a while, maybe you do begin to form comraderie and appreciate the finer things in life. It's a good hook for some character development as your lizardfolk learns to open up more and rely on others as friends rather than simply allies.


It's a rather clichéd reason, but I've always been fond of the "tribe loses ancestral Homeland and now lives as refugees in a foreign land, able bodied members of the tribe constantly seek funds and experience with the goal of reclaiming their lost Homeland" as a driving force for tribal characters, and it would work with Lizardfolk. Or, you can simply be atypical. After all, your average band of adventurers are likely an assortment of oddballs and such from their cultures, why would a Lizardfolk adventurer be any different?


Semuanya sent them on a vision quest? Maybe it's part of Semuyana's hope to reconcile the lizardfolk's abstract thoughts by learning how to *unlearn*. And what better way to unlearn complexity, then hanging out with murderhobos? ;)

Or maybe it's something more instinctive. Maybe their entire tribe is dead. They need some sort of social bonded group, even if they can survive fine on their own, because that's how lizardfolk see the world - you aren't truly 'alive' if you're not in a tribe, so you bonded to the first group you were able to find some social common ground with.

Maybe they're an outcast for some reason that's not their fault - maybe the shaman thought them cursed, and to stay would kill the tribe. Now, you have inklings that you're not cursed, since nothing bad has happened to you since you left.



My advice would be not to stick too much to DnD racism.
MOST lizardfolk don't see the appeal in going on adventures. ALMOST NO member of the race has the slightest idea about empathy.
There are always exceptions. Chaotic evil goliath warlocks. Lawful neutral high elf druids. True neutral halfling fighters. If you don't like the template, alter it (with allowance of your DM). Make that exception your main thing. Maybe your character was cast out of their tribe for being too kind towards an outsider which was percieved as a threat to the tribe, and they were forced to live an adventurer's life by circumstance. Maybe their tribe was destroyed and they joined an adventurer's group out of convenience and found mirroring human behavior to be of advantage as the other members were more likely to help them that way. Be creative.

(Of course i'm not saying you should just defacate on the rules, but you don't have to take everything too seriously. Talk to the DM and group!)

The outcast idea is pretty interesting. I haven't thought about the possibility of being expelled from (or losing) a tribe. Could be a nice starting point. The too kind to strangers thing in particular caught my attention. Since it runs counterpart to the Lizardfolk's conservative nature, having him intrigued by other species would be a nice way to set him apart from the rest.

Also noted that I should focus on being the exception rather than the rule. Always good to keep that in mind.


One idea I've had for a lizardfolk that I've kind of played out before (one of my previous characters had a lizardfolk sidekick for a while) was a renaissance lizardfolk. Basically, the lizardfolk was hedonistic, in the context of his tribe that lead him to kind of animalistic behavior. You combat threats to keep danger away, you keep useful things and people close at hand and you make sure you can acquire your next meal. However, exposure to more complex food and to music was fascinating to him. Those were things that he found extremely enjoyable and wanted to seek out in civilization. While this didn't lead to him really fitting in with humans it lead him to treat civilization as a potential source for other potential unknown pleasures, which is why he became an adventurer. It wasn't quite curiosity as we know it but was outwardly similar.

Acquiring new tastes through your travels is a clever idea. A fitting replacement for curiosity, to just seek the next new thing because it looks/smells/sounds/tastes good. I like it.


Well, if you look at the 'lizard brain' idea from neuroscience, that might give you ideas. Maybe they operate pretty low on the Maslow's Hierarchy?

It's instinct to accumulate wealth and power in order to attract the best mate and provide the most resources for your children and clan. (It is kind of weird to imagine a social animal with language that still operates like that, but I guess that's the challenge.)

If I were to do it, I imagine it's like being a sociopath in a social setting. They learn to 'play the game' because if they don't, there's obvious negative impact to them and their goals, but they don't care about it as much as all these emotional little monkeys they're adventuring with. So, I could see one rehearsing the key phrases and social customs that seem to placate these weird nervous over-reacting scale-less things, but only doing them like an actor playing a part rather than really embracing it.

And, what would wealth and power be? I could see typical adventurer spoils being enough - it's shiny things that can be traded with this alien culture of soft pink hairless things around us.

Maybe watch some Star Trek series 1 and role play Spock?

That's exactly what I'm talking about. How does an animal trascend from basic instincts to a member of a pseudo-civilized society?

Spock did come to mind, but I think he is way too cordial to be a lizard.:smallbiggrin:



Another angle could be that as they don't really plan for the future they could end up adventuring and exploring Just Because; for the immediate pleasure of meeting and eating interesting new creatures, say, or because they've started and there's no real reason to stop. There's a bit about Hapless Soft Ones in Volo's that reminded me of the character Queequeg from Moby **** - a 'savage' from a fictitious Pacific island who started travelling on whaling ships as a way of learning about Christian civilization. He quickly concluded it was a giant waste of space that could offer him nothing, but he carries on sailing around the world without any particular goal in mind, taking a faint pleasure in looking after and educating the vaguely pathetic white men he finds himself surrounded by. Good for a nautical campaign?

Continuing because there's no reason to stop would fit with an outcast backstory. I'm gonna keep this one in mind.


Remember - all of that stuff does apply, and Lizardfolk are pretty sociopathic except for living in a tribe. That is an imperative to them. From a sociopathic viewpoint, living in a tribe is more beneficial than being alone. From the Lizardfolk's evolutionary standpoint, they must value living in groups more than they value things like personal survival, or else they would be more like dragons and live in solitary conditions.

So all you need to do, is get your character out of one tribe, and into another. That tribe could he the adventuring party, or it could be a culture or organization that the party works for.
Other than that, it's pretty easy; Lizardfolk are extreme utilitarians.
"Why mourn? He's gone, crying does no good, and that's just a body."
"Why are we risking our lives for someone who is not the tribe? People die every day, this one is no different"
You play the odds. I think that a Lizardfolk would be pretty close to K2-SO from 'Rogue One.' You're aware of the odds, and very cynical about them, but you go along with the group because of a sense of loyalty (to your tribe). If the whole tribe dies, it doesn't matter if you live, because now you are no longer part of the tribe. So you might say, "the odds of us defeating an ancient dragon seem very slim, many of us will probably die, and I don't think we should bother to do this," but if that doesn't convince the party to change course, you're going to follow them right in to that dragon's lair, and fight just as hard as anyone to save your tribe.

I could use the loyalty above all mindset as a tool to bond with other PCs and become part of a new tribe.

So I guess the objective would be to making him weird enough in some respect so that he partially contradicts his biology and instincts. Pretty hard, but you guys provided great solutions.

I'm having a lot of fun reading all these different ideas and you've given me a lot to work with. Keep'em coming!

[Unoriginal]

Danger at dunwater (a 1e module) suggests that Volo is an idiot who doesn't know what he is talking about.

[...]

Furthermore in the 3.5e DMG II

The lore of others edition is not relevant to determine that anyone is "an idiot who doesn't know what he is talking about."

Volo's account might be innacurate, but other editions sure as hell aren't evidences of it. It'd be like saying that someone is stupid when they describe a Lamia like a lion-centaur woman, because 4e clearly shows that they are shapeshifting swarms of insects.

[Pr6i6e6st]

Start with "there's a thing! Can I eat it?"

https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/fr/cp0/e15/q65/18119120_10158524094035621_3559152322113169672_n.j pg?efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&oh=8f58402376ff42706b727e33f1948e6a&oe=59779824

[Rakku]

Start with "there's a thing! Can I eat it?"

Haha very nice job. This'll be quite helpful to get in the appropriate mindset.

[Steampunkette]

Alternatively: Look to the experience of people on the Autism Spectrum.

Read their stories and their experiences (Not the experiences of their families lamenting having been burdened with an autistic person 'cause that **** is gross as ****) and take insight from them. Maybe instead of Stimming for emotional/physical distraction your character could seek warmth, food, or comfort. I imagine a lizardfolk in a group of adventurers would have, like, -no- concept of personal space, just rubbing right up against the 98.6 degree living water bottle.

[Regitnui]

Alternatively: Look to the experience of people on the Autism Spectrum.

Read their stories and their experiences (Not the experiences of their families lamenting having been burdened with an autistic person 'cause that **** is gross as ****) and take insight from them. Maybe instead of Stimming for emotional/physical distraction your character could seek warmth, food, or comfort. I imagine a lizardfolk in a group of adventurers would have, like, -no- concept of personal space, just rubbing right up against the 98.6 degree living water bottle.

that could be a great roleplaying opportunity if the closest "water bottle" was the stereotypically pretty elven rogue/sorcerer/little-clothed class played by a teenage boy.

[Kastomere]

One more reason a lizardfolk might go adventuring is if he had a drug addiction that he needed to feed, or something of a similar nature. I did that with my yuan-ti, think it plays well, and I think the concept will probably apply well to lizardfolk as well.

[Soullessss]

I'm currently playing a Lizardfolk in one of my friends campaigns that he made. The backstory i had made was that his tribe of lizardfolk worshiped a Black Dragon and got sorcerous magic out of the deal. After a while the dragon became dissapointed with the tribe and came back to kill them all. Long story short the tribe and a few other neighboring forces of humans and elves barely slayed the dragon with me suicide bombing the dragon with Wild Magic. I was then resurrected via the humans and instead of staying I left feeling I served my purpose and left to go find another tribe or group, which ended up being my adventure group. In Volo's guide it says that Lizardfolk think of Humans as "Soft" and some feel a sense of pity for them and can grow protective of certain humans. You can use this if your party has any Humans or maybe Elves in order to get attached to your party. Our group's cleric is Human and has saved me and the group a few times already (As is the cleric's job) so I've grown a sense of protectiveness towards the cleric as I see the one healer in our party as "Soft" and "In need of protecting".

[MaxWilson]

A friend of mine got The Tales from The Yawning Portal recently and wants to try out the new Tomb of Horrors. He asked me to build a tank if possible and the Lizardfolk from Volo's Guide came to mind. Lizardfolk's natural armor gives a nice boost to AC, I love all the flavor that comes with the race and lizards in general, so I thought it'd be perfect.

The thing is that actually roleplaying a Lizardfolk is really dificult. To begin with, there's the lack of empathy thing. Lizardfolk are not robots without any emotions, but they express them in such a different manner than other humanoids. Because they are so calculating and pragmatic, they might not get angry, sad, excited or scared in a number of situations that most other characters would. Volo's Guide gives the example that, if a creature threatens a Lizardfolk, they don't feel afraid, they don't tremble, scream or even get nervous; they merely consider the creature fearsome because of its size or apparent strenght and they either run away until cornered or fight if they think the threat can be eliminated easily. They don't really get angry, offended or insulted in general; they just react agressively towards someone that tries to harm them. Then, there's the problem of companionship. Lizardfolk don't care about the past and never mourn their dead, so if a fellow adventurer falls in battle, they don't get sad, they just lament the loss of an useful ally. In fact, they only value others because of their usefulness, so how do I form connections with other PCs?

I would appreciate some ideas or experiencies you had while roleplaying Lizardfolk for inspiration.

I haven't ever played a Lizardman yet, but the fluff about their emotions is exactly why I want to at some point. Mechanically they are quite unexciting, but how coldblooded their emotions are... I can actually relate to them! Lizardmen are one of the best things in Volo's Guide.

So I have no concrete help to give, no stories or advice. I just wanted to chime in and say that Lizardmen are awesome!

Edit: RE: "why would a lizardman even be an adventurer to begin with?" it depends on the campaign but one fun idea could be, "I've been spacewrecked on this planet and I'm trying to get off it and back to a more comfortable climate. Everything here is vaguely irritating."

[SaurOps]

Well, if you look at the 'lizard brain' idea from neuroscience, that might give you ideas. Maybe they operate pretty low on the Maslow's Hierarchy?

It's instinct to accumulate wealth and power in order to attract the best mate and provide the most resources for your children and clan. (It is kind of weird to imagine a social animal with language that still operates like that, but I guess that's the challenge.)

If I were to do it, I imagine it's like being a sociopath in a social setting. They learn to 'play the game' because if they don't, there's obvious negative impact to them and their goals, but they don't care about it as much as all these emotional little monkeys they're adventuring with. So, I could see one rehearsing the key phrases and social customs that seem to placate these weird nervous over-reacting scale-less things, but only doing them like an actor playing a part rather than really embracing it.

And, what would wealth and power be? I could see typical adventurer spoils being enough - it's shiny things that can be traded with this alien culture of soft pink hairless things around us.

Maybe watch some Star Trek series 1 and role play Spock?

The "lizard brain" concept? The concept that was on shaky ground when it was put forward decades ago and has toppled like a jenga tower since then, particularly in the past 12 years, owing to its utter and complete lack of support? That lizard brain concept?

[SociopathFriend]

TL;DR: How do you roleplay a lizard?

Short version- in whatever fashion fits you and the campaign. If you're enjoying the experience and everyone around you is enjoying/tolerating-but-not-hating the experience- you're doing fine. If you'd like a simple explanation, play like you're an alien, because you basically are one once you're outside your tribe. Question everything- even simple stuff any human would know. Insist everything is backwards and makes no sense. Never let anyone use a metaphor or analogy without asking how that works. Be Drax from the Guardians of the Galaxy- it's not THAT far off.
A longer explanation follows later if you want one.

However,
why would a Lizardfolk even be an adventurer? is somewhat easy to sell. Why does anyone become an Adventurer?
For money and fame? Alright, these particular motivations don't work.
To challenge body and mind? This is actually not impossible as Lizardfolk do like to hunt. Maybe not in a Goku sense of, "I must find something strong to fight" but building themselves into fearsome killing machines by journeying to find the nastiest stuff they can is not disallowed by the Lizardfolk background.
For vengeance? Now Lizardfolk aren't very emotional- this is true. However it's perfectly plausible for their tribe to have a rule like- "If another comes and kills without cause- the other will die." Lack of emotion =/= lack of rules and laws. They may be more barbaric laws but they are still laws.
For loss? The standard Barbarian idea of, "My tribe has been wiped out- I must travel now because nothing is left for me." Can suit a Lizardfolk fine. They live in very dangerous areas and, as rational creatures, would know that surviving alone is not possible without help.
Or there's just something that has to be done- a quest by another name. A monster nearby that has to be slain, a human overlord who keeps intruding into their territory and ruining hunts, a disease among them that they cannot cure on their own, etc.
Just because someone dropping dead suddenly makes them food doesn't mean Lizardfolk won't value them alive.

Now as for roleplaying- I myself am not the most certain but I followed the above idea of so long as I'm happy and the group is happy- I'm doing it right.
So to answer your questions-
WHY
My Lizardfolk in 5e (Ro'Shi) is one of many hunters (Barbarian/Ranger) that has been sent out from his tribe in order to find and destroy the curse that is raising undead. While the Lizardfolk don't bother raising their dead and so the main part of the curse does nothing to them- the endless undead are ruining the hunts and food options for the tribe. They cannot all leave or what little territory they have will vanish- so they sent out the best hunters they had and, because their numbers are so few, the hunters had to split up to cover more ground quickly.
Now, cold-blooded reptile or not, even a Lizardfolk knows they'll have a better chance of getting through the jungle with others assisting them. Ro'Shi found a group comprised of what he calls "Soft-skins" and is now traveling with them as they seem to have some idea of where to go to fix the curse.
How
Ro'Shi is quiet and focused primarily on the mission, eating/obtaining food, and his party's safety- not necessarily in that order. He will respond when spoken to and will ask questions if he is confused by something but otherwise doesn't do chit-chat or long explanations.
Succeeding in the mission will be easier and more likely with the party- so Ro'Shi frequently finds himself attempting to save the Soft-skins even at his own peril. Just last session a flying thing picked up a party member and was going to drop him off the mountain. Ro'Shi jumped straight up, grabbed onto it, and proceeded to beat the crap out of it and even was allowed to use a reaction to tank the resulting fall hero-style for his ally (squishy Warlock) to ensure his safety. He did not do this because "Friends forever" "hugs and kisses" or the like- but because he knows he needs every bit of help he can get to succeed.
However, if a party member dies, Ro'Shi immediately insists they are food. As of yet, the party has made it clear that no party member is acceptable food regardless of what Ro'Shi insists, nor any other humanoid unless the party dislikes them. Ro'Shi does not understand this rule but, as above, the party is helpful so he'll listen.
If you'd like a more humorous angle, Ro'Shi is also quite fun given the Lizardfolk naming system- things are described by what they do- not who they are (Yes, Ro'Shi does not follow this convention, I didn't know about it when we started).
I have a list of names for each party member and never call anyone by name or race. Three examples:
The Dwarf Paladin is: Short-Strider, He Who Hits With Gods, He Who Shouts
The Tiefling Warlock is: He Who Throws Bananas, Fire Toucher, He Who Speaks with Jar
The Human Archer was: Fast Shooter, He Who Shoots Many Arrows, He Who Misses With Many Arrows, Food, Not Food
Honestly playing him like a particularly isolated Barbarian works pretty well in the long run.
He does not quite understand the concept of jokes. So far as he is aware- you state something obvious and then laugh. "You are short- ha! You are female- ha! You have fur on your face- ha! He is dead- ha!" (The last one almost caused a fight but them's the breaks)
He's also hopelessly confused by telling Soft-skins apart. When an unknown male and female human approach him- Ro'Shi will directly refer to the female as the "Soft-skin with melons under shirt" as he otherwise cannot distinguish between them and has little idea what a breast is. If the woman exclaims they are not "fruit" then Ro'Shi accepts the call and refers to her as "Soft-skin that does NOT have melons under shirt." Obviously- this tends to get a reaction from humans and Ro'Shi does not understand why the reaction is such a negative one. That's the thing- he simply won't understand normal things you take for granted.
Like-wise Ro'Shi when meeting with the "Merchant Prince of Clothes" wishes to know why Soft-skins use them as they provide no real protection and only get in the way when fighting. He demands the "Prince" undo this waste of material and have everyone remove the useless clothing. Obviously- this ends poorly and he is told to leave.
He then proceeded to buy and eat a live pig in the city- offering raw meat to nearby people if they kept looking at him as he doesn't realize the expression of "Disgust" and he was hungry and had gold that he saw no value in save for gaining more food.

[Vorok]

One possible reason for adventuring is that the lizard folk is (basically) a bodyguard for one of the casters in the party, which would tie him to the party).

Similar to the life-debt of the wookiees from star wars, or the lizard companion, Qyzen Fess for jedi consulars from star wars the old republic.

[LudicSavant]

why would a Lizardfolk even be an adventurer?

Pretty much all of the utilitarian reasons anyone else would be an adventurer, plus a few more.

Why fight evil? Same reason many other people do. It threatens the way of life of you or your community or your allies.

Why care about getting loot? Same reason many other people do. It is useful A sharp sword makes you a finer hunter. Stout armor can exceed even your scales. And shiny rocks can be traded to fools who do not have their priorities straight for meat and other useful things.

Why care about improving skills? Same reason that many other people do; to better accomplish their goals. The best adventurer is also the best hunter and gatherer, by the way. And it is a rare privilege to be able to taste dragon meat.

Why form mutually beneficial relationships with other creatures (aka friendships)? Because they're mutually beneficial, obviously. And what's this nonsense about saying that we don't care about our friends just because we'll eat a corpse? Only a human would be foolish enough to confuse dead meat for a friend. You cannot be friends with dead meat, foolish human. You see? *Pokes to indicate the meat is not moving or capable of acting in any friendly manner.*

And it would be a big mistake to think that one cannot pursue goals without feelings of anger or sadness or whatever. Even a computer can pursue goals with a single-minded relentlessness that can surpass the most fiery passion.

[JackPhoenix]

Why would a Lizardfolk even be an adventurer?

To kill the necromancer who raises things that have been dead for over a year.

[smcmike]

Treat all that stuff in Volo’s as a stereotype. Maybe lizardfolk cultivate the idea that they are stone-cold sociopaths on purpose. They know that hairyfolk are freaked out by their dead lizard eyes, and they use this barrier to keep their complex interior lives secret.

Of course, inscrutability is a pretty boring thing to role-play, but if you’re involved in a long campaign you can slowly let things slip out as you open up.

[Sigreid]

Adventuring can provide the resources to secure the survival of your offspring and tribe. The reputation of being a heroic adventurer could prevent a war with the mammals that could destroy the tribe.

Just for 2 decent reasons.

[Grod_The_Giant]

I mean... emotionally detached, pragmatic to a fault, no real in-universe motivations... sounds like every stereotypical murderhobo PC ever, really.

(Edit: for my current Lizardfolk Ranger, I've been playing up the pragmatism and changing "emotionless" to "doesn't really understand how other races deal with emotions." He's perpetually cheerful and optimistic, and really just dosn't get why people keep getting upset when he says things like "sorry your friend is dead, but we have dinner now and his strength will live on in us.")

[Sariel Vailo]

Since i play lizard folk monks i take the kung fu panda aproach. As the strongest of their tribe went out hunting a group of bad adventurers claimed "EASY EXPERIENCE BOYS!!!!"" The lizzard folk badly injured had fled close to a monastery, the monks had come to his aid and trained him,physically mentally and spiritually, he had unlocked compassion through meditation. He had comrades and even a new tribe. He will take the name oogwei and strive to bring balance. Good and evil are concepts but i enjoy teaching,

[Monster Manuel]

Something to try: base your character beats off of Lt. Data from Next Generation, rather than Mr. Spock. He's fascinated by the depth of emotion that the mammalian species experience, and has set out to live among them to try and understand it better.

Play, for example, a Lizardfolk paladin, who has heard of these weird concepts of chivalry and knightly honor, and wants to try to live up to this ideal. He genuinely tries to show compassion for the downtrodden, and to act with honor and he messes it up more often than not, but he means well.

The difference between playing a Mr. Data vs a Mr. Spock, is that the intention to fit in is built into the concept, so no need to try to shoe-horn yourself into the group, or come up with contrived ways to fit in with an otherwise well-intentioned adventuring group. You can act as any regular character would, but still get to play up the alien angle by subtly (or not-so-subtly)getting your reactions wrong.

Villager: "Help! My Mother-in-law has been carried off by ogres!"
Lizard: "Oh! I am so happy for you!"
Villager: "...what?"
Lizard: "I understood that Mothers-in-law and their sons-in-law had an adversarial relationship? You have rid yourself of a rival!"
Party: "Stop talking, Lizard. You're making it worse."
Lizard: "Is this not an event to be celebrated?"
Villager; "No, you monster. Someone has to rescue her!"
Lizard: "Ah! I understand! She is 'an innocent'. I will go and rescue 'the innocent', as that is what heroes do, and I am a hero".
Party: "good enough..."
Party: "Also, that thing you were doing? That wasn't a smile. Just so you know"

[Mister_Squinty]

Treat all that stuff in Volo’s as a stereotype. Maybe lizardfolk cultivate the idea that they are stone-cold sociopaths on purpose. They know that hairyfolk are freaked out by their dead lizard eyes, and they use this barrier to keep their complex interior lives secret.

Of course, inscrutability is a pretty boring thing to role-play, but if you’re involved in a long campaign you can slowly let things slip out as you open up.

What if Volo only actually spent time with one Lizardfolk, and that guy was just screwing with Volo the whole time?

[willdaBEAST]

Something to try: base your character beats off of Lt. Data from Next Generation, rather than Mr. Spock. He's fascinated by the depth of emotion that the mammalian species experience, and has set out to live among them to try and understand it better.

Play, for example, a Lizardfolk paladin, who has heard of these weird concepts of chivalry and knightly honor, and wants to try to live up to this ideal. He genuinely tries to show compassion for the downtrodden, and to act with honor and he messes it up more often than not, but he means well.

The difference between playing a Mr. Data vs a Mr. Spock, is that the intention to fit in is built into the concept, so no need to try to shoe-horn yourself into the group, or come up with contrived ways to fit in with an otherwise well-intentioned adventuring group. You can act as any regular character would, but still get to play up the alien angle by subtly (or not-so-subtly)getting your reactions wrong.
This is almost exactly what I did with my Lizardfolk Paladin for ToA. I even named him Limbic, since his goal was to try to understand emotion and empathy. He was taken as an egg from Chult and brought to Waterdeep by an adventurer/scientist (who I named Noonian Spiner as a TNG reference). Initially there was an attempt to raise him in a human family (much like that experiment with the Chimpanzee Nim) and for obvious reasons that didn't work out. Instead the scientist raised him and instilled a strict code of behavior that the Lizardfolk dutifully followed without making moral judgements (LN). Limbic was fond of heroic tales of knights and valor, so his arc dealt with the consequences of such idealism in a terrifying place like Chult. He also had never met another Lizardfolk prior to his journey to Chult.

[SaurOps]

What if Volo only actually spent time with one Lizardfolk, and that guy was just screwing with Volo the whole time?

It's a good way to make sure that people don't try to mess with your home. That way, you can also shift the roleplaying experience to how long the character can keep up the "emotionless murder machine" masquerade before it becomes apparent that it was just hype, or have the player write up a long series of rants about how mammal-folk will believe anything.

[GlenSmash!]

I'd play it like Spock.

Occasionally I would comment that it is more efficient to eat the dead.

Boom, Lizardfolk.

[Asmotherion]

It's easy really. Every time, before you act, think to yourself "does that serve me, as an individual/group? If so, how?".

This is the basic guidline to your RP. Lacking a good Cha score, means you don't have to care about coming about it as a complete brute. Having a higher Cha Score means you can make an effort to "pretend you care", but ultimatelly you don't, so if comfronted about it, ask them to appreciate the effort; most of your kind don't try to fake empathy to make others feel more at ease, and you do so to "communicate better" with your useful co-travelers.

That's about it. Easy RP.

Why do you let them share loot? Because you deem your partenership benefical on a long term basis, and as long as they keep fighting alongside you, you can kill more things, and get more loot, than you, alone could. Same for sharing food, etc.

Why not betray them on a crucial moment of life and death with odds against you? Well, if you did, and they ended up winning nevertheless, the breach of trust would mean you would be the enemy, and then, would have to fight them; Such a battle, after having confirmed their ability to overcome a powerful enemy would be undesirable at best, so you'd rather avoid such a situation.

You can find ways to "utiliterian explain" any decision you make.

[BlackDog918]

See I always had this great concept (in my mind at least) for a lizardfolk ranger that was basically a Cajun chef that hunted all his own ingredients. Thick accent, big spoon, every "crazy bayou dweller" stereotype you can think of, and entirely motivated by hunger. Every enemy slain went into the pot, and so ignorant of civilized culture that he would have to have been actively babysat every time the party entered a village because he would sneak off and raid the local chicken coops. He'd just snap a couple of them up whole but a few would make it into the stew pot for the night.

[Sorlock Master]

Why would they adventure?

1: Thier tribe was destroyed.
2: Some threat (disease/curse) is ravaging thier tribe and they need some one powerful enough to handle the problem.
3: Right of passage, you have to survive for x amount of time outside the tribe.
4: A relic was stolen from the tribe and you have been sent to retrive it.
5: your an Outcast because you (Killed some one/Banged the Chiefs daughter)

How do you RP a lizardfolk?

1: Read books about Utilitarianism.

2: Think in those terms everytime something happens.

Keep in mind every time you get in a fight you should insist your party feed (insert weakest party memeber name) to what ever your fighting.

How do I connect with other PCs?

1: they are things, not people, so connect with thier utility. How do you feel when your car breaks down? That how a lizardfolk would feel about thier party members dying, and then they eat them.

[randomodo]

Couple of points. If you read The Expanse, or watch the show, one character is essentially a sociopath who recognizes that is sociopathy is not socially useful. So he essentially has outsourced his conscience to a different character, and tries to model his behavior under the template of "Would Namoi like it if i did X?"

there are also good role playing opportunities for a lizard man if you take into consideration that they are attempting to act socially but don't quite understand idiom (much like the mother-in-law example above). One player in a group I had played lizard man who attempted to show sympathy but did not quite understand the Continuum of Badness. So his response to anything from a death in the family to a stubbed toe was, "my deepest sympathies for your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you.'