A More Lizardy Lizardfolk

[Alimack]

My Volo's Guide came in the post yesterday and I've been having lots of fun planning Lizardfolk characters. The racial traits lend themselves to some flavourful builds, from the scavenging, javelin-wielding skirmisher to the tough scaly swamp shaman: what I'm wondering, though, is if anyone has a good idea for a build that uses all of them?

It seems tricky to me - you want DEX for your natural armour, STR for biting and to throw scavenged javelins about, and you get CON and WIS as ability score bonuses. I feel like you'd always have to neglect one of these (probably STR as you won't be biting much and Hungry Jaws is linked to CON instead).

I realise there's no real reason to insist on making use of every racial trait - you could happily play a Lizardfolk Fighter with STR and CON and heavy armour, occasionally bite people's faces off and maybe be glad you've got scales when you end up in a prisonbreak or something - but with every character I dream up I think "Ah, but it's a shame I won't be getting anything out of my fangs/scales/facility with recycling..."

I'd love to hear what other people have thought up. Put me out of my misery!

[Maxilian]

Be a Barbarian?

They use all those stats, just that your DEX will not be at Max (maybe 16, CON as will work together with DEX for you AC, may go Highter, giving you more reason to use your bite), MC 1 lvl into Monk so you get the Bonus Action bite and in melee you shall eat whatever is in your way STR, and if someone or something try to run away from you, Javelin to the back.

Well... The 1 lvl monk is not needed but i like the Lizardfolk that wants to eat everything. (or at least taste it -Maybe he even have a cooking book about the different "recipes" he have created all over the years :P )

[Mortis_Elrod]

My Volo's Guide came in the post yesterday and I've been having lots of fun planning Lizardfolk characters. The racial traits lend themselves to some flavourful builds, from the scavenging, javelin-wielding skirmisher to the tough scaly swamp shaman: what I'm wondering, though, is if anyone has a good idea for a build that uses all of them?

It seems tricky to me - you want DEX for your natural armour, STR for biting and to throw scavenged javelins about, and you get CON and WIS as ability score bonuses. I feel like you'd always have to neglect one of these (probably STR as you won't be biting much and Hungry Jaws is linked to CON instead).

I realise there's no real reason to insist on making use of every racial trait - you could happily play a Lizardfolk Fighter with STR and CON and heavy armour, occasionally bite people's faces off and maybe be glad you've got scales when you end up in a prisonbreak or something - but with every character I dream up I think "Ah, but it's a shame I won't be getting anything out of my fangs/scales/facility with recycling..."

I'd love to hear what other people have thought up. Put me out of my misery!

Easy. Be a Monk.







Elaborate you say? Well, you start off with a solid unarmed strike which you can now use your dex with, with a dagger you can go make more weapons for yourself. More MONK weapons to be exact, and a shield. Bonus proffs are good on everyone. con+wis is good for you. Everything is usable for a monk except a shield. You AC point buy would be the same as your scales likely so just go with scales till you can increase dex and wis.

[Mortis_Elrod]

Be a Barbarian?

They use all those stats, just that your DEX will not be at Max (maybe 16, CON as will work together with DEX for you AC, may go Highter, giving you more reason to use your bite), MC 1 lvl into Monk so you get the Bonus Action bite and in melee you shall eat whatever is in your way STR, and if someone or something try to run away from you, Javelin to the back.

Well... The 1 lvl monk is not needed but i like the Lizardfolk that wants to eat everything. (or at least taste it -Maybe he even have a cooking book about the different "recipes" he have created all over the years :P )

this is good too. Even take the gourmand feat and cook up your enemies for the party.

[Maxilian]

this is good too. Even take the gourmand feat and cook up your enemies for the party.

Not sure your party will be happy about that (as you will run into many enemies that are... humanoids) so my recommendation... leave your recipes as "secrets", i mean.... the Paladin does not need to know that he is eating that Young Human Thief that attacked us, i mean... look at him, he is enjoying it so much! don't ruin it for him.

[Mortis_Elrod]

Not sure your party will be happy about that (as you will run into many enemies that are... humanoids) so my recommendation... leave your recipes as "secrets", i mean.... the Paladin does not need to know that he is eating that Young Human Thief that attacked us, i mean... look at him, he is enjoying it so much! don't ruin it for him.

of course. we'll just say its a 'Fresh Kill'

[Belltent]

I dislike the build of this race for this specific reason. Good races nudge you in a direction or two with some curated options. Lizardfolk just look like someone left a bunch of random stuff on the floor.

Druid. See if your DM allows the bite for health to persist while wildshaped (they should.)

[Maxilian]

I dislike the build of this race for this specific reason. Good races nudge you in a direction or two with some curated options. Lizardfolk just look like someone left a bunch of random stuff on the floor.

Druid. See if your DM allows the bite for health to persist while wildshaped (they should.)

What? the Lizarfolk does push you to some sides.

Barbarian and Monk are good for stats (and for Monk they got a better UA dice at lvl), they are also great Clerics, stats works great, if you go with any Cleric domain that does not get Plate Armor, your Unarmored defense is quite useful (in some cases, make the need of armor null till you find magic armor), then you got Druid, great stats for druid, even more if you plan on going Land Druid (Got your own Unarmored Defense, get all the stats you need).

If you go with Monk, you can make your own Monk weapons (mainly daggers to have a range monk weapon that can be easily redone) and if you are a Barbarian, you can make yourself some Javelins to also use as Thrown weapon when people are out of range (And if you want you can also make yourself a shield).

You got free proficiency in 2 of this skills: Perception, Stealth, Survival, Animal Handling. (Some are extremely goodl like Perception -one of the most used, and Stealth and Survival work pretty well for anyone) also if you go wih Druid / Cleric they also work with your casting stat

Note: Also your bonus action attack is useful for many (A Barbarian / Cleric / Land Druid normally doesn't have much to do with their bonus action -Unless you want to use a spellslot or you are going to rage)

[Alimack]

Ahh, a lot of good suggestions! I like Barbarian and Monk, although you're doubling up on armour-free resilience; it's a shame you can't combine martial arts with a shield, then you could leave the Monk's Unarmoured Defence and rely on your scales instead. Might be something one could speak to one's DM about. Good shout with the manufactured daggers as well, I'd missed that!

Intrigued by the Cleric - maybe Light Domain? A sun-worshipping lizard prophet emerging from the desert to preach the good word (read: set fire to people) seems like a cool character concept. Maybe room for a Monk dip to let you eat people too?

The Druid seems almost the most natural fit (no pun intended), tough spellcaster with a bit more bite in close combat (sorry, I can't help it). Could you lean a bit more on your scales, high CON and maybe Shillelagh to make a gishy Land Druid? Pretty suboptimal compared to Wild Shape, I'm sure, but could be fun as a sinister shaman type.

[Alimack]

this is good too. Even take the gourmand feat and cook up your enemies for the party.

This is a brilliant idea! Had completely overlooked the Gourmand feat before. Nice with a shamanic or witch-doctory lizard too!

[Maxilian]

Intrigued by the Cleric - maybe Light Domain? A sun-worshipping lizard prophet emerging from the desert to preach the good word (read: set fire to people) seems like a cool character concept. Maybe room for a Monk dip to let you eat people too?


Do you mean cook dinner?




The Druid seems almost the most natural fit (no pun intended), tough spellcaster with a bit more bite in close combat (sorry, I can't help it). Could you lean a bit more on your scales, high CON and maybe Shillelagh to make a gishy Land Druid? Pretty suboptimal compared to Wild Shape, I'm sure, but could be fun as a sinister shaman type.

Land Druid Lizardfolk is far from suboptimal (Wildshape is nice and all, but not the best thing ever) have in mind that as a Druid you are a Full caster, and Lizardfolk make you a little more durable for a caster (There are some spells that you need to hug with your life, mainly those that summon things *Looking at you Conjure Woodland Beings*).

Shillelagh would be nice for the first couple of lvls (before lvl 5, after everyone will get Extra Attack, then it won't be that useful cause your damage output will be way behind the rest so, you can use Flame Blade to substitude it for lvl 5 and 6, but after that it doesn't scale that well -But you will have enough spell slot already to just basically cast away your problems :P-)

[Belltent]

What? the Lizarfolk does push you to some sides.

Barbarian and Monk are good for stats (and for Monk they got a better UA dice at lvl), they are also great Clerics, stats works great, if you go with any Cleric domain that does not get Plate Armor, your Unarmored defense is quite useful (in some cases, make the need of armor null till you find magic armor), then you got Druid, great stats for druid, even more if you plan on going Land Druid (Got your own Unarmored Defense, get all the stats you need).

If you go with Monk, you can make your own Monk weapons (mainly daggers to have a range monk weapon that can be easily redone) and if you are a Barbarian, you can make yourself some Javelins to also use as Thrown weapon when people are out of range (And if you want you can also make yourself a shield).

You got free proficiency in 2 of this skills: Perception, Stealth, Survival, Animal Handling. (Some are extremely goodl like Perception -one of the most used, and Stealth and Survival work pretty well for anyone) also if you go wih Druid / Cleric they also work with your casting stat

Note: Also your bonus action attack is useful for many (A Barbarian / Cleric / Land Druid normally doesn't have much to do with their bonus action -Unless you want to use a spellslot or you are going to rage)

I don't disagree with any of your recommendations. I just meant, comparatively speaking, a wood elf cleric (for example) will have an easier time using all its racials, (other than mask of the wild, but thats a dev issue) and have better stats than a lizardfolk cleric will. Just my opinion. Something always seems to be left beind with them. I think they are super cool, my favorite race of volo's thematically speaking, I just sometimes wish the design were a bit more narrow or the attributes tweaked.

However! This is a post about the best class to lizardfolk with and you have fulfilled the assignment far more admirably than myself.

[Alimack]

I dislike the build of this race for this specific reason.

I feel your pain, brother. Although thinking about it I'm sure there's a few other racial traits that don't see much play - Wood Elves who never pick up a longsword and the like - so maybe the Lizardfolk seems worse than it is just because it has so many cool abilities?


Do you mean cook dinner?

There's a good roleplaying hook too! A Lizardfolk outcast, forced out of his clan because of his twisted appetite for cooked flesh :smalltongue:

Would one level of Monk help offset the Lizard Land Druid's lack of Extra Attack, by letting you bite every round for 1d6 plus STR or DEX? Been looking at some of the Circle spells and there's a few that seem fun for a close-combat spellcaster. That said I think I'd want to use a shield if I was diving recklessly into the melee.

Another class I was considering was Rogue, to emphasise the stealthy hunter side of Lizardfolk. No +DEX, but you'll get to use your Natural Armour, you can craft darts and blowgun needles and maybe play around with poison a bit, and the two extra skill proficiencies are nice as well. The plan would eventually be to take Assassin as your subclass and then infiltrate mostly-human organisations wearing a very convincing false moustache.

[Drackolus]

If you're open to homebrew, the Pugilist on the dungeon master's guild is what you want.

Consider that the lizardfolk have an attack that uses no hands. That's two hands for grappling two blokes.