Sentient Lizard Race [PEACH]

[Falcon X]

I have a player who wants to play a lizard who magically gained sentience and a medium size. Her vision concept is Randall (https://youtu.be/fCtrlCTctNs) from Monster Inc.
I'm trying to make it not-broken, so I'm using Volos Lizardfolk as a guide.
Thanks to CaptDeathCap (https://www.reddit.com/r/UnearthedArcana/comments/5rggm0/lizardfolk_variant_chameleon_5e/) for some of the verbiage.

Humanoid Lizard
Ability Score Increase. +2 Dexterity, +1 Constitution
Size. Medium
Speed. Walk 30', Climb 30'
Tongue-lash. So long as the use of your tongue is not inhibited, your unarmed strikes are considered to have the Reach property. Additionally, you can make minor interactions with your tongue, such as activating buttons, casting touch spells or retrieving small items, from a distance of up to 10 feet.
Adaptive Camouflage. Your skin can change color to match your environment, giving you a natural advantage when trying to travel unseen. You can take the Hide action so long as you are adjacent to any opaque object or solid surface.
In addition, whenever you are hidden and stand still, creatures have disadvantage on all ability checks made to detect you that rely on sight.
Griptail. Your tail is a prehensile appendage, that
you can use to grab and hold small objects,
and to anchor yourself to terrain.
Speak with Lizards. The Humanoid Lizard can communicate simple concepts to lizards.
Languages. Common

Notes/reasonings:
- Only things that worry me are the Camo if used with Rogue or Tongue-lash if used with Monk. Still, I might just be paranoid.
- Tradeoffs from Lizardfolk race:
Swim 30 = Climb 30
Bite = Tongue Lash
Draconic = Speak with Lizards (Verbage from MM Bullywug)
Hold Breath = Prehensile Tail (both modify movement)
Everything Else = Adaptive Camouflage

Things I considered adding in were Athletics skill or Darkvision.
Any thoughts?

[King539]

Perhaps have a mod move this to homebrew?

[Dappershire]

Troglodytes.

[Zanthy1]

Seems fine to me, just rule that the tongue and tail cannot be used as part of additional attacks if you feel that is a worry. I feel that the camo should just flat out give people disadvantage on visual perception checks to see the character when active, and it should require an action to do so, and maybe even have a time limit?

My thought is twice per day you can activate your camo and it lasts for 1 minute. Of if you want to make it more sneaky and less combaty, say that if you remain still the effect is active and you get advantage on your hide check. Something like that

[Falcon X]

Not sure how to get a moderators attention, but you're right, this does belong in homebrew.


Seems fine to me, just rule that the tongue and tail cannot be used as part of additional attacks if you feel that is a worry. I feel that the camo should just flat out give people disadvantage on visual perception checks to see the character when active, and it should require an action to do so, and maybe even have a time limit?

My thought is twice per day you can activate your camo and it lasts for 1 minute. Of if you want to make it more sneaky and less combaty, say that if you remain still the effect is active and you get advantage on your hide check. Something like that
Great ideas, though I don't think myself or my player are intrigued by keeping track of a x/rest usage. Still, it would be consistent with game mechanics....
She also won't be playing monk or rogue, so I'm not too concerned with the OP of the options presented. (She intends to be an artificer)

Also, I'm still considering adding in Darkvision. It is highly appropriate for a lizard. Do we think this is too much?

[TrinculoLives]

The homebrew sub-forum is not exactly a happening place. My first thread there received all of zero responses.

But then it wasn't a particularly useful topic. Well whatever.

[Zanthy1]

Not sure how to get a moderators attention, but you're right, this does belong in homebrew.


Great ideas, though I don't think myself or my player are intrigued by keeping track of a x/rest usage. Still, it would be consistent with game mechanics....
She also won't be playing monk or rogue, so I'm not too concerned with the OP of the options presented. (She intends to be an artificer)

Also, I'm still considering adding in Darkvision. It is highly appropriate for a lizard. Do we think this is too much?

Darkvision used to mean something, now not having it means something. It means you suck. Literally every race in the PHB has it except human and dragonborn. It is pretty lame if you ask me. I would def give darkvision (60ft) if other memebers of the party have it. It is just annoying if one party member doesnt have it, and not necesary if only one has it.

[Khrysaes]

Darkvision used to mean something, now not having it means something. It means you suck. Literally every race in the PHB has it except human and dragonborn. It is pretty lame if you ask me. I would def give darkvision (60ft) if other memebers of the party have it. It is just annoying if one party member doesnt have it, and not necesary if only one has it.

Halflings dont. But they are good because of lucky, and hiding behind the bigger people.


I would recommend specifying that the tongue lash is an unarmed attack using the tongue. As it reads now, it says all unarmed attacks. Mechanically I know it shouldn't be important, but it wouldn't make sense to have an unimpeded tongue and make a 10ft punch.

you can make the camo skin work in some functionality akin to Hide in plain sight, or even just hide as a bonus action. the revised ranger imposes a -10 to perception to find the hiding player if they aren't moving. Perhaps give them a -5? Or model it off of the Wood elf's hide bonus. or maybe something as simple as proficiency in stealth.

Does gripping the ground give a benefit in some way? I can see how useful holding an object would be. what about other creatures? Would it give some benefit to grapple?

Maybe make it give advantage to resist being pushed or shoved or grappled, and have advantage when making athletic's or acrobatics checks, or used in a grapple. Not all of these, but something.

Dark vision definitely.

Maybe a small climb speed. 15 or 20 ft. if modeled after Randall, he definitely had gecko like abilities. Maybe the tail just gives a bonus to acrobatics for climbing, since it is harder to fall.