Greetings!
Well, as my campaigns have developed in the World of Thandor with different groups of players, I have set various campaigns in different regions, with some campaigns embracing very different and distinct elements and themes from other regions.
I have some areas for example, where there aren't any Goblins, Orcs, Bugbears or Trolls. Instead, there are Dinosaur-humanoids, lizard-humanoids, snake-humanoids, and toad-humanoids. They do not necessarily have to conform to the other humanoid conventions, either. They can have several hit dice, varying powers and abilities, as well as having class-based individuals. However, I have also enjoyed researching reptiles, dinosaurs, snakes, and toads. There are truthfully dozens of real-world varieties, often possessing various abilities, wildly different appearance and forms, and brilliant colours. From such knowledge and inspiration, I set to work on providing such creatures far more depth, culture, and details than what is found within the Monster Manual.
There are definitely some intriguing aspects of having different levels of civilizations and cultures, for your different reptilian races. They do not always have to be tribal barbarians, or decadent groups living in ruins.
Imagine some of them having enormous cities, great wealth, advanced trade, culture, and technology. Think of some of these strange civilizations *not* being isolated, but huge powers and influential civilizations within a particular region.
Such considerations have definitely provided a whole different milieu for campaigns set within such regions!:D
Have reptilian civilizations surprised you? Have such developments in your campaigns provided a different feel than other campaigns for your players?
Semper Fidelis,
SHARK
I have one reptilian civilization from a setting I made but never ran. These reptilian humanoids are called Drakaina and far from being barbarians, they are actually more intelligent than humans. They had an advanced civilization long before the other races of the world, being older than even the elves. They created pyramids and other ancient massive structures. They have more advanced magic than another other race but their technology is still bronze age, not because they lack the intelligence to innovate but because their society is extremely conservative and they also have magic which makes such technology less important.
I always enjoyed Reptilian races starting with the Yuanti in DnD but also including the Pantathians from the Riftwars novels
I recently received a book I backed on kickstarter for the Arcanis setting: The Ssethregoran Empire Codex Geographica vol. II (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/296320/Arcanis-5E--The-Ssethregoran-Empire-Codex-Geographica-vol-II?src=hottest_filtered) which details the different Reptilian races.
I'm a huge fan of the D&D Yuan-Ti. Human-serpent hybrids; what's not to like?
In the Lejendary Earth setting, early man was enslaved by a reptilian race (dinosaur people?) called the Utiss (actually a very unpronounceable name that got appropriately shortened). This race is long gone (???) and very few ruins of their civilization remain. My players are looking at investigating one of those ruins, which I've described as a cluster of towers linked together by flying bridges. Some of the towers are accessible at ground level, most aren't. I've been slowly making notes on weird edifices and decorations to give the place a suitably unearthly feel. I'm trying to stay away from the whole yuan ti angle, as just feel the whole "evil snake people" is a bit played out by now. At the same time, dinosaur people usually gets you gifs from the old Dinosaurs show. ::sigh::
In Spelljammer lizard men have their own space ships and are known as good for mages to hire onto as the helm master for them. Spelljammer also had the dracon race of dragon/lizard-taur people. Oddly very little was ever said of their society past the initial entry and MC.
There is also the old Reptilliads setting and line of minis. Not sure who made that but used to be all over the place and from all accounts had a fairly well thought out culture.
Then there are the Sobeki race in Wargods of Aegyptus game and minis who are civilized, usually amiable, though occasionally not the brightest of sorts.
In my own book there were the Orcs, who were a race of lizard people that show up in the comic book near the end up the run. Occupying the Nomad Lands and were very territorial and fielded some tough soldiers. Pretty much everyone left them alone, or quickly learned to after tangling with them. They had their own language, but some did learn the standard tongue most other kingdoms used. One of the big advantages they had was that they used alot more hard armour than most other cultures who relied more on chain, scale, leather and so on.
Allmost the setting was that from Vikkie's Xanadu comic. The followup series introduced dino people who had a seafaring culture. And really fleshed out the dragon culture which was oriental themed. Also dealt with the schism between both the dragons and an exiled faction of dragon folk, and the growing unrest over the treatment of non-mythical peoples. I do not know if it ever finished before she passed away.
Quote from: Blusponge;1130639In the Lejendary Earth setting, early man was enslaved by a reptilian race (dinosaur people?) called the Utiss (actually a very unpronounceable name that got appropriately shortened). This race is long gone (???) and very few ruins of their civilization remain. My players are looking at investigating one of those ruins, which I've described as a cluster of towers linked together by flying bridges. Some of the towers are accessible at ground level, most aren't. I've been slowly making notes on weird edifices and decorations to give the place a suitably unearthly feel. I'm trying to stay away from the whole yuan ti angle, as just feel the whole "evil snake people" is a bit played out by now. At the same time, dinosaur people usually gets you gifs from the old Dinosaurs show. ::sigh::
A Lejendary Adventures reference! Nice.
The various Conan games always have and to a great or less degree incorporate an ancient reptile people. Hopefully not just Sleestaks crammed into the setting.
There was also Saurians for Chivalry and Sorcery, though of course those are really birds not reptiles...
This is something I had planned for a setting but never got around finishing (but still might someday). The idea was of a semi-realistic sword & sorcery world where the primary races were naturally evolved species and stuff like magical creatures (including races like elves and fey) might be a possibility, but were native to the Otherworld and could only travel to the natural/mundane world through magical means (like gates found within ley lines or magic energy nodes). So only natural creatures (including megafauna) are normally found in the world, while magical creatures tend to be less common and usually an indication of magical instability around the area.
Humans are the dominant race, and special attention would be given to human subgroups, such as Barbarians, Erudite and Imperial, with cultural benefits for each group (social benefits for Imperials, survival for Barbarians, scholarly for Erudite, etc.), perhaps defining more specific cultures or ethnic groups within each of these subgroups.
But humans would share the world with a limited number of non-human races of other species, including Beastmen distantly related to humans, Lizardmen, Snakemen and probably Giants (who are a dying breed found in remote places, distantly related to humans, but almost twice as tall). Unlike traditional D&D worlds, where all races live together singing Kumbaya, these races are natural competitors competing with humans for natural resources, so they're not always friendly (and neither are different human groups or cultures with each other), though alliances could be borne.
The Lizardmen are a breed of primitive reptilian humanoids who dominate the swamps of the southern continent of the known world, but can also be found in smaller numbers across tropical islands and jungles. They are tough and ferocious, with rough scales and long tails usable in combat and adapted for swimming--giving them an edge in dominating watery terrain. But they lack the vocal apparatus to speak human language, which limits their ability to communicate with other races.
They also possess predatory instincts and are known to sometimes eat members of other species, including humans. Their warriors will sometimes devour their opponents in battle with the aim of striking fear into their enemies hearts and demoralizing them into fleeing with terror. This practice is particularly encouraged by the king of the single Lizardmen kingdom in the known world, which lies at the heart of the largest marshland in the southern continent, and has begun expanding and trying to subsume the surrounding human lands under their control.
Lizardmen also mature faster than humans and reproduce by laying eggs which can hatch on their own. The Lizardman Kingdom has been taking advantage of this fact by mass-breeding Lizardmen soldiers (using slave broodmare concubines) taught to fight without question since an early age and to serve the Lizardman King's mad ambition. Lizardmen from other areas tend to be less aggressive or brutal, but also less organized or sophisticated, so they are often hunted for slave labor or sport. Captured Lizardmen often end up fighting in the arena where they can draw large crowds drawn to the exotic gladiatorial events that pin strange dangerous creatures from around the world against each other. Lizardmen PCs are often freed slaves from such backgrounds, who have learned to understand human language and communicate through sign language or by speaking with humans who understand the Lizardmen tongue.
Snakemen are a different breed of smooth scaled reptilian humanoids, more civilized and intelligent than Lizardmen, but also less numerous. They used to be masters of a large empire that was lost eons ago in a cataclysmic event that ended a prior global civilization, remembered now only in legend. Now the once majestic Snakemen are relegated to living under their the shadows of human society, often carving secret underground settlements of smooth stone covered in intricate carvings depicting legendary events that are but shallow reflections of their past glory.
Many such Lizardmen live in envy and resentment of the smooth skinned humans who now think themselves masters of this world, wallowing in legendary accounts that depict humans as the ancient enemy that brought their civilization to an end. But such accounts are sketchy, inconsistent and incomplete, and numerous Snakemen groups have opted to look to the future rather than wallow in the past, and have begun sketching alliances with humans, trading goods and knowledge with them and recognizing them as the only other advanced species who can match their intelligence.
Similar to Lizardmen, the Snakemen are also ill equipped to speak human language, but their vocal apparatus can at least imitate it (albeit with some difficulty), so they are more accomplished at communicating with humans than Lizardmen are. Some Snakemen are also known to possess psychic abilities that allow them to transmit their thoughts telepathically, further enhancing their ability to communicate, but conversely also drawing the anxiety of wary humans when faced with such powers.
The Fighting Fantasy novels had heaps of evil Lizardmen to fight:
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Quote from: Kuroth;1130648A Lejendary Adventures reference! Nice.
The various Conan games always have and to a great or less degree incorporate an ancient reptile people. Hopefully not just Sleestaks crammed into the setting.
::ugh:: Sleestaks. I'll have to avoid that reference. Thanks.
Actually, I think the Utiss in LA are meant to be the drow of the setting (not to be confused with the Huldra, who literally ARE the drow of the setting). There are a few vague references to the throughout the monster book, much like the drow get a tiny mention in the original monster manual. But Gygax passed on before any big reveal was done. So now, whatever the Utiss are is left entirely up to those few of us still using the LA world setting.
Quote from: Omega;1130640There is also the old Reptilliads setting and line of minis. Not sure who made that but used to be all over the place and from all accounts had a fairly well thought out culture.
Reptiliads were Rafm. A sizeable line of miniatures and at least one book... which I've got here somewhere.
Old Warhammer had the Slann, an ancient starfaring race of frog-men in 40K, but a declining jungle empire in Warhammer Fantasy... which slowly bequeaths itself to its lizardmen servitors. Lizardmen in Oldhammer being a subterranean race encompassing various subraces).
I made lizardmen one of the classes in my seven cities sumerian sandbox setting (try saying that after a few beers). I gave them special abilities based on real life lizard traits which was fun to research.
Ushum Mara (https://wulfwaldrpg.blogspot.com/2018/09/seven-cities-classes-ushum-mara.html)
Quote from: Weru;1130690I made lizardmen one of the classes in my seven cities sumerian sandbox setting (try saying that after a few beers). I gave them special abilities based on real life lizard traits which was fun to research.
Ushum Mara (https://wulfwaldrpg.blogspot.com/2018/09/seven-cities-classes-ushum-mara.html)
Weru! I still think your Raedwald is pretty darn great, and it should have a larger audience. Is your newer game built on that?
Quote from: Blusponge;1130681::ugh:: Sleestaks. I'll have to avoid that reference. Thanks.
Actually, I think the Utiss in LA are meant to be the drow of the setting (not to be confused with the Huldra, who literally ARE the drow of the setting). There are a few vague references to the throughout the monster book, much like the drow get a tiny mention in the original monster manual. But Gygax passed on before any big reveal was done. So now, whatever the Utiss are is left entirely up to those few of us still using the LA world setting.
You probably already have it, but Terekaptra is a Utiss ruin adventure. In it appears that helovan either may be a degraded or sub-Utiss people. From the Beasts of Legend it isn't clear if helovan are intelligent, but they have behavior that make them seem to have a society beyond animalia or creatures in Terekaptra. There is an illustration of the Utiss on a wall relief, but illustrations in Lejendary content isn't always a useful guide to appearance. In the illustration, Utiss look like robed travail, but travail have a pretty short description in Beasts of Legend. I think I would be ok with the travail as the true degraded sub-utiss and the helovan as a remnant slave or designed people of the utiss, with the chimera of the world from prior use of some lost utiss sort.
Troglodytes from Palladium Fantasy RPG are pretty unusual characters to play. Very not sexy. Ha
Tend to be quite neutral, easy going, around 4 ½ feet tall, broad shouldered pale skin, large dark eyes, fat flabby looking bodies, with a head that looks reptilian/amphibian. Beetles are a delicacy. They prefer only a few tools or weapons. They tend to worship nymphs as representation of the elements. Prefer to be naked, though they may often wear a trinket of some kind. Don't value gems or precious metals. Have a fight response that is very aggressive if they must, using heavy claws or stone weapons. Otherwise, they are relaxed, easy going and even compassionate.
They are a standard playable characters. So, there is bunch of other details about their culture, etcetera.
Quote from: Simlasa;1130688Reptiliads were Rafm. A sizeable line of miniatures and at least one book... which I've got here somewhere.
Old Warhammer had the Slann, an ancient starfaring race of frog-men in 40K, but a declining jungle empire in Warhammer Fantasy... which slowly bequeaths itself to its lizardmen servitors. Lizardmen in Oldhammer being a subterranean race encompassing various subraces).
I had a Reptiliads book. But I suspect it was stolen along with many other gaming items.
I didnt count the Warhammer lizard men as they are bog standard generic other than the Slaan backstory.
I like the sinister Akaviri in the Elder Scrolls world, and the ancient prehistoric lizardmen civilisation in the 2000 Neverwinter Nights CRPG, but off hand I've not had an advanced reptilian civilisation IMCs. Primeval Thule has its Serpentmen remnants. Forgotten Realms has the naga & lizardman realm of Najara, which almost counts.
Red Steel introduced the Tortle turtle people with a fairly interesting culture. 5e pretty much ditched all that for just short of generic lizard man culture
Quote from: Kuroth;1130691Weru! I still think your Raedwald is pretty darn great, and it should have a larger audience.
Cheers, Kuroth. Appreciate that. Hopefully the OSR/D&D version Wulfwald will get more attention.
Quote from: Kuroth;1130691Is your newer game built on that?
No, new one is based on B/X - OSE but similar sort of idea as Redwald in that I'm trying to make its own weird thing.
Thank you for the impromptu update Weru! I will be checking out Wulfwald!
Barbarians of Lemuria has a lot of reptile-like type things in it, thanks to Lin Carter's original Thongor stories. The main mount is big lizard like creature that goes around on two legs, the kroark, which is somewhat like a reptile tauntaun from Star Wars, and draft animals called banth, very large triceratops type creatures. A player can create a character Slorth, which are pretty strange reptile-type characters to play.
"Slorth are almost certainly the creations of the Sorcerer-Kings. They are woman-headed serpents that dwell in the Beshaar Deserts and can also be found, though less commonly, on the Plains of Klaar. They are pale, almost colourless and putrid snakes but with the head of a beautiful, white-faced woman with needlesharp teeth. Their bite is mildly toxic – sending their victims into a deep sleep.
Boons
Fearsome Looks: Your race is intimidating to behold. Use an extra die whenever you are trying to force somebody to give you information or do something they don't want to do.
Keen Scent: You have a better than normal sense of smell. Whenever you make a mind check to perceive something using your sense of smell, you may roll one extra die.
Night Sight: You have developed exceptional nighttime perception. Roll an extra die when darkness causes negative modifiers to see things.
Poison Immunity: Your race is particularly resistant to poisons. Roll an extra die whenever
you are resisting the effects of drugs, venoms, toxins and even alcohol.
Sneaky: You are a particularly quiet mover. Roll an extra die in situations where stealth is important.
Thick skin: You have a particularly leathery skin, which gives you one point of protection from damage, even when not wearing armour.
Flaws
Unsettling: Your looks are disturbing to anyone in your presence. Even beasts are edgy around you. Roll an extra die in social situations.
Untrustworthy: You cannot be trusted. Roll an extra die when the situation calls for someone to believe or trust you." (Barbarians of Lemuria Beyond Belief Games 2009, 71)
Here's a short piece of fiction I wrote about the frog people in my S&S setting.
https://sundaland-rpg-setting.blogspot.com/2019/08/frog-people-of-sundaland-swamps.html
Shark, did you ever post any of your work about reptilian and frog species?
If you have a chance, check out how Dragonnewts were treated in second edition of Runequest. To represent how alien the mindset of these creatures are, you'd have to randomly roll to see how they react to certain situations (similar to Pendragon) but, as you roll you (the player) will slowly gain control of the creature's emotions. Dragonnewts also re-incarnate and if you master certain emotions and skill, you are reincarnated as a bigger, more powerful type of Dragonnewt.
I don't know if any of this translated to later editions of Runequest.
This was my reptilian civilization from Sertorius:
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Talislanta lots of reptilian races/kingdoms blah blah blah - you know I had to say it.
Raymond Feists "Serpent War" series (after the excellent Riftwar) - has a race of total complete badasses called The Saaur. And they're like a noble warrior culture. I feel he kinda dropped the ball with them in the context of the larger story, but there was enough here to really inspire any GM to make them awesome concepts for their table game.
Obviously Warhammer has their Lizardmen... and they're pretty mega.
Quote from: TimothyWestwind;1139548Here's a short piece of fiction I wrote about the frog people in my S&S setting.
https://sundaland-rpg-setting.blogspot.com/2019/08/frog-people-of-sundaland-swamps.html
Shark, did you ever post any of your work about reptilian and frog species?
Greetings!
In the World of Thandor, I have developed five distinct reptilian races, two distinct snake-humanoid races, and two different frog-species. Some of the reptilian humanoids are brutal primitves that live in tribal cultures, while others are highly advanced, having developed sophisticated cultures with ancient and medieval levels of technology. There are several reptilian humanoid kingdoms that are huge, with dozens of impressive cities, wealthy trade networks, and vast, powerful armies. This definitely creates a different dynamic, when it isn't just human kingdoms that are large and powerful. No, there are huge kingdoms of reptilian humanoids that are just as advanced as any human kingdom--and perhaps more so!--from which the human kingdoms and others must always compete against. I embrace similar tendencies with the snake-humanoids, and the frog humanoids. There are savage, barbarian tribes, and then there are more sophisticated and advanced cultures. It creates a very different foundation to the world.
Semper Fidelis,
SHARK
Quote from: SHARK;1140903Greetings!
In the World of Thandor, I have developed five distinct reptilian races, two distinct snake-humanoid races, and two different frog-species. Some of the reptilian humanoids are brutal primitves that live in tribal cultures, while others are highly advanced, having developed sophisticated cultures with ancient and medieval levels of technology. There are several reptilian humanoid kingdoms that are huge, with dozens of impressive cities, wealthy trade networks, and vast, powerful armies. This definitely creates a different dynamic, when it isn't just human kingdoms that are large and powerful. No, there are huge kingdoms of reptilian humanoids that are just as advanced as any human kingdom--and perhaps more so!--from which the human kingdoms and others must always compete against. I embrace similar tendencies with the snake-humanoids, and the frog humanoids. There are savage, barbarian tribes, and then there are more sophisticated and advanced cultures. It creates a very different foundation to the world.
Semper Fidelis,
SHARK
Very interesting, thanks for sharing!
No mention of the grippli? Although they're frog-people, not reptiles.
Two feet tall, and all the Kermit jokes you could ever want in a character, mostly found in jungles.
Crunchwise, they're not bad. +2 Dex, +2 Wis, -2 Str, small size, move 30 with climb 20 (oh, I can think of SO many uses for spider-crawling grippli rogues), bonuses in swampy/forested terrain, and darkvision. Ok, their weapon familiarity is kind of bad (nets? really?), but there's some good alternate racial traits you can swap that out for.