Iguanids

Iguana people, or iguanids, are tall, thin, enigmatic creatures. They stand 6 feet tall or more, their heads and throats adorned with large frills. They have long talons on their hands and feet for climbing and fighting.

Iguanids are immensely adaptable and the most prolific of the lizard peoples. They change easily to meet the needs of their surroundings. The most common iguanids are the large tree-dwelling tribes, marked by their long tails and bright green scales. The northern rock iguanid tribes have dull gray or brown coloration, stronger limbs, and shorter tails. Island iguanids make their homes on rocky shores and can breathe water as well as air. They have heavy, lumpy bodies and heads and hard, brownish-green scales.

Iguanids wear little clothing, but they enjoy body painting, jewelry, tattoos, and other adonunents. There is much to be read in the coloration and detail of an iguanid's face paint, which displays the individual's social status.

Combat: Iguanids are largely peaceful and prefer to keep to themselves. They avoid combat unless their homes or young are threatened. As iguanids are not ordinarily given to fighting without reason, they have little grasp of tactics. They swarm out from hiding and try to take down their opponents by sheer numbers. If that fails, they flee and relocate.

Iguanids usually fight with weapons, preferring spears, javelins, and darts. Their long, sharp talons are built for climbing but make effective weapons in a pinch. They can also whip opponents with their tails. Iguanids cnn whip with their tails and strike with either a weapon or claws in the same round.

Iguanids are deeply religious. For every ten iguanids, there will be a 3rd-level druid shaman. For every thiery, there is a 5th-level druid shaman. Each tribe is led by a druid of at least 7th level.

Much like dwarves, iguanids have an inherent resistance to magic. Iguanids must roll for failure even if they cast spells, read scrolls, or use magical items that require activation (not magical weapons and other permanent magic). The chance of failure is 20%. This effect applies only to wizard spells and items, not to priest spells and divine effects. Iguanids' own druidic powers are unrestricted. They also gain a +2 saving throw bonus vs. poison.

Iguanids are excellent climbers, though not the equal of their geckonid cousins. They have an effective Climb Walls ability of 75%. Within their natural environments (trees for greens, mountains and cliffs for the rock tribes) their climbing ability rises to 85%, and they have a 40% chance to Hide in Shadows.

Habitat/Society: Iguanids base their lives around a worship of natural forces. Their priests are all druids. They follow a strict series of taboos, holidays, and religious observances. Iguanids reflect their worship in face painting and personal adornment.

The common green iguanids live in villages built among the tree tops of their hot jungle homes. Since they are such good climbers, they do not need to connect their homes with bridges, ladders, or ropes. Their tribes are loose theocracies ruled by shamans who oversee their people's simple lives of hunting, gathering, and religious observance.

The rarer rock iguanid tribes make their homes aimong the cliffs, craggy hills, and deserts to the north of the jungles. They usually set up their village in a cave network but sometimes build simple hut villiges if there is nothing available. The same goes for the sea iguanids, who are likely to live in seashore huts or air-filled, underwater caverns.

Most iguanids are rather stupid. They are happy to follow the dictates of the more intelligent iguanids who lead the religious cerermonies and control tribal life. Iguanids spend most of their time sitting in packs, sunning themselves, and contemplating the world around them. They rarely speak.

On the other hand, iguanids have an uncanny knack for making friends with natural creatures. They always have at least 1-6 giant iguanas around as guards (treat them as giant lizards) and mobs of regular iguanas as pets. There is a good (50%) chance that various other local animals, such as jaguars and giant snakes, frequent their villages.

The only exception to the general peacefulness of the iguanids is during the mating season. During this time, the males become aggressive and violent as they vie for the attentions of the females. Iguanid males rarely fight or kill each other, but their contests do make for a lot of loud croaking, wrestling, and head-bobbing. They do not allow outsiders near their villages during the mating season.

Iguanids are the only lizard people who retained their ancestors' ability to lose their tails. If an iguanid's tail is grabbed and strongly jerked, such as by a predator, it comes off. The tail grows back shorter and darker within a few weeks. Iguanids do not consider themselves to be adults until they have lost their tails at least once. An iguanid male might brag about how many tails he has lost in an altempl to prove that he has experienced a great deal of danger.

Ecology: Iguanids are the only lizard people who enjoy eating fruits and vegetables, though they frequently supplement their diet with birds, eggs, insects, and small animals. Iguanid tribes get along well. They do their best to avoid other lizard folk with the exception of geckonids, whom they do not mind. Varanids especially enjoy tormenting iguanids, whom they consider a weakling aberration of the lizard folk.