A couple of weeks ago I floated the idea in the general discusion thread of creating racial classes that would allow LEW players to create characters whose race has racial HD or LA and play them from level 1. I now offer for consideration the first such racial class, the lizardfolk.
Racial Classes: A Racial class is similar to any other class with a few exceptions:
-Like a prestige class, a racial class is not considered when calculating multiclassing penalties.
-A racial class does not necessarily grant an additional Hit Dice at every level. This means that attributes that depend on Hit Dice do not advance at that level. Such attribute include, BAB, save bonuses, hit points, feats, and attribute increases.
A racial class may be enter and left freely. After the first level a character may advance in another class, then return and continue progressing in the racial class without restriction. A character with a racial class does not need to progress through every level of the class.
Lizardfolk
Lizardfolk can be found in the dense jungles throughout enworld, but are found in greatest number in the living swamps near the tower of positive energy. As race Lizardfolk are strong and well adapted for live near water. They are generally not devoted to a god , rather their tribes are guided by druids.
A Lizardfolk generally leaves his swamp and tribe to adventure only in a couple of circumstances. He has been banished or the tribe has learned of significant threat. Of course there are always those individuals who a struck by a feeling of adventure or wanderlust, yet such individuals are likely to be banished anyway.
Code:
Level BAB HD Fort Ref Will Class Features
1 +0 1d8 +0 +2 +0 +1 Natural Armor, 2 Claws (1d4), +2 Swim
2 +1 2d8 +0 +3 +0 +3 natural Armor, +2 Balance, +2 Jump
3 +1 2d8 +0 +3 +0 +5 Natural Armor, 1 Bite (1d4), +2 Constitution, +4 Balance, Jump, Swim
Ability Adjustments:
1st Level: +2 Strength, -2 Intelligence
2nd Level: +2 Constitution
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A lizardfolk is proficient with simple weapons and shields.
Skills: The lizard folk gains 4 x (2 + Int modifier) skill points at level 1. Its class skills are Balance(Dex), Jump(Str), and Swim(Str). At level 2 the Lizard folk gains 2 + Int modifier skill points. A Lizardfolk does not gains any skill points at level 3.
Class Skils: Balance, Jump, Swim
Racial Skill Bonuses: At level 1 a lizard folk gains +2 racial bonus to swim checks, this bonus increases to +4 at level 3. At level 2 a lizard folk gains a +2 racial bonus to both jump and balance checks, these bonuses increase to +4 at level 3.
Automatic Languages: Common, Draconic.
Bonus Languages: Aquan, Goblin, Gnoll, Orc.
Natural Armor: At 1st level a lizard folk has a +1 Natural Armor bonus. This increases by 2 at each level, thus at 2nd level the natural armor bonus is +3 and at 3rd level it is +5.
Natural Weapons: At Level 1, a lizard folk has 2 claw attacks (1d4 damage). At level 3 a lizardfolk gains a bite attack (1d4 damage).
Hold Breath: At level 3 a lizardfolk can hold its breath for a number of rounds equal to four times its Constitution score before it risks drowning.
Favored Clas: Fighter
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Design notes and Discussion:
The biggest question of this class is how to divide the Lizard folk's abilities between the 3 levels.
First I put the level without hit dice as third. I thought it would be difficult for a character to survice through the second level if he only had a single HD.
I have moved the bite attack from the 2nd level where it was found in the original proposal, to the 3rd level.
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