[OSE] Geckofolk race-class

After trying out Old School Essentials (OSE) for several sessions, I've grown very fond of that ruleset. Therefore, I've turned some of my creative energies towards OSE. As a huge fan of lizards of all kinds, I've decided to open my way to this with a... Gecko. Geckofolk, to be exact. So, without further ado, here is that race-class. I designed this class with The Welsh Piper LLC's BX Options: Class Builder, a book which I recommend to anyone interested in OSE.

Geckofolk

Requirement: Dexterity 9+

Prime requisite: Dexterity

Hit Dice: 1d6

Maximum level: 9

Armor: Any appropriate to size, but without shields

Weapons: Any appropriate to size

Languages: Alignment, Common, Gecko-speak

From the far deserts come the Geckofolk - small-bodied hunters who resemble humanoid fan-fingered geckos. A gecko-person weighs approximately 30kg (60 pounds) and stands around 120cm tall (4 feet) not including the tail, which may reach 60cm (2 feet) in length. Geckofolk have a yellowish to grey skin of fine scales, and large, bulbous eyes with slit pupils. "Fans" with adhesion pads adore their fingers and toes, allowing them to climb almost any surface, and even walk on overhand horizontal surfaces. Their native tongue is typified by chirps and tongue-clicks, and in Common or their Alignment Language, they speak with a squeaky voice.

Geckofolk are hunters. While they eat fruits, especially sweet ones, their primary diet is composed of prey - anything from rodents to massive reptile beasts. They patiently lie in wait, usually as a group of their tribe's hunters, for the prey to come - and leap upon it in the most opportune moment, striking with speed and without mercy.

When playing a gecko-person, be patient. Wait. Think first. Contemplate your options. The world can wait. Never act rashly. But when it is time to act - act decisively and at lightning speed, with well-calculated precision.

Prime Requisite: a gecko-person with at least 13 in Dexterity gains a +5% bonus to experience.

Combat: geckofolk may wear any type of armor, but it must be tailored to their small size. They may not use shields, but may use any weapon appropriate for their stature (as determined by the Referee). They may not use long-bows or other two-handed weapons.

Backstab: When attacking an unaware opponent from behind, a gecko-person receives a +4 bonus to hit and doubles any damage dealt.

Gecko-Climb: geckofolk can readily climb almost any wall or walk on any ceiling at half their movement speed, and cling to walls ceilings effortlessly.

Hiding: geckofolk are adept at stealth and ambushing their foes. In rocky or desert settings, they have a 90% chance to successfully hide. In dungeons or urban settings, geckofolk can hide in shadows or behind cover, with a 2-in-6 chance of success.

Infravision: geckofolk may see in the dark to a distance of up to 30 feet.

Sniping: when attacking an unaware opponent with a missile weapon, a gecko-person receives a +4 bonus to hit and doubles any damage dealt.

Stronghold: any time the Gecko-person desires (and has sufficient money), they may build a stronghold - a hideout for a new geckofolk tribe. Such hideouts are typically located in the deserts or among dry mountains, but the hidden nooks and crannies of colder, wetter cities also serve them well.

Your Tail May be Shed! Geckofolk with a full tail may shed their tail to automatically avoid one physical attack (melee or missile), or gain a +4 bonus to a single saving throw against a physical threat (such as a breath weapon). A tail takes a month to regrow, given a good food supply.

D: Death/poison; W: Wands; P: Paralysis/petrify; B: Breath attacks; S: Spells/rods.staves.

A new logo for the Den of the Lizard King

As you may have noticed, this blog has a new logo, by the wonderfully talented Hannah Saunders.

Swamp Lizardmen of the Elysian Empire

As it should be obvious from my blog's title, I love lizards! And other reptiles as well.

The lizardmen of the Elysian Empire are utterly primitive. They are also thoroughly Neutral. For the most part, they prefer to keep to themselves, eat fish, and mount sporadic raids on ill-defended human settlements and caravans. However, occasionally a particularly bright - in lizardman terms, that is - individual may sometimes seek greater glory and more impressive trophies than those available in the swamp. Enterprising players may recruit such individuals as henchmen. Alternatively, at the Judge's discretion, a player may play such savage beast.

As you probably know, my commercial product for ACKS, Barbarian Conquerors of Kanahu, has a civilized lizardman race. However, in more typical ACKS settings, such as the Dark Inheritance mini-campaign, such civilization is far from the grasp of the savage reptilian swamp-dwellers. The following racial template applies to lizardman player characters and adventuring NPCs of standard ACKS worlds.

A lizardman looks like an upright, anthropomorphic Water Monitor, with a long, thick tail, a forked tongue, and a muscle mass befitting a large reptile. Lizardmen are warm-blooded and are technically omnivores but prefer eating fresh fish over vegetables or fruits.

Lizardmen are less active in the winter in cold climates. They retreat to their underground warrens - often with underwater entrances - and hide there. They still fiercely defend the warrens against attacks, but do not raid settlements and do not waylay travelers until the spring. They sleep for many hours a day and eat preserved (usually smoked or dried) food in the winter months. In warmer climates, they are active year-round. However, would-be conquerors who might see "hibernating" lizardmen as easy prey should beware: the shamans still have their spiritual "eyes" open, even when they hide underground and even when they sleep.

Lizardmen can reproduce both sexually and asexually, just like some real-life lizards (for example, certain Whiptail lizards; Komodo Dragons) can. A single female lizardman (lizardwoman?) can start an entire new tribe of her virgin-born daughters and their lineage of daughters. If they come across males, they can mate with them and have sexually-produced offsprings as well (and male offsprings in general). Lizasrdmen are egg-layers; parents guard their eggs until they hatch. The hatchling - a small lizardman - can take care of itself from the moment it hatches. Adults let the young dwell with them in the village, but the young feed themselves on carrion or by fishing in the swamp.

How is this race, and class, related to the 2+1 HD lizardmen from the ACKS monsters chapter, you ask? You see, the swamp lizardman is primordially Neutral. Most lizardmen in the Elysian Empire and around it are Neutral. A Neutral lizardman is typically only 1 HD. A few lizardmen, however, despite their primordial tendency towards neutrality, do come to the worship of the Chaotic deity Bokrug. Such cultists gain immense power from their dread god, in return to horrid sacrifices. This power finds its expression in the default 2+1 HD of "monstrous" core-book lizardmen.

Swamp lizardman Racial Template

Swamp lizardman character classes are created using the lizardman racial category and experience points. Requirements, class category values, hit points per level after 9th, and experience point progressions are modified as noted below.

Requirements:
All lizardman classes require a minimum Strength of 9 or better and may not have Intelligence above 9.

Class category Values:

• Fighting: The build points allocated to the class’s Fighting Value may be increased by 1 or 2 points by the lizardman Value (see below). Use the effective values to find the class’s fighting abilities, up to a maximum of 4 points.
• Arcane: lizardmen may not have any Arcane value.

Lizardman 0 (XP Cost 350): At lizardman 0, the class will have the following five custom powers:

• Fangs and Claws: The character gains a claw/claw/bite attack routine. The claws deal 1d3-1 damage each, while the bite deals 1d6-1 damage.
• Inhumanity: The character is a beastman. He suffers a -2 penalty to the reactions, loyalty, and morale of men. The character gets a +2 bonus to the reactions, loyalty, and morale of lizardmen.
• Scaly Hide: The character’s base unarmored AC is 3 instead of 0. The character has a base movement rate of only 60'.
• Primordial Mind: lizardmen were lizardmen, and lived in the same simple way, for eons. Their primitive, antediluvian minds are difficult to sway by sophisticated sorcery. Thus, the lizardman gains a +4 bonus to saving throws vs. mind-affecting magic.
• Swimming: The character gains a swimming movement rate of 120' per turn. The character may hold his breath for 1 turn.

Lizardman 1 (XP Cost 850): Lizardman 0 + Fighting 1

Lizardman 2 (XP Cost 1,350): Lizardman 0 + Fighting 1 + HP 1

Lizardman 3 (XP Cost 1,850): Lizardman 0 + Fighting 2 + HP 1

Lizardman 4 (XP Cost 2,350): Lizardman 0 + Fighting 2 + HP 2

A lizardman’s claw and/or bite damage will be modified by the character’s STR adjustment and damage bonus. However, lizardmen cannot use their fangs and claws while wielding weapons, using shields, or wearing Armour heavier than chain mail.

Experience Point Progression After 8th Level
Lizardmen increase the amount of experience required to gain each level after 8th by 45,000XP.

Happy World Lizard Day!

Today is World Lizard Day! I love lizards! A whole gang of wild Mediterranean House Geckos lives on my garden and walls, as well as a couple of Stellagama dragons!

Also, Stellagama Publishing celebrates this day by providing two of its products, These Stars Are Ours! (home to the lizard-like Cicek) and Zeta & Tuko, at a 30% discount until August 16th, 2017!

Our Mascot Awakens!

Stellagama Publishing's mascot, Mr. Agama, woke up today from his brumation - lizard hibernation - as today was sunny enough for him. So he came to bless us with his lizardly presence!

This is him on the wall of our house in Yavne, Israel. He typically dwells in our attic.

Greetings from the new reptile proprietor!

Nom Nom Nom*

So, you have been wondering, what happened to the fabled Space Cockroach? Well - I ate him! Nothing fills a lizard's belly better than a fat, juicy bug from outer space! Now instead of his hideout, I, Agamemnon the Lizard King - AKA Omer Golan-Joel - hold my reptile throne, and choice basking spot, here. And from my throne room, I will offer you a wealth of new gaming material unheard of in the past of this blog. Because I have excellent news for you all - great things are happening! Things are changing for the better, not just for me, but for my humble contribution to the gaming world. I am getting published, on several channels. Far beyond my old Outer Veil and USE ME work for Spica Publishing and Alternative Armies, respectively.

Stellagama stellio, Rehovot, Israel

First things first - I have finished the full Barbarian Conqueror King manuscript last week and sent it, in all its 70,000-word beauty, to Autarch LLC. This will probably take some significant time to reach a release, as it needs rebalancing, editing, playtesting, proofreading and art, but now I am free to pursue other projects, while doing any further necessary work on BCK as needed - and hopefully within a year or so, it will be ready in its full glory!

Second, I am still translating Stars Without Number into Hebrew. As this is a pro-bono job, it is always lower-priority than anything putting bread on my table, but I'll try to finish this by March so we - the Israeli Society of Role-Players - will be able to publish it by Autumn 2016.

Third - and most importantly - I am now forming my own publishing "company" - Stellagama Games! You can see our logo to the left, drawn by the magnificent Luigi Castellani. My partner in this endeavor is none else than Richard Hazlewood - my co-author of good, old outer Veil. We will use the ease afforded by modern digital distribution to publish various role-playing games online. What will we publish? Initially, smaller supplements and adventures for White Star, Mongoose Traveller - and possibly also Stars Without Number and Swords & Wizardry: White Box. later on, something big is planned. Really big. More on that in the following months...

* I know, I know, this isn't a Stellagama but its Australian relative, the Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps). I simply couldn't find a picture of a Stellagama eating a cockroach...

A visit to the Katzrin Reptile Center (in Israel)

 Yesterday me and my beloved spouse Einat visited the Reptile Center in Katzrin, in the Golan Heights. This is a large pet store which also houses a collection of reptiles and arthropods, especially snakes of various species, as well as Leopard Geckos, Crested Geckos,Madagascar Hissing Roaches, Tarantulas, Green Iguanas, Red Tegus, Blue-Tongued Skinks and several others. The visit was very enjoyable, and, despite her initial fear, Einat came to enjoy holding a snake and quite liked the hand-tame Ball Python housed there...

One man's garbage can... Is another... Gecko's restaurant!

And who did I meet at my mother's garbage box? None else but two well-fed Mediterranean House Geckos (Hemidactylus turcicus) who have made it their home and who grew fat on the flies attracted to the garbage bags put inside. These tiny lizards are very welcome guests at home - they devour flies, moths and mosquitoes and, apart from the occasional dropping, are very clean. My mother has around ten or eleven of those around her house, not least of whom in the garbage box. Other local reptiles in her house are a family of Star Agamas (Stellagama stellio), who are quite camera shy, and even a young Coin Snake (Coluber nummifer) who is also camera shy and also a VERY welcome guest, as this species of snake is non-venomous and completely harmless to human beings but preys on mice, rats and other snakes (vipers included!).

Also below the geckos there is another welcome guest at my mother' house - the Marbled Cellar Spider (Holocnemus pluchei); they each set up shop in a ceiling corner, spin a web and catch all manner of insects (especially flies). The geckos do not find them tasty and leave them alone, and they themselves are apparently harmless to geckos.

(this is in Kiryat Tivon, Israel).

Samson the Gecko

A huge Mediterranean House Gecko lives in my girlfriend's house in Yavne, Israel. This lizard is almost 20 centimeters long - this species of gecko is rarely above 15 centimeters. So this is a very big individual indeed. So I named him Samson, in honor of his biblical might. So here he is:

BIG dragon spotted in Rehovot!

This is a particularly large specimen of Painted Dragon (Stellagama stellio) who lives on the fence of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot. He is the local dominant male, sort of a king of lizards... Bigger and fatter than any other Painted Dragon in a large radius.

A Very Pregnant Dragon

And who did I meet yesterday on the wall of the Weizmann Institute of Science? None else but 'Clytemnestra' the wild Painted Dragon (Stellagama stellio - a local lizard), who appears to be pregnant; soon she'll lay eggs:

And here is the proud father, 'Agamemnon':

Agamemnon & Clytemnestra

Painted Dragons (Stellagama stellio), like many Agamid lizards, are territorial - a mature male sets up shop in an area, then defends it with zeal, and attracts a number of females to reside in his territory. Soon enough, young Dragons will hatch, and also reside in this domain until they grow up and move on. So, if you see a Painted Dragon in one area day after day, year after year, this is, in fact, the same lizard. So I started naming two of the wild Painted Dragons best known to me, who live on the wall of the Weizmann Institute of Science (a few minutes walk from my apartment). I called the dominant male Agamemnon - from the word Agama (the type of lizard he belongs to - he's an Agamid), and his prominent mate I call Clytemnestra, after Agamenon's vengeful wife in Greek mythology. But, unlike mythology, these two lizards actually get along pretty well.

Agamemnon:

Clytemnestra:

The Loving Lizard Couple (Clytemnestra on top):

Greater Wyrm spotted!

A dragon* has been spotted in Rehovot, Israel where i live. I don't think he flies of breathes fire, but he is sure to be a VERY big one.

*In case you wondered, this is a wild Painted Dragon (Stellagama stellio), also called a Starred Agama, and this individual, a dominant male, is a particularly large specimen - about 30cm long. For this species of lizard, this is about how big they can get. They feed on insects, particularly ants, as well as meaty leaves, and flowers (they like yellow flowers particularly). This is also a relative of the Bearded Dragon from Australia, which is a common pet in many developed countries.

Dragon Ahoy!

The winter is VERY disappointing this year in Israel, and, apart from a week in December, it feels much more like spring than an actual winter. But there are those who enjoy the sunshine, like this Painted Dragon (Stellagama Stellio), who was basking yesterday and today on the rocks near my mother's house in Kiryat Tivon, Israel.

An Agama in the Winter

A wild Starred Agama (Laudakia Stellio) enjoying the sunny winter afternoon in Rehovot, Israel.

Even More Geckos!

Here are the latest pictures of my mother's resident (wild) house geckos, as well as the less common Bowfoot Gecko (Mediodactylus kotschyi) who snuck to the front porch from a nearby tree.

House Geckos:

Bowfoot Gecko: