Geckonid

Geckonids are one of several variant lizardfolk races created for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in issue #268 of Dragon Magazine. As their name suggests, geckonids resemble humanoid geckos, with big bulging eyes, suction-cupped fingers and toes, short and slender limbs, and stubby tails. These small (5ft on average) lizardfolk are quick and brightly colored, with scale colors that include blues, greens, reds and browns. Highly inquisitive by nature, geckonids are without a doubt the friendliest of all the lizardfolk... much to the chagrin of other races.

See, geckonid curiosity is almost kender-like. They love to explore, and especially love rifling through other peoples' belongings, which leads them to often becoming thieves - not out of any particular avarice, but so they can poke through peoples stuff or play tricks on them. The race has a... quirky sense of humor, prone to playing all manner of bizarre but harmless pranks on other people when feeling bored, such as holding open their mouth and telling anyone who asks that they're waiting for the birds to come out. Even when not trying to play pranks on people, they have a tendency to make strange comments or bizarre observations. Perhaps part of their strange behavior is that geckonids have a natural ability to see the invisible, and many don't realize that other races aren't so blessed - meaning that when a geckonid suggests they ask the "funny man" for his opinion on a problem, he has no idea that the party can't see the invisible wizard spying on them.

Unlike kender, though, gecknonids are NOT stupid nor are they fearless; in fact, knowing that they are distinctly under-endowed in the natural weapons department, geckonids are very quick to run away from danger - in fact, given how small and weak they are, were it not for the geckonid's awareness of danger and their sheer mobility, they would have been wiped out by predators long ago.

And make no mistake, when they want to, geckonids can move. They are incredibly fast, capable of sticking to almost any surface and making stupendous leaps of up to 30 feet; a geckonid that's been threatened turns into a chaotic scrambler that leaps from surface to surface, becoming an absolute nightmare to hit due to its agility and unpredictable movements. This partially explains the geckonid's preference for places with lots of surfaces, such as being indoors or in tangled forests & jungles; a geckonid who can't employ this chaotic shifting tactic is a much easier target. If forced to fight, all geckonids have a strong natural knack for stealth and ambush - in AD&D, all geckonid NPCs can backstab like thieves - and they are one of the few lizardfolk races inclined to become mages.

If one can tolerate their curiosity, geckonids aren't really a bad race. They are friendly, cheerful and polite by nature, and certainly aren't as irresistibly kleptomaniacal as kender are. They readily integrate into urban environments, and on their own form small tribal communities, preying on birds, insects and small game.

PC Stats

Ability Score Minimum/Maximum: Strength 5/16, Dexterity 12/21, Constitution 3/16, Intelligence 3/18, Wisdom 3/17, Charisma 3/18

Ability Score Adjustments: +3 Dexterity, -1 Strength, -1 Constitution, -1 Wisdom

Class & Level Limits: Fighter 8, Mage 7, Thief 12

Thieving Skill Adjustments: Pick Pockets +15%, Open Locks -10%, Find/Remove Traps -10%, Move Silently +5%, Hide in Shadows +5%, Detect Noise -5%, Read Language -20%

Hit Dice: As class

Size: Medium

Movement: 12, Climb 12

Natural Armor Class: 10, but gain a -2 AC bonus when unarmored and fighting in an area where they can use their wall-crawling abilities to aid in dodging (indoors, heavy forest, etc)

Natural Attacks: None, geckonids must rely on weapons (or spells) to fight)

A geckonid warrior starts with 2 weapon proficiencies, whilst a geckonid of any other class only starts with 1.

A geckonid cannot wear armor heavier than studded leather, and a geckonid rogue doubles its armor penalties for thief abilities.

Regardless of class, a geckonid has a base Climb Walls ability of 95%.

From 5th level, a geckonid has the innate ability to see the invisible.

Cold Blooded: A geckonid takes +1 point of damage per die from cold-based attacks, and if exposed to a low temperature for a prolonged period, it becomes sluggish, halving its movement rate and suffering a -2 attack penalty.

A geckonid doubles the cost of armor prices, due to requiring custom-fitted gear.

Weapon Proficiencies: By class

Non-Weapon Proficiencies: Alertness, Danger Sense, Direction Sense, Fishing, Herbalism, Hiding, Hunting, Natural Fighting, Survival (Tropical, Subtropical, Urban)