Ss'ressen

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The 'Ss'ressen are the lizardfolk analogue of the Dungeons & Dragons setting of Arcanis, and they have quite a lot of unique traits going for them. They were created eons ago by the serpentfolk of Arcanis, the ssanu, as a race of expendable warrior-slaves by using fleshcrafting to "uplift" regular lizards - that's not so unprecedented, the Forgoten Realms did it first, but it's still quite rare. They are an advanced race, easily on technological par with the humanoids of Arcanis, and in contrast to the standard logical, dispassionate lizardfolk, are an emotional, passionate race. The sex of a ss'ressen is determined by the heat they are exposed to as eggs; the lowest viable temperatures produce sexless neuters, used as workers; the highest viable temperatures produce females - and extreme heat is needed to enkindle the ability to use arcane magic, so all ss'ressen sorcerers are female. This, combined with their inherently higher intelligence and a cultural bias towards only allowing females to practice clerical rites and cants, ensures ss'ressen are largely matriarchal as a species. Males, produced from the intermediate temperature range, serve as warriors, hunters, and other physically orientated tasks - the few males capable of working magic are invariably secret shamans devoted to the mysteries of Jeggal Sag.

There are a lot of different ss'ressen, produced as a result of different ssanu experiments, but most share the basic outline described above. As a tool to keep them under their masters' thumb, the different variants of ss'ressen, known in-universe as clutches, feel an instinctive revulsion towards each other, compelling them to kill each other on sight. Even ss'ressen of the same clutch can sometimes go blood-mad and become mindless killers, though they do their best to stamp this out.

Whilst the Black Talon ss'ressen are provided as a core playable race in the Arcanis setting corebook, the other brreeds are flexed out in the Codex Geographica II: The Ssethregoran Empire, and all of them are playable if the DM allows it. So we'll discuss the core stats here and the clutch-specific stats in their entries.

Ssethric Type: You are considered both a Humanoid and a Ssethric for the purposes of feat and spell accessibility.

Size: Medium

Darkvision 60 feet

Cold Susceptibility: When exposed to temperatures below 40 °F for more than 1 minute the you suffer disadvantage on all Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution ability checks and saving throws until you spend 1 minute in warmer temperatures.

Controlled Breeding: Only a FEMALE ss'ressen can take any class that grants Arcane Spellcasting. Whilst all ss'ressen are potentially capable of learning divine magic, their matriarchal structure means that only FEMALE ss'ressen can become clerics. MALE ss'ressen can become Shamans of Jeggal Sag, and also holy champions.

Natural Weapons: Your claws are Light, Finesse weapons that do 1d4 slashing damage, increasing to 1d6 slashing damage at 6th level.

Natural Armor: Your unarmored AC is 12 + Dexterity modifier, which can stack with a shield.

Ss'ressen Frenzy: Any time you come within 30 feet of another ss’ressen from a different and unrelated egg clutch you must make a successful DC 10 Wisdom saving throw or fly into an uncontrollable frenzy.While in a frenzy you will do everything in your power to destroy the members of the egg clutch that triggered your frenzy. You gain advantage on melee weapon attack rolls using Strength, while suffering disadvantage on any attack roll or ability check that is not directed at the members of the egg clutch who triggered your frenzy. For the duration of your frenzy all attack rolls against you have advantage. At the end of each of your turns, you can attempt a new Wisdom saving throw. If you succeed, your frenzy ends. Your frenzy also ends when there are no living ss’ressen of an unrelated egg clutch within 30 feet or a ssanu comes with 30 feet, as they can consciously suppress the pheromones causing the frenzy. f you succeed on the Wisdom saving throw, you can control yourself, for now. For the next hour, you can resist the maddening scent of the egg clutch whose members triggered your frenzy. If you come across ss’ressen of a different egg clutch, you must make a new Wisdom saving throw, or fly into a frenzy once more.

Black Talons

The Black Talons, physically distinguished by uniquely dark scales around their hands, are the most famous and well-established of the ss'ressen clutches. They were the ones whose females were visited by visions of the god known as the Fire Dragon (secretly a long-forgotten and benevolent aspect of the ssethric deity Kassegore), which pushed them to embrace the stirring pangs of conscience and morality within the clutch and turn their back on the cruel, depraved and decadent Ssethregoran Empire, and the dark varn gods its naga masters had bound them to. The Black Talons fought their way from the lands of the empire and found a new refuge for themselves in Milandir's Sulfur Marsh.

Ability Score Increase: +2 Strength and +1 Dexterity for males, +2 Dexterity and +1 Wisdom for females.

Saurian Tail: Whenever you make an Acrobatics or Athletics check related to balancing, jumping, or swimming, you are considered proficient in the applicable skill. If you are already proficient in Acrobatics or Athletics your proficiency bonus is doubled when making such checks, due to the balance and support provided by your tail.

Distantly Related: Black Talons, the Brood of Ven val'Sosi, Ghost Scales and Ashen Hides do not become affected by Ss'ressen Frenzy when they encounter each other.

Brood of Ven val'Sosi

The Brood of Ven val'Sosi are an emergent subrace of the Black Talons, created through purposeful interbreeding with Ven val'Sosi, a male Black Talon who, through a series of adventures, came to be infused with the essence of a valinor of the goddess Beltine, creating in effect a ss'ressen/val hybrid, who was subsequently imbued with the divine blessing of the Fire Dragon and was reborn as Pyros Morelia. Through hazardous experiments, it was discovered that Ven/Pryos could father hatchlings who likewise possessed a semblance of psionics, with the hatchlings being marked by pale white to light gray scales and high domed craniums. Currently, all of the Brood have been hatched as males, but it's unclear if this is a side-effect of their divine heritage or if this is a purposeful manipulation of the eggs by the Black Talon matriarchs.

Brood PCs use the same stats as a Black Talon, except their ability score increase is +2 Wisdom, +1 Charisma, and they have the Awakened racial trait, which gives them access to a single psionic power of their choice; they can manifest this as a caster of their character level, using Charisma as their manifester ability.

Ghost Scales

The Ghost Scales are an offshoot of the Black Talon clutch who have fallen on hard times indeed. During the initial migration, a sizable group of the ss'ressen grew dissatistifed with the direction they were taking, and broke away to forge their own path. These doomed souls became embroiled in a bloody battle with the Coryani humans of the Illonia province, and were driven into the sewers of that city. Here they fell under the dark control of a mysterious and self-aware magical gemstone of unknown origin, called Herka, which has set itself up as their new god. It has warped their culture, transforming them into a race of slaves who propitiate their master with human blood sacrifice and a constant hunt for magical energies. Their culture has been twisted into an abusive, patriarchal society, to further reduce their chance of seeking help from their Black Talon kinsfolk - though there is a growing resistance movement, forged by the Disciples of Jeggal Sag. The magical emanations of Herka, which are used to incubate the Ghost Scale eggs, has mutated them, giving them a distinctive albino look and chameleonic properties.

Ability Score Increase: +2 Strength and +1 Dexterity for males, +2 Intelligence and +1 Wisdom for females.

Chameleon Skin: You gain proficiency in the Stealth skill. When you aren’t wearing armor, you add double your proficiency bonus to all Dexterity (Stealth) checks. If you do nothing for a turn, you can attempt to hide even when you are not obscured

Ashen Hides

The Ashen Hides are another Black Talon offshoot, this one created after the Black Talons settled in Milandir. A young ss'resssen priestess, anxious about her upcoming test, secretly spied on her elders and learned that the Fire Dragon is in fact an aspect of Kassegore, a discovery that she could not reconcile with her faith and her earlier teachings. She became convinced that the Black Talons were being secretly manipulated by Kassegore cultists, and eventually gathered allies to flee Milandir. They fled to the volcanoes of Canceri, and formed an alliance with the val'Virdan family, having already come to believe that the Fire Dragon was in fact an aspect of the human god Nier, whose val offspring rule Canceri. The Ashen Hides are now even more matriarchal than other ss'ressen, as the heat of their volcanic home makes it easier for them to produce female hatchlings over any other gender, and they are fanatical zealots, determined to "save" their Black Talon kinsfolk from their unwitting heathenry.

Ability Score Increase: +2 Strength and +1 Constitution for males, +2 Dexterity and +1 Intelligence for females.

Improved Natural Armor: Your Natural Armor is 13 + Dex modifier instead of 12 + Dex modifier.

Born in Ash and Fire: You are Resistant to Fire Damage.

Barbed Tail

One of the oldest clutches, the Barbed Tails earn their name from the distinctive natural weapon of the clutch; a whip-like tail covered in razor-sharp barbs. They are one of the most successful ssanu in breeding reptilian warriors; brutal, vicious, bloodthirsty and sadistic, they are the most common ss'ressen clutch found in the lands of the Ssethregoran Empire, and have converted so fervently to the dark rites of the varn that other ss'ressen clutches despise them - and probably would even if the ssanu hadn't engineered the ss'ressen clutches to hate each other on sight without a ssanu present to nullify the pheromones that trigger frenzy. The iguadons loathe the Barbed Tails, and the other ssethric slave-races regard them as the worst possible race to be ordered to serve. They particularly hate the Black Talons, whose successful defection from the Empire is a wound to both their pride as soldiers and their zeal as varn cultists.

Ability Score Increase: +2 Strength, +1 Constitution if male and +1 Wisdom if female

Barbed Tail: When you make a melee attack, you can use your tail as your weapon, which does 2d4 Piercing damage (increasing to 2d6 from 6th level). You gain advantage on Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks.

Curled Tail

Bred from the chameleons of the Southern Continent's coastal rainforests, the Curled Tail clutch are easily distinguished by their lack of claws, instead bearing sucker-cups that assist them in climbing, and their exceptionally long, prehensile tail. Masters of guerilla warfare and jungle tactics, their distance from the heartland of the Ssethregoran Empire gives them a rare degree of independence; whilst they officially do their due dilligence in the dark rites of the varn, it is believed their true loyalty is to the old gods; Kassegore and Yig.

Ability Score Increase: +2 Dexterity and +1 Wisdom for males, +2 Wisdom and +1 Dexterity for females.

Soft Hands: You do not have the Natural Weapons trait, but gain Advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks relating to climbing.

Curled Tail: You may use your tail to hold and manipulate small objects weighing no more than 5 lbs. You may also use your tail to wield a light and finesse weapon, allowing you to attack with the weapon as a bonus action when you take the attack action.

Dark Crest

Bred for stealth operations and assassination, the Dark Crest are marked by matte-black scales, and heat-diffusing saggital crests that help counter the thermal sensing abilities of many ssethric races. Although one of the most ancient clutches, the Dark Crest have fallen on hard times, unlike their Barbed Tail rivals, and their numbers have declined sharply. Their continued loyalty to the old faith of Kassegore and clutch-wide refusal to convert to the [[[varn]] further pushed them from grace, resulting in the Barbed Tails being ordered to exterminate theme. However, the stealthy clutch largely escaped annihilation, fleeing the empire and forming an alliance with the human nation known as the Kobian Timal. But this is not enough, and they are seeking to flee further towards the Known World, in hopes of finding other allies; they dream of destroying the [[varn] ] cults and reclaiming the empire in the name of the old gods, as well as avenging themselves on the Barbed Tails.

Ability Score Increase: +2 Dexterity, +1 Constitution, +1 Wisdom

Sagittal Crest: Creatures suffer Disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks made when trying to observe you with thermal vision.

Adapted Pheromones: You don't trigger Ss'ressen Frenzy in other ss'ressen, and cannot succumb to it yourself.

Improved Darkvision: You have Darkvision to a range of 120 feet and can discern colors when using it.

Night Hunters: You are proficient in Stealth. Additionally, you have advantage on all Dexterity (Stealth) checks when hiding in areas of dim light as long as you are dressed in dark clothing or armor.

Class Restrictions: You cannot take the Fury class. If a cleric or holy champion, you must worship Kassegore or Yig.

Death's Head

A fallen clutch, the Death's Head were engineered by the ssanu biomancers of Pit Talasis, who were devout worshippers of the death god Wantiir. When their masters were ousted in civil war, they followed them. Now they have devolved into primitive tribals whose existence revolves around guarding the tombs of their undead masters and performing the degraded remnants of religious rites they no longer truly understand. Death's Head ss'ressen are shorter and slighter than most of the clutches, with long halos of spikes around their heads, whip-like tails tipped with vicious spikes, and a distinctive scale pattern; mostly black, with bone-like white stripes on the body and a predominantly white face.

These are the only ss'ressen who don't get an official PC writeup in the Codex Geographica II... but they do get both a monster writeup and an NPC writeup in that very book, so the absence of an official PC writeup is pretty weird!

Ability Score Increase: +2 Strength, +1 Dexterity

Necrotic Touch: Every physical attack on a living creature, or round spent grappling a living creature, that creature must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or have their hit point maximum reduced by 2. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.

All Things Die: On your turn, you may have your Necrotic Touch ability also affect non-living creatures. Once you use this ability, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

The Death's Head as a monster can also use its tail as a whip to attack with, but there's no real clues on how to adapt this to PC use - these are its monster mechanics:

Tail Whip. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8+2) bludgeoning damage. If the tail whip is successful, they can attempt to shove their target as a bonus action. If the target fails, the target is knocked prone.

Emerald Scale

Named for their highly distinctive green scales, the Emerald Scale are the proudest and haughtiest of all the ss'ressen clutches, firmly believing themselves to be the ur-stock from which all other ss'ressen were subsequently derived through splicing and biomancy. They have managed to maintain authority and prestige equivalent to the Barbed Tails by carefully manipulating the temperature of their hatching chambers, ensuring that all Emerald Scales, regardless of gender, are smarter than their counterparts. Unlike the Barbed Tails, they are still loyal to Kassegore, and as the varn cults make inroads amongst the younger generations, the time may come when they emulate the Black Talons and flee the empire to preserve their own personal culture.

Ability Score Increase: +2 Wisdom, +1 Strength if male, +1 Intelligence if female

Adaptive Mind: You gain proficiency in any two skills of your choice.

Keen Mind: You have advantage on all Wisdom (Perception) and Intelligence (Investigation) checks. Note that this increases your passive Perception by 5.

Saurian Tail: You add your proficiency bonus to all Dexterity (Acrobatics) or Strength (Athletics) check related to balancing, jumping, or swimming even if you are not proficient in those skills. If you are already proficient in Acrobatics or Athletics your proficiency bonus is doubled when making such checks, due to the balance and support provided by your tail.

Flaming Tongue

Visually distinguishable by their coloration (burnt orange mottled with dusky brown or red bars) and their erectile crest, the Flaming Tongue clutch was bio-engineered to provide literal fire support, courtesy of glands in their mouth that can squirt organic naphtha, a sticky chemical goo that bursts into flames when exposed to oxygen. Unfortunately, they got themselves on the losing side of the great civil war, spending generations as nomadic outcasts, but in recent years, their fortunes have reversed substantially and they are returning to prestige. Due to this, they have eagerly embraced the varn cults to further strengthen their return to glory, and this is raising concerns amongst their ssanu patrons who secretly plot to oust the varn.

Ability Score Increase: +2 Dexterity, +1 Wisdom if male, +1 Strength if female

Flame Tongue: As an action, you can spit naphtha in one of two ways:

• Fire Spittle: This ability can be used at will. Treat this as a ranged attack (30/60) which you are Proficient in. On a hit, it does 1d8 + Dex modifier Fire damage. This damage increases to 2d8 at 6th level, 3d8 at 11th level, and 4d8 at 16th level.
• Gout of Flame: This ability can be used once per short rest. It strikes a 15ft cone for 2d6 Fire damage (increases to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level), but targets can half the damage by passing a DC (8 + your Con modifier + your Proficiency bonus) Dexterity save.

Horned Jowl

Also known as the Agamassi, the Horned Jowl were bio-engineered to be the heavy shock troopers of the ssethric armies, and it shows. Averaging at a whopping 9-10 feet in height and weighing over 500 pounds, with apish builds and unnaturally thick scales, the Horned Jowls are some of the most terrifying forces that the ssanu and naga may deploy to battle - especially since the Horned Jowl include a substantial number of berserkers. Fortunately, the tinkering to make them so swol also made them the slowest breeding of all the ss'ressen - they take twice as long to reach sexual maturity as the other clutches, and combined with the fact they tend to be deployed to the battlefield well before they reach maturity, there are comparatively few Horned Jowls in the world. Their other peculiarity is that they maintain a rich tradition of oral history and warrior bards.

Ability Score Increase: +2 Strength and +1 Constitution if male, +2 Constitution and +1 Strength if female.

Size is Large, not Medium; this doubles the cost of weapons and armor.

Immense Form: You gain Proficiency in Athletics, +2 maximum HP at 1st level, +1 maximum HP at each level, and your Strength maximum is 22 rather than 20.

Improved Natural Armor: Your Natural Armor is 13 + Dex modifier instead of 12 + Dex modifier.

Long Claw

Taking their name from the signature oversized eviscerating claaw they possess on each hand, the Long Claws are assassins non pareil, bred to replace the renegade Black Talons and the (presumably) destroyed Dark Crests. To this end, they have a natural ability to mimic other ss'ressen, even lacking the frenzy-inducing pheromones. They're the youngest of the ss'ressen clutches, and haven't really distinguished themselves much outside of their natural sadism, and their burning obsession with proving themselves superior to the Black Talons and Dark Crests.

Ability Score Increase: +2 Dexterity, +1 Charisma

Devoted: You have Advantage on saves against Charms or similar effects that would make you act against ssanu or naga.

Improved Darkvision: You have Darkvision to a range of 120 feet and can discern colors when using it.

Improved Natural Attacks: Your claws do 1d6 slashing damage, increasing to 1d8 at 6th level.

Ss'ressen Guise: By spending 1 minute around a ss'ressen of any clutch other than the Long Claw, you can physically alter yourself to make yourself appear to belong to that clutch. This disguise cannot be detected by magic. You revert to your true appearance at will or after you've been dead for an hour.

Suppress Pheromones: You have Advantage on saves vs. Fear, you do not trigger Ss'ressen Frenzy in other ss'ressen, and you may choose to automatically resist or succumb to Ss'ressen Frenzy yourself.

Razor Claw

Whilst the physically smallest of all the ss'ressen clutches, the Razor Claws are superbly designed for their role as melee warriors, with oversized arms to power blade-like claws and bodies armored with razor sharp spines and protrusions. Though they have a cruel streak to match that of the Barbed Tails, they are disciplined and organized, a stark contrast to the anarchic rabble of their rival clutch. Ironically, the influence of the varn is unraveling their trademark discipline, pushing them into a clutch of mindless rampaging berserkers, a prospect that alarms their ssanu masters.

Ability Score Increase: +2 Strength and +1 Dexterity if male, +2 Dexterity and +1 Wisdom if female.

Improved Natural Attacks: Your claws do 1d6 slashing damage, increasing to 1d8 at 6th level.

Bladed Hide: Your Natural Armor is 14 + Dex modifier instead of 12 + Dex modifier. However, you double the cost of all armor you buy, as it needs to be custom made.

Razor Spines: Once per short rest, when you are the target of a melee attack by an adjacent creature, you can inflict 2d8 Piercing damage on the target, who can halve the damage if they pass a DC (8 + your Dexterity modifier + your proficiency bonus) Dexterity save.

Venomous Scale

One of the oldest ss'ressen clutches, the Venomous Scale are, mercifully, also the rarest. They are the interrogators of the Ssethregoran Empire, armed with the ability to produce paralytic venom that they can both bite and spray as a paralyzing mist, highly intelligent, and utter sadists who revel in slowly eating their paralyzed victims alive as much for fun as to interrogate them. They are devoted to tehir favorite pastime, the cultivation and development of natural toxins, poisonous herbs, and venoms.

Ability Score Increase: +2 Dexterity and +1 Constitution if male, +2 Wisdom and +1 Dexterity if female

Poison Spittle: As an action, you can exhale poison in a 15 foot cone. All creatures in the affected area suffer 1d4 poison damage. The damage increases to 2d4 at 6th level, 3d4 at 11th level, and 4d4 at 16th level. Additionally, all creatures affected must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC equal to 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus or become incapacitated for 1 minute. At the end of their turn they can make an additional Constitution saving throw, ending the condition upon a successful save. If a targeted creature fails the saving throw by more than 5 they are paralyzed instead, but may continue to make saves to end the condition. Once used, you regain the use this ability after completing a long rest.

Natural Attacks: Your natural claw attacks do not increase in damage upon reaching 6th level. Instead you possess a bite attack with which you are proficient. When taking the attack action, you may bite a creature as a bonus action, attacking using either your Dexterity or Strength bonus to hit. Upon a successful hit you deal 1d4 piercing damage plus your strength bonus. This damage increases to 1d6 piercing damage upon reaching 6th level.

Natural Immunities: You are resistant to poison damage and immune to the poisoned condition