Reptilian Humanoid

Basic Information

Reptilian Humanoids are a common motif in mythology, folklore, science fiction, fantasy, conspiracy theories, and the pseudosciences of cryptozoology and ufology.

In general, fantasy games have "lizardmen" as a hazard in swamps and jungles, frequently in multiple varities based on various kinds of lizards. Such creatures are often dangerous, but rarely evil - intelligence varies. "Snakemen", on the other hand, are usually evil for one reason or another (not least the legacy of Lovecraft and Ashton-Smith's "serpent people") and are usually confined to jungles. Some or all may be venomous, and tech levels and intelligence may vary.

Reptilian Humanoids in Conspiracy Theories and Ufology

David Icke believes in the existence of a massive conspiracy of shape-shifting reptilians on Earth. For more on this sub-branch of Reptilian Humanoids, and their role in conspiracy theory and ufology, see the Reptilian page.

Reptilian Humanoids in Mythology

• Cecrops I
• Dragon King
• Nāga
• Quetzalcoatl

Reptilian Humanoids in Cryptozoology

• Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp
• Loveland frog
• Thetis Lake monster

Reptilian Humanoids on TV

• V has reptilian humanoid aliens called the "Visitors" who can disguise themselves as humans, and have come to rob our planet of its natural resources (including human flesh).
• Land of the Lost has the Sleestack, a race of slow-moving primitive reptilian humanoids who devolved from an older more civilized race known as Altrusians.

Reptilian Humanoids in Gaming

• The Cthulhu Mythos has Serpent Men.
• Dungeons & Dragons has many of the reptilians mentioned under the mythology heading, above, as well as more generic Lizard Men. It's serpent men are called Yuan-Ti and come in a variety of flavours from mostly snake to mostly human.
• Shadows of Brimstone also has a swamp planet full of Serpent Men, but with more of a "lost world" vibe and no direct links the other Cthulhu-inspired stuff that is also in the game.
• Conspiracy X features the UFO riding variety of Lizard People - the Saurians.

Sources

Bibliography

1. REPTILIAN HUMANOIDS by Branton - huge list of conspiracy-related material on Reptilian Humanoids

2. MKULTRA (Reptoid) Mind Control Machine

3. The Occult Reptilian Saga - a huge list of articles centering on reptilian humanoids

4. Wikipedia entry

Game and Story Use

• As reptilian humanoids appear everywhere and in every conceivable form and way, they can be used in almost any sort of campaign and any role. Sure, the Greys get more press - but that makes the reptilian humanoids as ultimate alien race behind everything more interesting to jaded players!
• Reptilian Humanoids might not have an extraterrestrial origin - perhaps they evolved on Earth, but the KT extinction wiped their civilization out.
  • The position in the works of Robert E. Howard and Clark Ashton-Smith was very similar - with a pre-historic population of serpent men ruling the world until they were displaced by mankind's ancestors.
  • If the KT extinction was a reality quake, it might explain why they have been almost inactive since then - their civilization was retroactively wiped from history!
    • However, with increasing number of paleontological digs for dinosaur bones, their out-of-place artifacts are dug out as well - and this gives them a tenuous hold on our timeline. Perhaps now they have a chance to retroactively prevent their extinction…
      • • The Slarecians from the Scarred Lands setting were suspected to have shifted their entire civilisation forward in time to avoid their world's version of the titanomachy. Unfortunately, very few people knew about that, and almost everyone was too busy with other problems to do anything about it.
      • Maybe they have arranged for global warming so that Earth's environment more closely resembles theirs - at the very least, they are profiting from it.
        • Didn't David Icke claim that the Bush family was among the reptilian shapeshifters? And didn't the administration of US president George W. Bush do its best to prevent any efforts at stopping global warming? Hmmm…
        • One of the contested ballots in the 2009 Minnesota Senatorial election was for Al Franken, but also had "Lizard People" written in the line for a write-in candidate. Did the voter believe Franken is one of the Lizard People? Or was he considering voting for the Lizard People but at the last minute switched his vote for Franken? And what does this all suggest about Jesse Ventura?
• Whilst recognising the desire to avoid race inflation, examining the characteristics of various kinds of reptile might allow for some interesting subspecies - giant, crocodile based brutes, peaceful sea dwellers based on iguanas, swift hunters based on snakes (watch out for the spitting cobra tribe) and maybe even small, annoying gecko based critters. Intelligence may vary.
• Also, be aware that many fRPGs have lizard men in swamps far too cold for anything that big and cold-blooded - as a rough guide, look for those biomes that support large reptiles in real life: tropical and sub-tropical swamp is idea, temperate swamp much less so - Florida Everglades yes, Pripyet Marshes probably not, Frisian salt marsh definitely not.
• Bearing the "scions of the dinosaurs" in mind, lizard men make a good fallen empire, especially for your "dark continent" jungles. Especially if the humans used to be their slaves.