Article Header Image The Scaly Things Wandering Monsters By
James Wyatt  T hree scaly, reptilian humanoids have been an
important part of D&D from the beginning, and they’re our topic
for this week: lizardfolk (or lizard men, as they were called
before 3rd Edition), troglodytes, and kobolds. (We’ll talk about
yuan-ti next week.) Jon will discuss getting the visual look of
these races right in his column, and he’ll particularly focus on
distinguishing lizardfolk and troglodytes. I’ll focus on what
makes them unique in the story of the D&D world.   First up, the
lowly kobold.  As described in the earliest versions of D&D,
kobolds are even weaker than goblins, and in many games they
provide the same sort of comic relief that goblins do. The 2nd
Edition Monstrous Manual notes, “Because of the kobolds’
fondness for wearing raggedy garb of red and orange, their non-
prehensile rat-like tails, and their language (which sounds like
small dogs yapping), these fell creatures are often not taken
seriously.” The text goes