Island of the Lizard King is the seventh in the Fighting Fantasy series and is set on a tropical island where the main foes are, as the title suggests, lizardmen. A lot of these foes seem suited to the Serpent Peninsula and Thanigoth archipelago. In my own notes on X6: Quagmire I have suggested that the lizardmen threatening the city are part of a larger force of lizardfolk and other cold-blooded races.
There are some monsters from this book that I am not giving stat blocks to because I think they are better fitted by existing monster stats. For the Lizard King himself, I would use the lizard king stats from 1E AD&D Fiend Folio. For the black lion (the pet that accompanies the lizard king) I would use stats for a sabertooth tiger.
Grannit
| Name | Grannit |
| Armor Class | 3 |
| Hit Dice (Avg hp) | 2+2 (11hp) |
| Movement | 60’/30’ burrow |
| No Attacks | 1 bite |
| THAC0 | 17 |
| Damage | 1d6 |
| No Enc | 1d10 |
| Save as | F2 |
| Morale | 8 |
| Alignment | Unaligned |
| Treasure | None |
| Size/Type | Small Vermin |
| Intelligence | 3 (animal) |
| XP value | 25 |
Grannits are small but vicious underground predators found in cave systems. They scuttle around in groups and although their mouths are not particularly large, they can chew their way through soft stone. Their carapaces, particularly over their torsos, are remarkably tough, as if made of stone. They are also well camouflaged, and opponents entering the grannits area are surprised on 1-4 in 6.
Gonchong
| Name | Gonchong |
| Armor Class | 7 |
| Hit Dice (Avg hp) | 1* (4hp) |
| Movement | 90’ |
| No Attacks | 1 proboscis |
| THAC0 | 17 |
| Damage | 1 |
| No Enc | 1 |
| Save as | MU 1 |
| Morale | 8 |
| Alignment | Chaotic |
| Treasure | As host |
| Size/Type | Tiny magical beast |
| Intelligence | 14 (Highly) |
| XP value | 50 |
These symbiotic parasites attach themselves to the scalps of powerful predators to feed on their blood and cerebral fluids. They insert a proboscis into the skull, both to draw on brain fluids and also to control their hosts' minds. This would be horrible enough but the gonchong also gives the host extra strength and stamina to become better killers so as to feed itself and therefore feed the gonchong. The host must be a living creature with a discernible brain and head. Once attached the host only partially retains its mind - the gonchong can override any thoughts or decisions the host has. In return the host gets +2 to all damage rolls as the gonchong's steroid-like hormones enhance the hosts' muscles, and also the host gets +2 hp per hit dice, so a lizardman that normally has 2+1 HD and does 2-7 damage would have 2+5 HD and do 4-9 (1d6+3) damage if a gonchong were attached to it.
If detached from the host, the gonchong scuttles about on its legs like a large bony tick, trying to attach itself to a new host. It will make a normal attack but if it rolls a 18-20 (natural 20 needed if the opponent is wearing a metal helmet - a natural 20 by the gonchong means it has knocked off or got underneath the helmet) it has jumped onto the opponent and successfully attached itself to the scalp with its proboscis. Any PC under the influence of a gonchong is considered an NPC to be controlled by the DM (in the role of the gonchong).
Removing a gonchong from an incapacitated host (the gonchong will not let the host allow itself to be rid of it - the gonchong commands the host to protect it at all costs, including the hosts' life) requires the use of a Charm Monster spell (or similar mind control) on the gonchong to persuade it to let go of the host willingly. Any attempt to forcibly remove it and it will swirl its proboscis around the host's brain, automatically killing the host before it detaches itself and tries to find a new host (possibly whoever is trying to remove it).
Gonchongs are intelligent, vicious, mean creatures that can be deliberately cruel to their hosts, forcing them to hurt loved ones or destroy treasured possessions. Any decent creature that knows of gonchongs will try to destroy them on sight.
Hill Troll
| Name | Hill Troll |
| Armor Class | 6 |
| Hit Dice (Avg hp) | 8+4* (40hp) |
| Movement | 90’ |
| No Attacks | 2 fists |
| THAC0 | 12 |
| Damage | 1d8+2/1d8+2 |
| No Enc | 1d4 |
| Save as | F8 |
| Morale | 10 |
| Alignment | Chaotic |
| Treasure | E |
| Size/Type | Huge Giant |
| Intelligence | 7 (low) |
| XP value | 1200 |
Hill trolls are believed to be hybrids between trolls and hill giants. They are not smart but they are very tough and strong, capable of ripping a man limb from limb. Their troll heritage means that once injured they begin to regenerate at +1 hp per round - slower than normal trolls but they can still come back from apparent death unless they are burnt with fire or acid (like normal trolls both of these prevent regeneration). Although not as skilled at boulder throwing as hill giants, a hill troll can pick up and fling rocks at opponents up to 100' range, causing 2d6 damage if it hits. Hill trolls can usually speak a rough version of giantish, and although they are usually loners they can sometimes be found among hill giants. Trolls, even their parent, hate and reject them. Strangely enough, although they are hybrids of two separate species, hill trolls can breed.
Razorjaw
| Name | young Razorjaw | adult Razorjaw |
| Armor Class | 7 | 7 |
| Hit Dice (Avg hp) | 3+3 (17hp) | 10+10 (55hp) |
| Movement | 90’/30’ burrow | 90’/30’ burrow |
| No Attacks | 1 bite | 1 bite |
| THAC0 | 16 | 10 |
| Damage | 1d6+1 | 3d6 |
| No Enc | 1d8 | 1 |
| Save as | F2 | F5 |
| Morale | 8 | 8 |
| Alignment | Unaligned | Unaligned |
| Treasure | None | None |
| Size/Type | Medium Vermin | Huge Vermin |
| Intelligence | 1 (non) | 1 (non) |
| XP value | 50 | 900 |
Razorjaws are large red and black wormlike invertebrates, the young are about 20' long and 1' wide while the adults are much larger. They reproduce asexually and an adult can lay a batch of eggs every year, usually in a hot, volcanic area. Razorjaws are immune to heat and fire and the young take advantage of this to hide in volcanic areas that larger predators may be reluctant to enter and their bright red and black colouration acts as a sort of camouflage. Razorjaws have a special lunge attack - on their first attack in combat a razorjaw will throw itself at an opponent's face or throat. This attack is at +2 to hit and does double damage on a successful hit. Razorjaws are themselves omnivorous predators and will attack any creature smaller than them as well as plant matter if flesh is not available.
Slime Sucker
| Name | Slime Sucket |
| Armor Class | 7 |
| Hit Dice (Avg hp) | 8 (36 hp) |
| Movement | 120’/60’ swim |
| No Attacks | 2 tentacles |
| THAC0 | 12 |
| Damage | 1d8/1d8 + grasp |
| No Enc | 1d3 |
| Save as | F4 |
| Morale | 8 |
| Alignment | Unaligned |
| Treasure | None |
| Size/Type | Large Vermin |
| Intelligence | 1 (non) |
| XP value | 650 |
Slime suckers are primordial creatures perhaps related to squid and octopi - certainly their tentacles are similar, though slime suckers only have 6 of them - 4 for walking and 2 for grabbing prey. Slime suckers live in swamps, marshes and estuaries and are completely amphibious, breathing air and water with equal ease. They attack with their two front tentacles. If both tentacles hit the same opponent and it is smaller than the slime sucker (man-sized or less) it lifts the target up to its maw to bite it at +4 to hit (THAC0 8) and 2d4+2 damage. The slime sucker may either hold onto the opponent to bite it again next round or drop it to attack another opponent.
Two-headed Lizardman
| Name | Two-Headed Lizardman |
| Armor Class | 5 |
| Hit Dice (Avg hp) | 4+2 (20hp) |
| Movement | 90’/60’ swim |
| No Attacks | 2 weapons/2 bites |
| THAC0 | 16 |
| Damage | 1d6+1/1d6+1/1d4/1d4 |
| No Enc | 1d8 |
| Save as | F4 |
| Morale | 10 |
| Alignment | Chaotic |
| Treasure | S |
| Size/Type | Medium Humanoid |
| Intelligence | 6-8 (low) |
| XP value | 125 |
These mutant horrors are derived from normal lizardmen but are much worse. They attack with both weapons wielded ambidextrously (each head controls an arm) while also trying to bite their opponents. They are only surprised on 1 in 6. They are bigger and more vicious than normal lizardmen and a two-headed lizardman may take over a lizardman group. Two-headed lizardmen speak saurian. In normal circumstances only 1 in 1000 lizardman eggs produce a two-headed lizardman but when around chaotic influences such as chaotic shrines or a chaotic lizardman shaman takes over the tribe, the chances jump to perhaps 1 in 50. They have a tendency to bicker with themselves, though among mature specimens this does not result in self-inflicted violence. This is a matter of natural selection - those lizardmen whose heads try to kill each other simply don't live long enough to reach maturity.
War Cyclops
| Name | War Cyclops |
| Armor Class | 2 |
| Hit Dice (Avg hp) | 8+8 (44hp) |
| Movement | 120' |
| No Attacks | 1 weapon |
| THAC0 | 11 |
| Damage | 3d6+2 |
| No Enc | 1 |
| Save as | F8 |
| Morale | 12 |
| Alignment | Chaotic |
| Treasure | C +1000gp |
| Size/Type | Huge Giant |
| Intelligence | 7-9 (low) |
| XP value | 775 |
Believed to be a deliberate cross between normal cyclopes and hill giants, war cyclopes are huge ferocious brutes found in armies of Chaos and the retinues of powerful chaotic leaders including twisted summoners. They stand 12’ tall and in battle wield a single huge weapon such as an axe, sword or trident. They are poor at judging distances, so rarely use missiles (and then at -3 to hit). Without armour a war cyclops is AC 7 but they are often equipped with oversized plate mail or banded armour, hence AC 2. A war cyclops is single minded in its ferocity and tenacity - in combat it is immune to mind-affecting spells such as Charm, Hold or Fear effects, and never check morale.
It is fortunate that no female war cyclopes have been seen, and they are not believed to be a true breeding species. However, they band together with each other and when true cyclopes are around, war cyclopes will respect and follow them. War Cyclopes speak a crude form of Giantish.
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