Name: Kowakian Monkey-Lizard
Designation: Semi-sentient
Classification: Reptilian
Average height: 58 centimeters to 0.7 meters
Average mass: 12 kilograms
Skin color: Brown, Yellow, Red, Light blue, Orange, Green, Purple
Eye color: Yellow
Homeworld: Kowak
Habitat: Rain forests
Diet: Insects, worms and small rodents

Attribute Dice: 12D
DEXTERITY 3D+2/6D+2
KNOWLEDGE 1D/3D
MECHANICAL 1D/3D+2
PERCEPTION 1D/4D+1
STRENGTH 1D/3D+1
TECHNICAL 1D/3D

Special Abilities:
        Bite: Does Strength +2 damage.

Story Factors:
        Cruel Pranksters: Kowakian Monkey Lizards derive amusement from the harm and humiliation of others, and will play cruel pranks on people to amuse themselves. Planting poisonous snakes in bedding or backpacks, stealing and sabotaging items, and other extremely dangerous and harmful tricks.

Move: 12/14

Description: Kowakian monkey-lizards, also known as Kowakians, sometimes referred to as monkeys, were a race of semi-sentient reptilian creatures often used by members of the underworld as pets. Owners of Kowakians included Jabba Desilijic Tiure, Hondo Ohnaka, and Emil Graf. They were capable of using weapons such as a blaster and, in the case of Pikk Mukmuk, a pirate tank. One Kowakian became a bounty hunter and turned the Wookiee Chewbacca over to the Galactic Empire. They were related to the much larger Kowakian ape-lizard. Due to their appearance they were often mistaken for pests. Monkey-lizards were quite intelligent and capable of mimicking almost any language.

Biology and appearance
Kowakian monkey-lizards were reptilian bipeds, with thin, almost twig-like limbs, and a small, triangular head atop slender shoulders. They had two large, highly sensitive, floppy ears, which curved backwards and narrowed into a thin, hairy point, and often had several small holes in them, though not always. Some monkey-lizards wore piercings in those ears. In place of a nose, monkey-lizards had a wide, hooked, dark-colored beak, like that of a reptile, which could be opened to reveal a large, toothless mouth. In some specimens, that beak was a different color from the rest of the body, even having two shades, such as white and black. They had two wild, yellow eyes, which were usually very close to each other, although that feature varied. Their skin color was typically a light brown or tan color, though some had red, green, blue, or yellow skin, or even a combination of two of those hues. A particular monkey-lizard might exhibit different-colored markings around the eyes.

Each monkey-lizard had tufts of thick hair growing around their neck, resembling a ruff, on the tops of their heads, and at corners of their jawbones. Some also had a tuft at the tip of the tail. The color of that hair varied: it was usually black or dark brown, though a lighter brown, green, purple, as well as a slightly orange shade were also known to exist. Kowakian monkey-lizards generally had long, thin tails, though some variants of the species had no tail. Their limbs ended in three spindly digits that sported sharp talons. Immature monkey-lizards were once described by Darth Vectivus as being the "ugliest larvae in the galaxy".

Society and culture
Monkey-lizards resided mainly in large tree nests, and enjoyed swinging through the green rain forests of Kowak. Their diet consisted largely of various insects, worms and small rodents. They ate quite regularly, as their small bodies required much nourishment. They were also scavengers, choosing to eat carrion instead of fresh meat or vegetables. Rotting flesh was quite unhealthy to eat, so many in the galaxy speculated as to why they chose it: theories included that they preferred to have others do their work, or they wished to avoid predatory animals.

Monkey-lizards were extremely destructive and curious, and loved to explore, rarely leaving the packs they moved around in for protection against predators. They often used their ceaseless, loud laughter to scare off any potential attackers. They traveled in groups, making as much noise as possible in an attempt to intimidate other creatures in the jungles. After finding a corpse, monkey-lizards spent time fighting over the food instead of sharing it. Kowakians were known to be extremely cruel and mean-spirited to both other monkey-lizards and to members of other species. They had a clear sense of mischief and humor, and were known to mock others, laugh at them, and even fling objects towards them simply because they found it amusing. They were able to perfectly mimic almost any language, and according to certain studies, communicate in those languages if they wished. Monkey-lizards were also known to laugh at appropriate times during conversations, and could often repeat back what they heard fairly accurately.

Members of the species could attack even larger foes, like Humans, by climbing onto them; clawing, and biting. For instance, a monkey-lizard might latch on to a foe's face and scratch it, or the monkey-lizard might bite the opponent's leg. Some even exhibited the ability to wield melee weapons in combat, such as knives. Members of the species could move quickly, shambling about on all fours and climbing rapidly over intervening obstacles.

The sentience of Kowakian monkey-lizards was a highly debated topic among the greater galactic scientific community. The issue was never officially decided, though many declared them sentient; they believed this as although monkey-lizards were cruel, they were also quite intelligent.

Monkey-lizards had very little culture or structured society to speak of. They had a sort of hierarchical boundary within each group of nests, with the oldest female acting as leader. Each monkey-lizard was given a specific role: some were assigned to gather food, others would maintain the nest, while yet others scouted for predators. Nothing was known about how the monkey-lizards reproduced; in the wild, monkey-lizards usually chased away those who attempted to study them and their behavior, and those in captivity had to be separated from other members of their species due to the noise levels they exhibited when left together. Sentientologists estimated that monkey-lizards laid eggs as a group about once a year, with only a few of the eggs surviving to hatch.

History
Monkey-lizards played no real part in galactic society; they rarely left their homeworld and were considered too wild to be let loose in proper society. Various scientists had attempted to study them in the wild, but all of these attempts proved fruitless; the monkey-lizards did not take well to being observed. A group of University of Coruscant zoologists once visited Kowak hoping to conduct a study on the planet's spindly inhabitants. The zoologists noted that at first the monkey-lizards were apprehensive towards them, and seemed to be trying to keep to themselves. After about a week of being watched from afar with macrobinoculars, the monkey-lizards began to wander into the group's camp, inspecting their equipment and looking around. The zoologists eventually began to offer the creatures some of their food; that was when the Kowakians's cruel streak emerged. They hid a snake in one of the zoologist's bags, destroyed their expensive equipment, ate all their food, played in their tents and even left barrels of water on top of branches, pouring their contents down on anyone who walked below. The zoologists had no choice but to leave the planet. The Shi'ido anthropologist Mammon Hoole included an entry on the species in his publication The Essential Guide to Alien Species.