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Tanuki Tales
2012-07-06, 11:15 AM
In the same vein as the other thread of the opposite direction, what fantasy race do you particularly enjoy being as part of a setting? This can be for socio-fluff reasons (how their society is portrayed in relation to others), for flavor reasons (you just love their unique quirks as a race or what they represent as a race), for aesthetic reasons (you just really love what they look like) or for what ever reason you can come up with.


To start us out, I'm a major fan of Dwarves, but they're not my addition to this thread. Two races I particularly love are the Hadozee and the Darfellan. The former just because I find the idea of mariner sugar gliding intelligent apes completely wizard and the latter because I think they're gorgeous to look at and I enjoy their Sahuagin based history.

Morty
2012-07-06, 02:22 PM
I'm a big fan of goblins in spite of, or rather because of, their usual portryal as conveniently evil cannon fodder - sentient races relegated to being mooks is something I despise in all its incarnations. I like their general image of a weedy but clever race, sometimes with a crazy streak. A setting that includes them as more than cheap adventurer fodder gets a plus in my book.
Other than that, I like all "monstrous" races such as orcs, trolls and such.

The Bandicoot
2012-07-06, 02:42 PM
I agree with Morty but I also like Kobolds.

Sneaky smart little draconic trap makers. One of my favorite races. In fact, in my campaign world they're one of the core races and one of four that help run the largest metropolis in the world.

CET
2012-07-06, 02:44 PM
I know it makes me a terrible human being, but I always liked elves - as long as they are feral, ruthless, carnivorous elves (http://strangepassages.blogspot.com/2012/07/rehashing-fantasy-species-elves.html). I'm not so much a fan of pretty, nature-loving, 'better than youuuu!' elves.

Otherwise, Gnolls are my go to for cannon fodder. I tend to run them less as 'hyena-headed sentient humanoids' and more as large semi-bipedal carnivores that haven't quite picked up tool use yet. Who needs a axe when your jaws can grind through steel?

Seharvepernfan
2012-07-06, 02:49 PM
Elves. Always have, probably always will.

Socio-fluff, flavor, aestheticism, all of it.

Now, that said, I don't like humans-with-pointy-ears elves, or somehow-really-good-mages-and-swordsmen elves, or better-than-you elves. Specifically, I like what 4E did, splitting them into elves and eladrin, in which case I like both, but elves more.

My interpretation of the core elves puts them as guerilla, forest dwelling nomad-libertarians with a live-and-let-live (but don't **** with us) and if-it-harm-none-do-what-you-will attitude. I don't see that as particularly good spellcasters or swordsmen, but naturally they make fantastic archers/skirmishers/duelists.

Nero24200
2012-07-06, 03:03 PM
I'd go with Elementals. Comes in a lot of different flavours (fire, water, earth etc) but with plenty of room to add others (positive elemental, for instance).

Eldan
2012-07-06, 03:29 PM
The Fey. Though they are more a force of nature than a playable race the way I see them. You can bargain with them, but they almost always win in the end. They are the Littlefingers of D&D: in a world of schemes, they upset everyone else's plans and, in the chaos, come out on top. They are alien and uncaring behind a vision of love and kindness. Humans are their playthings, puppets to be put into cute costumes, then broken and thrown on the rubbish heap. In extension, elves, who I tend to play as a lesser version of this.

More generally, trickster races. Gnomes, as the master illusionists. Rakshasas, the shapeshifting, power-hungry fiends. Arcanaloths, the masters of lies and despair. Eladrin, who unite burning passion with a need for subtlety and an obligation to act through others. Succubi, the other shape-shifting power-hungry fiends.

Mordokai
2012-07-06, 04:28 PM
I agree with Morty but I also like Kobolds.

Sneaky smart little draconic trap makers. One of my favorite races. In fact, in my campaign world they're one of the core races and one of four that help run the largest metropolis in the world.

ALL HAIL KING TORG!!!


I know it makes me a terrible human being, but I always liked elves (http://strangepassages.blogspot.com/2012/07/rehashing-fantasy-species-elves.html). I just hated the way most system characterize them.

Same here. I like elves and pretty much all of the subraces I am familiar with, but my favourite by far are half elves. I don't see them as emos, as they are often portrayed, but as an adaptable folks, who hold much of the same qualities as humans, with a tad of elven grace. What's not to like?

Plus, it's all packed in one neat sexy package :smallbiggrin:

Tvtyrant
2012-07-06, 04:44 PM
I love Aboleths. The whole "from a prior universe" thing always makes me feel tingly, along with their ability to make other beings into living mucus sacs.

Actually, pretty much all Aberrations go into me favorites list.

Morithias
2012-07-06, 04:52 PM
The devils. Just read the fiendish codex 2, to realize how chessmaster, clever, and scheming they are. They are the top race for taking over the multiverse, not through brute force, but through clever sociological movement.

Hell then even won the blood war, proving infinite numbers is nothing compared to master of elite troops and military strategy.

Tanuki Tales
2012-07-06, 05:07 PM
I love Aboleths. The whole "from a prior universe" thing always makes me feel tingly, along with their ability to make other beings into living mucus sacs.

Actually, pretty much all Aberrations go into me favorites list.

Then how do you feel about Mind Flayers being creatures from the future?

navar100
2012-07-06, 06:32 PM
I have a fondness for kobolds, and Meepo is to blame. I really liked Meepo. My group became honorary members of the Kobolds' tribe because we rescued their "pet" (Meepo didn't survive :smallfrown: )and killed all the goblins for them. Ever since then while kobolds may be evil, I don't view them as EVIL. They are just struggling to survive in a world that belittles them and takes them for granted. Their evilness is just lashing out. I know that's just my own personal take. Others develop them in detail with dragons and EVIL, but Kobolds have good potential, pun intended.

I also like to think of hobgoblins as an honorable foe. They're Lawful Evil with the stress on Lawful. You can reason with them, but don't you dare cross them.

Craft (Cheese)
2012-07-06, 06:46 PM
I'm a big fan of goblins in spite of, or rather because of, their usual portryal as conveniently evil cannon fodder - sentient races relegated to being mooks is something I despise in all its incarnations. I like their general image of a weedy but clever race, sometimes with a crazy streak. A setting that includes them as more than cheap adventurer fodder gets a plus in my book.
Other than that, I like all "monstrous" races such as orcs, trolls and such.

Same; My favorite races in settings are when the "monstrous" races are given rational culture and society, and aren't just treated like wandering little bags of XP for adventurers to find and kill. (Or even worse, a gigantic army that wants to slaughter all of humanity for no apparent reason.) This is one of the reasons I love Eberron so much.

Geostationary
2012-07-06, 07:11 PM
I too have a love for all things Aberrant! Share the love!:smallbiggrin:

So, for some non-D&D races- Peregrine Bears. They're the personification of absolute stubbornness from Beyond Creation, are nigh-invulnerable to magics, and inspired the idea of bears. Basically, they're so kick-ass they invented bears just by visiting our universe.

Actuals- foundational entities, they're sort of like proto-gods, except they're missing something and they want to fix that. This need drives them to observe and consume in a desperate attempt to understand that which they're missing, but they're fundamentally incapable of understanding what they lack, causing them to consume and assimilate everything in a vain attempt to see themselves from another perspective, only to find that once they take over, they only see themselves from their view. They can take most any form, are a pain to kill and are there to spring tentacles/consequences on players who are also basically gods. They're also incredibly weird most of the time, and I like weird strangely tragic creatures.

The last two are both from Nobilis, and that makes up my demented rambling for the day.

JetThomasBoat
2012-07-06, 08:00 PM
Same; My favorite races in settings are when the "monstrous" races are given rational culture and society, and aren't just treated like wandering little bags of XP for adventurers to find and kill. (Or even worse, a gigantic army that wants to slaughter all of humanity for no apparent reason.) This is one of the reasons I love Eberron so much.

I agree so much with this. I LOVE Eberron. And while Eberron made me love orcs and half-orcs as never before, I agree that the setting does this for so many races. Gnolls are the most prevalent race in Droamm, orcs and goblinoids were on Khorvaire before the humans, and I don't know if anyone else read this in the Eberron game books, but the kobolds hold that their race was created when the blood of one of the three progenitor worms fell to the earth and it also mentions they spoke draconic not only before it was cool, but before the dragons taught it to other races.

And I love how the drow in Eberron aren't like...you know, all drowy...

JustPlayItLoud
2012-07-06, 08:36 PM
Elves. Definitely elves. I like them everything about them. I like all the varieties. I like hippy wood elves, savage wild elves, haughty high elves, evil drow elves (and I do like my drow evil to the core), and whatever stereotype sea elves happen to be. I even like desert raider Dark Sun elves. It's a little over the top, but the fluff in the 2e Complete Book of Elves is pretty good and I'd recommend for anyone who likes elves to try and get a hold of it.

Lord Raziere
2012-07-06, 09:30 PM
Thats a hard one!

Either Orcs or Dwarves. After all I bought book series upon them both and they are some of my favorite books I ever read. :smallcool:

Craft (Cheese)
2012-07-06, 10:20 PM
I agree so much with this. I LOVE Eberron. And while Eberron made me love orcs and half-orcs as never before, I agree that the setting does this for so many races. Gnolls are the most prevalent race in Droamm, orcs and goblinoids were on Khorvaire before the humans, and I don't know if anyone else read this in the Eberron game books, but the kobolds hold that their race was created when the blood of one of the three progenitor worms fell to the earth and it also mentions they spoke draconic not only before it was cool, but before the dragons taught it to other races.

And I love how the drow in Eberron aren't like...you know, all drowy...

And don't forget that Sharn was built by the Goblins long before humans showed up. Didn't know that about Kobolds though, that's pretty cool! What book was this?

(Only semi-related, but this is one of my big problems with the monster fluff in Pathfinder: They go into pages and pages of detail lovely, especially in the "revisited" books, but 99% of the description is just going on and on about how horrible and irredemably evil they all are so you should feel zero guilt about slaughtering them en masse. MAJOR waste of opportunity here.)

Winter_Wolf
2012-07-06, 10:58 PM
Thri-kreen. Psionic or non-psionic, it's all good. I think the 2E look (http://www.fantasyroom.narod.ru/thrikrn1.jpg) was better, a la Darksun. They actually looked very much like insectoid creatures, versus the 3E look. In any edition, they're fun, and as long as you're not spending a lot of time in "civilized lands" they're going to be just fine.

Also, Alaghi (http://www.traykon.com/Images/alaghi.jpg) (2E Book of Humanoids). To my knowledge alaghi get zero play in any kind of novel or short story, but I like the idea of playing semi-nomadic yeti-like creatures that look fierce but aren't really horrible beasts. Unless they're sedentary alaghi, in which case the settling down has apparently caused them to devolve into vicious bloodthirsty killers.

Tvtyrant
2012-07-06, 11:09 PM
Then how do you feel about Mind Flayers being creatures from the future?

My biggest issue with it is that there is no mechanical way for them to have done it. If they made it possible for them to do I would be more interested, but it feels a little silly for a race that's primary power is stunning things to have time travel.

I do like the Thoon version of Mindflayers though.

Xefas
2012-07-06, 11:52 PM
I like Planescape's Devils (and love to hate their Demons). The Blood War is my favorite part of any D&D setting.

For something not present in D&D, I like Exalted's "Neomah".

They're one of the more altruistic demonic races of the setting, beautiful and seductive, they break the typical "succubus" mold with the power to mold flesh like one might mold clay. They appear to barren mothers, parents of stillborn children, and non-reproductively compatible couples (whether because both are male/female, or maybe a human fell in love with a giant magical scorpion god, or what-have-you) and can take the genetics of both parents and weave them into a child. All they require as payment is a small bit of flesh for them to keep for themselves (consensually given, and not extracted in any harmful or debilitating way). They use this gathered flesh to forge big tower-workshops with which to perfect their art in peace.

Of course, the Exalted, being monsters, locked them in a hell dimension for all eternity, and only call them out to be used as prostitutes. But that's just because the Exalted are jerks. The Neomah themselves are awesome and, despite being imprisoned, still find ways to slip out of jail to go help would-be parents in need.

edit:
http://i.imgur.com/Uj7uP.jpg

Dienekes
2012-07-07, 12:01 AM
Dwarves: smithing badasses who agree that elves are annoying pansies. They're fairly simplistic, ugly little buggers who enjoy the simple pleasures in life: gold, alcohol, axes, using axes, and they don't have time for the highfalutin nonsense that is philosophy. I can respect that.

Goblins: specifically the funny kind. MTG ones are a personal favorite, as you can get a lot of hilarity from the flavor text. "So you're trying to kill my men? Well two can play at that game." "Wizards fought over the jewel because of it's unspeakable power. Goblins fought over it because it was shiny." "
Finding themselves in a new and unexplored world, they immediately set it on fire" cracks me up.

Dragons: I like the concept of giant flying fire breathing dinosaurs.

Werewolves: The wolf man was my favorite Universal horror monster movie growing up. I like the concept of turning into a murderous uncontrollable rage monster. 'Cause that seems like an actual horrible downside, unlike the monster that is definitely more popular: vampires.

Honest Tiefling
2012-07-07, 03:08 AM
Tieflings, obviously. I like appearing as monstrous, so having horns and tail is awesome. I also really enjoy fiends, be it Abyssal or Infernal flavor (Daemons never really appealed to me, oddly). Tieflings are not fiends, but settings with fiends can generally make allowances to include tiefers even if the fiends are unable to reproduce with mortals.

I guess I also find the fact that tieflings sometimes arise from skipped generations of other races interesting, because it allows for integration in different societies while being an outsider. The character is well aware and familiar with the dominant culture, and yet not always a full part of it.

I guess I might Drizztize the race a little too much, but for some reason I enjoy playing heroes who have to constantly struggle with dark impluses of varying degrees. And I think a certain amount of wangst is warranted should you be tainted with abyssal energies and have to keep remembering that stabbing children is BAD.

As mentioned before, I also really like the Blood War, which only increases my love of fiends. I like it when the world is more complicated then all of the evil guys on one side, and all of the good guys on the other. The blood war shows that evil has many faces, and not all of them are going to gang up and beat up the good guys because not all evil is the same.

JetThomasBoat
2012-07-07, 03:34 AM
And don't forget that Sharn was built by the Goblins long before humans showed up. Didn't know that about Kobolds though, that's pretty cool! What book was this?



That's...that's something I can't remember. I want to say maybe the Player's Guide to Eberron? I could look it up, but I'm lazy. Or maybe it's the Explorer's Handbook I think it's called? Both are mostly fluff with little actual rules info. But if you look hard, you can find some interesting things, like a feat that lets warforged shock people with their slam attacks by sacrificing health.

I forgot to mention in my earlier post that I LOVE shades. I think they're neat ability wise, plus I'm a huge fan of Paul S. Kemp's Erevis Cale books.

ExtravagantEvil
2012-07-07, 03:47 AM
Dwarves.

Beer Chugging, Rock Digging, Warrior Lord, Stoic Amazingly Fun Dwarves.

They have Beards and know that time when Men were real men, and women were real women!

They drink from cups of gold that go spilling on forever but are still forever full!

Dwarves, are by far, my favorite race in terms of both their nearly Chuck Norris status in RPG threads, but also due to their portrayal from Tolkien, and just the general feel of the hard working Dwarven peoples.

MachineWraith
2012-07-07, 03:55 AM
For D&D3.5, it's a dead tie between Thri-kreen and lizardfolk - poisondusk or otherwise. I just love the aesthetics of both races, and both of them lend themselves well to certain classes and play styles.

In Rogue Trader, I'm a big fan of the Kroot. They look awesome and their fluff and culture are awesome. They've got kind of a cannibalistic noble savage thing going for them, which is pretty cool.

Daedroth
2012-07-07, 04:46 AM
Dragons: I have some obsesion with them.

Warforged: They are just that cool.

Craft (Cheese)
2012-07-07, 05:51 AM
Warforged: They are just that cool.

Gonna have to give another vote for Warforged as well (Man, is there anything about Eberron that ISN'T awesome?), especially as a DM: They're a handy device for introducing many themes into a campaign that normally aren't possible in a fantasy setting, like the meaning of sentience and the value of our humanity. They can also be used for a lot of other powerful ideas simultaneously, if you know how.

Dragons... I also like, but I wouldn't really count them as a "race."

Skaven
2012-07-07, 05:54 AM
Kobolds when done right and not played for laughs or used with the pathetic cannon fodder card.

Races of the Dragon was an amazing book for Kobold fans, awesome draconic humanoids with hidden power and very awesome fluff.

JellyPooga
2012-07-07, 06:17 AM
I've long been torn between the Githzerai and Githyanki as my favourite D&D race.

Dak'kon (from PS:T) was the first gith to really open my eyes to the race(s) as a whole and I just fell in love with them since then. But which to favour? the 'Yanki with their Dimension Door-ing, Pirates of the Astral Plane, Red Dragon pact-ing, Lich-Queen slaves with honking great silver swords, bad-boy-biker image OR the 'Zerai with their super quick, race of law living in pure chaos, totally bad-ass but somewhat melancholic outlook, karach-wielding, completely in control of their own selves, perfect-monk image?

I just don't know.

Hel65
2012-07-07, 06:23 AM
I love the Drow. Not the "outcast with a heart of gold", but the scheming & selfish members of a dysfunctional spider-loving society, who are also very aesthetically pleasing.

I also love Illithids (especially using the name, "Mind Flayer" is so pedestrian). They're quite original, have a cool name, look cool and positively creepy.

Finally, I love dragon-people. Drakelings were my favourite race to play in Ancient Domains of Mystery and I guess my love for them can extend easily to other similar races, like Dragonborn.

Morty
2012-07-07, 06:23 AM
Same; My favorite races in settings are when the "monstrous" races are given rational culture and society, and aren't just treated like wandering little bags of XP for adventurers to find and kill. (Or even worse, a gigantic army that wants to slaughter all of humanity for no apparent reason.) This is one of the reasons I love Eberron so much.


I agree so much with this. I LOVE Eberron. And while Eberron made me love orcs and half-orcs as never before, I agree that the setting does this for so many races. Gnolls are the most prevalent race in Droamm, orcs and goblinoids were on Khorvaire before the humans, and I don't know if anyone else read this in the Eberron game books, but the kobolds hold that their race was created when the blood of one of the three progenitor worms fell to the earth and it also mentions they spoke draconic not only before it was cool, but before the dragons taught it to other races.

And I love how the drow in Eberron aren't like...you know, all drowy...

Normally I don't like Eberron, but I have to agree. What it does with goblinoids and orcs is quite suberb.


I've long been torn between the Githzerai and Githyanki as my favourite D&D race.

Dak'kon (from PS:T) was the first gith to really open my eyes to the race(s) as a whole and I just fell in love with them since then. But which to favour? the 'Yanki with their Dimension Door-ing, Pirates of the Astral Plane, Red Dragon pact-ing, Lich-Queen slaves with honking great silver swords, bad-boy-biker image OR the 'Zerai with their super quick, race of law living in pure chaos, totally bad-ass but somewhat melancholic outlook, karach-wielding, completely in control of their own selves, perfect-monk image?

I just don't know.

Wasn't Dak'kon's backstory and the Unbroken Circle of Zerthimon pretty much made up for the purposes of Planescape: Torment? Many people accept it as canon because of how great it is, but it's not actually canon, I think.

Eldan
2012-07-07, 06:46 AM
Part of it is. Torment just added a ton more detail.

Grail
2012-07-07, 07:29 AM
Humans. Fantasy culture humans that have a rich and detailed culture.

Unfortunately, most RPG's just list human as human and don't differentiate based on their culture. This is very disappointing.

I love worlds where the only races playable are humans, but variations thereof.

Tanuki Tales
2012-07-07, 07:44 AM
My biggest issue with it is that there is no mechanical way for them to have done it. If they made it possible for them to do I would be more interested, but it feels a little silly for a race that's primary power is stunning things to have time travel.

I do like the Thoon version of Mindflayers though.

Well, they do make a point that it's both lost technology and that the Mind Flayers were fleeing a dying universe. It's been a while since I read it, but I do think it was some 3.5 homage to Spelljammer.

Obnoxious Hydra
2012-07-07, 07:47 AM
Gnomes. Definetely Gnomes. I just find the concept of them so charming.

Also, Kobolds. Little grumpy dragon people who yip when they talk.

Also Goblins.


Now that I think about it, I quite like most humanoids with a small size...

Kymme
2012-07-07, 12:49 PM
Flumphs. Full stop. In my campaigns I have them refluffed as created by the same mad gods that made the other Abberations. The Flumphs were created to be the wardens and crusaders of the Abberations. There form allowed them to use almost any weapon imaginabe in their quests. In the current time, Flumphs are what stop creatures like the Mindflayers and stuff from taking over.

Tvtyrant
2012-07-07, 01:56 PM
Well, they do make a point that it's both lost technology and that the Mind Flayers were fleeing a dying universe. It's been a while since I read it, but I do think it was some 3.5 homage to Spelljammer.

Yup, I still have the original spelljammer books at my house. I still find the idea that they would flee backwards in time and ditch their technology to be odd though.

MoleMage
2012-07-07, 02:25 PM
Flumphs. Full stop. In my campaigns I have them refluffed as created by the same mad gods that made the other Abberations. The Flumphs were created to be the wardens and crusaders of the Abberations. There form allowed them to use almost any weapon imaginabe in their quests. In the current time, Flumphs are what stop creatures like the Mindflayers and stuff from taking over.

Wow. I started on 3.5 edition so the flumph is something I learned of later, but this is genius.

I've got a liking for gnolls, though more the human half than the other. In my personal setting, I reworked them into nomadic desert living coyote-people with strong family ties. They were also the first race I ever tried to write a language for (except for the part where languages have more than thirty-odd words I succeeded too).

Tanuki Tales
2012-07-07, 04:02 PM
Yup, I still have the original spelljammer books at my house. I still find the idea that they would flee backwards in time and ditch their technology to be odd though.

They came from a doomed time line as I recall it.

Fredaintdead
2012-07-07, 04:31 PM
Everything anyone has said about Dwarves in this thread so far pretty much sums it up for me. Dwarves are awesome.

Other than Dwarves:
Half-Giants = The closest I'll get to being tall. :smallbiggrin:
Werebears and "unusual" lycanthropes (Sharks, Bison, Whales, etc, etc) = To be fair, Werewolves are awesome, but I'd rather turn into a Bear than a Wolf in the end.

Golden Ladybug
2012-07-07, 09:09 PM
I love Drow, but found myself very disappointed by the Eberron Fluff; Scorpions? When we could've had Spiders! Unacceptable! :smallwink:

Other than that though, they are probably my favourite race ever; the weird, dysfunctional society, the near constant machinations against everyone you care for, the tests of Lolth. That and they make me feel all tingly :smallredface:

...moving on.

I also really love Changelings, both because Shapeshifters are awesome, but also because they look awesome in their base forms (which, admittedly, doesn't matter much for a shapeshifter). I also really enjoyed their fluff in RoE

Finally, Modrons. Modrons are awesome.

Jay R
2012-07-07, 09:14 PM
Mostly anything that is not primarily a D&D construct. Dragons, elves, dwarves, dryads, brownies, ... Any traditional fantasy race.

But there's one traditional race I love above all others. They can be the most noble, or the most villainous. They combine all the most interesting aspects of the other races. You can never predict what they do, since their experience covers everthing.

The ultimate fantasy race - humans.

Sodalite
2012-07-07, 10:56 PM
I'm going to go with Spellweavers, assuming non-playables are allowed. All the power of a sorcerer of a level two higher than their number of HD, and the ability to cast 6 levels worth of spells in a single round. Their strangely appealing arthopoidal appearance and their indestructible chromatic disks which also store an additional 10 levels worth spells are just gravy.

They also, to exaggerate, came close to achieving a TippyVerse in their ancient past, before the gods decided to crash their party and blow up of their monolithic portal hubs. At least, that's what I drew from their Ecology article in Dragon, which I suppose might not be valid.

I don't have a particular favorite race excluding D&D, though I suppose I'm sort of fond Norse dwarves, since the idea of awakened, magically inclined, humanoid maggots seems pretty interesting to me. I might be selectively remembering my readings on Norse mythology, though.

Kymme
2012-07-07, 11:23 PM
Wow. I started on 3.5 edition so the flumph is something I learned of later, but this is genius.
Can I sig that? :smallredface:

JetThomasBoat
2012-07-08, 02:51 AM
I love Drow, but found myself very disappointed by the Eberron Fluff; Scorpions? When we could've had Spiders! Unacceptable! :smallwink:

Other than that though, they are probably my favourite race ever; the weird, dysfunctional society, the near constant machinations against everyone you care for, the tests of Lolth. That and they make me feel all tingly :smallredface:

...moving on.

I also really love Changelings, both because Shapeshifters are awesome, but also because they look awesome in their base forms (which, admittedly, doesn't matter much for a shapeshifter). I also really enjoyed their fluff in RoE


Well, to be fair, I think part of the reason they didn't go with spiders was because if all the other gods were new in Eberron, then they had Lolth waltz in and be up to her old tricks, SOOOOOOOOOOO many people would have been really peeved. I think going with just another arachnid might be kind of lazy, but I would rather it be scorpions than tics, cause tics are just completely gross and creepy. One the other hand, they probably also wanted Vulkoor to be a male, for another degree of separation from Lolth.

Also, I would edit your post about the whole "machinations against everyone they are for" to "everyone they're related to" since they don't have a word for love, and all that business.

But while I feel the exact opposite of you about Eberron drow, I do so with the utmost respect. And as an aside, concerning them making you feel all tingly, look at he bright side of Eberron drow: they're now available in loinclothed barbarian :smallwink:

oblivion6
2012-07-08, 03:41 AM
hmm. so many great fantasy races,hard to choose

1. drow of both FR and eberron

2. the gith,

3. devils

Man on Fire
2012-07-08, 09:21 AM
Goblins, Orcs nd Ogres - beautiful green for all sizes. I never liked how they're treated liek a crap to make Elves and human look better and was always secretely rooting for them. I never like when they just shove down my throat that some race is evil and it's okay to kill it's members, that just doesn't work for me. I like them as representing the alternative to what we are. I like them as living in hard einvorment, where you have to fight for survival, like deserts, jungles, mountains and things like that. Entire world and nature itself unites against them. Humans, Dwarves and Elves wants to kill them, forces of nature doesn't give them a break. And yet, they survive. By their titanic strength (ogres), cunning and boderline madness (goblins) or just sheer determination and refusal to die (Orcs), they survive.

DontEatRawHagis
2012-07-08, 10:11 AM
Mul
Because half human half dwarves that have the muscles of Dwarves yet the height of humans is a kickass idea. Also they are good for Battleminds.

Thri-Kreen
Favorite mantis/humanoid, has two extra arms that can be used to quickly switch weapons out. Jumper/climber, just a lot different than the humanoid base races, while dwarves might get resistance to poison, but these guys have extra arms.

Talyn
2012-07-08, 10:47 AM
Githzerai. So lawful, they place their monasteries in the plane of swirling chaos for the challenge of it. So mentally strong, that they make their own rules of reality apply while inside.

Seriously, it's like an order of paladins colonizing Hell for the challenge of it. I love their chutzpah.

Eldan
2012-07-08, 10:48 AM
Githzerai. So lawful, they place their monasteries in the plane of swirling chaos for the challenge of it. So mentally strong, that they make their own rules of reality apply while inside.

Seriously, it's like an order of paladins colonizing Hell for the challenge of it. I love their chutzpah.

Not all of them are Paladins, and it was the Abyss, not Hell, but look up the Harmonium and the War of Iron.

Phoenixguard09
2012-07-08, 11:10 AM
I've always loved Elves. Particularly Warhammer and LotR ones.

A race that has been around for milennia and knows how to avoid all the mistakes humans might make in the current era but won't tell them because the Elves are too god to bother with helping some hairy, barely civilised barbarians.

MoleMage
2012-07-08, 11:53 AM
Can I sig that? :smallredface:

Absolutely.

Eldan
2012-07-08, 01:11 PM
I've always loved Elves. Particularly Warhammer and LotR ones.

A race that has been around for milennia and knows how to avoid all the mistakes humans might make in the current era but won't tell them because the Elves are too god to bother with helping some hairy, barely civilised barbarians.

Of course, they know about all those mistakes from experiences. Because they made them all tenfold.

KitTheOdd
2012-07-08, 01:41 PM
Dwarves.

And Goliaths from Races of Stone.

I totally want a mountain campaign filled with dwarves and goliaths.

Tanuki Tales
2012-07-08, 02:50 PM
Of course, they know about all those mistakes from experiences. Because they made them all tenfold.

War of the Beard anyone? :smalltongue:

Eldan
2012-07-08, 04:45 PM
War of the Beard anyone? :smalltongue:

I was thinking Feanor. But the War of the Beard too, yeah.

Phoenixguard09
2012-07-08, 06:21 PM
Of course, they know about all those mistakes from experiences. Because they made them all tenfold.

Oh absolutely. But they're far too arrogant to admit that.

I dunno, but the idea of a society whose arrogance is their major flaw intrigues me. Especially when one considers that, of humans, halflings and dwarves, elves have the most cause to be arrogant.

The arrogance is justified. It might piss other beings off, but it's justified. Try as they might, other races will just not match the grandeur of the elves. They can try. And they will fail. Cause the elves are better than you. And they know it.

hiryuu
2012-07-08, 07:35 PM
Warforged, Humans, Changelings, and Daelkyr Half-Bloods.

Tanuki Tales
2012-07-08, 07:48 PM
Oh absolutely. But they're far too arrogant to admit that.

I dunno, but the idea of a society whose arrogance is their major flaw intrigues me. Especially when one considers that, of humans, halflings and dwarves, elves have the most cause to be arrogant.

The arrogance is justified. It might piss other beings off, but it's justified. Try as they might, other races will just not match the grandeur of the elves. They can try. And they will fail. Cause the elves are better than you. And they know it.

And the rest of us smile as we know they're the first one out and we still have countless millennia to equal or surpass them. :smalltongue:

Pity that seems to be a common ailment of the Elves, no?

Phoenixguard09
2012-07-08, 07:49 PM
Meh the tragedy of the whole thing just adds to the appeal in my mind. :D

Urpriest
2012-07-08, 08:19 PM
Mongrelfolk, Races of Destiny style. I love the idea of a race that intentionally sends its ugliest members out to beg to convince other races that that's what Mongrelfolk look like, when really they look just like everyone else...

Yugoloths are awesome, I really wish 3.5 published more about them. The Demodands are also fascinating, just because they exist as their own race rather than the role simply being filled by some other fiend.

Vanaras. The opportunity to relive the great monkey-centric myths of the Orient, combined with the opportunity to act like a monkey...shame about their 3.5 update though.

Spirit Folk are what elves should have been IMO.

Dienekes
2012-07-08, 08:54 PM
Meh the tragedy of the whole thing just adds to the appeal in my mind. :D

Yeah it's truly a tragedy that the arrogant buggers who made more of a mess out of things than we humans could ever hope to achieve, yet still seem to feel their excrement does not generate unwanted odors and look upon everyone else with racist superiority leave the world.

Yeah, I'm crying over here about it. Crying.

Craft (Cheese)
2012-07-08, 08:58 PM
Yeah it's truly a tragedy that the arrogant buggers who made more of a mess out of things than we humans could ever hope to achieve, yet still seem to feel their excrement does not generate unwanted odors and look upon everyone else with racist superiority leave the world.

Yeah, I'm crying over here about it. Crying.

But they aren't the favored children of Eru, so they don't have the gift of mortality! Isn't that just so very sad?

Lord Raziere
2012-07-08, 09:09 PM
Yes, the "gift" of mortality. I am so very thankful. sarcasm!

Dienekes
2012-07-08, 10:41 PM
Yes, the "gift" of mortality. I am so very thankful. sarcasm!

I am. The world would be a horrible place without death. But that's going a bit beyond the purview of this thread.

Any case I've started to grow a liking to golems and orcs, though that just might be the Pratchett I've been reading recently.

PhallicWarrior
2012-07-09, 12:20 AM
Bloody Kobolds... I love 'em, but after my last D&D campaign I had to stop using them. My players got to admiring them after besting a few of their trap-heavy dungeon complexes. Plus a not-inconsiderable subset of my player-base thinks they're adorable and won't kill them anymore.

HeadlessMermaid
2012-07-09, 12:21 AM
Goliaths.

Probably the only "purely" fantasy race* (not derived from mythology) whose entire fluff is actually believable: society, culture, the works.

*In D&D that is, other systems are another matter.

Daedroth
2012-07-09, 05:06 AM
The arrogance is justified. It might piss other beings off, but it's justified. Try as they might, other races will just not match the grandeur of the elves. They can try. And they will fail. Cause the elves are better than you. And they know it.

That's not true, everyone that have read the Player Hanbook know's that the humans are better, that extra feat is gold. :smallbiggrin:.

And dwarfs are better too, and halflings, and gnomes, and even half-orcs... ¡That -2 at Con really sucks! :smallconfused:

Well, monster manual elves are pretty good, especially Grey elves... :smallwink:

Werekat
2012-07-09, 06:06 AM
Won't be too original here. Elves and dwarves. Elves, as had been said, not the hippie-better-than-you kind, but as folks with a different and interesting physiology and culture. I've done a lot of homebrewing on that base, and, naturally, I like what I've done. :D

Dwarves I mostly like from afar - I haven't played one yet, and when we get around to playing a new D&D game, that's what I'll be playing. I like the stereotypes - stoutness and steadfastness, amazing craftspeople, and so on. I want to play them and see how it turns out.

I don't like most of the D&D monstrous races, but that might be because I haven't had the chance to get my hands dirty tinkering around with their fluff.

Doorhandle
2012-07-09, 06:20 AM
I have a few favourite races, most of them monster races, but whatever.

The Tane: I just think these fae-made warbeasts are so cool and they all posses unique mechanics, particularly the ones not base off Lewis Carroll (although the Bandersnatch (http://th06.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2012/027/9/2/bandersnatch_by_daveallsop-d4nqvsh.jpg) is particularly amazing.) If there was enough variance in their C.R, I would happily use these for every encounter in the game past lv14. Also, the Sard is totally badass and the Thrasfyr looks like it belongs as the mascot for a heavy-metal band.

Daemons: My favourite evil outsiders, as I just find their fluff and concept as a whole interesting, and are also rather more visually distinct than daemons/devils, as it can be hard to tell the latter two apart physically. Also, the Obcisidaemon looks like it belongs as the mascot for a heavy-metal band. Sensing a pattern?

Goblins: Bless their big-eared, chaotic-stupid, pyromaniac dog-hating hearts.

Janni/Suli: I like these guys more than the other genies/geinekin, but I like them in general as the combined enlarge-person, increased base size, charisma/strength bonuses and hammy personas mean they are larger than life in every possible way.

Shae: Shadow-people with a superiority complex and a penchant for masks: sorta like a species of Dimentios. Also, if this image is to believed, becoming ninja battle-maids. (http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=shae+pathfinder&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&rlz=1T4GGHP_en-GBAU480AU480&biw=1843&bih=887&tbm=isch&tbnid=TYmM0eNic5VQrM:&imgrefurl=http://paizo.com/paizo/blog/2011/december/v5748dyo5lcxa%26page%3D2%3FFamiliar-Foes&docid=HTPdRqhdFO99xM&itg=1&imgurl=http://paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderRPG/PZO1120-ShadowRace.jpg&w=914&h=1000&ei=H7z6T623HbGviQfBx7DQBg&zoom=1)

Ratfolk: They can share a space AND get flanking when they do so. A phalanx of rouges with teamwork feats would be UNSTOPPABLE!

Sapient undead:Particularly Grave-knights, if only because they are more Sauron-ish. And because I like playing the beat-stick. Also, the album-cover rule again.

I also like the Varana, Gnomes and Dwarves(as fortressy as possible) a lot. Also pathfinder Half-orcs, if only because their racial bonuses mean you could end up prettier than the party elf.

Really, I could add things here all day.

Tanuki Tales
2012-07-09, 10:27 AM
I have a few favourite races, most of them monster races, but whatever.

The Tane: I just think these fae-made warbeasts are so cool and they all posses unique mechanics, particularly the ones not base off Lewis Carroll (although the Bandersnatch (http://th06.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2012/027/9/2/bandersnatch_by_daveallsop-d4nqvsh.jpg) is particularly amazing.) If there was enough variance in their C.R, I would happily use these for every encounter in the game past lv14. Also, the Sard is totally badass and the Thrasfyr looks like it belongs as the mascot for a heavy-metal band.


Yes.

Yes.

And more YES.

Probably one of my favorite additions into Pathfinder.

Jay R
2012-07-09, 11:49 AM
Of course, they know about all those mistakes from experiences. Because they made them all tenfold.

I love it. Elves don't really take decades to grow up. But until they've had as much wisdom-generating experience as the wisest old sage among the humans, they aren't really up to being elves.

Abscondcrow
2012-07-09, 07:17 PM
My top five in ascending order and with reasons.

Elves, haughty, knows much more than and is better than you elves. Whether they live in grand palaces carved from marble, or their homes are actually grown "from" trees, I love them. Also: When I play, or run elves, I do not portray them as "hippies", though they don't like it if you cut down their forests just for the sake of it. They too need wood.

Dwarves. Probably just my (minorly) Scottish blood. But I simply love the short, bearded, dry humored drunken little bastards. Scared or happy, drunk or sober, they always look dour. And lets not forget their themesong, "We shall not be moved. No, said we shall not be moved. :smallcool:

Ratmen, to be honest, I never used to like them, but I played one in a game once, and found them irresistibly adorable, even when not acting it (which is most of the time, for me). Plus everyone hates them, even monstrous races because of their stink, filth and all-round unhygienic.. Ness.

Kobolds I like for pretty much the same reason as ratmen, except that I also have a penchant for lizard-esque creatures (lizardmen would be just under elves :p) I love the fact that they eat bones as well as flesh,that they're cowardly, and that they will trap the hell out of you.

Number one, my all time favorite..
The Goblins. Not bugbears, not hobgoblins, not barghest, plain old, multicoloured (usually green..) goblins. They were the first dnd monster race I'd ever heard of, the first race I did battle with, roleplayed with and of course killed. I like them in all forms, civilized city builders, rampaging marauders and cowardly cave crawlers. Quite simply, goblins win.

Goblins.

Win.

THEChanger
2012-07-09, 11:25 PM
Hmmmm...I've always been a fan of gnomes. I take the view that they are descendants of the Fey, mystically linked to the natural world, weaving powerful illusions, creating incredibly complex machinery that has absolutely no right to exist, and generally telling reality to shut up and let the gnomes go. And what do they do with all of the power they have?

They make people laugh.

A gnome's greatest honor is making people laugh. Because they know, in a world full of horror and pain and suffering, there is no greater weapon than laughter. Laughter makes the dark of night a little less frightening, makes the sting of a lost limb less painful, and returns courage to the hearts of the most shaken warriors. A gnome is one of the greatest weapons an army can have at their disposal.

Then there are evil gnomes. Which are quite possibly the most frightening thing I've ever seen. Because their goal is no longer to make others laugh-it's to make themselves laugh. And there are some frightening, frightening things that can make a gnome laugh. Because they originate from elsewhere, they aren't truly mortal, not truly a part of this world. Pain isn't a concept they understand well. Others pain can be a great source of joy to an evil gnome, and the scary part is that it's all just a big joke to them.


Aside from the gnomes, I've always liked Warforged, because of the questions they bring up when introduced into a setting, the awesomeness of mixing tech with fantasy(two great tastes that taste great together!), and the opportunity to play the Iron Gnome Warlock. I often play Azurin and Dusklings, but that is more because I like Incarnum than anything else. I love making Kobolds my villians, crafty little dragon buggers.

Oh, and just because I feel like bringing in the mad faces, Kender. :smallwink:

DigoDragon
2012-07-10, 07:22 AM
I've always been partial to Kobolds, they do make a great contrasting villain with their mining and trap technologies against the PCs magics. And of course, they do have sorcerers of their own.

Vknight
2012-07-10, 12:35 PM
Pixie's what can you do with a pixie?
They can be the goblins goblin.
They can be eco-freaks. Whatever the point is pixies are always going to be awesome from being wise sages to crazed children

Silver Dragons they are just yes.... I love them so much flavor everything and I could go over and over again:smallredface:

Nymphs & Dryads... What?
You not expecting this? Dryads are awesome nature and can be really cool from cactus to tree
Nymphs eh what can I say other then blinded by the light.

Iamyourking
2012-07-11, 03:06 PM
Devils for being the only competent fiends, maleficarim in particular, and giants, espcially Fire, for general badassery. Really any race that is predominantly lawful, doesn't matter where they stand on the other axis.

Doorhandle
2012-07-12, 02:12 AM
Devils for being the only competent fiends, maleficarim in particular, and giants, espcially Fire, for general badassery. Really any race that is predominantly lawful, doesn't matter where they stand on the other axis.

...what are your thoughts on the law of chaos?

Mordokai
2012-07-12, 02:32 AM
I've always been partial to Kobolds, they do make a great contrasting villain with their mining and trap technologies against the PCs magics. And of course, they do have sorcerers of their own.

Personally, I've never cared much for the little buggers.

That all changed when I bought Kobolds Ate My Baby! Now I find them hillarious and would be hard pressed to ever again see them as threat to... well, anything :smallbiggrin:

Manly Man
2012-07-12, 03:00 AM
Yugoloths are awesome, I really wish 3.5 published more about them.

Gotta agree with this. They'd have been much more interesting if they were given more depth. However, they're still an entire race pretty much consisting of greedy, self-centered asshats that keep the Blood War going by switching sides constantly because it would be bad for business. Sure, the devils are all cold-hearted and calculated, the demons are unpredictable and genocidal, but when you've got an entire division of fiends that has the potential to be nothing but a plane of conniving bastards, the possibilities for likable villainy are staggering.

My list of favorite races is a long one. One of the main groups is not just demons, but the obyriths of them; only a few tanar'ri appeal to me, such as Graz'zt, but things that are so horrific and incomprehensibly ugly that they make you go crazy on sight are a plus in my eyes.

Mind flayers. They're the nazz of evil races, and lots of fun to mess around with.

I also love to have kobolds as low-level, clever enemies that compensate for their terrible physical traits by being absolute Hell on players through level five. I don't think I've seen anyone get more pissed at little people than the team rogue when they tried to invade a kobold tribe's territory. I like to portray goblins in a similar light, as they tend to be treated like **** as well, and it's nice to see one of the little guys actually be a thread without resorting to cheese.

Eldan
2012-07-12, 08:07 AM
Gotta agree with this. They'd have been much more interesting if they were given more depth. However, they're still an entire race pretty much consisting of greedy, self-centered asshats that keep the Blood War going by switching sides constantly because it would be bad for business. Sure, the devils are all cold-hearted and calculated, the demons are unpredictable and genocidal, but when you've got an entire division of fiends that has the potential to be nothing but a plane of conniving bastards, the possibilities for likable villainy are staggering.

If oyu can get your hands on them, look into the old Planescape books Faces of Evil, Hellbound: the Blood War and Planes of Conflict. All with much Yugoloth material. Also, google Shemeska's Story Hour and Baernoloth of the Demented.. Shemeska wrote some amazing 'loth material.

Tanuki Tales
2012-07-12, 12:54 PM
I also love to have kobolds as low-level, clever enemies that compensate for their terrible physical traits by being absolute Hell on players through level five. I don't think I've seen anyone get more pissed at little people than the team rogue when they tried to invade a kobold tribe's territory. I like to portray goblins in a similar light, as they tend to be treated like **** as well, and it's nice to see one of the little guys actually be a thread without resorting to cheese.

Tucker's Kobolds were of the non-cheesy, high-level challenging variety if memory serves.

CET
2012-07-13, 02:09 PM
Yea - I forgot Ratfolk. Which for me will always mean Skaven.

I use them less for classic sword and sorcery and more for steampunk fantasy. But I do get a lot of mileage out of them - ratfolk assassins with improbably nasty looking cutlery, ratfolk soldiers with jurry-rigged flamethrowers or chemical weapons, masses of ratfolk with rusty iron weapons that will overrun your defenses zombie-horde style.

I suppose you could do all of that with Kobolds, but I've just never been able to take Kobolds seriously.

Dr.Epic
2012-07-13, 02:10 PM
Orcs. Because they're simple and they smash stuff. Also gnomes and halflings because they're crazy small people that do crazy stuff.

Milo v3
2012-07-14, 08:07 AM
I think that Elves are generally fun to play if they aren't cliche. My type of elf is a creature which had its soul torn from it in creation and created as a seperate fae, which kind of acts like a never changing daemon from Golden Compass.

Then they seperated into two factions, the ones which worshipped the divines and those which wanted to forge there own future. When people in the second faction died and were reanimated by the heretics, they created the first demons.

This distanced the two factions to much that the heretics were exiled from there native land for all time and their god abandoned them, slowly reverting them into mortals which have been tainted by their past.

Daftendirekt
2012-07-14, 10:49 AM
Elves. Always have, probably always will.

Socio-fluff, flavor, aestheticism, all of it.

Now, that said, I don't like humans-with-pointy-ears elves, or somehow-really-good-mages-and-swordsmen elves, or better-than-you elves. Specifically, I like what 4E did, splitting them into elves and eladrin, in which case I like both, but elves more.

My interpretation of the core elves puts them as guerilla, forest dwelling nomad-libertarians with a live-and-let-live (but don't **** with us) and if-it-harm-none-do-what-you-will attitude. I don't see that as particularly good spellcasters or swordsmen, but naturally they make fantastic archers/skirmishers/duelists.

This pretty much sums up elves for me as well. It is odd that a race with -Con and no +Int is supposedly renowned as great wizards and swordsmen. PF and 4e fixed the no +Int, but still.

I also love the Raptorans from Races of the Wild. They look cool and I find their society really interesting. I've only played one so far, but the DM was cool enough to integrate a lot of the raptoran fluff; I'd love to play one again.



Dragons: I like the concept of giant flying fire breathing dinosaurs.

Actually, dragons are more like cats than anything else.

Manly Man
2012-07-15, 02:02 AM
Actually, dragons are more like cats than anything else.

They even have a similar sort of outlook on life.

Cat: He feeds me, he cleans me, he loves me, he gives me a place to stay. I must be God!

Dragon: I smash him, I eat him, he fears me, I take his stuff. I must be God!

Dienekes
2012-07-15, 10:21 AM
Actually, dragons are more like cats than anything else.

I like my description much better. You know, cause dinosaurs are actually cool.

Gnomish Wanderer
2012-07-29, 03:11 PM
-Beautiful Gnomish Support- *snip*
This. Gnomes are the best. I bow before your prose here.

Seharvepernfan
2012-07-30, 03:24 PM
I like my description much better. You know, cause dinosaurs are actually cool.

Yes, but not as cool as dinosaur cats.

Morithias
2012-07-30, 03:52 PM
This. Gnomes are the best. I bow before your prose here.

I didn't like the gnomes at first, cause most of them seemed low on power compared to humans...then I found the tinker gnome from Dragonlance.

Love that race, want to build stuff and blow it up.

Morithias
2012-07-30, 03:53 PM
This. Gnomes are the best. I bow before your prose here.

I didn't like the gnomes at first, cause most of them seemed low on power compared to humans...then I found the tinker gnome from Dragonlance.

Love that race, want to build stuff and blow it up.

Hylas
2012-07-31, 06:52 PM
From a fluff perspective I kinda like the gypsy traveler merchant type race. There's something fun about the whole having the road as a home, slightly ostracized (depending on setting), and mysterious secrecy and magic, with some petty thievery thrown in for good measure.

From a mechanics perspective I like the mentally calm, physically weak, but making up for it with agility and skill. If it's D&D then something with a cool weapon proficiency, but not too exotic. Like the elf's longsword proficiency.

Lo and behold! Pathfinder showed up and introduced me to the Tengu. Though I've been avoiding it because I know once I start everyone except for arcane casters will be a Tengu.

BootStrapTommy
2012-08-01, 01:14 AM
Tiefling, because social-outcasts play naturally to me, as do warlocks, which tiefling make sense being if you can get over the charisma penalty.

Hobgoblins, they're like Uruk-hai. Militant, strong, and awesome. I use them as a "enemy of my enemy" ally a lot when I DM. I'd love to play one, but ridiculous level adjustment.

Dwarves, because it hard not to love drunk midget blacksmiths with axes who will kick you tush half way 'til Sunday.

Inevitables, because they will always be my preferred method of letting a party know that I am the DM and I don't want their crap.

Manly Man
2012-08-01, 01:56 AM
I also love to have silver dragons for the role-playing aspect. Even with my fellows who have gestalt characters they treat dragons warily, and when they find a silver dragon and the dragon's benevolence shows, everyone gets too relaxed, and the rookie ends up doing something stupid and getting himself and more often than not the entire party killed.

Lemmy
2012-08-02, 04:25 PM
I really like Shifters and Warforged, but I'm not a big fan of the other Eberron-specific races, such as changeling and kalashtar.

I like full blooded orcs! Half-orcs, not so much.

Recently I've come to really like the Pathfinder/Golarion version of Vishkanyas (http://targete.cghub.com/files/Image/221001-222000/221250/596_stream.jpg)and Tengus (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/races/other-races/featured-races/arg-tengu)

I usually hate elves and drows, but I love what was done to them in the Warcraft universe. Druidic "drows" and addicted-to-arcane-magic isounds awesome to me!

At long last, elves are not a race of holier-than-thou Mary-Sues!

Dsurion
2012-08-04, 03:42 AM
Goblins - I enjoy both Savage little monsters and the Iron Kingdoms style goblins (privateerpress.com/iron-kingdoms/introduction-to-the-iron-kingdoms/races-of-the-iron-kingdoms), particularly when they're both in the same setting.

Kroot (wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Kroot) - Don't have much to say. I played a lot of Tau, now I like Kroot.

Dwarves - But not stereotypical fantasy dwarves. I prefer the Norse variety of capricious crafters, or a significantly more modified to make sense variety of dwarf (http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mc14).

MatrixQ
2012-08-04, 04:59 AM
Gnomes. Definetely Gnomes. I just find the concept of them so charming.

Also, Kobolds. Little grumpy dragon people who yip when they talk.

Also Goblins.


Now that I think about it, I quite like most humanoids with a small size...
I agree wholeheartedly. I almost always play Gnomes, almost never anything bigger than a dwarf. The idea of a tiny hero is just too much fun.
Also, I like the Gnome culture, interwoven with magic and technology, Illusions everywhere and pulling pranks on each other is one of the major pastimes. Just makes for an all around fun character to play.

Unless it's Shadowrun. For some reason, I always end up with an Orc, no matter what I play. If the timeline held up in reallife, I'd probably end up being an Orc as well :smallbiggrin:

Rafinius
2012-11-10, 03:19 AM
I recently noticed that I have been an Orc fan for a few years now. Of course I mean the headstrong warrior race archetype, not the honorless monster or the mongrel slaverace (LotR) ones.
In general I like imagining advanced nations of normaly "evil" races, but with a more pragmatic and sensible approach to allignments.

Other than that, dwarves are and have always been awesome, amirite?

Kane0
2012-11-10, 06:50 AM
If it counts, I am extremely Partial to Devils/Baatezu.

They offer a fun way to play Lawful Evil, always have an agenda, are complex but at the same time uniform and there is the ever present Blood War to draw from.

They are calculating, purposeful evil with intelligence and structure to back them up. Flavor aplenty.

Starsign
2012-11-10, 10:48 AM
I'm throwing my hat in for Dwarves as well. Always liked the idea of smaller-than-normal people who end up making boisterous, brutal warriors. They aren't quite easy to change around or revise them though, unlike elves who I've seen plenty of neat variants of.

Also have a huge love for minotaurs too. Generally enjoy big brutes more than small ones and minotaurs make some of the more iconic examples of an unstoppable charger. :smallbiggrin: Though I have trouble finding some really good fluff on them and their culture; (Warcraft excluded) anyone have any suggestions on sourcebooks or books in general for minotaurs and setting ideas/culture/society?

Kane0
2012-11-10, 05:37 PM
Savage Species has a few things on minotaurs, and there are a few things in Races of the Wild and Races of Stone that you can adapt.

Yora
2012-11-10, 06:48 PM
I like Wood Elves and Wild Elves. Those are cool pragmatic guys. Unlike silly High Elves and Drow, who spend their days in decadence acting all superior without ever really accomplishing anything.

Kitten Champion
2012-11-10, 07:39 PM
I enjoy playing as a Deva the most for a number of reason. They're thematically similar to the eternal champion archetype, which I enjoy quite a bit. They've also got the longevity and wisdom associated with Elves but without the cultural rigmarole that can be silly or annoying. Mostly though, it's the sense of calm which I enjoy, of existing without superficial concerns. They know who and what they are, and what's important in life.

On the other hand, I like the Changelings of Eberron. I suppose because they lack that permanence. They're defined by illusion and misdirection, of being forgeries of others. They can see things from various perspectives, walk in others shoes. It's a way of looking at the world with the complexity of being potentially everyone and no one at the same time. What exactly is the nature of identity when you slip in and out of them at will?