Are there other Dark Races besides Drow, Duergar, and Svirfneblin?

[Aeturo]

I was wondering if Humans, Orcs, and Halflings had something similar to the Elves, Dwarves, and Gnomes having Drow, Duergar, and Svirfneblin. My googling hasn't come up with anything. If not, what traits (personality wise, culturally, and non-mechanical racial features (since this isn't the homebrew forum)) would each of these species have? In my setting, Drow, Duergar, and Svirfneblin come from a singular creator and I think he would have crafted dark versions of each of the other species as well to bolster his armies. I won't lore dump on his motives or anything, since they aren't essentially to this discussion.

[Mith]

It's only in recent years that Orcs haven't also counted as a Dark race. I could say that Orcs and humans are mirrored as he took humans expansionism and turned it into the brutal power of the orcs. As for Halflings, I think Goblins would fit.

[Elminster298]

Although none of them fit what you are looking for perfectly, in The Forgotten Realms... Humans that were in Shade Enclave when it was transferred to the Shadow Plane did not all become actual "shades" but instead just darker humans. Orcs in the Underdark were sometimes bred with demons/devils to create the Tannaruk. Halflings already have the ghostwise subrace. While none of these(except maybe the ghostwise halfling) are perfect, I think they could easily be a starting point to work from.

[SpamCreateWater]

I believe Humans had something similar to, if not exactly, what you're after in 3.5 - Deep Imaskari from a Forgotten Realms book (or the Forgotten Realms wiki).

[mephnick]

It's only in recent years that Orcs haven't also counted as a Dark race. I could say that Orcs and humans are mirrored as he took humans expansionism and turned it into the brutal power of the orcs. As for Halflings, I think Goblins would fit.

Yeah, Orcs are 100% the human Dark race. Don't let that hippy WoW crap influence you. They aren't misrepresented honorable warriors. They are brutal, evil, raging monsters.

[Lord Vukodlak]

I was wondering if Humans, Orcs, and Halflings had something similar to the Elves, Dwarves, and Gnomes having Drow, Duergar, and Svirfneblin. My googling hasn't come up with anything. If not, what traits (personality wise, culturally, and non-mechanical racial features (since this isn't the homebrew forum)) would each of these species have? In my setting, Drow, Duergar, and Svirfneblin come from a singular creator and I think he would have crafted dark versions of each of the other species as well to bolster his armies. I won't lore dump on his motives or anything, since they aren't essentially to this discussion.

Keep in mind(if you aren't already) that while Sivirfneblin live in the underdark they're still a good aligned. Unlike the Drow or the Duergar.

In the campaign setting of Athas you have Halflings who.... well hunt and eat people. In any other setting they'd easily qualify has "a dark race"

[JakOfAllTirades]

For a while, (4E and maybe 3E, I'm not sure) the Shadar-Kai were Humans from the Plane of Shadow, so they would've counted. Now they're Shadowy Elves, so they're dark elves for people who are sick of the Drow, I guess.

Dark Orcs? Great idea, Orcs from the Plane of Shadow, or the Abyss. Edgiest thing ever.

And of course, the Halflings. Kender are dark Halfings. Ugh.

[Luccan]

Depends on your definition of "dark". As others pointed out, Svirfneblin aren't actually evil (although I think they used to be neutral) and Orcs still default to bad guy if you use the provided lore. Taanaruuks, or however you spell it, can serve as a more evil form of Orc, if you want. If you're going with traditional fluff, you could play up the clannish, anti-outsider* aspect of Ghostwise Halflings from SCAG. As for humans? Personally, I'm a believer that most people are basically good deep down, at least at first, but at the same time, I find the idea of "inverted" humans dull. I prefer humans who are either in league with the bad guy or have been subjugated, but neither of whom are inherently born more evil than anyone else. I suppose you could do a corrupted/cursed bloodline, like with Tieflings and Yuan-ti.

*Wow, there are a lot of fantasy peoples who are basically noted for being especially racist.

"Why don't you like outsiders?" "Can't trust 'em. It's in their blood."

[Randomthom]

Yeah, Orcs are 100% the human Dark race. Don't let that hippy WoW crap influence you. They aren't misrepresented honorable warriors. They are brutal, evil, raging monsters.

Different fictions, different interpretations, different lore. I enjoyed the Warcraft Orcs, especially in the movie, nice to have a nuanced race that weren't just EEEVULTM.

In D&D, Orcs share humans' expansionism but not much else. Aren't grimlocks meant to be descended from humans? They're not really a self-contained societal race though due to their subservience to Mind Flayers.

[Unoriginal]

Yeah, Orcs are 100% the human Dark race. Don't let that hippy WoW crap influence you. They aren't misrepresented honorable warriors. They are brutal, evil, raging monsters.

The orcs aren't the "dark" counterparts of humans. They're just different species.

[Spore]

But if you take the Forsaken from WoW as the evil counterparts to humans you can even keep the "managed somehow to retain their free will from their creator" bit of lore. Maybe they are evil (as the "gift" of undeath tends to dampen positive emotions) but they are incredibly freedom-loving. Their CE is not random destruction but selfishness to preserve their liberty.

[Requilac]

Considering the creatures that that the OP listed off, by dark he does not mean evil he means rather something that lives in the underdark or a similar cavernous area with little to no sunlight.
Ghostwise halflings don’t foot the bill and neither do orcs or tieflings then. I don’t think there are any underdark halflings, orcs, Dragonborn or tieflings to my knowledge. That being said, they should not too hard to find or homebrew. Creating a monster is quite simple really, and while home brewing a race is more difficult, it is certainly not a demanding undertaking.


Aren't grimlocks meant to be descended from humans? They're not really a self-contained societal race though due to their subservience to Mind Flayers.

IIRC correctly than grimlocks were humans that lived in the underdark for so long that their eyes fell out. I am fairly certain that the MM even mentions that they are still born with eyes that just fall out when they reach maturity, kind of like blind cave tetra.

[hamishspence]

In the context of past editions - but applying that info as being valid for D&D universes in general:


Underdark orcs are orogs (Races of Faerun).

Underdark pixies/sylphs etc (small fey-ish humanoids with dragonfly-like wings), are gloamings (3.5 Underdark book)

Underdark goblins are vril (Drow of the Underdark).

Underdark humans are either Underfolk (Races of Destiny) or Deep Imaskari (3.5 Underdark book) depending on setting.

There's even an Underdark halfling variant - Deep Halflings:

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/halfling.htm#deepHalfling

The OOTS Dragon Magazine strips had one which poked fun at the extent to which so many creatures have an "under" or "deep" variant.

[Unoriginal]

Grimlocks were once humans, but they got twisted by Mind Flayers into a slave species.

[the_brazenburn]

I'd say that the human Underdark variant would be the grimlocks.
Halflings could be derro, I suppose, although that isn't really their origin.
Underdark orcs are pretty explicitly orogs.

[Joe the Rat]

Lot of different ways to take this one.

Dark as in underground dwelling with a penchant towards sunlight sensitivity: Underground Humans could be Grimlocks (specifically called out as Humans derived), Troglodytes (Screw FR lore, Necromancer Games Idol of the Frog God has a much more interesting take on the origins of Troglodytes which I carry forward in the games I run), or humans. Orcs are already cave-adapted, and function as well below ground as above. Quaggoth, however, do share some characteristics, and their relationship with Drow an odd reflection. Halflings would parallel with Goblins (small) or Derro (insane).

If you hadn't cottoned yet, I am less concerned with "X adapted" as "fills X role in the social/ecological environment"

Now if you want Dark as Sinister, Humans are mirrored best by Humans. The new-dominant "Hero" race happens to be an excellent "Villain" race as well. Saviors or Destroyers.

Alternatively, Halfling - Human - Goliath is essentially Goblin - Hobgoblin - Bugbear.

[Fire Tarrasque]

In the Dark Sun campaign setting, there were vicious cannibalistic Halflings, though they aren't in 5e.

[ThatDrowPlayer]

In 4th Edition they had a race called the Shade. It was a human who had willingly become corrupted by darkness. They look like Nightcrawler from X-Men, and are a strong stealth race, but most CharOp boards disliked them because they lacked one healing surge (similar to 5e's Hit Die). I don't think there's a 5e version, but it would be easy to convert.

You also have the Derro, insane dwarf-looking people who dwell in the Underdark. They're a Small race, so you could use them in place of halflings, though be warned they are essentially chaotic evil if played to the lore.