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Danzaver
2007-12-19, 02:26 PM
Kobolds. Plain and simple.

Best player race in 2nd ed, kept a real edge in 3rd ed by having 30ft movement despite being small sized (plus natural armour AND size modifier) even though they lost their wonderful 'attacked last' special rule.

...best of all, despite being so awesome and super cool (and related to dragons! I mean, c'mon! ...and have you ever read the 2nd ed adventure "Dragon Mountain"..? It will change the way you run combats involving Kobolds), what DM would ever impose a penalty for playing one (other than your standard NPC - and sometimes PC - xenophobia)... in fact, they may even reward you for taking what they see as a penalty! Suckers XD

*thinks fondly back to his kobold paladin he made when they finally decided that any race could be paladins*

Good old Ooglin Ratlicker. The only character who ever got experience for killing the ambience.

SoD
2007-12-19, 02:39 PM
Chitines. A spider-like four armed web spinning small sized monstrosity with 3 racial hit dice and a +2 level adjustment. I just can't get over them, at first level (ECL 3, we got rid of the hit dice), I made a trap worth 2000 gp. He was a paladin as well, albeit it with a -4 racial penalty to charisma...

Morty
2007-12-19, 02:51 PM
Goblins. Despite them being sword-fodder in all gaming systems and settings, I'm fond of sneaky little buggers no matter what I play. And D&D gives them halfway decent stats- not as good as those of elf or dwarf, but tolerable. Next campaign I play, I'll intimidate/bribe DM to let me play a goblin. Possibly goblin paladin on Worg.

ALOR
2007-12-19, 02:53 PM
I'm partial to kolbolds, orcs and shades.
In 2e I allowed a kolbold to start taking levels in paladin. The shock on the other PC's faces when they finally figured out he was a Paladin was just pure win. :smallbiggrin:

Tyrael
2007-12-19, 02:54 PM
even though they lost their wonderful 'attacked last' special rule.


This intrigues me and I wish to learn more.

MagicPrime
2007-12-19, 02:55 PM
I like the catfolk from Races of the Wild and the Aasimar, but I don't know if they will still be a non-standard race in 4e after the first couple PHB series come out.

Danzaver
2007-12-19, 02:55 PM
Goblins. Despite them being sword-fodder in all gaming systems and settings, I'm fond of sneaky little buggers no matter what I play. And D&D gives them halfway decent stats- not as good as those of elf or dwarf, but tolerable. Next campaign I play, I'll intimidate/bribe DM to let me play a goblin.

Do you read the "Goblins" webcomic? It is really inspiring to myself, who also loves the sneaky, misunderstood, killed-in-droves races. I'd love to do a goblin or kobold monstrous campaign.

But despite being weaker in MM stats, kobolds are still better in base numbers as PC races I reckon.

Woo for the little fellas!

Morty
2007-12-19, 02:58 PM
Do you read the "Goblins" webcomic? It is really inspiring to myself, who also loves the sneaky, misunderstood, killed-in-droves races. I'd love to do a goblin or kobold monstrous campaign.

Of course I did. But I liked goblin even before then.

Danzaver
2007-12-19, 02:59 PM
This intrigues me and I wish to learn more.

In the player's option expansion to 2nd ed, they released rules for Kobolds as PCs - they had a rule called "Attacked last" which basically meant that unless they had done something really impressive, kobold PCs were never attacked by anything with more than animal intelligence as long as there was another target available.

In WoW terms, that is "Enchant Self - Aggro Reduction". Brilliant.

bosssmiley
2007-12-19, 03:00 PM
Hobgoblins: the LA cursed Prussians of D&D. :smallcool:
"Einz, zwei, einz, zwei. Turn zer vheels ov industry..."

alchemyprime
2007-12-19, 03:01 PM
Cactacae from Dragon 352. A beautiful issue that no body picked up.

Sure, they were LA +2, but to be a WALKING CACTUS I would take it.

I also liked the khepri. A race that had a good reason for there being more women PCs then men: the men were naturally born without an Intelligence score. The men are Vermin and the women Humanoid (Khepri). Fun, eh?

I also like dromites and giff.

RTGoodman
2007-12-19, 03:04 PM
I also love kobolds - one of my favorite character was Iothgix, a Half-Dragon Kobold Warrior//Paladin of Tyranny in an all-kobold semi-gestalt (i.e., one side of your progression had to be an NPC class) game.

As far as my very favorite, though, that has to go to the Goliath. I love the "big mountain nomad" flavor, and Powerful Build is always fun!

Tengu
2007-12-19, 03:17 PM
In the player's option expansion to 2nd ed, they released rules for Kobolds as PCs - they had a rule called "Attacked last" which basically meant that unless they had done something really impressive, kobold PCs were never attacked by anything with more than animal intelligence as long as there was another target available.

In WoW terms, that is "Enchant Self - Aggro Reduction". Brilliant.

Ugh. That is soooo AD&D, and not in a good way, that I won't comment on it because I don't want to derail this thread into another edition war.


Cactacae from Dragon 352. A beautiful issue that no body picked up.

Sure, they were LA +2, but to be a WALKING CACTUS I would take it.


Do they happen to look like that?
http://www.ffmerchandise.com/BigCactuar.jpg

As for me, I think that'd be either psionic half-giants, or dromites. The first ones since I like the idea of a slightly large humanoids, proud with much larger weapons, and goliaths are too cheesy (and I don't mean mechanically, though goliaths are very strong for their LA, probably even too strong), being basically the cliche "proud barbarians from the mountains in the north" turned into a new race instead of a group of humans, the second ones because that dromite in boots and gasmask is simply awesome. Let's see if I can find the picture.

fendrin
2007-12-19, 03:18 PM
Hobgoblins. Simple, not overpowered, but totally ripped off by the LA +1.

I love having an ancient hobgoblin empire, usually oriental in theming, often destroyed or massively diminished in antiquity, or just far away.

Or Hengayokai (OA). Especially Hares. I had an NPC once, originally intended to be a humorous one-time appearance/plot advancement. He was hare hengayokai pirate (ranger/rogue, iirc) with a shark animal companion. so much fun he became a recurring character (sometimes ally, sometimes enemy...)

The party stole his magical ship (after spending most of a hilarious gaming session trying to figure out the command word to make it work... all sorts of piratey and nautical words being bandied about...) traveled to a far off continent in search of an enslaving wizard, only to find themselves wandering through feudal Japanese-esque hobgoblins. That was an awesome campaign... also featured a telepath that developed a phobia of mattresses after almost being killed by one, and a combat in which 3 lvl 1 pirates (rogues) almost TPK'd a 4 level 2 characters....

Nerd-o-rama
2007-12-19, 03:37 PM
Goblins and Hobgoblins all the way.

Tweekinator
2007-12-19, 03:50 PM
Going with the hobgoblins, myself.

Lolzords
2007-12-19, 04:02 PM
I quite like Githzerai and Drow, Githzerai for the +6 dex and +2 wisdom plus inertial armour, and the Drow simply for roleplaying.

Fax Celestis
2007-12-19, 04:13 PM
Dromites, shadowswyfts, and thri-kreen for me. Oh, and azurin.

Admiral Squish
2007-12-19, 04:15 PM
Favorite nonstandard?

I have a lot of faves, in stages.

I got races of stone for my B-day, and I completely connect with goliath social structure and outlook. plus, I always enjoy playing big, beefy guys.

I also read about the Geruda, and I like their sense of justice and crime, their ultimate offense being the restriction of freedom to choose pretty much anything.

Warforged are fun because of all the possibilities they present, and the feeling you get when playing with them, of trying to break out of the mold that you were literally cast in, and their construct traits make them fun. No sleep means you can get so much done, and no need to breathe means who needs a swim check?

Changelings? Awesome, they can keep you guessing, their freedoms restrained only by your own intelligence.

Eberron halflings, also fun, if just for the fact that they ride FRIKKIN' DINOSAURS. I also like that they're hunters, rather than farmers and layabouts like other halfling variations.

Curmudgeon
2007-12-20, 02:33 PM
I'll pick Aasimar for divine spellcasters and Sorcerers. They make a particularly good match with Favored Souls with their +2 CHA and +2 WIS -- exactly the stats that Favored Souls need for their spells. At LA +1 it's only 3,000 xp to buy that back, so it's a really good choice; normal characters need 16 levels to get a total of +4 in stat boosts.

Tempest Fennac
2007-12-20, 02:41 PM
I like Lupins and Gnolls due to how they are both half-animal as opposed to being differently proportioned humans like the standard races.

Jannex
2007-12-20, 03:01 PM
I like gloamings. They're the only Small-sized race that I can really get into playing.

Drow are fun, too, though I've never PCed one.

Brawls
2007-12-20, 03:14 PM
Got to give some love to the Hobgoblins.

Last campaign was a war against a largely hobgob army (invading). this campaign is 5 years after the war and in territory disputed by the human and hobgob kingdoms. Being lawful neutral I get to play someone who admires aspects of both cultures (and boy is it pissing off my party members to not allow them to kill hobgob soldiers simply for doing their job, ransoming their armor and weapons back to them, etc.).

Brawls

PollyOliver
2007-12-20, 03:40 PM
Favorite nonstandard?
I also read about the Geruda, and I like their sense of justice and crime, their ultimate offense being the restriction of freedom to choose pretty much anything.


I can't say that I've ever played a Garuda, but being a huge China Mieville fan, and loving the concept of Garuda society, I'd love to try it out.

As for races I have played...pixies are fun. Kobolds and goblins are a favorite as well.

BobTheDog
2007-12-20, 04:11 PM
<--- Need I say more? :smallbiggrin:

Arioch
2007-12-20, 04:16 PM
<--- Need I say more? :smallbiggrin:

I really, really hope that, in the far future, someone will be looking at this thread for some reason, and u will have changed your avatar to a penguin or something equally random. :smallbiggrin:

ColdBrew
2007-12-20, 04:22 PM
Whisper Gnomes. Like regular gnomes but better in every way.

kamikasei
2007-12-20, 04:37 PM
I have a fondness for goblinoids in concept, but my personal favourites are probably changelings and elans. ...Or do they count as "standard" PC races, being merely non-core rather than having to resort to a "*** as characters" section or, gasp, the "Monsters as characters" general rules?

EvilRoeSlade
2007-12-20, 04:43 PM
Centaurs are unstoppable.

GimliFett
2007-12-20, 04:52 PM
Goblins. Despite them being sword-fodder in all gaming systems and settings, I'm fond of sneaky little buggers no matter what I play. And D&D gives them halfway decent stats- not as good as those of elf or dwarf, but tolerable. Next campaign I play, I'll intimidate/bribe DM to let me play a goblin. Possibly goblin paladin on Worg.

Seconded! I love gobs, even with the Charisma Penalty. Ozzgar the Wolf (http://www.thetangledweb.net/addon.php?addon=Profiler&page=view_char&cid=292) is a Scottish Ranger of the Stuart Clan in The Messengers (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54833). In a world without alignment restrictions, I love goblins more'n almost any other. 'Sides dwarves. Odd dichotomy, I know, but it's there nonetheless!

mostlyharmful
2007-12-20, 04:56 PM
Scaley little cunning buggers with draconic delusions.:smallbiggrin:

Rigel Cyrosea
2007-12-20, 05:07 PM
My favorite non-standard race is definately Raptorans, from Races of the Wild. Really, the chance to play a character with wings and not screw yourself mechanically is just great for me. I also like Lupins, but not as much as raptorans.

Chronicled
2007-12-20, 05:12 PM
Whisper Gnomes. Like regular gnomes but better in every way.

Seconded. Whisper gnomes are full of win.

Yami
2007-12-20, 06:20 PM
I've a fond weakness for goblins, to the point of developing a clan for mine to come from.

I've never been too fond of Goliaths as they seem too cheesy to me. I'd prefer a minotaur or a Dark Sun half-giant for my big beefy types. (of course I'm thinking AD&D minotaur.)

And Gnolls are one I'd love to play, but have never wanted to work around so many lost levels.

Alyosha
2007-12-20, 09:06 PM
Goblins, Hobgoblins, and Bugbears. They're all so cool.

I also like the Githyanki and Githzerai.

Unfortunately it seems to me that most common monstrous races make poor spellcasters. I don't see why a Goblin or Hobgoblin shouldn't be at least as clever as a human.

JackMage666
2007-12-20, 09:16 PM
Half-Ogres - Because +2 Str to play the Dumb-but-strong guy just doesn't cut it.

horseboy
2007-12-20, 09:30 PM
Centaurs are unstoppable.

I had a phase where everything was centaurs, still fond of them. Though, there was that Hadozee era. Currently in a t'skrang fit, but they're pretty standard in their game.

Lord_Asmodeus
2007-12-20, 11:15 PM
Do you read the "Goblins" webcomic? It is really inspiring to myself, who also loves the sneaky, misunderstood, killed-in-droves races. I'd love to do a goblin or kobold monstrous campaign.

But despite being weaker in MM stats, kobolds are still better in base numbers as PC races I reckon.

Woo for the little fellas!

After reading that webcomic I have a very strong desire to make a goblin character.

kamikasei
2007-12-21, 01:25 AM
Unfortunately it seems to me that most common monstrous races make poor spellcasters. I don't see why a Goblin or Hobgoblin shouldn't be at least as clever as a human.

They are, and a goblin can make as good a wizard, say, as a human. Hobgoblins unfortunately get that +1 LA.

Talic
2007-12-21, 01:35 AM
Skulks. Races of destiny FTW on the sprinting Hide.

CockroachTeaParty
2007-12-21, 01:52 AM
I love thri-kreen and dromites. I've a soft spot for insectoids.

Other races that tickle my fancy include warforged, changelings, orcs, and kenku.

I've two reoccurring kenku characters in every campaign I run, Blackbeak and Squat. They're always rather pointless, comic relief background mooks, but I love them so. I've even tried playing Blackbeak in a few campaigns, but they were always short lived.

Yami
2007-12-21, 02:54 AM
They are, and a goblin can make as good a wizard, say, as a human. Hobgoblins unfortunately get that +1 LA.

Often enough I find the small size and better Dex to be a bonus. My only problem is I enjoy playing Sorcerers rather than wizards, so I end up never playing a spellcasting goblin.

Dullyanna
2007-12-21, 02:45 PM
I have a thing for goblinoids, drow, giths, and gnolls/flinds. I once had great fun with an ogre as well...

Morty
2007-12-21, 02:49 PM
Often enough I find the small size and better Dex to be a bonus. My only problem is I enjoy playing Sorcerers rather than wizards, so I end up never playing a spellcasting goblin.

I don't think removing Charisma penalty of goblins would be really unbalancing; they don't have all that impressive racial features.

SurlySeraph
2007-12-21, 03:02 PM
Tieflings. They're a more-often-evil race that doesn't need to have a complicated or clichéd backstory to be non-evil, struggling with their nature gives room for alignment shifts, and they come with built-in plot hooks due to their heritage. Though LA is of course bad, they've got pretty nice racial bonuses. And they're just cool-looking.

After that, I like duergar. I've only played a couple of duergar characters, but I really like everything about them - their work-focused society, grim determination that makes normal dwarves look like hippies, conflict with illithids (I like racial enemies to be available, like elves vs. orcs), and their attitude towards rebels. Rebels have their property confiscated, are tattooed on their faces and arms to mark them as outcasts, and are exiled. That's a much more plausible way for a society to deal with rebels than the drow strategy of "try to feed them to spiders, and if that doesn't work send their undead parents after them." If only they had a Lawful Neutral god so that duergar paladins would make more sense...

Lord_Asmodeus
2007-12-21, 03:34 PM
I wonder if it would be feasible to make a Half-Kobold Half-Goblin PC (thus combining my two favorite races into one, They would be nicknamed the "lanky lizards" or something :smalltongue:)

Toliudar
2007-12-21, 03:37 PM
I can't believe that no one has mentioned the lowly orc! Almost as despised as the goblin, but better than the atrocious half-orc. Orcs are so commonly used that individuals can get put into a number of character modes. I've done the orc-as-honourable-klingon-warrior (yes, hobgoblins are probably more accurate, but...+1 LA). The brutish sociopath. The joyous berserker. The against-all-odds sorcerer. The dog soldier. The jungle hunter.

Plus in low-leel campaigns, it's hard to beat the sheer punch of +4 strength and no LA.

SurlySeraph
2007-12-21, 04:19 PM
Plus in low-leel campaigns, it's hard to beat the sheer punch of +4 strength and no LA.

It is kinda balanced by the "Durr! Me pokes you with pointies!" mental adjustments. Go up against anything with intelligence drain/ charisma drain/ Ray of Stupidity, and you're done.

littlechicory
2007-12-21, 04:44 PM
Kender.

Oh god yes.

She was basically our mascot. "SOMEONE GRAB THE KENDER BEFORE SHE DOES SOMETHING STUPID- whups too late. Someone peel the kender off of the god-killing artifact, please?" "zOMG SHINY THINGS! <3"

shaggz076
2007-12-21, 08:37 PM
Well from the posts here it seems most like Kobolds and goblins. There is a smattering of other preferences but no on has mentioned the Fey-ri. There has always been something intriguing about crossbreeding elves and demons and the powers they get a pretty awesome too.

I once played a Fey-ri who had seduced the person next in line to be imbued with shade powers. Tied him up and took his form and went through the ritual thereby gaining the shade template on top of his fey-ri racial heritage. That was a character that drove my DM nuts. My character would insist the group was better off traveleing at night and sleeping during the day. He was not above using his suggestion, charm person and detect thoughts to get what he wanted or to make others think helping him would help them acheive their own desires. He also was working on causing a Palidan to fall from grace by changing into a woman, "Charming" him and seducing him then making him think I had an abusive husband and "Suggesting" he go kill him. So now he has slept with someone elses supposed wife and is about to smite the guy for something he really didn't do. How would youattone for that? lol

Bag_of_Holding
2007-12-21, 09:38 PM
I really like Aranea... Hmm...:smalltongue: but I don't think they are 'PC race' even though they have LA. So I'll say Volodni from UE.

GimliFett
2007-12-22, 11:50 AM
I really like Aranea... Hmm...:smalltongue: but I don't think they are 'PC race' even though they have LA. So I'll say Volodni from UE.

I like Aranea, too! And Volodni ROCK! :smallbiggrin: