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View Full Version : I need mooks...



Inyssius Tor
2008-12-09, 01:19 PM
... for the Heroic tier mostly, but I'm cool with raising and lowering levels as warranted. The problem is:

I am sick to death of standard goblins, kobolds, and orcs. Hobs are too civilized for this, and their presence would step on the toes of my other campaign's plot.
They've got to be sentient, which rules out a whole bunch of hive creatures.
The context of the setting rules out humans and elves; halflings might work if they weren't already the civilized inhabitants of the region.
Gnomes are too tricksy.
Myconids (and other assorted plant creatures, like the orcwort) are awesome, and I'll be using them, but they're too alien for this.
Drow are too high-level, and the other races' villainous counterparts are generally too subterranean.
They won't be near enough the sea to encounter sahuagin for quite a while yet; kuo-toa, though awesome, aren't ambitious enough to occupy the role I need.
Undead are great, but I'll already be using plenty of them for other roles.
Thri-kreen, though awesome, are desert folk.
Kenku are great, but I'd like them to have a more powerful role.
Aside from the odd witch, shadar-kai are too extraplanar; I think the same might go for dark creepers and their stalker lords.
Lizardfolk don't seem right, but I'm still uncertain.
Dragonborn (and their predecessors) are too large. Ditto goliaths, and various giantkin.
Genasi are generally too flashy, and knowing my players I bet they're already taken.

Mercenary Pen
2008-12-09, 01:22 PM
No chance of borrowing the Duergar from Thunderspire Labyrinth?

Emperor Tippy
2008-12-09, 01:22 PM
Human bandits?

Inyssius Tor
2008-12-09, 02:13 PM
"The context of the setting rules out humans and elves;" since this is for a kind of uncharted-wilderness area, bandits would A) be eaten by briarvexes and B) be speared to death when they try to fence their goods in [undecided mook] territory. I could see them lurking on the river, later on, to take advantage of the increased flow of loot, but right now this place is the back end of nowhere.

I like duergar, but aren't they generally deepdwellers? I do have an Underdark, but my players won't be rappelling down into it at first level.

Emperor Tippy
2008-12-09, 02:17 PM
dwarven bandits then?

Yukitsu
2008-12-09, 02:19 PM
Kender ban-Ooooh, shiny!

Inyssius Tor
2008-12-09, 02:23 PM
Better, but this is still the back end of nowhere in uncharted-wilderness land. Disregarding the briarvexes, they don't have anyone to rob.

Later on, when the place is better-known and the trade caravans are carrying golden idols and ruby eyes out (and fresh adventurer-meat in), sure, that would be pretty cool.

And kender are just annoying halflings, a race which is already taken.

DiscipleofBob
2008-12-09, 02:35 PM
Well, going off the only bit of information besides restrictions, which is backwater wilderness type, I'm going to suggest one of the following:

Gnolls
Shifters
Bugbears
Yuan-Ti, or at least the Snaketongue cultists.
Harpies
Lizardfolk

Some more context behind the circumstances of said mooks would make it easier to figure out what's appropriate. You said they're not bandits, but they are sentient in the middle of nowhere. Nomadic or barbarian tribes? Small cult out in the middle of nowhere where they think no one will interfere with their dark ritual?

Oslecamo
2008-12-09, 02:45 PM
Whitespawn hordelings!

Small white dragons wich breath frost and easily dual wield weapons

Inyssius Tor
2008-12-09, 02:52 PM
Good suggestions!
Any of those things would be fine. I need indigenous peoples things for the territory (forests, swamps, a smattering of plains, a mountain range nearby, and a big river); basically, I want an indigenous race that fills the goblinoid niche. But I don't want these goblins, because they're sickeningly dull by now due to extensive overuse.

Gnolls: y'know, someone just suggested that over on the RPGnet forums. "Gnolls are one thought, but I think of them more as "spice of life" combatants than as building blocks of the low Heroic--and they'll be facing stiff competition for the thematic niche they occupy," I replied.

Shifters: I think they might be too human, though I could play up their wild aspect.

Lizardfolk: As I said in the OP--they don't seem right, but I'm uncertain. If someone were to come in here and wax poetic about how cool they are, that might convince me.

Bugbears: good idea! I think I probably will include a bugbear barrow. I hadn't thought of them--but they won't fill my niche completely, since I can't really see them doing much other than lurking in their dens and lying in wait to spring an ambush. That is, they don't inhabit larger dungeons unless they're following some other race.

Yuan-ti: maybe. I haven't thought about them, and haven't decided on their inclusion yet.

Harpies: Sold! Decision: they live in cliffside cavern complexes in the mountainous, rocky region to the east. That'll be something interesting for my players to deal with later--but it still leaves the closer-by forests, swamps, and plains open.