Starting a new D&D game soon. Wanted to hear people's thoughts and experiences about humanoid evil races.
I will start a from 1st level, party will be good and heroic. Have done goblins and orcs as the routine bad guy. Even had my own goblin caste system. But want to do something different. Any thought on an interesting go to bad guy? There will be a reason they are there, not just random monsters to fight and fill action space.
Not sure if this would connect, but I see the campaign using faerun and shadow fell at some point as well. Still early in development. Thanks.
Bullywugs! Love the guys. I've also done a couple of extra bullywug monsters you can find in my OHT's 5e homebrew thread if you want to give them a go.
Humans.
-Agents of a tyrannical and/or corrupt government.
-Slavers.
-Racists. Member of a violent Anti-Elf movement or whatnot.
-Bandits. Organized crime. The Thieves Guild. The Assassin's Guild.
-Invading foreign troops.
-Anti-Magic fanatics.
-Weirdos who get high by eating wizard brains.
-Cults. Jihadists/Crusaders.
What were those Faerun dudes who were like a cross between the Nazis and the Mob? The Zents? Those guys were cool. Also, one of the FR realms books had an organization in it that was basically the Elf KKK, which was a great idea for a non-traditional foe.
Seconding humans and keeping non-humans (and regular monsters) as unique encounters or antagonists.
Or, do what I did and swap one monster (goblins) with a different skin (mini-harpies). I also used the stats of bugbears for just really, really big warriors from the steppes.
Humans are a good choice.
If you want something use Elves. I don't mean Drow or anything just regular elves. Play them as Faey
Or use Elves as bitter extremists waging war on the world of Men to reclaim what was theirs.
"We shall regrow the forests of Evelythain by watering its seeds with the blood of men!"
Faerun has a history of Elven Extremists since 3rd edition, and its been mentioned in 5th edition books (Hoard of the Dragon Queen).
Campaign currently DMing using a race of elf-supremacists as a backdrop for some of the trouble going on.
Next campaign will feature halflings as a prominent problem.
Yeah, humans are always a good choice for villains. Because we're bastards.
I also like the idea of halflings becoming a problem akin to rabbits being left unchecked. Before you know it, they're all over the freaking place getting in the way of everything, a huge resource drain, taking over every area to be a "warren" ;)
Historically, I've also been a big fan of gnolls. Not sure how much I like the 5e angle of them being demonspawn or whatever, but the basic theme of them: ravenous, warlike, vicious, salters of the earth, to be a good villain.
I've been using elves (the wilder ones thinking men are vermin, the more staid ones thinking men are fit to be slaves, but as long as they can roughly agree on boundaries...), but another set of villains waiting around for a future campaign is halfling/gnome-types obsessed with caste structure and purity.
Quote from: Sacrosanct;809205Yeah, humans are always a good choice for villains. Because we're bastards.
I also like the idea of halflings becoming a problem akin to rabbits being left unchecked. Before you know it, they're all over the freaking place getting in the way of everything, a huge resource drain, taking over every area to be a "warren" ;)
Historically, I've also been a big fan of gnolls. Not sure how much I like the 5e angle of them being demonspawn or whatever, but the basic theme of them: ravenous, warlike, vicious, salters of the earth, to be a good villain.
In this case Halflings have their own empire and treat certain other races as non-human. They are aggressive, but not at a rapid pace. Merely taking areas inhabited by "animals". Otherwise they get along with humans, elves, and dwarves. And have a friendly rivalry with gnomes. Half-orcs, Dragonborn and Tieflings though are "animals" and not doing well.
As for Gnolls. I've allready stated my disdain for the "demonspawn" gag. In the halfling setting gnolls have their own rather laid back empire with their own culture and style. Same for Minotaurs, though they will be shown fighting a loosing battle against the halflings.
Mycocinds will be another prominent race. Though neutral. A play through How to host a Dungeon gave me the idea for a sort of merging of an old robotic race and the mushroom people into a new subterrene cyborg life form.
I'm very fond of Gnolls, Kuo-Toa and Yuan-Ti.
Gnolls are pretty much "The Savage Horde" bad guys, so if you really want something different from Orks and Goblins, not the greatest choice.
Kuo-Toa are great for weird plots involving elder beings, madness, strange cults, strange aims and things man was not meant to know.
But my big suggestion would have to be Yuan-Ti.
First they are very smart, so useful for grandiose overarching evil plots.
They work both behind the scene and wage war, so a campaign fokusing on them can include the entire spectrum from politics, intrigue and espionage to epic battles.
They are themself diverse in power and abilities and use a lot of minions and associated creatures, so things stay interesting.
If you use FR, there's the added bonus that the 3.5 edition book "Serpent Kingdoms" was a pretty cool suplement, in my oppinion.
Just play down the "everything is Snake themed" angle. Yes, it is their thing, but I forsee both the DM and the players sooner or latter getting sick of the motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking campaign.
I'm fond of gnolls and Hobgoblins if you are going humanoid.
But I think humans work best. They are among us and you might have trouble recognizing who is good and bad.
One thing I liked about 3.5 which you could easily do in 5e is using templates.
My main villain in a campaign was humans, humanoids and other creatures with a couple homebrew templates that help unify them. So when the players so someone with sand whirling around them they knew the bad guys where there.
Awesome. You guys don't fail to disappoint. You gave me a lot to consider so far. Humans or elves could be choice. Did the slaver thing two campaigns ago, so probably not that angle.
I wanted to work some grand thing in with an aboleth if I can get a long run for this campaign. Had an idea for shadows as well, but not sure if I want a twist on the undead campaign thing. The shadow thing will probably be a one shot side thing.
Keep them coming please.
My biggest advice is use alignments as a tendency, but keep a diverse spectrum nearby. However, and this is important, play up demihumans and humanoids as sentient creatures who recognize working together as more powerful than being alone. And then play up the alien mindsets, with a few keystone ideas (organization, aesthetics, world view, etc.).
How that works in practice is take a humanoid, ground it in the basics of sentience recognizing cooperation, float around Alignment ideas within and nearby, pick a few, build, and then see how far this group deviated from the standard Alignment and monster stereotype.
i.e. Goblin.
1) Assume they won't attack and kill needless and mindlessly upon sight. If they attack on sight, there's likely a reason, and they probably have a limit to cut their losses. Have them talk first, begin negotiations even. Already, and sadly, this is an alien version of a goblin to many people's experiences.
2) NE alignment. Choose some words that you think cluster around that idea. (don't bother arguing with others about the true nature of XYZ word; there's often meaning migration, nuanced inflection, and finally you're the GM and thus final arbiter. you know what you mean, pick that and go on.) Find ones that fill big, life-guiding principles.
here's a quick goblin nation pick:
organization = fiercely territorial confederacy, small town over big city, favors the big-talking-fighter.
world view = well armed makes for good neighbors, leave me and mine alone... and don't take our stuff! if it helps me hunt, dig, or keep away enemies it's good.
aesthetics = reminders of surviving blood and violence and sex, tools decorated with ancestral grudges, hates reminders of weakness or stature.
Goblin, armed to the teeth, who walks around proudly with his "war shovel," decorated with the emblem of the gnomish city conquest generations ago. Doesn't like you trespassing on his land, but may make an exception if your group's fighter can spin a good hunting yarn. When relaxing at home offers you fermented blood and starchy root drink, walks around in platform heels (don't you dare call him short!) and colors his battle/mating scars with bright ochre. Takes a liking to your crowbar, of all things, and is willing to trade it for passage.
Make the alien human enough to drop the players' defenses and actually engage. You can play up the alien aspect after. But foremost you have to get the players less hostile and curious enough to engage. Like any hook, you must lure — and that means being unpredictable, yet still accessible.
I found in FR using the High Elves as a bunch of goose stepping tools was great for really screwing with my players, but Lizardfolk are woefully under used IMO.
Have the Lizardfolk occupying an expansive kingdom, where they expand by literally transforming the land the absorb into the swamps they prefer. Slaves are useful to cultivate things like fisheries, and as snacks. Place an emphisis on Fighters, with Druids and Clerics being the shaman type leaders.
If you are wanting to get a handle of 5e rules and CRs, without crushing your 1st lvl party too fast, you may want to oppose them with villainous Druids (or other nature priest, whatever). Then you can send CR <1 normal beast animals against the party. A few guerrilla attacks harassing them and they'll never rest soundly in the wilderness again.
Throw them for a real loop and make it a Goblin Druid upset for the party killing her son without paying clan damages. She assumes her actions are obvious to any right thinking goblin and doesn't feel she should have to explain herself.
Or there's always 5e's CR 1/8 Merfolk. But swimming is mighty lethal there, so expect a TPK if the party does something half-cocked, like go into the water... :rolleyes:
Quote from: Just Another Snake Cult;809177What were those Faerun dudes who were like a cross between the Nazis and the Mob? The Zents? Those guys were cool. Also, one of the FR realms books had an organization in it that was basically the Elf KKK, which was a great idea for a non-traditional foe.
Zhentarim, thoguh they are more like Galactic Empire and the Mob, especially in regard to general competence of stormtroopers.
If you have a game in Faerun and want to introduce Shadowfell, my own favourite'd be of course, the Shadovar. I'd myself go with introducing a long term villain - a Shadovar general (Fighter with Eldricht Knight specialisation) that'd be a thorn in party's backside. Finally give them a good, climatic fight, preferably 1 on 1 (say, a honourable duel in the arena), only for them to discover, 4 - 5 sessions later, an odd armoured figure, brought back to life with Shadow magic...
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Gnomes!!
Quote from: RPGPundit;810863Gnomes!!
Gnoble Gninja Gnomes (Tinker Gnomes Monks of Shadow with Noble background).
Have them recreate the Scissor Man...
Quote from: RPGPundit;810863Gnomes!!
Gnomes were a enemy in our first BX campaign.
Quote from: Omega;811064Gnomes were a enemy in our first BX campaign.
Good man.
Shapeshifters of all type and stripe. Nothing better to crank up paranoia than to wonder about everyone you meet.
Ettercaps
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