Fantasy Race you love.

[Tanuki Tales]

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]

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]

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]

I know it makes me a terrible human being, but I always liked elves - as long as they are feral, ruthless, carnivorous elves. 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]

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]

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]

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]

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. 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

[Tvtyrant]

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]

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]

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]

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 )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)]

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]

I too have a love for all things Aberrant! Share the love!

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]

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]

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]

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.

[Craft (Cheese)]

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]

Thri-kreen. Psionic or non-psionic, it's all good. I think the 2E look 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 (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]

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]

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.

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[Dienekes]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

Dragons: I have some obsesion with them.

Warforged: They are just that cool.

[Craft (Cheese)]

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]

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]

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.