So, what is your Favorite "Villain" race these days?

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I prefer antagonists to villains, and I sprinkle potential antagonists throughout my world and invite my players to choose which ones to hate. Vicious, cruel orc tribes can be allies or enemies. Hobgoblin slavers working for human mercantile companies, the Elven Imperial Navy, ancient undead necromancers...

This has been my approach. Even the kobolds who summoned an aspect of Tiamat to conquer the player characters' home barony (well before that was the plot of the first 5E adventures) were a mix of individuals, with some just wanting to live in harmony, others who wanted to leave to go back to their ancestral home and some, yes, who were militant worshipers of Tiamat. There are villains and heroes among all people.

 

[aramis erak]

Just wondering what villain race GMs are throwing at their players these days. Is it the classics of humans, orcs and goblins or something else?

For me it is still Skaven (Rat people for those that may not know that name) but do have a fondness for goblins.

What is yours?

Varies by game...
The bigbads in my current D&D game are Immortals... beyond the definition of race... because they can shift form, be in multiple forms and places at once, etc.

The bigbad in the Dragonbane boxed set's adventure is a

Spoiler

Demon

In L5R, the bigbads have been a variety of races, because it was villain of the month... some were monsters, some were spirits of dead people, some were living people, some were the remains of no-longer-living people with demons running them, and some were the faceless servants of the nameless one.

I have, and will in the future, have some species/"races"/kins which have a lack of full free will due to their origins - lacking free will, they lack the intent needed to qualify as evil, but their acts are sufficiently negative as to render them worth eradication. Labeling them as evil is sufficiently close as to not be worth arguing the distinction.

Orcs may or may not be there, by game world.

 

[Bedrockgames]

I love flesh golems. Werewolves a close second

 

[CleverNickName]

I'm also moving away from villainous races, and focusing on villainous factions instead. The main villain in my current story arc is the Cult of Slarkrethel, a group of kraken-worshipping zealots who want to drown the world. They aren't a single "race," they are a mix of about a dozen different ancestries and backgrounds. They're united by their goals, not by their DNA.

There's also the Taevara Mining Guild: a bunch of wealthy businessmen who think that poisoning the environment is an acceptable way to make money. And there's the Ivy Enclave, the ecoterrorist druids who think that bombs and murder are an acceptable way to fight industry. The Temple of Dawn are the shiny-faced 'good guys' who heal the sick, treat the wounded, abolish the undead, and sell healing potions--but they're making a big public show of it in order to discredit the current rulers, gain favor with the populace, and institute a theocratic dictatorship.

I haven't done "race as enemy" in decades. I think the last time I did that was in the 90s, and it was drow.

 

[Clint_L]

I'm moving away from villainous races, as I find the concept problematic, and trying to create antagonists for my game that don't rely on race. Although, I do feel that undead still make pretty good automatic antagonists.

The players in my group are not at the same point, however. If I have them meet a drow character, they're likely to throw swords rather than try to determine the alignment or motivation of the NPC. Sigh.

Very much the same. I've never really used alignment, even back in the AD&D days, and the idea of entirely villainous species is super problematic for me. That said, there are groups and cultures that are likely hostile to the party in most circumstances, and plenty of individuals who are terrible for all kinds of reasons, just as in the real world, so there's no lack of antagonists.

Undead I don't consider a "race." Things like zombies and skeletons aren't evil, they're more like machines. Other undead generally have goals and needs that are at odds with living things, but not always. I also use demons, devas, etc., and often their goals and outlook will be antithetical to that of worldly creatures, but again, not always. "Gods" are just powerful entities, usually extra-planar, who can channel power to their worshippers. Some are usually more benevolent towards worldly creatures, some are typically not, but none of them are bad for the sake of being bad or good for the sake of being good.

 

[Peter BOSCO'S]

Humans. Almost everyone who has ever been mean to me has been human, so it just makes sense.

 

[MGibster]

Humans. Almost everyone who has ever been mean to me has been human, so it just makes sense.

Wait. I have questions...

 

[Bedrockgames]

If we are excluding stuff like vampires, werewolves or flesh golems, I would go with Goblyns from Ravenloft. They can be pretty nasty

 

[DrunkonDuty]

Another vote for "Humans are jerks!"

But back to gaming...

Yeah, I don't like monolithic races, good or evil.

Some particular social groups may well be goddam awful. And some of those social groups might even be made up exclusively from one ethnic group. So an orc tribe as an antagonist is very much possible. But in that same game I'd make a point of showing not all orcs are bad. In fact, even the antagonistic ones might have valid reasons for what they're doing. I'm a big fan of complexity, and have no interest in black and white ethics. Sometimes even manage to put in a rich person who isn't a self-serving jerk. Sometimes.

 

[Tonguez]

. Sometimes even manage to put in a rich person who isn't a self-serving jerk. Sometimes.

That really is high fantasy!