My own variations are not so much variations as they are fleshing out and placing more emphasis on subtle cultural traits that may have been in present in canon text, but I'm expanding them and giving them my own personal twist:
-Orcs are brutally lawful, militaristic crosses between men and warthogs that live and die by the sword. Kings replace one another through vicious fights, rule their societies through fear and might, and are imbued with a near-religious power by their priests...until they're replaced. Patriarchal and vicious, rival orc tribes hate each other even more than they do dwarves and elves.
Orcs are also among the most religious and devoted of humanoid races, to the point where their tribes often select a given orcish god and name their tribe after his symbol. The animosity between orc tribes comes from the fact that they all try to prove their deity superior to that of their rivals.
http://www.canonfire.com/cfhtml/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=603
-Goblins are well-known for their resilience and adaptability; they can be found living in the most civilized of areas under man's nose. They've suffered many defeats, but have also been victorious against dwarves, giants and drow through their stubbornness and refusal to give up. Their stratified social structure allows kings absolute power over their people, until the goblins decide they're tired of listening to their leader, and simply despose him by will. They also constantly bicker and maneuver with each other to move up or down the ladders of power.
One notable trait of goblins is their long inventory of oral history and tales. Mythology and lore are important to goblins, often naming their tribes after significant myths or events. The goblin elders are also masters at reciting very long, very complicated tales that demonstrate how the little humanoids have much richer histories than humans or dwarves give them credit for.
http://www.canonfire.com/cfhtml/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=604
-Kobolds are self-hating, perverse little creatures that are constantly trying to prove their worth, whiners who complain bitterly about their mistreatment and then cackle about the revenge they get, usually through their twisted, sadistic traps. They live a cycle of depression and self-loathing, and constant attempts to overcome these insecurities through various actions, to the point where they often name their tribes after their favorite ways of hurting bigger races.
http://www.canonfire.com/cfhtml/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=623
-Brutal, militaristic and warlike, hobgoblins live only to fight and kill, whether it be with rival tribes or races, to the point where they often name their tribes for the way they kill their victims. Their most famous trait are their
Iliad-like epics of military glory and battle (which is where I got the idea from), used as an indoctrination and propaganda tool to instruct young hobgoblins in the values of hatred towards the enemy and glory in battle.
http://www.canonfire.com/cfhtml/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=628
-Ogres are a cross between Homer Simpson, Al Bundy and his NO MA'AM buddies, the stereotypical
Animal House fraternity, every schoolyard bully in America, and the Trailer Park Boys. Their favorite hobbies include belching, eating, farting, scratching themselves, getting drunk, getting into drunken fistfights with each other, and most of all picking on people smaller than themselves, whether they be smaller ogres or humans. Their frat-boy mentality leads them to name their tribes after what they do to their victims-"Bonk" them on the head, make them go "Splat" against the wall, or "Crash" them with a club.
http://www.canonfire.com/cfhtml/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=622
-Gnolls have the mentality of a sentient pack of animals, constantly sniping with one another for power and dominance, and travelling across a very wide area to seek out fresh prey. Gnolls can join and leave packs, constantly travelling in order to seek fresh prey and combat, and may end up travelling farther in their short lifespans than most elves do in a thousand years. Their lust for combat and the hunt is such that they often name their packs after their pre-battle rituals and actions.
http://www.canonfire.com/cfhtml/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=708