D&D 5E Brainstorm - stories to tell with WotC's new position on various folk (fka "race")

[Eyes of Nine]

Over in some other threads (here's one) people are debating whether it's good WotC's new direction on race (hereafter referred to as "folk" in this thread).

This is NOT the place to argue that.

Please post in this thread your ideas for campaigns or oneshots or anything in between that you could tell if a race is not monolithically evil. Here's a couple I'll share:

1. 1st level adventure where the PCs come upon a peaceful farming/fishing/mild trading village composed of many humanoid folk - mostly goblins, kobolds, orcs. And they are being predated upon by a bandit group made up of dwarves, elves, and humans. (already shared in that other thread)
2. Inspired by something someone else said: Gruumsh has been perverted by one of the other gods in the pantheon, and he's making all his followers do horrible things - many of whom are orcs. Your team of orcs and allies first try to find a cure, then go try to figure out the source of this and perhaps ultimately face either the other god, or their minions to force Gruumsh back into the god of strength, battle, and poetry.
3. The peace of a monastery predominantly housing hobgoblins has been shattered by murder. Your party happens to be in the neighboring village and is brought in to solve it.

I look forward to hearing what creative stuff EnWorlders come up with where folk aren't monolithic.

 

[Stormonu]

A troll arrives in town, looking for work as a laborer. He fails to mention his seven brothers also need jobs.

 

[Libramarian]

The PCs come to the defense of towns where the militia has been defunded.

 

[FireLance]

(Actual example from a solo adventure I'm working on.)

The PC is approached by a kobold from a nonhostile community that raises chinchilla-like giant rats for wool and is asked to help find a rat that has been lost.

 

[Nickolaidas]

A Mind Flayer has left its colony and is free from its Elder Brain's influence. It frequents the city's library and studies its books in order to learn of a way to remain free of its influence, but the townsfolk are afraid the Falyer's here to spy on them and learn their weaknesses to share with its colony.

 

[Stormonu]

It is time again for the Goblin Games - the local township welcomes goblin neighbors for a week long festival of carnival games, competitions and craft markets to encourage trade and discourage raiding. However, a nearby dragon has found out about the “wealth” of the fair, and intends to take the final golden trophy for itself...

 

[Stormonu]

A down and injured red dragon hovers on death’s door. In return for aiding it, it promises the party a share of its hoard, and perhaps a favor...

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

A young silver dragon who has just left the nest "adopts" a kobold tribe and becomes their patron. Kobolds agree because they know she respect them. But any kobolds don't forgive the past conflict between the kobold and the gnome gods.

The cults of the evil gods have fallen in any underground drow cities, but the evil drows don't surrender and they create new secret lodges to infiltrate into the new goberments. This is a true "deep state".

A blue (goblin subrace with psionice powers) rejects to join to the esper registration act because she know the new boss is shady.

When in the ape kingdom a civil war among gorillas, orangutans and chimpanzees is about to start, the warforged slaves rebel.

The lord faes help noble houses to a rebellion against the clerics, and the churchs of the old deities are exiled. Really the lord faes are the puppets by the titans, who wants revenge against the gods after losing a titanomachy in the past age.

After the elves being driven from the land by an alliance of bugbears, hobgoblins, gnolls and orcs now they start to kill each other.

 

[Mercurius]

A lich eschews her eternal search for power and decides to open a knitting shop, taking up telling stories to young orc children. She is fondly referred to as "Granny Bones." Occasionally she gets irritated and casts meteor swarm on the gathered children, utterly pulverizing them, but then quickly repents and casts wish to reverse the damage.

 

[Minigiant]

A hobgoblin paladin is seeking a way back home to defeat a minor avatar of Maglubiyet. This is after the avatar teleported it away and took over his kingdom.