A Good Non-orc Orc/Minion Race...

[MDSnowman]

I agree with most of the above.... but I want to toss in Kir-Lanan from the FRCS. They fly, have a grudge against the gods... I kinda get a Gargoyles vibe off of them... just evil.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

If the city's technology is sufficiently dirty, you could use Elves or halflings.

Grimlocks are good. You don't even need to make them light-adapted. All they need is to use guerrilla tactics. Perhaps they train burrowing creatures or drive them before them to undermine walls, railways, buildings, etc.

Kobolds, while weak, are usually underutilized. They are intelligent, can use tactics, and breed prolifically. With the proper leadership, they could be

molded into a fighting force of unparalleled magnitude.

Perhaps your "minion race" could be ruled by Illithids? Beholders?

If you want something even more radical, use giant intelligent insects, or even Ankhegs or Thri-Kreen. Juvenile forms could be dangerous but manageable, while higher-level ones could be downright lethal once you start giving them class levels.

 

[Sanackranib]

for a lawfull society go with hobgoblins or derro

 

[Piratecat]

Halflings -- or gnomes.

 

[2WS-Steve]

Thri-kreen or other bug-guys would fit well in an apocalyptic wasteland. Have giant queens spawn hordes of the things and control them through psionics--then perhaps mind flayers or rogue humanoid psions try to horn in on the action by taking over conclaves of the creatures.

 

[Piratecat]

Steve has a good idea. There's also a bug-guy race introduced in the XPH (expanded Psionics handbook.) They also may fit the role nicely.

 

[Calico_Jack73]

For Some, its orcs. Others, its goblins, or draconians, or gnolls, etc.

I'm looking for something different.

PREMISE: An industrial city/metropolis surrounded by a mostly barren waste. People have fled to the safety of cities, even normally evil races have begun to live in these urban sprawls. Safe transport is done by rail, and its dangerous to leave the city area.

What I need is a good race/monster that can keep a fairly industrial culture confined to its cities. It needs the following:

1.) Prolific. Lots of them.
2.) Able to survive in a non-flourishling land, like in mountains.
3.) Temperate if possible, but I'm open to Cold/Hot.
4.) Not a Goblinoid/Orc
5.) Weak enough to fill a role normally filled by orcs, but with enough variety/advancement to challenge higher level characters.
6.) Not Undead/Demonic, for campaign reasons.

In an Urban setting I'd use Dark Creepers and Dark Stalkers. I can't remember if they show up in 3E in the MM2 or the FF but they originally showed up in the 1E FF. There is a more precise conversion in the Tome of Horrors.

 

[GandhitheBFG]

i agree with most stuff on here. especially the wererats and kobolds. kobold wererats! i made a kobold paladin the other day...didn't live long, for some reason

 

[Doctor Bomb]

An urban setting? Light rail?
Man, you gotta go with self-replicating constructs! Take the stats for a kobold, give 'em d10 hit die and no Con stat, and whammo, you have a new race. Give them a pair of feats, and advance them as per monster manual rules to fit in anywhere!
They can do all the little dirty jobs, and as they are improved, can be used as excellent allies or enemies. Add three hit dice and a feat, swap out attack forms, and you have an "upgraded unit". Continue until all creatures are crushed beneath the heel of whatever evil mastermind is coming up with these little nasties.
Of course, they could be the reason everyone moved to the cities, as they need slaves to work in the mines to pull up the raw materials to make more copies....

Gotta take a closer look at the Eberron warforged...

 

[just__al]

Yak Folk. Just because they hate the Hu-Folk and the lizard-folk.