Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
White Dwarf Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Nest
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions, OSR, & D&D Variants
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
EN Publishing
Twitter
BlueSky
Facebook
Instagram
EN World
BlueSky
YouTube
Facebook
Twitter
Twitch
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions, OSR, & D&D Variants
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Monster Relationships
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="GreenTengu" data-source="post: 6397658" data-attributes="member: 6777454"><p>The interplay between some of the basic humanoids can be interesting...</p><p></p><p>First, Goblins and Kobolds will work for literally anyone who will kick some food their way and give them a place to sleep. Orc, Hobgoblins, Bugbears, Ogres, Drow, Draconians.... it really doesn't matter. I mean, if on their own Kobolds make trap-filled labrynth lairs underground while Goblins will live either underground in more simple lairs or live out in the forest, either way making use of wolves and maybe even some bigger and nastier pets to help fight off intruders. But they can be used as the henchmen for anyone.</p><p></p><p>Hobgoblins like to be in charge, they are the smartest of the usual bad guys next to Drow. (Obviously Illithiad and Rakasha are higher, but outside the scope of this review.) When they are in charge they will take control of goblins, kobolds, orcs, bugbears and ogres. Of course, they don't have to be in charge. Sometimes an Orc tribe is simply too strong, an Ogre is simply too strong to take on. In those cases, they will let the "big guy" in charge and put someone behind his thrown whispering "suggestions" in his ear. With Drow? They really hate elves, but they aren't dumb. They can be enemies or allies depending on how the winds shift. For all the animosity between elves and goblinoids, Drow hiring Hobgoblin mercenaries or a Hobgoblin hiring Drow assassins isn't nearly as unheard of as one might initially think.</p><p></p><p>Orcs are wild and uncontrollable. They will work for anyone bigger and stronger than them, or can at least take the brunt of their assault and keep standing. They would love to be in charge, but if someone has bested the best of them, that one's the boss for now. Otherwise they are usually pretty open to accepting anyone who can be of use supporting their raids-- getting kobold or goblin slaves, pounding Hobgoblins into working for them, they can even get bugbears and ogres to run with their horde by sheer force of violence and chaos.</p><p></p><p>Ogres and Bugbears are usually in the same boat. All considered, they'd probably be content if everyone just left them alone. On their own they usually only attack intruders into their territory. Of course, Orcs, Hobgoblins and Drow can often force them into service. Ogres sometimes take control of Kobolds, Goblins, Orcs or Hobgoblin tribes, but generally they are pretty feckless as leaders. Whatever the general nature of the creatures is, they just keep doing that-- but the Ogre gets extra food for being the "chief". Bugbears almost never take a mantle of leadership. Certainly you might have the rare one that displays remarkable intelligence and ambition well beyond his fellows and CAN do that... its just not common.</p><p></p><p>And, of course, then there are the Drow. Drow. Drow. Drow. What can one say? They use everyone they can use as tools. Whether they enslave them or pay them if it is a bit easier and effective to do it that way. They are the ultimate masterminds. They don't care to do anything themselves and they don't care for frontal assaults. So whomever has the low moral standards to follow their commands or lacks the strength or backbone to resist them will end up carrying out their dirty work for them. Of course, in those rare times when the Drow end up losing the war with another humanoid? Well.. drow slaves or servants are exceptionally, exceptionally rare. Even if they are around, they are probably spies or maybe even outcasts from their society.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="GreenTengu, post: 6397658, member: 6777454"] The interplay between some of the basic humanoids can be interesting... First, Goblins and Kobolds will work for literally anyone who will kick some food their way and give them a place to sleep. Orc, Hobgoblins, Bugbears, Ogres, Drow, Draconians.... it really doesn't matter. I mean, if on their own Kobolds make trap-filled labrynth lairs underground while Goblins will live either underground in more simple lairs or live out in the forest, either way making use of wolves and maybe even some bigger and nastier pets to help fight off intruders. But they can be used as the henchmen for anyone. Hobgoblins like to be in charge, they are the smartest of the usual bad guys next to Drow. (Obviously Illithiad and Rakasha are higher, but outside the scope of this review.) When they are in charge they will take control of goblins, kobolds, orcs, bugbears and ogres. Of course, they don't have to be in charge. Sometimes an Orc tribe is simply too strong, an Ogre is simply too strong to take on. In those cases, they will let the "big guy" in charge and put someone behind his thrown whispering "suggestions" in his ear. With Drow? They really hate elves, but they aren't dumb. They can be enemies or allies depending on how the winds shift. For all the animosity between elves and goblinoids, Drow hiring Hobgoblin mercenaries or a Hobgoblin hiring Drow assassins isn't nearly as unheard of as one might initially think. Orcs are wild and uncontrollable. They will work for anyone bigger and stronger than them, or can at least take the brunt of their assault and keep standing. They would love to be in charge, but if someone has bested the best of them, that one's the boss for now. Otherwise they are usually pretty open to accepting anyone who can be of use supporting their raids-- getting kobold or goblin slaves, pounding Hobgoblins into working for them, they can even get bugbears and ogres to run with their horde by sheer force of violence and chaos. Ogres and Bugbears are usually in the same boat. All considered, they'd probably be content if everyone just left them alone. On their own they usually only attack intruders into their territory. Of course, Orcs, Hobgoblins and Drow can often force them into service. Ogres sometimes take control of Kobolds, Goblins, Orcs or Hobgoblin tribes, but generally they are pretty feckless as leaders. Whatever the general nature of the creatures is, they just keep doing that-- but the Ogre gets extra food for being the "chief". Bugbears almost never take a mantle of leadership. Certainly you might have the rare one that displays remarkable intelligence and ambition well beyond his fellows and CAN do that... its just not common. And, of course, then there are the Drow. Drow. Drow. Drow. What can one say? They use everyone they can use as tools. Whether they enslave them or pay them if it is a bit easier and effective to do it that way. They are the ultimate masterminds. They don't care to do anything themselves and they don't care for frontal assaults. So whomever has the low moral standards to follow their commands or lacks the strength or backbone to resist them will end up carrying out their dirty work for them. Of course, in those rare times when the Drow end up losing the war with another humanoid? Well.. drow slaves or servants are exceptionally, exceptionally rare. Even if they are around, they are probably spies or maybe even outcasts from their society. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Monster Relationships
Top