Only one demi-human race: which one?

[Mycanid]

I voted for elves ... but it WOULD have been nice to have a little more info, like some of the others said.

 

[painandgreed]

Other. Not sure what, but elves and dwarves wouldn't really work without each other, and I don't like the other choices. I'd probably pick something completly new.

 

[Sejs]

I see many interesting points among these answers (thanks). To say more about why my question, I have been again working on my setting, and wanted to get rid of the core races which sound too faery/Tolkien/vanilla to me. The setting is European medieval + Celts flavored, and is intended with a more "sword& sorcery" feel (somewhat Conan like) rather than high fantasy.

Well, Celts and fey pretty much go hand in hand, but I think I understand what you're going for.

In that case I'd either go with Half-Orcs - have orcs as the kind of outlands tribal barbarian threat race. Pseudo mongolians, basically.

Or go with Dwarves. Reclusive master crafters from a previous age that once had an expansive empire that now dots the world with massive ruins, but as a people have since retired from the world.

 

[exile]

Halflings, but not the 3.X halflings. Give me Hobbits.

Chad

 

[Kafkonia]

I voted other, because if you're going to go for a different feel you should go for a really different feel. I would select one of the following:

-Illumians, because their backstory as an offshoot of humanity would fit into a humans-only world well.
-Underfolk, for the same reason.
-Neanderthals, because they fill in the "big brute" niche while remaining human in origin.

 

[Nifft]

Odd as it might sound: Gnomes.

They're close enough to cover both the dwarf and elf mythological niches, more or less.

They're highly magical, borderline feylike. Make magic mostly (or originally) their bag which they then later taught to humans, etc.

It'd require a bit of public image work, but it could definitely be done and well.

Same here, though I add: Gnomes, because they're the most different from Human. They'd require some tweaking, but everyone loves playing Tweak My Gnome.

Seriously. Gnomes + Humans. Total awesomeness would rule.

-- N

 

[Sigurd]

Each race has a reason to pick it.

Half Orc (& Orcs by extension) - Probably have the most scarily real chance to wipe out man on the surface. Breed faster - are stronger and reasonably smart. Compete directly for human resources.

Elves - Elder race - So much archetypal folklore to use. Elves can pop up anywhere if you use a fey, Faerie element. Elves deliver an older age of high magic that humans can get trapped in.


Hobbits\Halflings - this is probably the most convenient demi human. They are like extra civilized humans. Even if you go very dark they are like looking at your children who want to kill you.

Dwarves - Hey they dwell underground and nobody knows how many there are. Great builders & mage smiths. - Want magic weapons and gold!?

Gnomes - Most players don't have a clear idea of gnomes so you are free to tweek them any way you want. They believably pop up anywhere and have some of the advantages of dwarves. A Gnome on steroids with a temper is almost a dwarf.


Any one of those is a good basis but it depends on the world you are aiming for.

I'd consider scrapping the D&D races en mass because they're sort of watered down. Go back to a mythology\folklore (any one really) where people recorded their fears of what goes bump in the night. Take the races from that, give them form, then you'll have a setting.

Sigurd

 

[BOZ]

if "flumph" had only been an option...

 

[Arkhandus]

I voted Gnomes.

If dwarves weren't so overpowered in 3.5, I'd have voted for them possibly, but I dunno. Elves (and half-elves) are a bit underpowered in 3E, and they're just over-used and cliched now as far as most people are concerned (myself not included), so I wouldn't expect them to be all that popular if they were the only non-humans on the block. Halflings would be tougher to stretch and mangle into different niches and cultures for a setting, by themselves. Half-orcs (and orcs) are too limited and underpowered in 3E.

Gnomes are more versatile than these others, and probably more balanced. Gnomes are fairly tough for being little people, so they don't necessarily suck as warriors. They're not drastically superior to humans in sneaking about (no Dex bonus, no sneaky skill bonuses except the +4 size bonus to Hide), with no bonus feat or extra skill points. They're talented with a bit of magic, and they're well-suited to alchemy and inventing stuff. Gnomes can be tricksters and range from villainous to fey-like to schitzophrenic to innocent jokers. They can be scary manipulators and trap-makers, or peaceful craftsmen and merchants. They're scholars of magic but also tenacious protectors of caves, hills, and forests.

 

[ivocaliban]

Other: the Killoren from Races of the Wild. I wish they'd been the featured race instead of the flying buggers. The campaign would be centered on man's ordered world v/s the killoren's chaotic wilderness. As the Killoren have different aspects, humans might mistake them for three separate races. Humans are essentially conquerers and colonizers, the Killoren are the epitome of displaced natives and protectors of nature. There's likely to be escalating violence between the two races and this could lead to either all out war or a diplomatic solution to fight some other enemy or force.