Preferred hordes: What's your favorite evil humanoid?

[Hand of Evil]

Thanks for the continued response! Keep `em coming!

Man, orcs aren't yielding the numbers that I thought they would--kinda wonder why. Is it because:
* they're close to goblinoids as it is (basically a sort of bigger, tougher goblin that still is vulnerable to sunlight)?
* they've been overused before (esp. in previous editions of D&D)?
* half-orcs are a more acceptable/inticing race for players to choose since class & level restrictions have been dropped?
* they're just so cliche now?

Then again, it's very cool to see some other races (esp. gnolls) get used more.

Keep `em coming!

It has to be that they are so cliche now and just over used. It has to be.

 

[Desdichado]

To be honest with you, I've never been sure why orcs aren't subtype goblinoid. Although there's too many humanoids by far as it is.

 

[Remathilis]

Undead are my favorite, esp. the army of the dead marching across the blasted plains...

That said, my next game will most likely deal with orcs and hobgoblins, since both have large holdings of land...

 

[AFGNCAAP]

To be honest with you, I've never been sure why orcs aren't subtype goblinoid. Although there's too many humanoids by far as it is.

Weren't they originally? I think that orcs were originally "lumped in" with the goblinoids--I recall that half-orcs in previous editions could also refer to any orc/humanoid mix, such as orc-goblins, orc-hobgoblins, etc. IIRC, the old "grey box" Forgotten Realms set used to list orcs with the goblinoids. But then again, these were also the days of Lawful Evil orcs, kobolds & xvarts being related, and the "giant class" monsters for rangers.

I have to agree with you, as well: there ARE too many humanoids (for my tastes, anyways). Many monsters (esp. humanoids) seem to be different variations on the same theme, with slight stat changes (possibly in order to "keep the players guessing"). There seems to be quite a large number of synonym-based monsters in D&D though.

I'm not crazy about it, but then again, it doesn't stop me from using them all, of course. Then again, for the most part, I avoid racial variants (like grey elves, grey dwarves, forest gnomes, etc.) completely. IMHO, there's enough synonyms & slight variants going around D&D as it is.

 

[garyh]

I agree there are too many humanoids if you use them all, but who says you gotta? One campaign, have Hobgoblins as the only non-PC race of humanoids around. Next campaign, only use Lizardfolk. It's only a lot if you try to to logically cram them all into the same world... I prefer to have no more than a dozen humanoid species in a campaign, including PC races.

 

[Lord Ravinous]

Bree-Yark!!!

 

[TroyXavier]

Goblinoids edge out Kobolds here. I love Hobgoblins and it's fun to use them as a military unit. Goblins have great use as rogues, while Bugbears are great for thugs.

 

[demiurge1138]

Seeing as how I'm running a reptile-only campaign, I think it's obvious what I voted for...
Kobolds are awesome foes, and I've loved them since before I even played DnD. Kobolds + traps + scorpions = fun. At least for DMs.

Gnolls also rock, even though I've never used them. There's just something about a species that likes to eat sentient prey because it screams louder that acts like a siren song to DMs.

Demiurge out.

 

[Ace]

humans. they are the most numerous and adaptable race in my campaign.

I use Humans too although occasionally goblins (fae kinds) orcs and the undead show up to

 

[Templetroll]

I agree there are too many humanoids if you use them all, but who says you gotta? One campaign, have Hobgoblins as the only non-PC race of humanoids around. Next campaign, only use Lizardfolk. It's only a lot if you try to to logically cram them all into the same world... I prefer to have no more than a dozen humanoid species in a campaign, including PC races.

I liked the way Birthright had Goblins, Hobgoblins and Bugbears as a single race to populate a few kingdoms. That made it very neat to be able to engage in trade, diplomacy or war. one country was dominated by an evil power; another was a free, nearly civilized realm and the third was a barbaric place.

Orcs were the mysterious underground race building power to invade the surface, made them kinda cool also. Gnolls had one small sliver of a realm and were the ragtag army of a wizard who was mostly stuck on another plane.

Dwarves and elves were cool; gnomes were left as a creature to be met as an encounter and otherwise ignored. Halflings were kind of a precursor to the 3e type, being wanderers and gypsylike instead of Tolkienish.