Rethinking the roles of Goblins, Orcs, Kobolds and so on

[Kobold Avenger]

I'm thinking up a campaign world where your normal "monster" humanoid races like Orcs, Goblins, Kobolds and the rest live in relatively peaceful coexistance with your standard PHB races. While rivalries still exist between these races, such as Goblins and Dwarves, it's more on the scale of emnity as Elves and Dwarves. Anyways for the most part the Orcs, Goblins, Kobolds and the like tend towards neutrality and but are often of any alignment. The campaign world is also more technologically advanced, yes it's a steam-tech fantasy setting.

My thoughts for the Kobolds are, since they're so linked to Dragons in 3e, I've divided them up into Nations. Each Nation is based on a particular type of Dragon. There's many different Kobold Nations but the most common are the 15 Chromatic (white, black, green, blue, red), Metallic (brass, copper, bronze, silver, gold) and Gem (amethyst, crystal, emerald, sapphire, topaz) Nations. The Kobold Nation has a slight influence on the Kobold's alignment. For example Red Nation Kobolds are a little more likely to be chaotic evil, while Gold Nation Kobolds are a little more likely to be lawful good, but over all members of those nations are mainly neutral. The Kobold nations are well developed in terms of a society, even if they are a little overcrowded resulting in the presence of Kobolds almost everywhere else in the world (much like humans in many ways). The Kobold cities are built around the theme of the nation that built it, so for example a Topaz Nation Kobold city has many structures built of a topaz like material filled with massive citadels reaching high into the sky and deep into the ground that are crystalline in shape and design. Kobold sorcerers are plentiful among the Kobold nations and quite powerful forming some of the most powerful sorcerous societies in the world, with the exception of the Gem Kobold Nations where Psions are more common. As a PC race they pretty well are like the MM stats except they get a bonus feat, can replace their +2 craft (trapmaking) bonus with a +2 to any other craft skill and no light sensitivity penalty to make them more balanced with other races such as those in the PHB, and Gem Nation Kobolds have Psion as a favoured class instead of Sorcerer.

The Orcs I've divided into a couple of subraces or more. The MM Orcs are Savage Orcs who have a tribal culture. While another breed of Orc, the High Orc or Noble Orc are their civilized cousins who often feel they must lead and educate their savage cousins. High Orcs and Humans are equal in terms of mental developement and intelligence. In many ways Orcish society is like Human society. I generally wanted the Orcs to be more like Warcraft Orcs, with their noble savage image, or perhaps in some ways similiar to Klingons. High Orcs are steady and devoted, in some cases maybe a little single minded to a particular profession. They tend to be more about function and reliablity in design, which occasionally puts them at odds with Elves. A High Orc would have something like +2 str and -2 dex for ability modifiers (so they don't have any mental penalties), low-light vision, no Light Sensitivity penalty, and a +2 bonus to two craft or profession skills of there choice due to the High Orcish talent or devotion to a particular field, and are ECL 0.

Goblins are also another numerous and well spread out race. Out of the many races Goblins embrace technology a lot. Though Goblin-designed tech isn't always the most reliable around. They happen to be rivals with Gnomes over their technological innovations, and in many cases members of both races won't work together, and will often blame each other for stealing their inventions. Goblins claim that Gnomes are elitists, while Gnomes claim that Goblins are crude. Though when Goblins and Gnomes work together the world should be very afraid of what they could make. Most Goblin cities are very industrial in appearance, showing off the Goblin's love of their technology. Though just because of technology, many goblins have not forgotten their magical heritage. A significant number of goblins are wizards, and in fact goblin wizards and cabals are quite common. Because of this there's the newly emerging type of magic known as technomancy emerging from goblin and gnomish arcane societies. As a PC race Goblins get no charisma penalties and a bonus feat.

Many Ogres live in isolated societies away from other races under control of the Ogre Mage who are the brains and the leaders of Ogre society. However many other Ogres have been integrated into other cultures, primarily as muscle for jobs such as labourers and bodyguards. As infantry in the various armies of the world Ogres are generally taught to use light cannons as weapons, using them as rifles to offer heavy support for squads of riflemen.

I haven't thought too much on which roles other races such as Hobgoblins, Bugbears, Gnolls and others would have in this world, any other ideas are greatly appreciated.

 

[alsih2o]

i, personally, would be entertained by breaking up gnolls in to subcategories based on different canids.

wolf, coyote, dingo, poodle, st.bernard...

 

[BigFreekinGoblinoid]

Great Ideas! I too am using mostrous humanoids in a more balanced way IMHC. Are you planning on having the Kobold tribes display actual physical similarities to their dragon prototypes ( coloration etc... ) ? Do they worship/rever dragons as gods, or leaders?

I have found that designing a basic concept for a race's theology helps me detail almost everything else, so you may want to consider this approach for your Hobgoblin, Bugbear and Gnoll
ideas. For example, IMHC, I created a new humanoid race known as the "Rudd" - I modeled them with a low tech society in mind, and wanted to avoid a shamanistic/spirit angle, as I have another group heavy into that. I settled on elementalism as a basis for their worship ( and therefore magic etc... ) and everything else fell into place from there.

 

[Dave Blewer]

In Sundered SKy...

In my campaign world Kobolds and Orcs are Player character races. Goblins aren't but they could be (see below)...

Kobolds: The emissaries of the Dragons, each Kobold clan is distinctively coloured (red, blue, silver, bronze etc.). That clan serves the Dragons of the same colour. They call themselves The Chosen

Orcs: The barbaric Orcish Clans waged a brutal war on the all of the Sundered Sky for centuries, their hit and run tactics made them the scourge of the skylanes. They have for the most part become much more peaceful now, but few have totally forgotten their barbarous past. They call themselves The Clan.

Goblins: A humanoid slave race. Divination magic has discovered that they are without souls and as such are do not suffer, Orcs and some Human nations still keep them enslaved, but the Dwarves have recently decreed it unethical

There is also a phenomenon in my world called the Glowmad which turns most races into ravaging bestial creatures. Most except Goblins...

Bugbears: When Goblins go Glowmad, they usually mutate into Bugbears bestial savage creatures that take great delight in the pain that they inflict upon a world that treated them so badly.

Hobgoblins: When Goblins go Glowmad, they occasionally mutate into Hobgoblins. Larger, more intelligent, Hobgoblins are gifted with a soul and must now take responsibility for their own actions. They call themselves The Redeemed.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

I dig that groovy draco-kobald synergy!

 

[takyris]

Please hold still while I steal your ideas...

...

YOINK!

...

Thank you.

-Tacky

 

[Xarlen]

I Like Kobolds!

Though, I've always felt dictating EVERYTHING by a dragon's color can be repetative. I'd think there could be some variations (Evil golds, Neutral Reds, etc), so why model the societies as such? A CE aligment is hard to make a city out of (Let's not mention the Drow).

I could see Kobolds as second class citizens in some cities. They're miners, sewer workers, and so forth. In a Steam-Punk world, Kobolds would be prized because (like in the Industrial revolution where children were used), Kobolds could get down into the machinery easier, due to small stature, and fix things. This is also true for Gnomes and Halflings, though.

GO Kobolds!

Ahem. And, I like the way Warcraft III did their orcs; (SPOILER!) They're a race that was slave to demonic forces, and when freed, go to a more shamanistic society.

My party saved a bunch of Gnolls from being sacrificed by Lizardfolk; afterwards, the Gnolls had done a native-american-esque ceremony where they honored the PCs. They took the leader of the Lizardfolk (Halfdragon lizardman), threw powered bone and his heart into the fire, then let the PCs inhale the smoke, to 'pass on the enemy's strenght'. It was sort of an honoring of a worthy foe. Then made trophies of his body for the PCs.

Of course, I like to develop my humanoids into more three dimensions...

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Those slight alignment tendecies each Kobold nation has to a different dragon type doesn't means much. Since you'd have something like 43% neutral alignment, 8% of respective dragon type alignment, 7% of all other alignments. As far as their relationship with dragons, they do revere the dragons they're related to. The Kobolds would be like the children of the Dragons, while Kobold Half-Dragons are the favoured children. Urds are the privledged ones.

By the way, is there 3e stats on Urds anywhere? Otherwise I'm making them as Kobolds but with an additional +2 dex, and a fly speed of 60 feet (average) and ECL 2.

I'd also like to have Flinds back as the intellectual superior version of gnolls, but with less physical prowess, perhaps making them only have an ECL of 2 or lower.

 

[Tetsubo]

In my current FR campaign I have changed these roles slightly myself.

Orcs: They are a surface dwelling race. They have Low Light Vision rather than Dark Vision. There are two distinct Orc races. One are your fairly classic Barbarian mountain dwellers. These are the current "bad-guys" in my campaign. The PC's are survivors of a large Ord Raid. The second Orc race are steppe dwelling horsemen. The PC's haven't encountered these yet.

Kobolds: An Underdark race, living deep beneath the earth. They are never seen on the surface world unless brought there as captives.

Goblins: A relatively nuetral race that lives just beneath the surface. Sort of second rate dwarves. Talented at raising mushrooms, mining, metal working and excell at ceramics. The PC's in my campaign just rescued a Goblin colony and are currently arranging a trade agreement with local surface Holdings.

 

[radferth]

Ever since dealing with Gloranthan Trolls in a Runequest, I have always made use of humanoids as more three dimensional races. It has made for some very interesting play.

As for ideas for other races, in one of my campaigns, hobgoblins are hardly seen in the wild. Any tribes anywhere near civilization have been enslaved as warriors. Needless to say, this is not a black and white world, as many "good" societies think nothing of keeping humanoid slaves.