So, what is your Favorite "Villain" race these days?

[Hand of Evil]

Just wondering what villain race GMs are throwing at their players these days. Is it the classics of humans, orcs and goblins or something else?

For me it is still Skaven (Rat people for those that may not know that name) but do have a fondness for goblins.

What is yours?

 

[Dire Bare]

I'm moving away from villainous races, as I find the concept problematic, and trying to create antagonists for my game that don't rely on race. Although, I do feel that undead still make pretty good automatic antagonists.

The players in my group are not at the same point, however. If I have them meet a drow character, they're likely to throw swords rather than try to determine the alignment or motivation of the NPC. Sigh.

 

[Deset Gled]

Over the last couple years, the games I'm in have seen a lot of Goblins for low-level threats, and a lot of Yuan-ti for higher level challenges.

trying to create antagonists for my game that don't rely on race.

I am under the impression that many games/worlds/whatever with this mentality have adopted some form of cultist as a default bad guy to replace old-fashioned "evil" races.

 

[payn]

I'm moving away from villainous races, as I find the concept problematic, and trying to create antagonists for my game that don't rely on race. Although, I do feel that undead still make pretty good automatic antagonists.

The players in my group are not at the same point, however. If I have them meet a drow character, they're likely to throw swords rather than try to determine the alignment or motivation of the NPC. Sigh.

I am under the impression that many games/worlds/whatever with this mentality have adopted some form of cultist as a default bad guy to replace old-fashioned "evil" races.

Yeap, I moved away from entire groups as villains and towards factions. They could be a cult, or a political outfit, maybe even a guild. They are usually numerous and have all kinds of members. Some of my favorites though are affluent folks that either swing their wealth and power around, or esoteric types that meet in secret and work out of the shadows.

 

[Dire Bare]

Over the last couple years, the games I'm in have seen a lot of Goblins for low-level threats, and a lot of Yuan-ti for higher level challenges.



I am under the impression that many games/worlds/whatever with this mentality have adopted some form of cultist as a default bad guy to replace old-fashioned "evil" races.

Well, sure! There are all sorts of villainous "roles" that don't have to rely on the race of the villain to work. Cultist is one of them. Highway brigands, organized crime, power-hungry nobles . . . .

 

[cbwjm]

Orcs, gnolls, various goblin races, and ogres were the baddies of my last campaign, generally called beastmen they were formed by the Destroyer (a god) as an army of chaos.

• Orcs are brutish and warlike, but their chieftain was smart enough to know constant warfare would weaken them, he eventually formed a treaty with the local town and fought against the invading army of beastmen.
• Goblins are pretty much just pathetic and conniving opportunists, they fight for the larger beastmen because to do otherwise they might get the axe.
• Hobgoblins have turned away from the Destroyer and have now focused their faith on the Tyrant, becoming an organised threat.
• Gnolls are just crazy and ogres are largely just muscle.

 

[aco175]

I seem to have cults a lot. Dragon cultists tend to appear when I was running the Forge of Fury and Stormwreck Isle adventures. I'm moving on to the the after Icespire modules and they have a cult of Talos and an undead led by a Mykul priest.

I do like having the orc or hobgoblin leader gathering forces as a threat for a Red Hand type campaign.

 

[Lanefan]

Or cultures.

Right now the large-scale villains in my setting are twofold, depending where you are: the aggressively-expansionist faux-Romans in the west and Elves pretty much everywhere else; with the Elves mostly-unknowingly being driven by Mind Flayers (the real villains, who in turn are being driven by something else) and a corrupted deity.

Drow would be large-scale villains if there were any left, but as far as anyone knows there's maybe just a few dozen of them left on the planet; and those few have conceded to their dwindling numbers (mostly caused by under-dark creatures driven by Mind Flayers) and will now gladly work with anyone willing to help them.

 

[GMMichael]

Just wondering what villain race GMs are throwing at their players these days. Is it the classics of humans, orcs and goblins or something else?

Bards. A plague upon the land. Always spreading knowledge, gossip, and merryment. Ugh.

The players in my group are not at the same point, however. If I have them meet a drow character, they're likely to throw swords rather than try to determine the alignment or motivation of the NPC. Sigh.

Solution: have them meet multiple drow characters. At the same time, some of which are nobles/diplomats.

 

[Alzrius]

Orcs and goblinoids of all kinds. It's the classic "savage hordes" idea, with the various races being their own factions that war with each other even more than they do with their human and demihuman neighbors (though in the event that the forces of civilization ever make a serious push into their lands, they tend to unite just long enough to push them out).