The Shadar-kai are NEVER going to be the next drow

[Derro]

Drow created by E Gary Gygax, Githyanki created by Charles Stross. WoTC have never created a cool villain race AFAIK.

Oh...

I'd duck if I were you.

 

[S'mon]

Come up with a good compound word for the them, and they will be 100 % fit for 4E.

Maybe... Gloompeople? Shadowmen? Gothchick? Fellpeople? Ravenman?
Or how about something German-derivated? Dunkelmenschen. Düsterschatten. Nekrophile. Schwarzseher. Nachtmensch. Todesboten. Hadeswesen. Halbtote.

Mustrum "Bringing bad fantasy names to games nearby since spring 2008!" Ridcully

Hmm, yeah - German-derivated is definitely the way to go - I'm already liking them better!

This all is reminding me of the TV show Lexx: The Dark Zone Stories, a German-Canadian co-production, and the undead goth-emo assassin hero "Kai, Last of the Brunnen-G" (mini-series was great, following series was rubbish). I think the Germans can pull off Goth-emo a lot better than can Canadians or Americans.

 

[S'mon]

So Shadar-kai are goth and because they are goth they are evil? Wow, I'd never expect WoTC to take that sort of mindset..

Dracula? Frankenstein's Monster? Goth's roots are clearly in critters commonly regarded as evil, eg vampires. Goth plays up the "woe is me, I'm so misunderstood", and real Goths are notably non-violent, but the fictional archetypes certainly are violent.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Hmm, yeah - German-derivated is definitely the way to go - I'm already liking them better!

I think none of the names I used would not cause a German reader to cringe a bit. (Or, to avoid double negation: All of the names sound cringe-worthy for Germans.) )
But I suppose if I was a native english speaker, a lot of the traditional D&D monster names sounded a bit stupid, too. Mind Flayer? Beholder?

This all is reminding me of the TV show Lexx: The Dark Zone Stories, a German-Canadian co-production, and the undead goth-emo assassin hero "Kai, Last of the Brunnen-G" (mini-series was great, following series was rubbish). I think the Germans can pull off Goth-emo a lot better than can Canadians or Americans.

Ah, the show was fun, in a mindless way, and if you could overlook the annoying parts. It can probably be best described as "guilty pleasure". You'd never admit it openly to your friends that you didn't just watch the shows accidentally because the TV was still running...

 

[S'mon]

Oh...

I'd duck if I were you.

Is there a WoTC-created villain race widely regarded as cool? Many people like the Tieflings, but they date from 2e Planescape and aren't really villainous. I can't think of any popular WoTC-era races other than maybe Warforged, again a PC race.

 

[Darrin Drader]

Is there a WoTC-created villain race widely regarded as cool?

Well there has been some talk in this thread about the kaorti and the ethergaunt. I think the sarrukh are a pretty awesome villain race too.

 

[hong]

So Shadar-kai are goth and because they are goth they are evil? Wow, I'd never expect WoTC to take that sort of mindset..

He didn't say they were evil. Sylvia Plath isn't evil.

I think.

 

[WhatGravitas]

I think none of the names I used would not cause a German reader to cringe a bit. (Or, to avoid double negation: All of the names sound cringe-worthy for Germans.) )
But I suppose if I was a native english speaker, a lot of the traditional D&D monster names sounded a bit stupid, too. Mind Flayer? Beholder?

Gedankenschinder. Betrachter. Yeah.

Also: Stop doing cringeworthy German names. Some designer could pick them up by accident!

Mit freundlichen Grüßen, LT.

I think.

Therefore, you...?

 

[hong]

"Friendlicker" could, at a stretch, be a nifty name for a sword.

 

[Derro]

Is there a WoTC-created villain race widely regarded as cool? Many people like the Tieflings, but they date from 2e Planescape and aren't really villainous. I can't think of any popular WoTC-era races other than maybe Warforged, again a PC race.

Well this thread has revealed a few choice picks (kaorti, ethergaunt).

I'd also say that it is a bit skewed to expect the same response to a recently created (last 7 years) creature to something that has stood the test of time (githyanki, drow, slaad, what have you).

I think there are some pretty decent WotC creatures. Maybe they haven't been featured in the same manner as the drow (1e D-series modules) or even recently as the githyanki (Lich-queen adventure and gith based campaigns) but there is no reason to issue so broad a statement.

What about...

Maug
Inevitable
Avolakea
Living Spells
Quori
Blue
The Blood Golem of Hextor
Chuul
nearly any of the Oni from Oriental Adventures

I may have stretched what you have envisioned as villains, and I can't be 100% on all of these being WotC design but I'm pretty sure they are. At this point of the development of the fantasy gaming niche there are so many different creatures out there it's pretty difficult to get as broad a base of fans for any one type. When the only sources of creatures were the Monster Manual, Fiend Folio, and the occasional article in Dragon or Role-gamer or whatever it's a lot easier to say, "That's cool, let's develop that." The consumer was a lot less jaded and the designer was a lot less derivative.

While I don't have any real big love for any of the stuff after MM2 or the recent 4e developments I'm also willing to recognize the stuff that's good even if it won't see a lot of use. The maug warband that alternately allied with and fought against the PCs in my last Planescape campaign were pretty good characters and a damn sight more memorable than any of the drow I've run across in the last 10 years.

But we all know what opinions are like so I'll stop here.