D&D General Which non-D&D races would like to see in Dungeons and Dragons?

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

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Sounds like it's Dragonbane time for you. Let's get dangerous.

Well, it started with Runequest. And Jennell Jaquays helped create a duck version for Shadowdark before Shadowdark was even officially released.

Ducks for everyone!

 

[Corinnguard]

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Sounds like it's Dragonbane time for you. Let's get dangerous.

A Duck Ranger (Gloom Stalker).

 

[Mind of tempest]

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Sounds like it's Dragonbane time for you. Let's get dangerous.

what?

 

[Corinnguard]

what?

'Let's get dangerous' is a line spoken by the main character from the Darkwing Duck cartoon series.

 

[Clint_L]

does it though? what about wookies themselves change the genre? i recognise they come from a sci-fi home media but it's not like they inherently drag their native tech level with them if transplanted into a DnD world, is a wookee all that more out there than a minotaur or an orc or a firbolg?

unless you're talking about the idea of transplanting an entire society into the world suddenly which is just an issue of perception, that this species is just 'popping in' en masse to a world they didn't exist in before.

I think it's a fourth wall break. There's no way to bring in Wookies without evoking Star Wars, IMO. Or Klingons without evoking Star Trek, and so on. Some species are so strongly identified with a particular IP that as soon as you bring them in you irrevocably alter the audience's frame of reference. It's like if Darth Vader showed up as a BBEG in my D&D campaign.

It's not a question of being "out there." It's a question of already having a strongly recognizable and very distinct context. Indiana Jones is not really "out there" as a concept, but if I plop him into a game, it will transform the narrative into something completely different.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I think it's a fourth wall break. There's no way to bring in Wookies without evoking Star Wars, IMO. Or Klingons without evoking Star Trek, and so on. Some species are so strongly identified with a particular IP that as soon as you bring them in you irrevocably alter the audience's frame of reference. It's like if Darth Vader showed up as a BBEG in my D&D campaign.

I'm not sure what wookiees gets you that forest-dwelling goliaths doesn't, or what klingons get you that martial orcs or hobgoblins can't.

I actually use klingon culture for my orcs regularly and no one has seemed to notice, although it rounds out my orcs nicely, IMO.

 

[jmartkdr2]

describe there core antagonist points to me as a refresher?

The Goa'uld are evil snake-things that imbed in you body, wrap around your spine, and take over your brain. Do ing so grants some physical advantages to the host but the goa'uld gains complete control. They use their advanced technology to pose as gods. A DnD version would be powerful spellcasters. They're almost always evil for complicated lore reasons.

The Jaffa are their warriors - they have immature goa'uld in their bellies which make them immune to disease and generally much healthier.

 

[jmartkdr2]

I think it's a fourth wall break. There's no way to bring in Wookies without evoking Star Wars, IMO. Or Klingons without evoking Star Trek, and so on. Some species are so strongly identified with a particular IP that as soon as you bring them in you irrevocably alter the audience's frame of reference. It's like if Darth Vader showed up as a BBEG in my D&D campaign.

It's not a question of being "out there." It's a question of already having a strongly recognizable and very distinct context. Indiana Jones is not really "out there" as a concept, but if I plop him into a game, it will transform the narrative into something completely different.

With Star Trek in particular, there's also an issue of niche invasion. Vulcans are basically space elves, and Klingons are basically space orcs (although late-series Klingons are more like space dragonborn IMO). So they're kinda redundant.

 

[Clint_L]

I'm not sure what wookiees gets you that forest-dwelling goliaths doesn't, or what klingons get you that martial orcs or hobgoblins can't.

I actually use klingon culture for my orcs regularly and no one has seemed to notice, although it rounds out my orcs nicely, IMO.

Wookies get you Star Wars. Klingons get you Star Trek. It's that simple. Orcs who behave like Klingons (basically the whole premise of World of Warcraft) are still not Klingons. Players aren't suddenly playing a D&D/Star Trek mash-up game.

Edit: As I understood the thread, it wasn't asking what non-D&D species could be used for inspiration when playing D&D species, it was asking which non-D&D species we would like to see in the game.

 

[Aldarc]

Well, it started with Runequest. And Jennell Jaquays helped create a duck version for Shadowdark before Shadowdark was even officially released.

Ducks for everyone!

The Swedes have a slightly different opinion so I gather. For them, it starts with a love for Donald Duck, which is likely what helped RuneQuest/BRP Fantasy find traction in Sweden.