Your favorite nonstandard races?

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Sorry, I think WOTC's non-standard races suck. I find Goliaths and Illumians, for example, to be flavorless one-trick ponies.

If I were to use some non-PHB races as PC races in a campaign, I'd probably use humanoid monsters like goblins, orcs, and hobgoblins. Perhaps the occasional gnoll. Frankly, though, I think a better approach is rather than having a kitchen sink of races (too Star Trek), instead have truly distinct cultures within races. I find most campaign seting aspire to that, but rarely pull it off effectively. Game mechanical differences =/= cultural differences. To help pull that off, ditch Common and force language barriers.

 

[Herobizkit]

Grippli (Tome of Horrors Revised). Made one for a game.

WOW! I thought I was the only one who had love for the Grippli folk.

 

[The Human Target]

Add another vote for the KENKUs from me. I love em. Which is odd cause I generally dislike a lot of animal-man races.

I'm not a huge fan of the "Human but with one difference" races either. I feel we get enough of them in the PHB.

I'm also gonna put Mongrelfolk up for consideration. They're just kinda neat.

Warforged I really like too, even if I think their abilities could be messed with a bit.

The Githyanki/Githzerai are weird, but neat.

 

[Wik]

WOW! I thought I was the only one who had love for the Grippli folk.

No, I've loved the li'l guys since 1e.

 

[Nightfall]

Psion,

What? No love for the Ratmen?!

 

[Gold Roger]

Kenku. Very cool "shifty thiefing types" alternative to halflings. Best anthropo race I've seen so far.

Changelings. I've found they have a huge player appeal. They let you do some pretty funky stuff.

Warforged. I just kinda like. They are special and with some imagination very multifunctional.

Shifter, because I really like the mechanics, but they seriously need another flavor.

Elan. Mechanically well executed. On the flavor, so mundane, yet so alien.

Darfellans. Second best anthropos. Fill an unfilled niche, nice backstory, reason to be rare. Excellent motivation to make PC's. Best aquatic race.

 

[Nightfall]

*is glad at least Kenkus are getting some love*

 

[Gold Roger]

Actually forgot one:

Killoren, hidden away somewhere deep in races of wild. A young race of fey that can change one of their racial abilities on a daily basis. Great potential, mechanical and in-game.

 

[Nightfall]

I prefer non-fey humaniods.

 

[Pants]

Kenku (Monster Manual 3) and the Asaathi (Scarred Lands) are my two favorites, though I also like both Warforged and Changelings a lot too.