Nonhuman Races for Dark Fantasy

Long story short, I want to put together a GrimBright "Dark Fantasy" type world for a D&D 5e setting, inspired by Warhammer Fantasy, Castlevania, Ravenloft, Midnight, Bloodborne and the Souls games. That means I need to come up with a list of races suitable for the setting. Ignoring my plans for eventually adding new "regions" to the map which could thusly provide further races, how do these races feel for the setting?

* Dhampirs: One of the many "times of darkness" for this setting involved a centuries-long reign by vampire aristocrats. Dhampirs, humans with vampiric lineage, are the legacy of those nobles sating their lusts with human underlings.

* Vrylokas: During the "Reign of Blood", some humans tried to magically transform themselves into beings more like their vampiric masters, becoming a race of shunned and hated "living vampires".

* Tieflings: Stealing Bael Turath from the Nentir Vale; descendants of a fallen empire that made a diabolic pact for success, but fell anyway.

* Devas: Angels that forsook the heavens to shepherd humanity in the Dawn Age. Not exactly happy with how everything's gone to shit since then. Can't break the cycle of reincarnation, though.

* Dragonborn: Dragon-like humanoids literally born as embodiments of sin.

* Haglings: The larval form of hags, or the ultimate evolution of sorcerers, depending on who you ask.

* Shifters: One "time of darkness" involved a witch-king who melded man and beast together to create rampaging monsters. When he was killed, his spell unwove... mostly. Shifters are the descendants of those weakened slave-soldiers, incapable of purging the beast from their blood.

* Goblins: Woodsy little people who use ancient traditions of alchemy and witchcraft to ward off bigger threats (aka, humans). Travel the land in nomadic caravans.

* Orcs: Proud, warlike but honorable people from the cold northern lands. Come to the "main land" as merchants, sellswords and reavers.

* Kobolds: Inventive, arrogant and cocky little dragonlings who use mad magitek "science" to compensate for being so small and puny.

>inspired by WHFB
>grimbright

take the races from warhammer with all the dystopia attached to them but then add a SLIVER of hope

for example:

>Lizardmen are the abandoned children fo the old ones, they attempt to enact their great plan but they do not understand it themselves, they fight amongst themselves for interpretations among them, but slowly a few of them are actually attempting to understand the plan rather than following it through, slowly becoming more like their creators

Or Empire

>A huge sprawling empire where the population is cramped into claustrophobic cities, the countryside is infested with monsters so rural folk must all be supreme balls of steel badasses just to survive. But the nobles actually take the cause of humanity serious, sure there are witch hunters and opression, but slowly humanity is reconquering the wilds and life isnt completley shitty

Or take oldschool vampire counts

>Vampires rule over uneducated peasants with an iron fist, using them as a food source as they please, but they also consider themselves noble benevolent leaders, humans do not get drafted into the army because thats what the dead are for, also they bareley pay any taxes since vampires dont need any normal food

I don't want to directly copy WHFB, but that is a helpful tip nonetheless - I actually do want to include Old School Chaotic Neutral Chaos as one of the "powers" in this setting.

i was just giving examples on what i mean.
take something dystopean and then give it *some* hope.
or maybe make it a bit more humans. like lizardmen who can at least somewhat live around humans or vampires that can occasionally act like regular nobles

If these races work, I'm actually going to have to homebrew a lot of racial crunch. For example, the Orcs of this setting are inspired by a blend of the Midnight Orcs and Medieval Vikings/Russians, so, crunch wise, they'd look something like this.

Icelands Orc
Ability Score Modifiers: +2 Str, +1 Con
Size: Medium
Speed: 30 feet
Vision: Darkvision 60 feet
Sunlight Sensitivity: You have Disadvantage on attack rolls and Perception checks based on sight made when you or the object you are attacking or studying is in direct sunlight.
Spawn of the Frostlands: You have Resistance to Cold.
Night Stalker: You have Advantage on melee weapon attacks when fighting in total darkness.
Natural Predator: You have Proficiency in Intimidation, and can use Strength for Intimidate checks rather than Charisma.
Claws of the Beast: You have taloned fingers and toes. These give you a Climb speed of 20 feet and can be used as natural weapons for an unarmed strike. This allows you to inflict 1d4 + Str modifier Slashing damage instead of the normal bludgeoning damage.

The dragonborn "stand in" for this setting is... well, I'll be honest, it's an interesting idea, but this is probably ungodly overpowered as-is.

Sinwyrms
Vice is written into the very souls of dragondom. For untold eons, the dragon has been a symbol of the failings of the mortal heart, of mindless yearning for destruction or self-sabotaging deceit, of wrath kindled to explosive heights, of avarice and gluttony unchecked, and pride most obscene. Vice rules the Chromatic Dragons, and even the Metallics are incapable of escaping their darker impulses entirely. In some lands, though, the relationship between sin and dragon becomes more self-sustaining. Individuals who allow themselves to truly embrace sin, pursuing it in defiance of all moral conventions, may find flesh and bone reshaped and remade, cast into a more draconic frame to better pursue the vice that has consumed them. Or places that resonate with sin and vice may spawn eggs, from which hatch these strange dragons-who-walk-as-men.

Though consumed by vice, sinwyrms are not inherently evil. Their darker impulses can be tempered, channeled, and used for good. But never will they fit the iconic mold of the flawless knight in shining armor.

Size: Medium
Speed: 30 feet
Scent for Sin: You can use an Insight check to try and determine the favorite sin of an individual, and add double your Proficiency bonus to such a check. If you share the same sin as an individual, you have Advantage on Deception and Persuasion checks against that individual.
Born of Vice: Choose the Avarice, Deceit, Destruction, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Pride, Sloth, or Wrath subrace.

Avarice Subrace:
Ability Score Increases: +2 Dexterity, +1 Intelligence
Filcher's Talons: You have Proficiency in Sleight of Hand. Additionally, you can use your claws as a natural weapon when making an unarmed strike, which allows it to inflict 1d6 + Dexterity modifier slashing damage.
Safeguard the Hoard: As part of a long rest, you can designate an item in your possession as a lodestone item. You can track this item as if it were the target of a Locate Object spell at will. You can have a number of lodestone items equal to 1 or your Intelligence modifier, whichever is higher.
Glimmering Gleanings: You have Advantage on Intelligence checks made to discern the monetary value of something, and also have Advantage on Perception checks made to detect valuable items.

Deceit Subrace:
Ability Score Increases: +2 Charisma, +1 Intelligence
Venomous Tongue: You have Proficiency in Deception. Additionally, you can use your Action to make a tongue lash attack. This a melee attack which you have proficiency in and which has a range of 5 feet. On a successful hit, the victim takes 2d6 + your Charisma modifier Poison damage, and can halve the damage with a successful Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your Cha modifier + your Proficiency bonus). Increase the base damage to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level. After using your tongue lash attack, you cannot use it again until you complete a short rest.
Can't Lie to Me: You have Advantage on Insight checks made to resist Deception checks.
Deceitful Hexcraft: You can cast the Minor Illusion cantrip. At 3rd level, you can cast Disguise Self as a 1st level spell once per long rest. At 5th level, you can cast Suggestion as a 2nd level spell once per long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability score for these spells.

Destruction Subrace:
Ability Score Increases: +2 Strength, +1 Dexterity
Born to Battle: You have Proficiency in two martial melee weapons of your choice.
Savage Blow: When you inflict a critical hit with a melee weapon, increase the damage inflicted by a further +1 dice.
Rip and Tear: Your unarmed strikes do damage equal to your Strength modifier, instead of the normal 1 damage. Additionally, you have Advantage on a Strength check made to destroy something.

Envy Subrace:
Ability Score Increases: +2 Intelligence, +1 Dexterity
Hungering Touch: When you make an unarmed strike, you can choose to inflict Necrotic Damage equal to your Intelligence modifier instead of the normal damage.
Mine-Mine-Mine: When you are within 30 feet of an ally who is under the effects of a spell with the Concentration rule, you can use a bonus action to transfer the effects of that spell to yourself.

Gluttony Subrace:
Ability Score Increases: +2 Constitution, +1 Dexterity
Predator's Maw: Your fanged maw is a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. On a successful hit, replace the normal bludgeoning damage for an unarmed strike with 1d6 + Str modifier piercing damage.
Charnel Feast: As a bonus action, you can make a special attack with your bite. If it hits, it deals its normal damage and you gain temporary hit points equal your Con modifier (minimum of 1). After successfully using this trait, you cannot use it again until you complete a short rest or a long rest.
All-Devouring: You have Resistance to Poison damage and are Immune to the Poisoned condition when it is inflicted by ingested materials.
Soften the Prey: As an action, you can exhale a 15ft cone of corrosive slime; creatures caught in the cone must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw (DC 8 + your Constitution modifier + your Proficiency bonus) or take 1d6 Acid damage, changing to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level. On a successful saving throw, they halve the damage taken. Once you have used this breath weapon, you must complete a short rest before you can use it again.

Lust Subrace:
Ability Score Increases: +2 Charisma, +1 Constitution
Sinful Allure: You have Proficiency in Persuasion.
Baleful Charms: You can cast the Friends cantrip. At 3rd level, you can cast Charm Person as a 1st level spell once per long rest. At 5th level, you can cast Suggestion as a 2nd level spell once per long rest.
Toxic Kiss: As an action, you can make a toxic touch attack. Treat this as a melee attack that you have Proficiency in, which forces the victim to make a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your Charisma modifier + your Proficiency bonus). If they fail their save, they take 1d6 Poison damage, changing to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level. On a successful saving throw, they halve the damage taken. Once you have used this ability, you must complete a short rest before you can use it again.

Pride Subrace:
Ability Score Increases: +1 to two ability scores of your choice
Expertise: You have Proficiency in two skills of your choice.
Saving Face: If you miss with an attack roll, or fail either an ability check or a saving throw whilst you have one or more allies within 30 feet that you can see, you can immediately apply a bonus to the roll equal to the number of allies within 30 feet, maxing out at +5. Once you have used this trait, you cannot use it again until you complete a short rest.

Sloth Subrace:
Ability Score Increases: +2 Constitution, +1 Intelligence
Explosive Energy Burst: When you move on your turn, you can double your speed until the end of the turn. Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you move 0 feet on one of your turs.
Unstoppable Motion: You can ignore difficult terrain, and are treated as being one size category larger to determine your lifting, pushing, pulling, dragging and carrying capacities.

Wrath Subrace:
Ability Score Increases: +2 Constitution, +1 Strength
Fury Never Dies: When you are reduced to 0 hit points, but not killed, you can choose to instead be reduced to 1 hit point. Once you have used this trait, you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.
Terrible Rage: Once per long rest, as a bonus action, you can enter a berserk rage. This state lasts for 1 minute, during which time you have Advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws, and a +1 damage bonus on melee weapon attacks using Strength, and Resistance to Bludgeoning, Piercing and Slashing Damage. Your rage ends prematurely if your are knocked unconscious, end your turn without having attacked a hostile creature or taken damage since your last turn, or choose to spend a bonus action to do so. If you have the Rage class ability, increase your Rages per Day by +1 instead.

This feels like a lot of weird stuff. Why have two races of vampires? Why have both demons and fallen angels? Why have Dragonborn as the embodiment of sin, but also Kobolds as smaller versions that don't deal with that? Why are the embodiments of sin separate from the demons? What do Orcs and Goblins add to this other than being yet more monstrous races?
Trim it down to one if the vamps, haglings, shifters and then go for 2 of the 3 from Dragonborn, tieflings, and deva so you have a race born of sin and a race that's more dependent from otherworldly beings proper.

Also, what do you mean by Grimbright? Because on that spectrum of tone, the Grim refers to the people, while Bright refers to the world.

A Grimbright world should have a shiny layer of everything being good on top, and the only reason that things aren't fine is because people are assholes.

Nobledark sounds more like what you're looking for, where everything is spooky and sucks but people can still act and make a difference by being heroic.

Well, a big issue is that I'm very much a kitchen sink kind of guy. I feel that each of the races I have planned - and that was just a bare-bones list, so it's really more "seed" than anything - can contribute something to this world as a whole.

Ah, thanks, yes, Nobledark is much closer to the view in my mind's eye. Much appreciate the correction.

If they're anything like the 4e versions, neither tieflings are demons or devas are fallen angels.

It seems like just "dark" might be more accurate, "nobledark" suggests a substantial amount of heroism on the protagonist's end.

Right; tieflings are the remnants of a human empire that made an infernal pact for power, which stained the souls of all its denizens so that, even when the empire fell, its descendants are still marked by that brush with the daemonic.

Devas, meanwhile, are angels that gave up a place in the heavens to be amongst the mortals they so admired, serving as eternal guides and guardians. But the shining civilizations they stood watch over fell into darkness and ruin, leaving them without a purpose in their endless lives anymore.

I'm not sure why you'd call it just "dark" though. I do intend to give PCs the chance to be genuine heroes, even with somewhat less than shiny power sources.

Gnolls - demonic agents on the mortal plane dedicated to spreading slaughter.

Yeah, no, I refuse to use that atrocity 5th edition foistered on us.

Then use the 4e fluff

Or 3rd. Or 2nd. Or 1st.

I intend to make my own fluff, though 4e is a basis. Long story short, they've got an empire in the Mysterious East and are more less a culture of chaotic neutral Slaanesh worshipping necromancers - the latest "decadent empire sliding into non-existence amidst its self-satisfied stupor".

Like the other user said, two vampiric and draconic races are redundant. the vampiric races should at at least be ideologically opposed to each other to warrant both existing and kobolds gain nothing by being associated with dragons/dragonborn. make them a kind of goblin, dogmen, or any other variety of kobold than the draconic one. I'm also not sure Devas fit the tone you're going for.

Hey, I have you covered.

Oh, should have included this in the PDF post, but - each of the races is included because it's a reference to classic horror movie monsters, Universal ones in particular.

Caliban:
- Hulk: Quasimodo
- Runt: Igore

Dhampir: Vampires
- Dread: Nosferatu
- Feral: 30 Days of Night
- Noble: Lestat

Fiendblood (tieflings): Any demonspawn

Half-Vistan: Witches and gypsies

Human: The real monsters

Shifter: The Wolf-Man. Could also be a Jekyll/Hyde thing.

Wrought: Any kind of created beings
- Flesh: Frankenstein's Monster
- Metal: Tin Man
- Wood: Scarecrows

Revenant: The Mummy, or really any undead other than Vampire

Well, vrykolas want to bring back the Empire of Eternal Night and rule over "lesser" humans with their stable, black-magic engineered vampire traits that come with no aversion to sunlight, whilst dhampirs don't want the vampires back at all, are unstable in their vampiric traits, and universally are weakened by sunlight. Does that count as making them different?

Also, what's not nobledark about angels who gave up a place in heaven to shepherd the first great civilization, but who were unable to stop its destruction and are now cursed to roam the world forever, reincarnating over and over, standing as living testimony to how each age is seemingly worse than the last, with nothing to dull the void inside from having no purpose?

too much kibble. Overly full. Way too much kitchen sink. Some of it does not fucking fit, tonally, at all.

Note:

>Dhampirs/Vrylokas

Combine Dhampirs and Vrylokas. And use the name Vryloka, as no one ever uses the original slav shit.

Vryloka are still living corrupted humans partially uplifted by their masters. They live longer, have sharper senses, and are slightly stronger than normal humans. They must consume 'little lives' to survive, ie, they're more carnivorous and must/have a taste for bloody raw food. They only eat/drink lesser creatures and animals as sapients are the food of the aristocracy.

They breed true, but only among each other. They're few in number due to pogroms after the fall of the Night Aristocracy.

>Tieflings

As is. The children of any tiefling will be a tiefling, regardless of the race of the other half of the relationship. Red skin, sharp teeth/nails. Monobrow horns optional.

>orcs: proud, warlike, honorable

ZZZZZZ fucking noble savage bullshit. If you're gonna do that, at least be somewhat unique and interesting. Make them Mongols. Savage but highly legalistic nomads, omnivorous, iron stomached

>Goblins/Kobolds

Combine into the Koblyn. Make the idea's for either race essentially a 'subrace', ala lightfoot vs strongheart halflings. Cunning and magical nomads vs advanced warren dwelling mad scientists.

And make them ratlike. Rats are cool.

>Daevas

Reincarnations of those angels (known as Nephilim) who lowered themselves to mortal form to try and help humanity. Can remember their past lives in fragments. Some try to just get on with their existence, others try to regather their past lives to learn from them, others try to break the cycle of reincarnation. Only incarnate as human children.

>Dragonborn

When a daddy dragon loves his human concubine slut very much and rapes her insensible, 9 months later the dragon stork delivers an egg!

>When a daddy dragon loves his human concubine slut very much and rapes her insensible, 9 months later the dragon stork delivers an egg!
Why does everybody keep saying this as how dragonborn happen?

Because everybody keeps looking at the "born" part of the name and thinking that it means "fancier way of saying half-dragon".

>Combine into the Koblyn
>Koblyn
what the fuck

Koblin?

They have the same folkloric roots. goblins, kobolds, halflings, gnomes, etc. All of them were fucking wee men house/wood/mines/whatever spirits. Usually industrious.

Gobold

>When everyone forget what Draconians and Dragonkin are

Dude, tiny dragon people. Why do you hate tiny dragon people?

Liking your work! I tried similar some years back, but yours rock.Now for feats, etc

What about ghouls, and spirits/jinns/ghosts that possess/influence other people ? look if it makes your setting more interesting, are you looking for that "better stay in line if I don't want my soul to be corrupted and end in a very dark place" horror vibe ? succubi and immortal wraights maddened by power who lost their humanity may help with that, depending on how you want to play it

Appreciate the feedback! 5e's subrace mechanic offers interesting possibilities, but making the results meaningful... that's a whole new challenge, especially since WoTC doesn't seem to be capable of it themselves.

As enemies? Sure. As player races? ...I don't really think so.

This thread gave me the idea to give my horrifically out of place cyberpunk city a full gothic horror coat of paint.
What would be an analogue for robots without going full steampunk or undead? Going full undead is probably what I'm going to do but I'm curious if there are other options.

Lesser golems is the most obvious answer; warforged and wyrwoods, if you remember that they're based on living plant matter with metal plate armor, are perfect examples of this.

Scarecrows are another low-tier, easy to make construct traditional to D&D.

Homunculi, in the sense of artificial humans made from alchemical concoctions, could fill that role as well, especially if you emphasize their artificial nature - they might have no eyes and/or break down into puddles of protoplasm when exhausted, for example, ala the Keepers.

Ooh that was all exactly what I was writing down for ideas just now including the scarecrows. That's good.
I'm gonna use the Wood Golems. Clay golems are better for lower tech places and I've almost never seen a race that was artificially animated wood instead of naturally animated. Scarecrows being used as vessels for conscience is the entire MO of a nearby area.
The Homunculi are going to be the main meat of the city due to a push by the people pulling the strings to replace humanity with them, but there will be groups that fervently stick to older less convincingly human versions.
I decided to keep skeletons as robots but obviously most people would prefer Wood Golems even though they're harder to produce in the interest of taste.

Thanks m8, that helped a shit ton.

No worries. You might want to track down the sourcebook "Hollowfaust", which is about a non-evil city run by a council of necromancers who use undead serfs to keep the city clean and functional, and thus have ironically created one of the cleanest, safest and all around nicest places to live in their world.