Races of Dark Fantasy; Shaking up the D&D Paradigms

[Hell_Born]

There are many, many different ways to interpret Ravenloft as a setting. A lot of purists prefer to go the route of making Ravenloft basically a Human PCs Only setting, and that's fine. But then, there are folks like me, to whom Ravenloft is at its best when it's "Castlevania: The D&D Setting" and at its worst when it tries to stay pure to its Gothic Horror roots - which is a topic for another thread, so let's not get into that.

But... I will admit, Ravenloft's racial line-up is kind of dull when you consider it as the Dark Fantasy Setting. Elves, dwarves, gnomes and halflings can be given good spins, but at the same time, they're overdone. The only unique races to come out of Ravenloft are the Half-Vistani (who I am not touching with 10ft pole) and the Calibans (who are, thematically, really awesome). Compare that to, say, Dark Sun, which gave us really unique races (thri-kreen, aarakocra, pterrans, muls) alongside unique spins on classic races.

So, let me spell it out:
What races do you think would be good fits for a Fantasy-emphasizing Ravenloft setting?

For myself? Well... all of these immediately spring to mind.

• Calibans: This race goes without saying. It's a wonderfully Dark Fantasy race, and I'm honestly surprised it took until 3rd edition for them to exist. I much prefer Brutes & Banshee's approach to them, however, as it really plays to their strengths.
• Dhampirs: I have never understood the logic why, in a setting literally built around a vampire's lust for a human's love, we don't have these half-vampires as a PC option. Plus, they work really well for mechanically representing "redeemed vampires", vampires who reject their evil and so lose much of their strength - but also some of their weaknesses.
• "Haglings/Witchbreed": I may have my share of problems with Pathfinder, but as a race? Their "Changelings" are really awesome. Everything about them, from their strange powers that alienate them from their neighbors, to their battle against the corruption of their blood, screams "dark fantasy".
• Feykin: Admittedly, these could easily wind up as just a half-elf variant in terms of mechanics. But, with the existence of the Arak in canon, faerie changelings make a lot of sense as a PC race with fey ancestry.
• Shifters: If dhampirs are playable vampires, then shifters are playable werebeasts. They're a classic dark fantasy archetype, what more can I say?
• Dread Genasi: I really liked their article from Quoth the Raven, and given the nature of Ravenloft, a race of beings touched by the macabre and distorted elemental fabric of the realm makes so much sense.
• Tieflings: Demon cultists, dark oaths, twisted magics... tieflings really do make a lot of sense in a Ravenloft game embracing the fantastical side of things. They would, of course, be more akin to the tieflings of old, with variable and subtle mutations being the norm; at worst, they would likely pass as calibans.
• Aasimar: I'm actually unsure of these being present, but, they could be an expression of whatever powers of light allow for the existence of paladins.
• Mortifs: Ravenloft is a plane stained by the forces of darkness and death. I don't know if these make more sense as the "deathtouched" they were in 3e, the tiefling analogue descended of the various "half-dead", or more as just innately attuned to necromantic energies, but either way, they're fitting.
• Fetches: The "half-ghost" of 3e's Born to Death makes perfect sense in a place like Ravenloft. They're even a natural extension of things like the Godefroy family.
• Ghuls: Same as dhampirs, shifters and fetches; they're just too logical a fit for a world like Ravenloft.

[GreenWood]

All very interesting suggestions! I myself am just as guilty as anyone about focusing far too much attention on the different human cultures in Ravenloft.

[Leliel]

Hm, hm, hm.

A big thematic is that the Land of Mists is exactly that, and the Mists control time itself if need be. So, I was thinking maybe a people born of those whose parents were affected by the Mists. Perhaps a derivative of tiefling, with demonic characteristics replaced by ghost-like ones and a sense they're never quite...there. Perhaps apparent cataracts (in that they can see perfectly fine, thank you) is a common affliction among them.

[IrvyneWolfe]

Here are the available races in the Ravenloft game I'm putting together

1. Changelings - Spawn of humans and Hags doomed to feel a pull towards their inhuman heritage. (Pathfinder changelings, no major changes).
2. Cold Ones - Humans who have died, but for some reason that final trip didn't take. Not alive, not dead, and not undead Cold Ones always exist at the edges of society. (Statistically Pathfinder Dhampir)
3. Humans - Yawn... default humans, at least 90% of the population everywhere.
4. Reborn - Serially reincarnated men and women who look identical in each new life but only have fragments of memories from their previous lives. Many seek a way to break the cycle of reincarnation, others try and find immortality in their current lives. (statistically Samsarsans from Pathfinder)
5. Sidhe - the offspring of humans and fey creatures they vary wildly in appearance and powers. Many live as nomads to prevent themselves from becoming targets for their unusual physical traits. (Pretty much a catch all... want to play a race not listed above? Pitch it to me and we'll try and fit it into the Sidhe umbrella)

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

A lot of purists prefer to go the route of making Ravenloft basically a Human PCs Only setting, and that's fine. But then, there are folks like me, to whom Ravenloft is at its best when it's "Castlevania: The D&D Setting" and at its worst when it tries to stay pure to its Gothic Horror roots - which is a topic for another thread, so let's not get into that.

I don't have much to add, but I found it interesting that you wanted to get away from a human PC only setting, but just about every option on your list is "human, except with some ___ blood." Personally, I tend toward human-centric, with "the weird stuff" allowed only with appropriate backstory. So, I like your list just fine, as most pass for human rather easily.

[NeoTiamat]

To be fair, the setting as is is pretty much written with all humans, and the fantasy races lobbed into Darkon or Sithicus. It would be a very different story if we had, say, a couple of Dwarf-centric domains in the middle of the Core.

I'd also say that while Aasimar and Tieflings and what-have-you are called 'races' in D&D, they don't really pass muster as ethnic or cultural groupings. There aren't enough of them, so your actual 'races' are, in essence, your Lamordians, your Barovians, etc. Something to think about.

I also recall that way back in the murky mists of time, there was some effort to work Dragonborn into Ravenloft by way of living gargoyles. Might be in one of the QtRs, but it was a pretty cool thing.

[Deewun]

The most fantasy change I've made is allowing Dragonborn ... but now it is a disease, called simply "the Scales". Scaleborn can for backstory purposes be any race, but the scales slowly cover their body, as well as a vestigial mouth ripping apart some section of muscles and bones for the breath weapon. Scaleborn are considered like lepers, unfortunate souls to be pitied.

[ewancummins]

666 views, noted.

[ewancummins]

I like keeping the PHB demi-humans races quite marginal and rare, outside the domains where they actually fit in.


I'd focus instead on the cultural/regional/racial variation among the humans.

PCs as monsters seems to diminish the horror vibe, at least to me.

That said, have you seen that dude's reskin of elves?

Let me find the link...

[ewancummins]

I can't seem to find it.
I think he had a Spanish surname.

I'm pretty sure he made the reskin for 3.0, though it may have been 3.5


He called it 'ghoulkin' or something like that, and used a Brom picture (I think) as an illo.
The idea was the the elf stats actually make for a nice creepy gravedigger/grave-robber type of humanoid, a living (distant) cousin of ghouls.

This isn't my idea. Does anybody know the blog post/article to which I am referring?

[Zilfer]

^I don't know what you refer to but it did bring up an interesting Lore shake up in Divinity Original Sin II, where the Elves who eat body parts of people actually experience the memories of the person they are eating. It was something off the wall that I was hesitant to have my elf character to do in the beginning but now almost immediately have them eat the many body parts the game sprinkles through the game. For a bit of lore, and occasionally a useful skill/ability.

It is something I've considered to add to one of my games, or maybe a particular bloodline of elves.