Of Humanoid Bondage

Sorry, no porn.

The D&D world is (in)famous for its proliferation of sentient races. There are dozens in the 'official' books, and ghu knows how many in the third party supplements. Lesser, saner, Dungeon Masters ignore all but a handful of such races. I, having grown up old-school, like to use 'em all -- but I also like some idea how they fit in. The following is an overview of the humanoid races included thus far -- but I've only gone through Monster Manual I and the Tome of Horrors (Best. Monster Book. Evar.) More will be coming...
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Humanoids In The Shattered World
On Arith, most of the so-called 'humanoid' races – a somewhat derogatory term for basically man-shaped beings whose civilizations and cultures were antithetical to those of the Free People's – dwelled in the rough wilderness, kept in check by organized patrols, powerful magics, and their own internal conflicts. Many bred rapidly and then, unable to expand, turned on each other until their numbers were reduced to what the wastelands in which they dwelled could sustain, then the cycle began anew. The days of great native leaders, or evil overlords, raising vast armies and laying siege to the civilized lands were long past, and only the oldest elves remembered the last true humanoid wars.

This all changed after the crush.

Without much civilization to destroy, the humanoids weathered the change fairly well. Where the Free People's saw the Crush as a great punishment from the gods, the humanoids saw it as a blessing. In their myths, their gods had finally overthrown, or at least stymied, the human and demi human gods, giving them the opening they needed.

To the humans of Earth, there was little difference between orcs and goblins – or between goblins and gnomes, for that matter. All were strange, alien, invaders who had arrived in a civilization-destroying cataclysm. Only after years of harsh experience did the distinctions begin to matter, and the knowledge that hobgoblins could be bargained with while orcs could not, for example, began to sink in.

Two decades post-crush, the various humanoid races have yet to organize into armies or be recruited en masse as crossbow fodder, but they have expanded greatly. Many have learned to use scavenged technology, capturing Earthborn slaves to maintain it. They are no longer constrained by patrols or magic; now, only their own flaws and hatreds hold them back.


Goblinoid Races
Three major races (and one minor race) are known as Goblinoids.

Bugbears
The bugbears, largest and strongest of the goblin races, have always been the least technologically adept. They dwelled in the twisted woods and blighted forests, driven there by the elves in one ancient war after another. Their small tribal villages managed to live by hunting, raiding, and occasional farming, and they mostly fought among themselves, lacking anyone else to battle. Now, they claim all the woodlands for their own, though they are strongest in the region which was once the Pacific Northwest. They hate and despise the technology and artifacts of Earth, considering them blasphemous abominations, and actively destroy any they encounter, often burning any semi-intact suburban sprawl they come across. Those using such artifacts against them will be killed as slowly as possible.

Hobgoblins
Of all the humanoids, the hobgoblins were always the most dangerous, maintaining true nation-states and capable of forming complex social structures which were stable for generations. Their military might was immense, and they could wield it as finely as a dagger or as viciously as a battleaxe, as necessary. This actually hurt them – when the crush came, their various small kingdoms, isolated but strong, were battered and weakened. Though they relied less on magical communication than the Free People's did, they were still cut off and isolated, and the hobgoblins are known to leap on any sign of weakness – even among their own kind. Local rulers saw the chance to be top dog, not mere underlings to a now-distant superior, and took it. Provinces and baronies sought to take advantage of the chaos for their own benefit. As a result, the window for a true hobgoblin empire spanning a large part of a continent was closed rapidly. Today, there are a handful of fortress-holdfasts, and quite a number of freelance hobgoblin regiments. Life in a hobgoblin holdfast is brutal and difficult, but for those who learn to obey and work, it can be a safe life – and for many, that's sufficient.

Goblins
Small and fecund, goblins are generally considered nuiscances, except when they are able to breed in sufficient numbers to overrun a community. They dwell in darkness, underground, nomads of the Earth-girdling cave systems. They will bubble up from the depths in a surge, overwhelming defenders with sheer numbers, and then retreat to the safety of the dark. Their rapid breeding and maturation, combined with their basically cowardly and servile nature, makes them ideal fodder for more powerful beings. They are also one of the most religious of the humanoid races, with a pantheon of several dozen gods, most of whom are relatively weak. Unlike many of the other humanoid races, intratribal violence is rare, and even different tribes usually manage to get along well enough to get by if they aren't competing for a specific resource. Goblins are known to produce more naturally psionic individuals than any of the other races, and these 'blue goblins' are cherished and protected by their fellows.


Mites
The mites, or 'deepest goblins', remain in their dark underground holdfasts. Indeed, as other races head upwards to claim the surface world, the Mites occupy their former cities, looting everything left behind as valueless by richer races. They are of minimal danger to those on the surface, but they can prove a persistent threat to explorers in the Underdark.

Orcs And Orc-Kin

Orcs
Orcs represent pure violence, with very little culture beyond survival and conquest. They are the mad spawn of their one-eyed god, and they see the world as having cheated them out of their rightful place as rulers of all. The Crush merely allowed them to spread. Orcs traditionally establish a secure base, and then loot and rampage through the area surrounding it, covering as much territory as they can while still being able to retreat to safety. Caves are preferred, though some tribes will seize a castle or fort if they can capture it with its security still mostly intact. Legends of the orcs declare that a true leader will one day arise, one who will unite all the warring tribes and lead them to absolute victory. Orcs have learned to love guns, though they can barely maintain them, and they will seize weapon stores in preference to all other treasures. A few of the smarter or more self controlled orcs have left their tribes to become bandits, mercenaries, or hunters, but most cannot get along with other races well enough to function as such. The current strongholds of the largest orc tribes in the former North America are located in the Appalachians, with many old coal mines having been converted to vast warrens.


Ogrillon
The Ogrillon are not a race unto themselves, but orc/ogre crossbreeds are common enough that Ogrillon can be found in many orc bands. The smarter become leaders and warriors; the dumber are exploited as basically mobile weapons platforms, aimed at the largest foe on the battlefield and left to fend for themselves.

Orog
Orogs are rarely seen among the orcs, as they were targeted for destruction in every war against the orcs, to deprive the orcs of their best leaders. These elite orcs can be found, when they exist, leading orc raiding bands against rich foes, or abandoning their more savage cousins to find work among more disciplined forces. Not a small number have joined up with mercenary bands.

Gnolls
In many ways, gnolls are even more bestial than orcs – stronger, faster, and disease ridden, they are primarily nomadic, The packs wander across the face of the Shattered World, with a few areas of higher concentration in the former Upper Midwest. Unlike orcs, almost no gnolls leave their packs to join other races in banditry or to find semi-legitimate work; they are too vicious and uncontrolled, prone to sudden attacks of violent temper and bloodlust which are not constrained by fear or greed. Gnoll prisoners are used as brute labor and mobile food; it has never occurred to them to preserve 'useful' prisoners or gain instruction in how to use scavenged technology – indeed, they're often scared of guns and will break or destroy any them come across.

Kobolds
Similar to goblins in stature, but very different in tactics, kobolds build great maze-cities in the underdark, riddling them with traps and tricks. Kobolds breed much more slowly than the other humanoid races, and so, have learned to make each member count, focusing on surprise, deceit, and their racial gift of sorcery to take down far more powerful intruders. A single kobold is often hasted, then dispatched to be a visible target; when a dupe follows him, he suddenly takes off at magically enhanced speed while his hidden comrades bring down the victim. Kobolds have the same cunning and love of machines – including modern Earth machines – that gnomes do, and kobold lairs are often lit with electric lights (powered by stolen generators) and have an assortment of odd machines placed randomly about them. Kobolds and gnomes have a long history of antipathy, as both races compete for much the same space. Kobolds are found everywhere, but their current strongholds are located in the former American northeast and parts of Eastern Canada.

Derro
Twisted, evil, and inhumanly sadistic cousins of the Dwarves, the Derro were hunted almost to extinction on Arith, surviving only in a small number of deeply hidden cavern fortresses. As such, it took some time before they became aware things had changed. They found their way back to the surface, or as near as they could tolerate. They are too few to establish any notable communities, but small clans have spread in the former mining areas of West Virginia and Pennsylvania, where they make quick snatch-and-go raids on wandering travelers. The malicious ingenuity of the Derro has been inspired by the new technology they've discovered on Earth, and they have become adept at using scavenged technology as implements of torture.

Grimlock
Grimlocks long ago ceased to be a free race. For centuries, all of the race has been the slaves of the Illithid, knowing nothing but service to their dread masters. When word of the Crush reached their bleak and forgotten cities, they saw new opportunities in the world above, but refused to act without further information. Thus, their slaves were sent upwards, to probe the new world and find out all that they could. Grimlocks mostly haunt the ruined cities of Earth, dwelling in the empty subways, underground structures, and the like, raiding upwards for food and prisoners to question. A few have decided they like the freedom of this new world, and have fled by night into the ruined suburbs and the reborn wilds, always seeking the comforting darkness below when they can. Grimlocks still loyal to their masters live in organized units; escape grimlocks form loose-knit gangs.

Kuo-Toa
The Shattered Coast is infested with the Kuo-Toa, amphibious humanoids of malign purpose. The new caves and ruined cities provide them with endless places to call home, and they have bred rapidly in the years since the Crush. Many simply attack any ships they see, but a few of the more cunning have established what can only be called protection rackets, where some sea traffic is allowed in their regions and others is not. In the southern parts of the Shattered Coast, they face serious competition from the Sahuagin.

Crabmen
Crabmen are rare creatures, not generally welcomed by the Free Peoples, but also not violent and hateful enough to survive among other races. They lived in isolated villages and small cave systems on Arith, and on the Shattered World, they dwell in much the same place. The sunken cities which line the coasts provide them with many hiding places, and they are happy to keep their shelled heads down and stay out of the way of the more violent races.

Dark Creeper
Dark Creepers are practically things of legend, with only one city known to exist on Arith. Since word of the Crush reached the Underdark, they have sent out scouts, but the bulk of their population remains in the Spiral Pit. The scouts of the Bottomlord can be found primarily in the remnants of Denver and its surrounding regions.

Dire Corby
The cave birds, as they were known, dwelled in the upper parts of the underdark, preying on things even weaker than themselves and lusting for the woods beneath a moonless night sky. After the Crush, they swarmed outwards, settling in the blighted and twisted forests of the far north. Small bands roam across the so-called 'Empty Quarter', and they have become fearsome legends of the night.

Flind
Thankfully rare, the Flind are growing more common as the gnoll packs breed. A small number of packs are Flind-led, and when such packs meet, the Flind are sure to enjoy an orgy of mating so as to increase their numbers. Perhaps the most infamous are the Scabfangs, a pack which has settled in the north Georgia area and which regularly attacks convoys in the area.

Grippli
A rare species which lived in peace in the swamps of the Alliance Of Free Kingdoms, the Grippli have found themselves even more pressed as the other swamp dwellers, notably the lizardfolk, have invaded their swamps. Some have fled to human-controlled holdfasts for safety; others have moved deeper into the swamps. The largest known settlement is in the Florida Morass, in the area once known as Disneyworld.