Other Races

This is just a rough overview of the humanoid races, not a formal write-up like the PC races. As with the PC races (see the discussion, I've assigned each a culture.

Gnolls: Assyrian/Chaldaean/Persian. Gnolls are, hands down, THE best fighting force in the world. Lucky for everyone else, their tendency to war on each other (and devour the losers) curtails their ability to unite and take over the rest of the world. Gnoll mercenaries are highly-trained, well-paid, and highly sought after in all militaries. They don't use chariots like the Assyrians (horses don't like them very much), but their light infantry and scouts (equivalent to Greek hoplites) are without equal.

Goblins: Mongol hordes (riding wolves, of course). Goblins live in hide tents, are tribal, and occasionally band together to raid into human and elven lands.

Hobgoblins: Japanese. Hobgoblins are already lawful, exist in a rigid society, and are warlike, so the Japanese culture wasn't much of a stretch (and those of you who have seen the picture of the hobgoblin in the 1E MM might recall they were wearing samurai-style armor). They're the other culture (besides halflings) that has developed martial arts.

Lizardfolk: African. Picture the African tribes with their religion, mixed in with Haitian/Creole voodoo and santeria, and you've got the lizardfolk. They live in a tribal society in the swamps and jungles far to the south of the humans/elves, warring on each other and worshipping their own gods (nearly as old as the Old Ones, but from a different plane; they're similar to the Cthulhu mythos, but less alien). These gods are largely uncaring of the lizardfolk (or any other race), but reward the beings who grant them power through worship by giving them spells.

Orcs: Norse. Meadhalls, longships, berserkers, skalds, the whole nine yards. They worship Odin (another one-eyed god) and the rest of the Norse pantheon instead of the standard orcish gods, and live in the harsh northern climes.
