Pardon the rough form here, but this all came to me at once, and I had to compose it at work, where word processors and google docs are forbidden.
Dwarves are:
+Sturdy, burly, and tireless
+practical about magic and technology
+good at teamwork
+brave
*collectively ambitious: think big, plan big, build big, fail big
*brontophiles
*able to see in the dark, but prefer not to.
*communal and family oriented
-better at adapting technology than devising their own
-undiplomatic
-a bit jingoistic
Dwarves have:
*Scottish or Irish accents
*a religion of ancestor worship in the form of tracing lineage to one of a "pantheon" of culture heroes, with a corresponding magic system
*technology based on iron, steel, brass, steam, and burning fuels
*a good mix of magical and technical competence
*large bustling, cities carved out of mountain caves
*beards, frequently
Gnomes are:
+brilliant and clever
+creative and innovative inventors
+gregarious and talkative
+good at hiding
+excellent at craft skills and fine motor manipulation
+neat and tidy
*individually ambitious, sometimes bordering on megalomania
*fascinated by puzzles, trivia, and minutia
*fascinated by puzzles, trivia, and minutia
*obsessive about their pet topics
*basically irreligious/atheistic
-flighty
-too distractable to be much good at magic
-shorter than dwarves and considerably less robust
-a bit vain
Gnomes have:
*German, Austrian, or Scandanavian accents
*a wealth of technology based on spring steel, brass, clockwork, pneumatics, electricity, and other, more experimental motifs.
*small towns or communes of like-minded individuals, quiet except for the occasional explosion
*hats, usually
Goblins are:
+expert at their brand of sorcery
+very handy with animals
+crafty and intelligent
+able to see in the dark comfortably
*highly mercantile
*inventive and enthusiastic users of expletives
*sensitive to the supernatural
*a little bit crazy
-downright puny
-physical cowards, generally
-very superstitious
-cagey and suspicious
-obligate primitives
-usually filthy
Goblins have:
*Russian, Gypsy, or nondescript Eastern European accents
*huge pointy ears and greenish skin
*sophisticated spell-based magic resembling witchcraft or shamanism
*limited technology based on domestic animals and enchanted tools
*a loose network of tribes and clans, living nomadically or farming natural caves out of huts
*absurd hairstyles like mohawks and spikes
Mind Flayers are:
+cerebral and intelligent
+powerfully psionic
+capable of using technology without magical interference
+sometimes good at summoning magic as well
*inhumanly cold and calculating
*"brain vampires"
*tall and imposing, but no stronger than the average dwarf
-territorial loners
-allied in a vague way with the Elder Gods
-in a hate-hate relationship with dwarves
Mind Flayers have:
*octopoid heads
*booming, villainous psychic voices
*mobs of brain-wiped minions
*powers of mind control, indomitable willpower, and minor psychokinesis
*creepy "live-brain-in-a-jar" technology
Drow are:
+tall, dark, and athletic
+inherently magical
+all capable of at least a few spells
+stealthy
+good saboteurs
*utterly, fanatically devoted to their goddess
*nihilist anarchists
-completely bugnutz crazy
-too Lolth-specific in their devotions to make common cause with other Elder Gods
-implacable foes of the gnomes
Drow have:
*sibilant lisps
*black skin, like, back of an iPhone black
*a penchant for paired weapons
*extensive magic granted by their goddess, with an especially potent technology-jinxing property
*a permanent mission from Lolth to further her agenda of chaos, anarchy, and ruin
*no names--they give them up as a sacrifice for the Lolth and take up the mantle of "Anonymous"
Orcs are:
+huge
+obscenely strong
+nearly fearless
+capable of hijacking the technology and enchanted tools of other races
+able to navigate and track by smell alone
+weirdly ignored or tolerated by the Elder Gods and their critters
*completely inured to violence
*cannibals
*hateful of gods and spirits as well as mortals
-not especially bright
-ugly as sin
-too simplistic to have their own style of magic
-too destructive to keep technology in working order for long
-especially hated by goblins
Orcs have:
*deep, gravely voices
*tusks and green skin
*big, bulky iron armor and melee weapons made with their limited metal craft
*an appetite for sentient flesh (or any flesh, for that matter)
