RACES OF THE CITY

Some races are more urban than others, yet all can be found within the walls of the greatest cities. City living can have a dramatic effect on the culture, personality, and even racial abilities of those for whom urban life is atypical.

HUMANS

In most settings, humans are the primary city-builders, since they seem driven by a desire and ability to congregate in communities of substantial size. The vast majority of ruins are also of human make, and most settings assume human builders as the default. With the possible exception of a more cosmopolitan attitude, and perhaps a greater desire for wealth, power, and position, city-dwelling humans differ little from their rural counterparts.

DWARVES

Dwarves are frequent city-dwellers, but their cities, usually being underground, often have a very different feel from those of their human counterparts. Dwarf cities are frequently less crowded than typical human communities, and even when the population of a dwarf city begins to press against the community’s borders, the multiple levels of an underground dwarf city help to avoid the sorts of packed avenues one often fi nds in the largest human cities. Those dwarves who adapt to human cities and surface living become, paradoxically, both more and less rigid in their thinking. On one hand, they are exposed to so many different ways of life and daily circumstances that they become more widely accepting of outside traditions and concepts. On the other hand, the daily chaos that is often a part of even the most lawful city causes them to cling to their sense of order. Most urban dwarves are lawful, in even greater percentages than those in other dwarf communities, but they vary between good, neutral, and evil with far greater frequency than normal.

While all races have their ambitious members, the majority of urban dwarves either prefer not to seek positions of authority or do so out of a sense of duty rather than any real desire to govern. Most urban dwarves consider the other races inherently disordered and diffi cult to manage. They would rather run their own lives, dealing with others in relatively small and controlled quantities.

ELVES

Few elves choose urban living, because they are uncomfortable with being away from nature and in the midst of so many other people and races. Those few who do adapt to city life develop very different attitudes than their traditional cousins. They do not take the long view, as other elves do, because they are too wrapped up in the speed at which their neighbors live their lives. Their curiosity often develops into a desire to accumulate distinctive items and creature comforts. This isn’t to say that all urban elves are greedy—rather, it is simply that they tend to be more like humans in their drive to acquire both the necessities and luxuries of life. Because they do live so much longer than their neighbors, they tend to sway toward one of two extremes, becoming either exceedingly arrogant and domineering or developing a sense of protectiveness and even parental concern for those around them.

Other races often object to elves involving themselves in politics, and a few cities even enact laws explicitly forbidding or restricting such activities. The elves’ life span allows them to work longer to obtain positions of power, and to hold those positions far longer than anyone else might. This longevity makes politicians of other races nervous. A compromise, uncommon but growing in popularity, is to restrict even supposedly “lifetime” appointments to a set number of years, to ensure that members of longer-lived races don’t come to dominate city affairs.

GNOMES

Gnomes might not be known for building their own large cities, but they’re certainly at home in those built by others. Known as entertainers and sages, alchemists and inventors, they fi t right in with a population hungry for distraction, knowledge, and the latest fad. Gnomes rarely hold positions of great importance, but those few who do are driven by the same determination and lust for discovery that inspires the rest of their race.

While gnomes generally get along quite well with others, they often have diffi culty getting other races to take them seriously in an urban setting. Their reputations as performers and eccentrics, to say nothing of their diminutive stature, often causes humans and others to think of them as amusing but not especially important. Gnomes who seek to advance their position face an uphill struggle, and some become quite ruthless and power-hungry, not out of innate malice, but simply because it is the only way to force rivals and potential allies to acknowledge their abilities.

HALF-ELVES

If half-elves fi t in anywhere, it is in the big city. Here they can hope to be accepted based on their abilities and activities rather than their race. A half-elf can become a cog in the gears of society, a valued worker, even a liaison between neighborhoods of humans and urban elves. Half-elves might still face some amount of prejudice, but people in many cities are suffi ciently cosmopolitan that a typical half-elf with a modicum of perseverance and skill can build a livelihood without suffering under racial bias.

Because half-elves usually get along well with both their parent races if given the opportunity, they often fi nd themselves attracted to positions of power. They are often charming and convincing, traits that in open-minded cities often lead them to occupy such positions.

HALF-ORCS

While half-elves often fi nd human cities the most welcoming environment they can hope for, half-orcs most often receive a cold, even hostile, reception. While half-orcs might fi nd work as laborers or guards, a great number of civilized folk cannot look at a half-orc without wondering when his wild and barbaric side is going to suddenly reveal itself, sending him into a paroxysm of violent rage. Exceptions certainly exist, such as in cities where half-orcs (or even orcs) are common, but for the most part,the average city dweller looking at a half-orc sees the orc fi rst, and the human (or other) component second—if at all.

In most cities, half-orcs do not have two different communities in which they can seek acceptance, as half-elves do. They must make their way among humans (and other races) as best they can and try to prove their trustworthiness. Half-orcs almost never hold positions of power in most cities, except those with a dominant orc or other monstrous population. No matter how civilized a half-orc seems, too many people cannot get past the race’s appearance and demeanor, and the half-orcs’ penalty to Intelligence and Charisma makes them ill-suited to most governmental positions to begin with.

HALFLINGS

Given their innate wanderlust and love of pastoral and rural environs, few halfl ings ever settle down to city life. These halfl ings stay because of a growing attachment to some of the local people or because they fi nd themselves able to make a good living in the city (this explains the prevalence of halfl ing shopkeepers and thieves, compared to the general size of the halfl ing city population Halfl ings in a big city tend to congregate, feeling more at home among their own than amid the vast numbers of the “big folk.”

The desire to collect is common among halfl ings, but for many city halfl ings, this attitude often shifts to greed— the need not merely to have, but to have more. Halfl ings who engage in crime or develop a base of political power can be surprisingly ruthless and debased in their desire to acquire the best of everything. Many halfl ings in the city remain friendly and honest, of course, but these individuals rarely develop any real authority, preferring to tend their shops and drink with their neighbors. Because these halflings go largely unnoticed beyond their own neighborhoods, it is the acquisitive, merciless ones who often make the biggest impact on a city. Thus, many humans (and others) believe that all urban halfl ings are greedy misers or thieves, and treat them accordingly.

MONSTERS IN THEIR MIDST

Although such a situation is exceedingly rare, some members of the savage humanoid races have both the urge and the ability to make their homes in human-dominated cities. Goblins, orcs, and even less likely creatures occasionally manage to fi nd refuge and make a living—if they’re willing to obey the laws and to put up with a substantial amount of prejudice and oppression.

The single most important fact to remember when designing urban-based humanoid characters or neighborhoods is that creatures living civilized lives tend, over time, to become civilized. The orc, bugbear, or even minotaur dwelling in a city might be a rough-cut roustabout at fi rst. Gradually, however, living by local laws and customs becomes something of an ingrained habit. More important, anyone dwelling in a city long enough eventually develops something worth preserving: friends, a home, employment, a favorite tavern, or what have you. Even if these pleasures seem minor at fi rst, they eventually become the focus of one’s life. Daily living becomes a routine, just as it is for most city-dwelling humans, and even the wildest humanoid fi nds himself somewhat civilized despite himself (assuming, of course, that he survives long enough to let it happen).

Goblins

Urban goblins tend to remain among the poor and dirty of the city. Uneducated and too small to be effective at physical labor, they usually fi nd jobs only in menial positions. They are most frequently employed in chimney sweeping, sewer maintenance, pest control, and other areas where their size and lack of personal hygiene are boons rather than detriments. Many urban goblins turn to thievery and murder, making it that much harder for the (very) few law-abiding urban goblins to shake their bad reputation. Most remain bitter, and many that attempt to live in a city wind up leaving and resuming their savage ways, unable to make a viable go of it within the walls.

Hobgoblins

Hobgoblins are among the few monstrous humanoids frequently able to make city life work for them. Their innate sense of martial order allows them to adapt to city laws more easily than their smaller cousins, and they are intelligent enough to understand customs and procedure. They still face substantial prejudice from others and must work to overcome their own sense of superiority, which would normally prevent them from taking orders from humans or, even worse, dwarves, elves, or gnomes. Hobgoblins can thrive in city life if they can fi nd work as bodyguards or soldiers, and a rare few manage to obtain offi cer rank in human militias after many years of loyal service. Few can completely overcome their innate arrogance, however, and urban hobgoblins are rarely happy unless they have at least a few human underlings whom they can order about.

Bugbears

These largest of goblinoids fi nd it extremely diffi cult, though not impossible, to thrive in an urban environment. Their great strength makes them perfectly suited for physical labor, but they are rarely trusted to do anything else. They are not only the most bestial of goblinoids in appearance, they are also the most chaotic and unpredictably violent, and few other races are willing to work alongside them. What’s worse, while the average bugbear is just as smart as the average human, bugbears’ primitive, almost apelike appearance often causes people to assume that they are stupid, and to treat them accordingly. This constant insult—combined with the temper of a martially oriented race that tends toward chaos and evil—leads to bloodshed far more often than not. Many cities do not allow bugbears within their walls for precisely this reason, and even in cities that accept them, bugbears rarely have either the opportunity or the necessary skills or abilities to advance beyond menial labor.

All this said, bugbears do better in the city than certain other races, such as orcs. Some of them are wise enough to realize that they must moderate their behavior in order to fi t in, and the rare bugbear who is able to contain his more bestial and barbaric leanings can accomplish a surprising amount. He still isn’t likely to hold a position of offi cial authority, but such a bugbear can advance far in military, gladiatorial, criminal, or guild-oriented pursuits.

Orcs

Although the goblinoid races can sometimes adapt to human society, orcs as a whole are far too bestial and chaotic to do so comfortably. As chaotic as bugbears but not as intelligent, orcs usually fi nd their way into cities only as slaves or as invaders. Their sensitivity to daylight limits their ability to work as physical laborers, and their bestial nature makes them more trouble than they’re usually worth as slaves. The exceptionally rare orc who deliberately sets out to live within the city has a lifetime of filthy toil and oppression before him; the odds of ever proving himself a viable member of society are small. These urban orcs usually fi nd themselves in trouble with the authorities, often after a brutal brawl or murder, and wind up either imprisoned or fleeing back into the wilds.

Kobolds

Kobolds suffer from light sensitivity and are ill-suited to physical labor, yet they can be found in urban environments more often than orcs. In most cases, however, they make no effort to blend in with society. Rather, a small community of kobolds might make a lair in a run-down neighborhood or section of sewer, and proceed to prey on those nearby just as they might do out in the wild. Clever and sneaky as they are, kobolds can often do this for years without anyone realizing that the perpetrators of the local crimes are anything other than a gang of human criminals. Several kobold tribes have even become leaders of citywide thieves guilds in this fashion, slowly building up wealth, power, and influence in the underworld. Kobolds who attempt to actually live a normal, human-style life in a city are so astoundingly rare that few generalities can be drawn about them, except that they have at least as diffi cult a time finding acceptance as goblins do.

Lizardfolk

If the other monstrous races often fail to fit into city life because of how they behave, lizardfolk often remain outsiders because of how they think. Lizardfolk only barely grasp the concept of cities, not because they are stupid—they are, on average, only slightly less intelligent than humans—but because it’s a completely foreign idea to their reptilian minds. Lizardfolk are guided purely by survival instinct, and while they band together in tribes to increase the likelihood of survival and success, the notion of living in harmony with creatures that do not directly contribute to that survival is almost inconceivable. Few of them want to live in cities, and those who make the attempt almost invariably wind up either in trouble with the authorities or facing a large number of enemies in the community simply because the lizardfolk in question considers what’s good for him first, and the laws of the society second (if at all). Combine these attitudes with their preference for marshy or semiaquatic environments, neither of which are particularly good for city building, and the result is a race that is simply ill-suited for urban life. The very rare exception is truly an anomaly among his own kind—a lizardfolk with attitudes and ideas totally alien not only to the culture, but to the actual psychology and physiology of the race into which he was born. And of course, given their diffi culty in understanding and adhering to civilized strictures, even these rare lizardfolk might be able to survive in the urban landscape, but they almost never advance particularly high within it.

Other Races

Monstrous races other than those discussed above do, on very rare occasions, manage to make their homes in cities. Minotaurs make terrifying guards or soldiers, and their inability to get lost makes them excellent guides. Doppelgangers who are uninterested in infiltrating the upper echelons of politics might find work as performers, detectives, con artists, or even prostitutes. Ogres and other giants can work at heavy construction when they are not being used on the battlefi eld. Gargoyles are excellent sentries, practically unnoticed amid the city’s statuary, and pixies and dryads are fantastic groundskeepers. None of these arrangements are especially common, and any “monster” that seeks to make its home in the city has many years of proving itself—assuming it can avoid being slain or imprisoned on sight—before it can approach anything resembling a normal life. For the few that wish to try, however, and the even fewer that have the fortitude to pull it off, a truly cosmopolitan metropolis might one day permit them to call it “home.”