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Yes, I like your ideas. I was unsure about wanting triffids to be able to move. They can in the movie, so I thought it was acceptable here, but having them be largely immoble except for special ones seems better. Your idea also means they also would have diplomatic clout instead of being something like gray goo that all the races oppose. I think there needs to be some way for triffids and the animal races to communicate. Maybe triffids could hijack someone's mind like with Brent Spiner in Independence Day. Perhaps they could present themselves as the poor victims of vicious deforestation genocide by the other races, encouraging them to enact policies of plants rights, while actually the triffids are planning the downfall of civilization. Another way is to make them mostly but not entirely alien, so the other races aren't really sure whether they are intelligent and thus some of them act carelessly around triffids, thinking they are just mindless plants.

Furthermore, the idea of triffids trying to convert the world into one giant triffid grove sounds great to me, as it means they are not stereotypical nature-defending druidic things. They don't want to maintain the natural order or prevent the environment from being changed. Rather, they just want to ensure that it is changed to their liking, meaning they're ultimately not different from the other races.

Hey, that's not a bad idea. What if the triffids were extremely nutritious? Then the civilized races might try to farm and eat them, only for them to destroy the civilizations from within.

Another race concept! I find that almost no one uses this forum, but it is a convenient place to store my ideas for later viewing in a place where they will not be buried, as naturally happens in a chatroom.

 The most recent DLC for Warhammer II gave me an idea for a race. I call them triffids in honor of the classic science fiction movie (and not the newer drivel). After some discussion on the Discord server, I think I have determined enough of the details to write a longer description to be posted in a more permanent location, i.e. this forum.

The idea is to have a completely feral race of sentient plants which can only survive in the wilderness. This race would die in urban environments and would thus seek to protect forests, swamps, grasslands, and other plant-rich areas while destroying civilization which disturbs them. They would be a force which directly opposes the civilized races. Other feral races would fit well with them, and elves would be a special case of a civilization that the triffids could bear, if handled appropriately.

The triffids themselves are all connected via roots (like aspen forests) and thus share nutrients. They would be a "hive mind" of a sort. I know this is a trope in science fiction and fantasy, but here it makes more sense because the triffids are physically connected. Like the triffids from the story, these can spit acid and locomote. However, they prefer to remain stationary. They have thick bark and vicious spines protecting them from physical attack, and their heavy sap is a deterrent to fire and disease. Attached to them are vines which they can lash like whips. If necessary, they are capable of quick bursts of speed to chase an intruder or escape danger (such as the obvious problem of civilized races using fire to just burn them, again like the movie). Like kudzu, they aren't too big of a problem if managed, but if the civilization is weakened and can no longer keep them in check, they will grow wildly and transform the settlements and farms into their vegetative playgrounds.

They reproduce exclusively via sprouting from roots. That is, they do not generate seeds or sexually reproduce in any way. This makes migration very slow and difficult for them. Scouring their roots from the land is a certain way to remove them, but their roots are deep and tough. Thus, they become entrenched in areas they control, but have difficulty spreading. Because they are plants, they need plenty of soil nutrients and water. The intelligence of a grove is based on the number of its members. They also don't develop much technology on their own, but they can trade with other races for things they cannot produce. This could lead to a situation where triffids begrudgingly allow some civilzation to exist in order for goods they want to be produced. Triffid groves might quarrel just as ant colonies do, as groves with different root networks are separate societies.

I prefer pie charts. I think they are easier to read, especially at a glance.  I also find them more aesthetically appealing. I can much more quickly have an understanding of what percentage each portion holds, as the size of the slice is the percentage. With waffle pieces, I can tell that one portion is larger or smaller, but the proportions are more difficult to quickly ascertain. The waffles are only better if there are lots of tiny parts that are difficult to see in a pie chart. Each piece of a waffle is the same size, while each pie slice is a different size. 1% is easier to see on a waffle than on a pie, but so long as small numbers like that don't appear too often, pies are the way to go.

I suppose this is the official forum for this game, at least for now? In any case, I had an idea for a race and, seeing that others suggested races here, thought that I should post my idea here. I hope to hear your thoughts and refine my concept with even better ideas.

 I wanted to design a desert-dwelling race that was unique and interesting. After some deliberation, lizardmen seemed the best option. Although this concept might be overly long and detailed, I think that it merits extensive explanation.

The reptilians have a mix of features from many reptiles, though the largest influence was komodo dragons. Think of reptilians as bipedal komodos. Real komodos can stand on their hind legs briefly, and they look pretty goofy doing it.

Reptilians are ectothermic and therefore can only live in cool in environments with great difficulty. Cold areas (particularly below freezing) are uninhabitable for them. However, reptilians can lie dormant and nearly motionless, allowing them to live in areas which are warm in the summer and cold (but not freezing) in the winter, as they can remain inactive during the cooler months. Because they do not have to generate their own body heat, their metabolism is very low. They can thus live without food for long periods, much like crocodiles. If the ambient temperature is high, they can devote a much higher proportion of their calories toward purposes other than thermic homeostasis. This makes them specialized for warm environments, but reptilians prefer no particular warm environment. Thus, reptilians are selective generalists, able to survive so long as the temperature is high. Clothing is not especially important to them, as they have little body heat to retain and their scales already offer protection.

Reptilian metabolic versatility has a significant cost, however. Nervous systems, and particularly brains, are energy-intensive and require relatively high metabolism to maintain. Lacking this, reptilians do not develop large brains and are therefore quite unintelligent, though they still are among the intelligent races. If humans have an intelligence of 100, then reptilians are somewhere around 60-70. They thus tend to be more feral than civilized. They are capable of hunting/gathering and herding, but achievements of greater intellectual fortitude (cities, complex governments, infrastructure) will likely elude them or only be shallowly developed. However, reptilians can easily live for over a century, again due to their low metabolism. Thus, individuals can accumulate knowledge, so reptilian civilization is certainly not impossible.

The largest reptilians can be monstrous, but many are not significantly larger than a human. A reptilian's size is largely determined by the available nutrition during its maturation. Reptilians living in remote deserts with scarce food will be smaller, while those dwelling in lush and hot jungles will be mighty beasts. The reptilians are very tough (due to muscles and thick, scaly skin) and capable of high strength and agility, but only in short bursts. They thus have low endurance. Low metabolism means that signficant time is needed for an exhausted reptilian to recuperate, but a fresh reptilian can easily crush bones. Their dexterity is also quite low, as their hands are akin to those of komodo dragons: thick, ponderous fingers tipped with large claws unsuited to fine manipulation. Reptilians are obligate carnivores. They find plants indigestible, but livestock can consume them, thereby transforming plants into meat. Reptilians are bipedal and terrestial. Though they are not unimpressive swimmers, their low stamina renders them unable to traverse long aquatic distances.

Whether r- or K-selection is prevalent depends on the circumstances. The number of eggs laid by a female is determined by her nutrition. In times of plenty, when she is well-nourished, she will lay many eggs. In times of scarcity, she will lay only a few.

Reptilians use the ZW sex determination system, which can be seen as the opposite of the mammalian XY system. Among humans, two of the same chromosome (XX) produces a woman, while differing chromosomes (XY) produce a man. The Y chromosome is smaller and modifies the X, meaning that the base form is female and men are modified women. In the ZW system, two of the same chromosome (ZZ) produces a male, while differing chromosomes (ZW) produce a female. This means that the male is the base form and females are modified males. This is significant because it allows parthenogenesis, i.e. reproduction without fertilization. Komodo dragons are an example of this; a female can lay eggs which will hatch into males who can then mate with her once they are old enough, thereby producing more females to create a stable population. This functions because the female (ZW) can produce offspring by herself with either ZZ or WW chromosomes. WW is not a viable combination (like YY among mammals), so only the ZZ (male) eggs hatch. Their Z chromosomes can then combine with the mother's W chromosome. Among mammals, females only have X chromosomes, so a parthenogenic mammal could only produce daughters. This could lead to interesting cultural conflicts in the game wherein reptilians do not disapprove of incest while other races find it barbaric. This sex determination system also means that reptilian populations are extremely difficult to displace, as even one female can eventually produce a stable population (though with a severe genetic bottleneck).

I imagine reptilians inhabiting uncivilized equitorial regions such as jungles and deserts. They are exceptionally well-suited to hot environments with widely varying food supplies. Places that would fry other races would be comfortable for reptilians, meaning that they could continuously inhabit certain areas without ever being displaced, as no other race is interested in those areas. Thus, they are left and can develop low-intensity civilization. Perhaps there could even be the odd reptilian who is super intelligent. This could combine with the long lifespan to create a powerful leader who brings about a golden age of reptilian might based on a fertile river or desert oasis.