Ideas about unusual races

[Basileus]

Hello everyone! I have a couple of questions about making balanced custom melee race, but before that I would like to ask you: which are most unusual races you've ever seen? By "unusual" I mean with non-standart tech tree, with non-standart unit production or interesting resources managemant. I myself have seen a couple of zerg/tyranid based races, where you build structures to expand unit selection in main building. Or, in thread in this forum, was interesing idea about the race which is also a desease.
I have an idea of single-building (that is also a hero, if it is possible) race, where you play as a forgotten one, capable of entagling gold mines, summoning tentacles or temporary advanced spawn, corrupting and enslaving neautral creatures and even burrowing itself underground and traveling to a safer place. Upgrades will give it access to more summons, deadlier magic and bigger tentacles. How do you think, what issues with balance or game mechanics should I take care of?

 

[cleavinghammer]

A single building might be vulnerable to massed siege units and Freezing Breath.

 

[BradPittlord]

Thought it be cool to have 3 different workers, one for gold, one for lumber, and one to build which would also have decent stats so he isn't useless when not building.

Also would be cool to have a mobile lumber mill, so you can keep moving him up to the tree line. Like an ancient of war lumber mill

 

[Daffa]

My Night Empire faction takes the tier concept to eleven by making all buildings of the previous tier as a requirement of the next tier. Not the brightest of an idea, but hey, it works.