How do you roleplay half orc?

[Pikashell]

Hello! I was invited to play in a campaign next year last week and I have been trying to make an interesting character. So far I decided to go for the stupid idea of a half orc fighter, who comes from a small poor village in nowhere, acts very spontaneos and wants to become a famous singer. So I was wondering how do you roleplay such character (voice, manners etc.)? Also I think if he wants to be a singer it would suit him to have a good voice but I am not sure. Should he sing songs or do you think that is a bit too much? Thanks in advance!

[Unoriginal]

Hello! I was invited to play in a campaign next year last week and I have been trying to make an interesting character. So far I decided to go for the stupid idea of a half orc fighter, who comes from a small poor village in nowhere, acts very spontaneos and wants to become a famous singer. So I was wondering how do you roleplay such character (voice, manners etc.)? Also I think if he wants to be a singer it would suit him to have a good voice but I am not sure. Should he sing songs or do you think that is a bit too much? Thanks in advance!

One: roleplaying isn't "making funny voices". You can keep using your real voice if you'd rather.

Two: You can just say "my character sings a song" if you don't want to sing the full song. It works.

Three: if the character wants to become a famous singer and is spontaneous, he's probably confident and extrovert.

Four: I don't see what's stupid about it. Just take the Entertainer background and the Performance skill, and you'll have a good singer already (or just average if you put CHA as a dump stat)

Hope it help.

[2D8HP]

Limericks, lots of limericks.

Since half-orcs grow faster than humans I'd just have the PC act like an oversized young teenager.

[Ganymede]

Aside from Unoriginal's solid advice, you can look to the dozens of famous singers of our world. If you're stuck on how your character would act, you could easily model him after a singer in our world, or as a mash-up of several.

Is your half orc a Maynard James Keenan or is he a Lady Gaga? Does he party hard like a David Lee Roth or is he more contemplative like a Bob Marley?

[Pikashell]

One: roleplaying isn't "making funny voices". You can keep using your real voice if you'd rather.

Two: You can just say "my character sings a song" if you don't want to sing the full song. It works.

Three: if the character wants to become a famous singer and is spontaneous, he's probably confident and extrovert.

Four: I don't see what's stupid about it. Just take the Entertainer background and the Performance skill, and you'll have a good singer already (or just average if you put CHA as a dump stat)

Hope it help.

Stupid because it is a fighter who wants to be a singer and I find that unusual. About roleplaying - after only being a dm this year I have gotten used to doing diffrent voices and I just thought it can be fun to do a voice for a pc.

[Ganymede]

Stupid because it is a fighter who wants to be a singer and I find that unusual.

Naw. Thousands and thousands of people, from all walks of life, secretly wish they could be rock stars. This is not unusual.

[Dr.Samurai]

Unoriginal's advice is sound, so let's all get on the same page; as far as roleplaying this character goes, don't feel like you must be able to write songs, or sing well. These are things you can simply describe your character as doing.

Mechanically, I think Unoriginal's suggestion is good; take the Entertainer background and proficiency in Performance. As far as roleplaying him goes, make it a point to mention that when the party is traveling in the open, he is singing songs along the way. When they are having downtime, he is humming tunes and writing down possible songs for his career as a famous singer.

If you want to blend mechanics and theme further, you can take something like Inspiring Leader and say that when he is singing during downtime, it inspires the others. Or take Prodigy or Performer if UA is allowed, and gain Expertise in Performance.

[MilkmanDanimal]

You have two options as I can see:

One, take the Entertainer background, get proficiency in Performance, and have a reasonable Charisma stat so you can actually have a solid chance of fulfilling your dream as a singer.

Two, make Charisma your dump stat and do not get Performance, and be an absolutely terrible singer who insists they just need to practice, and continually break out into song and flub Performance checks left and right, with everyone being aghast at how horrible you are but too nervous around the big, scary Half-Orc to tell you how awful you really are.

Two sounds like a LOT more fun to play to me.

[Chaosmancer]

Stupid because it is a fighter who wants to be a singer and I find that unusual. About roleplaying - after only being a dm this year I have gotten used to doing diffrent voices and I just thought it can be fun to do a voice for a pc.

It very much can be fun. And it could be an absolute blast to write songs and sing them for the group.

But those things aren't required if you aren't comfortable with them or they become too much work.


I think there are a few questions that will help flesh out this character.

Who is your orcish parent and what is the relationship of your parents? The classic is an orcish father who was a raider, but I also once did an orcish mother who was happily married to an adventurer who was attracted to strong women. Well, mostly happily, a stong man like her husband should have had multiple wives, so she was constantly trying to set him up with other women, much to his distress.

Second big question is: why a singer? I imagine there is something he wants from singing. Is it just the joy of music, the only bright spot in a life of poverty where they barely scraped by. Does he want to be famous, a performer for kings and queens whose works are known across the lands? Does he want to make a living, and use his wealth and fame to help raise up his poor village?

Each answer gives a different personality to your character.

[Whit]

My barabarian 1/2 orc not to far from a fighter has a high pitch voice that I use with arm shoulder gestures