Charles Phipps
2008-03-08, 12:34 AM
I wanted to do a much less animalistic and purely evil version of Orcs and wanted to see what people thought of this version.
Orcs
Monstrous Manual Write-Up
http://lukoagency.free.fr/images/Lawrence%20Makoar%E9/Battle-Lurtz.jpg
Orc, 1st-Level Warrior
Size/Type: Medium Humanoid (Orc)
Hit Dice: 1d8+1 (5 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 13 (+3 studded leather armor), touch 10, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+4
Attack: Falchion +4 melee (2d4+4/18-20) or javelin +1 ranged (1d6+3)
Full Attack: Falchion +4 melee (2d4+4/18-20) or javelin +1 ranged (1d6+3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., light sensitivity
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +0, Will -2
Abilities: Str 17, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 7, Cha 8
Skills: Listen +1, Spot +1
Feats: Alertness
Environment: Any
Organization: Gang (2-4), squad (11-20 plus 2 3rd-level sergeants and 1 leader
of 3rd-6th level), or band (30-100 plus 150% noncombatants plus
1 3rd-level sergeant per 10 adults, 5 5th-level lieutenants, and
3 7th-level captains)
Challenge Rating: ½
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Often Neutral Evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +0
An orc’s hair usually is black and frequently unkept or bound in dreadlocks. Orcs often decorate themselves in beads, feathers, and small trophies of their kills like fingerbones or teeth necklaces. These are marks of status amongst Orcs and help determine the society's strong inclination to pecking order.
Their equipment is well kept but frequently designed to be intimidating to look upon. An adult male orc is a little over 6 feet tall and weighs about 210 pounds. Orcs strongly resemble human beings when not covered in their traditional war paint, woad, and camouflage. They are noticible by their feline eyes, pronounced canines, and pronounced foreheads that put some in the mind of Neanderthalls. Females are slightly smaller.
The language an orc speaks varies slightly from tribe to tribe, but any orc is understandable by someone else who speaks Orc. Some Orcs know Goblin, Human Common, or Giant as well.
Most orcs encountered away from their homes are warriors; the information in the statistics block is for one of 1st level.
Combat
Orcs are proficient with all simple weapons, preferring those that cause the most damage in the least time. Many orcs who take up the warrior or fighter class also gain proficiency with the falchion or the greataxe as a martial weapon. They enjoy attacking from concealment and setting ambushes, and they obey the rules of war (such as honoring a truce) only as long as it is convenient for them.
Light Sensitivity (Ex)
Orcs are dazzled in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell.
Orcs As Characters
Orc Traits (Ex)
Orcs possess the following racial traits.
* +2 Strength, +2 Constitution, -2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma.
* An orc’s base land speed is 30 feet.
* Darkvision out to 60 feet.
* Light Sensitivity: Orcs are dazzled in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell.
* Automatic Languages: Common, Orc. Bonus Languages: Dwarven, Giant, Gnoll, Goblin, Undercommon.
* Favored Class: Barbarian.
The orc warrior presented here had the following ability scores before racial adjustments: Str 13, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 9, Cha 8.
Half-Orcs
These orc-human crossbreeds can be found in either orc or human society (where their status varies according to local sentiments), or in communities of their own. Half-orcs usually inherit a good blend of the physical characteristics of their parents. They are as tall as humans and a little heavier, thanks to their muscle. They have grayish or brown pigmentation, sloping foreheads, jutting jaws, prominent teeth, and piercing eyes. Half-orcs who have lived among or near orcs have scars, in keeping with orcish tradition.
Half-Orc Traits (Ex)
Half-orcs possess the following racial traits.
* +2 Strength, -2 Wisdom
* Medium size.
* A half-orc’s base land speed is 30 feet.
* Darkvision: Half-orcs can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
* Orc Blood: For all effects related to race, a half-orc is considered an orc.
* Automatic Languages: Common, Orc. Bonus Languages: Common, Draconic, Giant, Gnoll, Goblin
* Favored Class: Fighter
Player Character Race Write-Up
Orcs
Orcs on Faerun have inhabited the planet since the Orcgate Wars and arguably were there beforehand, depending which scholars one consults. They are a fiercely savage and untamable race which resists all attempts to dominate them while living in a perpetual state of conflict with the majority of species amongst them. They have frequently tales spread about them which liken them to practitioners of Cannibalism, Demon Worship, Genocide, Mass Rape, and other unsavory practices. The hatred held between Elves and Orcs is only slightly less than the one that the race holds for the Drow. Likewise, Goblins are the only race that Dwarves despise more than the Children of Gruumsh.
In truth, the Orcs are a brutal and savage race but have usually gotten along fairly well with their neighbors by comparison to most other species. Orcs have ancient friendship with the majority of Humanoid species in Faerun and are often allied with human beings against Demihuman species as the reverse. Recently, as the chaos of the Time of Troubles and Spell Plague has driven more from their homelands, they have become a permanent fixture in many cities to the disgust of certain races and profit of others.
Personality: Orcs are extremely survival minded as the teachings of Gruumsh have decreed. The survival of the tribe, or whatever immediate social unit they involve themselves in, is effectively viewed as the highest priority. They do not sentimentalize war and tend to not take prisoners or give quarter. Indeed, most orcs seem extremely perplexed by the byzantine customs that most races associate matters with. Leadership is earned by the most capable and taken from those no longer suited for it.
Those beings that find themselves as part of an Orc tribe or social unit will often find themselves with a overly defensive and protective companion. Orcs will voluntarilly give their lives for their fellow warriors, their fellow warrior's cubs, and their fellow warrior's permanent mates. They expect as much in return.
Orcs tend to violently resist any attempt to gain authority over them that is not through the tribal mindset. Only the threat of execution is likely to force an Orc into submission and then it is merely a matter of time before they eventually rise up. Only Zhentil Keep has had any luck forcing Orcs into any form of military discipline and those that employ the savages tend to prefer to simply let them sort pecking order out amongst themselves.
Orcs tend to be passionate, highly sexual creatures, and strongly favor strong and virile mates. Most tend to have a superstitous fear of magic users and loathe clerics that are not of their gods. Orcish women have been known to kidnap human men from local regions when war has depleted their ranks. Orcish women are trained in fighting like the men but tend to reserve their actions for guarding the home region as opposed to going on war raids or strikes.
Appearance: Orcs physically resemble primitive human beings and there is some speculation amongst scholars that the two races were once one at a previous point in time (to the loud and vigorous condemnation of their peers). An Orc raised amongst human beings and kept from their tribal practices would not be able to pass but the similiarities would stun most human beings. Tales of the legendary ugliness of Orcs is just propaganda from those whom have never seen them outside of the battlefield.
Indeed, many 'Half-Orcs' living amongst human society are actually full blooded Orcs who just find it easier to pretend. Unlike human beings, Orcs have pronounced canines and cat-like eyes that intimidate those around them. They favor a muscular body type and tend to tower over those around them.
Fully tribal Orcs love terrifying their enemies into submission and tend to cover themselves in body paint, camoflage, practice ritual scarification, and tatooing. Some tribes even go so far as to cut off their own noses in order to make them more resemble skulls (this is the source of the legendary "pig nose.") They favor dreadlocks, mowhawks, shaven heads. or simply leaving their hair completely wild.
Alignment: Orcish morality is determined by survival and what best suits that value. It is an uncivilized code that is far removed from the majority of mankind's laws but not without its laws. The majority of Orcs favor Neutral Evil as they are a race that is deeply at home in the savage and bloodthirsty wilderness where natural law rules the day. They are a pack like species that strongly favors its family ties and those Orcs who turn against their own kin are swiftly slain or driven out.
A particularly fierce warrior might find himself or herself allowed a few 'eccentricies' in terms of their behavior. Good Orcs do exist but they tend to dwell in Realms where human culture has overwhelmed traditional Orcish culture or they've moved themselves away from the savagery of the wild. The Odonti worshipers of Eldath are an anomoly amongst the Orcs but hardly the only group of them.
Orc Lands: Orcs carve out their territories as best they can but pretty much are able to settle nearly everywhere. They are a hunter-gatherer people by nature and rarely take up ranching, even less so farming since meat makes up the vast majority of an orcs traditional needs.
Orcs tend to make friends with most Humanoid tribes in a region as opposed to slaughtering them. Bugbears, Giants, Gnolls, Goblins, Ogres, and Trolls are typical species that often find themselves aligned with Orcs. Humans, especially Barbarians, without much fondness for Elves or Dwarves are often the closest to Orc tribes with frequent interbreeding. Human settlements frequently help Orcs develop their metal work and often they quickly rise to the same tech level around them as the species is especially adaptive even if its not terribly innovative. Orcs as a whole are continually frustrated by the bi-polar reaction they tend to recieve from humanity and thus tend to view civilization with a corrupting effect on the race.
Orcs are almost all aware that Dwarves and Elves are the enemy of their race. They rarely wait to confirm that a group is hostile when spotted and almost immediate begin plotting how to destroy them. Orcs are a slave holding race by inclination and often take captives from such wars, which does little to endear them. Orcs believe that slavery is preferrable to the execution that is the only 'reasonable' alternative in wartime.
Religion: Most Orcs worship Gruumsh and the Orcish Pantheon that holds the Orcs will eventually inherit the world. The majority of Orc tribes tend to interpret this through the settlement of land rather than military conquest. Gruumsh teaches that survival and practicaly trump all over considerations. He is a crafty god and the rest of the pantheon frequently defers to his wisdom in all matters.
Orcs are a race that also tends to add human gods to their worship that appeal to them. Orc shamans frequently find themselves also revering Auril, Malar, Silvanus, Talos, Tempus, and Mask amongst other heavy handed gods. The Orcs around Zhentil Keep have almost all voluntarily converted to Bane's worship.
In general, Orcs tend to have a somewhat impious attitude towards Gruumsh. They fear his attention and rarely invoke him save in curses or during battle.
Languages: Orcs speak their own tongue and a variety of other languages around them as appropriate.
Names: Orcs tend to favor simple yet harsh sounding names. Thog, Crast, Conan, Gatra, or the like are all popular.
Adventurers: Almost all Orcs are Barbarians that grow up in a tribal environment. Those from more civilized tribes that learn about armor, tactics, and the like from humans tend to be fighters. Rangers are also very common amongst Orcs and tend to become masters of navigating the wild.
Due to the Orcs favoring sneaking and treachery over outright confrontation when appropriate, Rogues are often a popular multiclass. Orcs have no innate concept of property outside of the tribe and thus see no reason in liberating wealth for their own use.
Orcish clerics live apart from the rest of the tribes, half revered and half loathed. Almost no Orcs become Wizards but some Sorcerers are born and held up as objects of veneration.
Orcs
Monstrous Manual Write-Up
http://lukoagency.free.fr/images/Lawrence%20Makoar%E9/Battle-Lurtz.jpg
Orc, 1st-Level Warrior
Size/Type: Medium Humanoid (Orc)
Hit Dice: 1d8+1 (5 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 13 (+3 studded leather armor), touch 10, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+4
Attack: Falchion +4 melee (2d4+4/18-20) or javelin +1 ranged (1d6+3)
Full Attack: Falchion +4 melee (2d4+4/18-20) or javelin +1 ranged (1d6+3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., light sensitivity
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +0, Will -2
Abilities: Str 17, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 7, Cha 8
Skills: Listen +1, Spot +1
Feats: Alertness
Environment: Any
Organization: Gang (2-4), squad (11-20 plus 2 3rd-level sergeants and 1 leader
of 3rd-6th level), or band (30-100 plus 150% noncombatants plus
1 3rd-level sergeant per 10 adults, 5 5th-level lieutenants, and
3 7th-level captains)
Challenge Rating: ½
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Often Neutral Evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +0
An orc’s hair usually is black and frequently unkept or bound in dreadlocks. Orcs often decorate themselves in beads, feathers, and small trophies of their kills like fingerbones or teeth necklaces. These are marks of status amongst Orcs and help determine the society's strong inclination to pecking order.
Their equipment is well kept but frequently designed to be intimidating to look upon. An adult male orc is a little over 6 feet tall and weighs about 210 pounds. Orcs strongly resemble human beings when not covered in their traditional war paint, woad, and camouflage. They are noticible by their feline eyes, pronounced canines, and pronounced foreheads that put some in the mind of Neanderthalls. Females are slightly smaller.
The language an orc speaks varies slightly from tribe to tribe, but any orc is understandable by someone else who speaks Orc. Some Orcs know Goblin, Human Common, or Giant as well.
Most orcs encountered away from their homes are warriors; the information in the statistics block is for one of 1st level.
Combat
Orcs are proficient with all simple weapons, preferring those that cause the most damage in the least time. Many orcs who take up the warrior or fighter class also gain proficiency with the falchion or the greataxe as a martial weapon. They enjoy attacking from concealment and setting ambushes, and they obey the rules of war (such as honoring a truce) only as long as it is convenient for them.
Light Sensitivity (Ex)
Orcs are dazzled in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell.
Orcs As Characters
Orc Traits (Ex)
Orcs possess the following racial traits.
* +2 Strength, +2 Constitution, -2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma.
* An orc’s base land speed is 30 feet.
* Darkvision out to 60 feet.
* Light Sensitivity: Orcs are dazzled in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell.
* Automatic Languages: Common, Orc. Bonus Languages: Dwarven, Giant, Gnoll, Goblin, Undercommon.
* Favored Class: Barbarian.
The orc warrior presented here had the following ability scores before racial adjustments: Str 13, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 9, Cha 8.
Half-Orcs
These orc-human crossbreeds can be found in either orc or human society (where their status varies according to local sentiments), or in communities of their own. Half-orcs usually inherit a good blend of the physical characteristics of their parents. They are as tall as humans and a little heavier, thanks to their muscle. They have grayish or brown pigmentation, sloping foreheads, jutting jaws, prominent teeth, and piercing eyes. Half-orcs who have lived among or near orcs have scars, in keeping with orcish tradition.
Half-Orc Traits (Ex)
Half-orcs possess the following racial traits.
* +2 Strength, -2 Wisdom
* Medium size.
* A half-orc’s base land speed is 30 feet.
* Darkvision: Half-orcs can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
* Orc Blood: For all effects related to race, a half-orc is considered an orc.
* Automatic Languages: Common, Orc. Bonus Languages: Common, Draconic, Giant, Gnoll, Goblin
* Favored Class: Fighter
Player Character Race Write-Up
Orcs
Orcs on Faerun have inhabited the planet since the Orcgate Wars and arguably were there beforehand, depending which scholars one consults. They are a fiercely savage and untamable race which resists all attempts to dominate them while living in a perpetual state of conflict with the majority of species amongst them. They have frequently tales spread about them which liken them to practitioners of Cannibalism, Demon Worship, Genocide, Mass Rape, and other unsavory practices. The hatred held between Elves and Orcs is only slightly less than the one that the race holds for the Drow. Likewise, Goblins are the only race that Dwarves despise more than the Children of Gruumsh.
In truth, the Orcs are a brutal and savage race but have usually gotten along fairly well with their neighbors by comparison to most other species. Orcs have ancient friendship with the majority of Humanoid species in Faerun and are often allied with human beings against Demihuman species as the reverse. Recently, as the chaos of the Time of Troubles and Spell Plague has driven more from their homelands, they have become a permanent fixture in many cities to the disgust of certain races and profit of others.
Personality: Orcs are extremely survival minded as the teachings of Gruumsh have decreed. The survival of the tribe, or whatever immediate social unit they involve themselves in, is effectively viewed as the highest priority. They do not sentimentalize war and tend to not take prisoners or give quarter. Indeed, most orcs seem extremely perplexed by the byzantine customs that most races associate matters with. Leadership is earned by the most capable and taken from those no longer suited for it.
Those beings that find themselves as part of an Orc tribe or social unit will often find themselves with a overly defensive and protective companion. Orcs will voluntarilly give their lives for their fellow warriors, their fellow warrior's cubs, and their fellow warrior's permanent mates. They expect as much in return.
Orcs tend to violently resist any attempt to gain authority over them that is not through the tribal mindset. Only the threat of execution is likely to force an Orc into submission and then it is merely a matter of time before they eventually rise up. Only Zhentil Keep has had any luck forcing Orcs into any form of military discipline and those that employ the savages tend to prefer to simply let them sort pecking order out amongst themselves.
Orcs tend to be passionate, highly sexual creatures, and strongly favor strong and virile mates. Most tend to have a superstitous fear of magic users and loathe clerics that are not of their gods. Orcish women have been known to kidnap human men from local regions when war has depleted their ranks. Orcish women are trained in fighting like the men but tend to reserve their actions for guarding the home region as opposed to going on war raids or strikes.
Appearance: Orcs physically resemble primitive human beings and there is some speculation amongst scholars that the two races were once one at a previous point in time (to the loud and vigorous condemnation of their peers). An Orc raised amongst human beings and kept from their tribal practices would not be able to pass but the similiarities would stun most human beings. Tales of the legendary ugliness of Orcs is just propaganda from those whom have never seen them outside of the battlefield.
Indeed, many 'Half-Orcs' living amongst human society are actually full blooded Orcs who just find it easier to pretend. Unlike human beings, Orcs have pronounced canines and cat-like eyes that intimidate those around them. They favor a muscular body type and tend to tower over those around them.
Fully tribal Orcs love terrifying their enemies into submission and tend to cover themselves in body paint, camoflage, practice ritual scarification, and tatooing. Some tribes even go so far as to cut off their own noses in order to make them more resemble skulls (this is the source of the legendary "pig nose.") They favor dreadlocks, mowhawks, shaven heads. or simply leaving their hair completely wild.
Alignment: Orcish morality is determined by survival and what best suits that value. It is an uncivilized code that is far removed from the majority of mankind's laws but not without its laws. The majority of Orcs favor Neutral Evil as they are a race that is deeply at home in the savage and bloodthirsty wilderness where natural law rules the day. They are a pack like species that strongly favors its family ties and those Orcs who turn against their own kin are swiftly slain or driven out.
A particularly fierce warrior might find himself or herself allowed a few 'eccentricies' in terms of their behavior. Good Orcs do exist but they tend to dwell in Realms where human culture has overwhelmed traditional Orcish culture or they've moved themselves away from the savagery of the wild. The Odonti worshipers of Eldath are an anomoly amongst the Orcs but hardly the only group of them.
Orc Lands: Orcs carve out their territories as best they can but pretty much are able to settle nearly everywhere. They are a hunter-gatherer people by nature and rarely take up ranching, even less so farming since meat makes up the vast majority of an orcs traditional needs.
Orcs tend to make friends with most Humanoid tribes in a region as opposed to slaughtering them. Bugbears, Giants, Gnolls, Goblins, Ogres, and Trolls are typical species that often find themselves aligned with Orcs. Humans, especially Barbarians, without much fondness for Elves or Dwarves are often the closest to Orc tribes with frequent interbreeding. Human settlements frequently help Orcs develop their metal work and often they quickly rise to the same tech level around them as the species is especially adaptive even if its not terribly innovative. Orcs as a whole are continually frustrated by the bi-polar reaction they tend to recieve from humanity and thus tend to view civilization with a corrupting effect on the race.
Orcs are almost all aware that Dwarves and Elves are the enemy of their race. They rarely wait to confirm that a group is hostile when spotted and almost immediate begin plotting how to destroy them. Orcs are a slave holding race by inclination and often take captives from such wars, which does little to endear them. Orcs believe that slavery is preferrable to the execution that is the only 'reasonable' alternative in wartime.
Religion: Most Orcs worship Gruumsh and the Orcish Pantheon that holds the Orcs will eventually inherit the world. The majority of Orc tribes tend to interpret this through the settlement of land rather than military conquest. Gruumsh teaches that survival and practicaly trump all over considerations. He is a crafty god and the rest of the pantheon frequently defers to his wisdom in all matters.
Orcs are a race that also tends to add human gods to their worship that appeal to them. Orc shamans frequently find themselves also revering Auril, Malar, Silvanus, Talos, Tempus, and Mask amongst other heavy handed gods. The Orcs around Zhentil Keep have almost all voluntarily converted to Bane's worship.
In general, Orcs tend to have a somewhat impious attitude towards Gruumsh. They fear his attention and rarely invoke him save in curses or during battle.
Languages: Orcs speak their own tongue and a variety of other languages around them as appropriate.
Names: Orcs tend to favor simple yet harsh sounding names. Thog, Crast, Conan, Gatra, or the like are all popular.
Adventurers: Almost all Orcs are Barbarians that grow up in a tribal environment. Those from more civilized tribes that learn about armor, tactics, and the like from humans tend to be fighters. Rangers are also very common amongst Orcs and tend to become masters of navigating the wild.
Due to the Orcs favoring sneaking and treachery over outright confrontation when appropriate, Rogues are often a popular multiclass. Orcs have no innate concept of property outside of the tribe and thus see no reason in liberating wealth for their own use.
Orcish clerics live apart from the rest of the tribes, half revered and half loathed. Almost no Orcs become Wizards but some Sorcerers are born and held up as objects of veneration.