Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Hebitsuikaza Jul 04, 2014 12:35:13	This is the first part of my planned 3 part contribution for players of D&D Basic. This is my attempt to make a PC Orc. Not at all in the way WotC would make one where everything is just dumped into attributes, but rather I am attempting here to make one that functions in much the same way as the other races function. I want to give them as many interesting and fun abilities as the Elf and Dwarf get.     Orcs Living in primitive tribes scattered across the harshest and most inhospitable environments in the world, thriving where few men would dare to set foot. From the frost-bitten peaks at the world's edge to the driest deserts to the savage jungles ruled by wild beasts to the toxic and deadly swamps, they call them all home. As wells of seemingly endless spirit, power and rage, directed by unseen forces as a natural force of barbaric destruction—the creatures known as orcs are known and feared far and wide.   Big and Burly Orcs have generally blunt, rounded and often bestial features which are often described as slightly porcine. Many have tusks jutting from their bottom jaws, up-turned pug-like noses and tattered cauliflowered ears.Their bluster, ferocity and power does much to hide an orc's true size. Although their bodies with thick layers of muscle weigh usually weighing in between 200 to 300 pounds, Orcs are not really terribly tall. The average orc is shorter than a human by a few inches, usually ranging between 5 and 6 feet tall, the males often being considerably larger than the females. Orcs have a surprising range of skin tones often being brown or grayish with a green or blue hue while others are so dark as to appear jet black. They are usually nearly hairless except for the top of their heads and many even shave even that hair, or all but a small bit that might be fastened into a top-knot or mohawk. Orcs with facial hair are relatively rare and it is usually thin or scraggly. What hair they have is almost always black or dark brown in color. Piercings, tattoos and other body modification are more popular among orcs than gold or jewels. Some orcs make prizes from the body parts of fallen prey or enemies and wear them as trophies.   Rage and Thunder Orcs lives tend to be very short and very brutal. A few tribes might have lore keepers passing on oral traditions through the generations, though their accounts can be notoriously unreliably. They live in the present and deal with the situations they encounter as they encounter them. It is rare for them to spend much time remembering much about what happened in the past beyond a few glorious battles or legendary heroes which may be more myth than truth. They don't hold grudges for very long and most seem to forget other people fairly quickly. In a surprisingly short time they forget both their trespasses against others as well as others’ against themselves. The harsh struggle for survival and recognition that consumes lives of Orcs leaves little room to worry about what happened in the past, precedent or the particular details about the rules of one situation to another. They tend to handle things in the most direct and straight-forward manner they can, never hesitating to smash their way directly through whatever stands before them with force or bluster than spend much time trying doing things the safe, cautious, careful or proper way. They have little in the way of patience or manners. They stay focused on what is happening in the present moment and usually have a very narrow and self-centered perspective, generally not seeing or caring to see the bigger picture.   Barbarian Tribes Orcs generally live in relatively small tribes that never number more than a hundred. As a rule, unless they find some ruins to occupy, orcs are nomadic and constantly moving from place to place, often following the game trails or the seasonal plants. It is almost unheard of for orcs to actually build any residence any more permanent than a yurt and, other than weapons, their most common constructions are boats and wagons to help them continue to move from place to place. Orc tribes leadership is split between two different important roles for them. The first is the chieftain, typically the warrior among the tribe who has survived the most battles. An orc who has led a proper warrior’s life and made it to older age is revered among the younger warriors. The second important role is the shaman, while all orcs can 'hear the spirits' to some degree, once in a while there is born one who is particularly in rhythm with the world and can truly call upon the spirits and see the future. These individuals are treasured priests among their people. Although the chieftain may be in charge, the chieftain tends to heed the words of the shaman whenever the shaman speaks. Although orcs tend to carry themselves with an air of bitter superiority among other races, to them those among other races who have survived countless battles as a true warrior or those who can hear the spirits are respected above all other non-orcs. Orcs are scattered across the world with little contact between various tribes, most of whom look upon all other tribes as rivals or enemies. This means there is little else that is consistent culturally tribe to tribe. Orc cultures in across the Forgotten Realms couldn’t differ more. In some regions they are exclusively barbarians desperately clinging to life at the end of the world, in others powerful warlords have cut out kingdoms for them and still in others there are orcs who have become regiments serving in the name of humans lords and some have even become pacifist farmers, though the last group is certainly a rarity among the race that face only ridicule from their brethern.   Battle, Glory and Power Every tribe of Orcs needs every member that can continue to contribute without being a burden upon others. Because of this, it is rare for Orcs to leave their tribes. Whatever glory, riches or experience an Orc can gain away from its tribe pales in comparison to the daily contributions such a warrior could make towards the survival of their brothers and sisters. And yet, there are many reasons an Orc could be separated from their people. From crossing the wrong person and being exiled, to being lost and left behind to having their tribe destroyed at the hands of a fierce enemy.  Once separated from their people, Orcs naturally to gravitate towards becoming adventurers. For Orcs the only true way to prove themselves is on the field of battle and they seek to  ever improve themselves through the harshest of battles and challenges.   Angry and Brutal Orcs generally don’t get along with other races. Although a member of another race can earn one another’s respect, friendship is all but a totally alien concept to orcs. Most orcs look at the world as split between tribe and enemies—and earning their way into an orc’s perception of tribe is a difficult thing for other races.   Dwarfs – Dwarves are a people who live in the past. They are sore losers who obsess over who will hold against you what another Orc did five generations ago. Although they deserve respect for their stalwart battle style, they are far too focused on the material world. They will collect shiny metals for the sake of collecting them and spend great effort to build up monuments for seemingly the sole purpose of demonstrating their manipulation of the earth—their connection to the spirits and the present has been all but lost. Elfs – Elves are small and puny with little in the way of honor or bravery. They survive for as long as they do not be daily testing their mettle, but by fleeing from any real challenge. They rely far too much on wicked and dishonorable powers to extend their lives and fight their battles for them. The world might be better off if they were removed from it. Halflings – How do these things even survive? They are like Goblins, but with few of their survival skills or mastery of beasts. Any Orc of value could crush a Halfling with one hand behind his back. They’ve got a long way to go before they earn their place in this world. Humans – Humans are generally a weak and gutless lot. The average human isn’t even worth making much note of. There are exceptions, of course, they are a versatile people after all. Perhaps they are due some respect for being able to build up things as fast as we can tear them down and quickly crafting fortresses that make good homes for us once they are removed. However, no human can face an Orc in battle without relying on dishonorable means.   Orc Names Orc names are given when a child reaches 2 years of age, before that time they are considered only a seed. So many orc children die within the first two years of life that it hardly seems worth giving them a name prior to that point. They are usually named by the shaman of the tribe who meditates of the task until the world gives them a sign of what to name the child. Although orc names may sound very similar to the ears of others, it is actually fairly unusual for two Orcs to have precisely the same name—particularly within the same clan. Orcs don't have family names. If pressed, they will use their tribe's name as their family name. This means that even if far from home or scattered, orcs can easily identify others of their tribe and rival tribes by hearing the individual's family name. It is not terribly infrequent for a peaceful conversation in a pub between two unfamiliar orcs to break out into an all out brawl after one reveals his tribe to the other. Though once they've done their tribes proud in deciding a pecking order, they are happy to sit back down and finish their beers. Male Names: Arkub, Auhgan, Bagdud, Bat, Dodmuk, Drigka, Dul, Gruul, Guthakug, Hobnarg, Kog, Kuktug, Mazhug, Mublakh, Nehrakgu, Nurbag, Oakgu, Obkrut, Parod, Poogugh, Rurigig, Suglum, Sulmthu, Tarfu, Ugulg, Wudhagh, Xomkug, Yerug Female Names: Batul, Bolar, Borgakh, Brigluk, Dura, Durgat, Gashnakh, Gharol, Gharol, Gharol, Glasha, Guzrub, Ibruh, Lash, Lorzub, Murob, Noglut, Oghash, Rolfish, Rubgagh, Sharn, Sharog, Shelur, Snak, Thrubguh, Ulumpha, Yatul, Zigrak Tribe Names: Bayajul, Dainysuch, Duamshigtai, Irjigurin, Kholtosalkh, Mogoinkhat, Mokholalkh, Tomrinshir, Tsusdarga, Uigashualj, Ukhelgavlyn, Ulankhumsny   Traits Your orc character has a number of traits in common with all other orcs. Ability Score Adjustment: Your Strength score increases by 2. Age: Orc mature at a rate fairly equivalent to humans, perhaps as much as 20% faster, but no more than that. Orcs usually die a violent death far before they get to old age, any Orc that made it to 70 years old would be a true legend. Alignment: Orcs are follow their instincts, their twisted sense of honor and what they perceive as the will of the spirits more than the rules of any mortal rules making living in large or structured societies difficult for them thus making them solidly chaotic. Most Orcs could be easily seen as evil as their drive to constantly test themselves against others in battle can make them unbearable violent and vicious. Size: Orcs stand between 5 to 6 feet tall and average around 250 pounds. Your size is medium. Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Darkvision: You are accustomed to living in caves and running around in the dark of night allowing you to navigate in the darkness fairly well. You can effectively see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were in bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. Orc Ferocity: You have advantage on death saving throws. Orc Combat Training: You have proficiency with all martial axe weapons. Keen Smell: You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that use your sense of smell. Animal Instincts: You can sense the aura of your immediate vicinity with a Wisdom (Insight) check. You will gain often vague or cryptic impressions of such things as if the site had once been a place of great conflict or disaster in the past couple centuries, what the weather will be like during the next few days and if there are any impending natural disasters. Languages: You can speak, read and write Common and Orcish. Orcs speak their own language known as Orcish, which doesn’t have its own script. The majority of Orcs are illiterate as their culture tends to be too nomadic to allow them to keep much written material with them. Orcs that speak other languages may or may not be able to read. Subrace: There are three main subraces of Orcs that populate most D&D worlds. Of these, you may choose between gray orc or mountain orc.   Gray Orc As a gray orc, you are a true warrior of unparalled athleticism, but also a deeper sense of nature. You are a member of the a tribe from one of the warmer and more temperate regions. Gray orcs are the tallest of the orcs and most influenced by the more peaceful races, in most Dungeons & Dragons worlds there are a few different types of Orcs although they are not distinguished clearly when posed as antagonists. Gray or lowlandoOrcs are the most commonly encountered of the orcs, both those who most frequently war with humans and elves, but also the ones who are most open to being influenced by humans if conquered or quelled. Compared to other orcs, they tend to adopt the technology and customs of other races fairly easily and often live in barbarian tribes within land claimed by humans. Once in a long while they might rally behind a warlord that carves out their own fiefdom within the world, but orc kingdoms tend to be short-lived. As suggested by their name they tend to have a more gray tone to their skin than other orcs. They sometimes live in caves or abandoned fortresses that delve into the world, in which they come into conflict with dwarves, but most of the dwarven hatred of orcs is spurned by the nastier orogs. Gray orcs are the ones most likely to found in your average pub as a bouncer, working as hired muscle for a gang or toiling away doing heavy labor at the docks and most half-orcs have a gray orc parents. Ability Score Adjustments: Your Wisdom score increases by 1. Blood Rage: After you first take damage in a battle, you deal 1 additional damage with each attack until the end of the battle. Fleet Footed: Your speed increases by 5 feet.   Mountain Orc As a mountain orc, you are one of the toughest and fiercest survivalists in the world. You were born further from proper civilization, usually living high within the mountains or in the frigid tundras in which one might think no life could survive. Mountain orcs tend to be more blue in hue than other Orcs. They are perceived as the most primitive among the orcs, but also in some ways less likely to be devotedly evil and more likely to be violent simply out of opportunism as one might expect from an animal. Mountain orcs tend to have a bluer tone to their skin than other orcs and they tend to be among the shortest. They tend to come across as very uncultured and simple to other races as they usually live far from civilization. They encounter other races less frequently as they thrive in environments where other races have difficulty surviving. This means they are not really influenced much by other races' cultures, technology or habits, happily living a very primitive existence. While aggressive towards outsiders while in their own territory, once mountain orcs leave their homes they have generally less reason to be hateful or suspicious towards other races than the orcs more familiar with them. Ability Score Adjustments: Your Constitution score increases by 1. Indomitable:  You may ignore the first 2 points of damage you take each round. You are also resistant to cold damage. Iron Belly: You have advantage on all saving throws to resist diseases or poisons from things you breath or eat.   The Darkness of the Orog Deep within the bowels of the earth live the nastiest and cruelest of all the orcs. Although the gray orcs may be driven towards combat and the mountain orcs are violent isolationists, the orog are the ones that truly give the orcs a frightening name. More civilized and organized than other orcs, the orog lives are a campaign of dominance over races, enslaving or slaughter all those who would oppose them. The hatred dwarves have for orcs is usually sparked by their encounters and experiences with the orog rather than the other kinds of orc.
#2 pukunui Jul 04, 2014 13:26:57	Not bad. The Spirit Sense trait doesn't really say "Orc" to me, but I can't tell you exactly why.   Instead of Keen Nose, I would do "Keen Smell: The Orc has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that use it's sense of smell." There are plenty of monsters with that wording in the playtest; I don't see any reason to get more specific than that.
#3 Hebitsuikaza Jul 04, 2014 22:00:19	pukunui wrote:
#4 pukunui Jul 04, 2014 22:14:28	Hebitsuikaza wrote:
#5 LupusRegalis Jul 05, 2014 8:54:10	Looks Good, Hebitsuikaza!   And I love what you intend for 'Sense Spirits', especially as Pukunui suggests.
#6 docdoom77 Jul 05, 2014 9:00:27	I love Orcs, so I enjoyed it.  I do, however, despise the Ferocity trait.  There's nothing wrong with it perse, I just never liked it as an abillity.
#7 Hebitsuikaza Jul 05, 2014 11:37:09	docdoom77 wrote:
#8 Hebitsuikaza Jul 07, 2014 13:25:02	I spent more time thinking about it, and think I've got it.   Instead of a special ability that triggers upon reaching 0 hit points, better to just use a mechanic already in the system. The way death saving throws are described, if you roll a 20 then you gain 1 hit point. If you have 1 hit point, you can keep fighting.   Giving advantage on death saving throws means not only is your chance of getting to 3 saves before 3 failures greatly increased, but that chance of rolling that 20 goes from 1/20 to about 1/10. And your chance of rolling that 1 is reduced to about 1/400.   It is a feat that is perhaps not hugely overwhelming, I mean I would think that most groups would typically have a plan to get a knocked out person back into action. In fact, it may very well be that you never actually need this ability.   So instead of an easily abuseable interrupt trigger ability, it is merely an ability that may never arise-- but if it ever does (the whole party falls victim to a trap and gets knocked out), one would be grateful to have it.   Ultimately I don't know if this package will stack up to what the Dwarf, Elf and Halfling offer to a Fighter, Rogue, or Cleric.
#9 Luis_Carlos Jul 07, 2014 14:08:51	A needs PC race needs:    - Interesting background. (I hate the wildren from 3.5 Planar Handbook).   - Interesting racial traits, with right balance of power.   - Flexibility, because always there is a player who wants a couterstereotype character. If a race is only good to be a rogue or a barbarin, the design is wrong. What if I want a orc shaman?
#10 RokElfslayer Jul 13, 2014 23:40:10	Hebitsuikaza wrote: