Half-Orcs
Half-orcs are generally hated and reviled in their parent cultures. Orcs view them as weak and impure, while humans view them as violent and untrustworthy. Most half-orcs live up to this reputation, though when they find someone who does accept them for who they are, they will often maintain a steadfast loyalty to that individual for life.
Personality: Half-orcs tend to be aggressive and violent, though some have overcome these tendencies through a careful philosophical regimen. They often tend to be extreme, taking hold of whatever regional opinion or belief exists and attempting to champion it. Though they rarely gain acceptance through this attempt, there is the periodic hero of half-orc descent.
Physical Description: Half-orcs stand around 6’ tall and tend to be very bulky, averaging around 200 pounds. They often appear human, though they have a greenish cast to their skin and their hair tends to be oily and black. They wear whatever clothing is appropriate to the region they live in.
Relations: Half-orcs are hated and distrusted by most other races due to their orcish heritage, though individual half-orcs have been able to befriend individuals of other races. Humans are most likely to accept a half-orc, and dwarves are sometimes able to see a kindred spirit under the face of their enemy.
Half-orcish lands: As half-orcs do not breed true, there no half-orcish lands.
Religion: Orcish religion is based on the religion of the region they live in, but those orcs who are of a religious bent tend to be even more fervent in their beliefs than others of their religion, often taking things to extremes in the hope of being accepted by their peers.
Language: Half-orcs speak whatever language they were raised with.
Names: Half-orcs rarely survive in orcish society, so half-orc names tend to be based on human names. Rarely, a half-orc raised in human lands later chooses an orcish name out of pride for his heritage.
Adventurers: Because half-orcs are not often accepted by mainstream society, they often join adventuring bands and guilds. Once they have overcome their innate embarrassment over their mixed heritage, they become extremely inquisitive adventurers, taking on any challenge that is thrown in their path.
Half-orc Racial Traits
- +2 Strength, +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma, -2 Comeliness. Orcs are still stronger and healthier than most humans, but their manners tend to be lacking and green skin is rarely viewed with affection by anyone but a half-orc’s mother.
- Medium-size: As Medium-size creatures, half-orcs have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size
- Base speed: 30 feet
- Infravision: Half-orcs can see patterns in temperature up to 60 feet away that is not reliant on light. This vision is magical in nature and will not function in a non-magical area. While using Infravision, half-orcs cannot see normal light.
- Orc Blood: For all effects related to race, a half-orc is considered an orc. Half-orcs, for example, are just as vulnerable to special effects that affect orcs as their orc ancestors are, and they can use magic items that are only usable by orcs.
- Saddleready:+1 racial bonus on Ride checks
- Craftsmen: +1 racial bonus to Craft checks that relate to weapons and armor
- Iron Stomach: +2 racial bonus on Fortitude saves related to poison
- Brave: +2 morale bonus on saving throws against fear
- Automatic languages: Same as human.
- Favored class: Any. When determining whether a multiclass human suffers an XP penalty, his highest-level class does not count (see Experience for Multiclass characters, p. 60 of the PHB).
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