Half - orc Half - orcs are humanoids born of both human and orc ancestry by a multitude of means . Combining the physical power of their orcish ancestors with the agility of their humans ones , half - orcs can be formidable individuals . Though often shunned in both human and orcish society , though for different reasons , half - orcs have proven themselves from time to time as worthy heroes and dangerous villains . Their existence implies an interesting back story that most would not like to dwell on . Physical description . Half - orcs are , on average , somewhere from 5 ' 9 " – 6 ' 4 " ( 1 . 75 – 1 . 93 meters ) in height and usually weigh around 155 – 225 pounds ( 70 – 102 kg ) making them a little taller and stronger than humans on average . Most half - orcs have grayish skin , jutting jaws , prominent teeth , a sloping forehead , and coarse body hair , which causes them to stand out from their human brethren , though their canines are noticeably smaller than a full - blooded orc ’ s tusks . Half - orcs as such appear bestial to humans , though amongst orcs they are considered human - like physically . Half - orc hair is most often black , though it grays very quickly with age . In general , half - orcs do not live as long as humans , maturing by their sixteenth year and often dying before their sixtieth . Half - orcs that have lived amongst orcs might pick up a common orcish tradition , that of ritual scarring . Half - orcs with such a background do not look upon scars as marks of shame or as unattractive blemishes , but rather as marks of pride that demonstrate their skill and bravery in battle . On occasion , however , scars are used for a darker purpose , with orcs marking half - orc slaves with scars in the same manner a rancher might brand cattle . Half - orcs have shorter lifespans than humans , reaching maturity slightly earlier and rarely living longer than seventy - five years . Abilities . Half - orcs have a strength uncommon to most humans , though comparable with orcs . Half - orcs are less durable than their full - blooded kin , however , though they tend to be more dexterous and indeed , more so than most other humanoids . Half - orcs also have a resilience unique to them and when gravely injured , simply seem all the more determined to win , as though the blows had , in fact , empowered them . Similarly , all half - orcs have the " furious assault " ability , which allows them to channel their feral fury into a powerful attack . These qualities are only temporary , however , and like any other mortal , half - orcs eventually tire as a battle wears on and can be broken physically . Half - orcs are also agile , charging swiftly when their rage is aroused . For some half - orcs the conflict of their two heritages develops into something more , becoming the very essence of their being . Other half - orcs gain a thirst for battle that enables them to weather through battle longer than most find themselves capable of , making them both more resilient and more deadly . It is sometimes said that half - orcs can see perfectly in the pitch black of underground caverns or the darkest nights , like a drow . Whether this is true for some , is unsure , although it is not a quality most half - orcs exhibit , who instead merely have an elf - like ability to see well in low - light conditions . Half - orcs are also reputed to be unintelligent and though this is not true for the entire race , it is a definite trend in some populations . Psychology . Like other half - breeds , half - orcs combine the natures of both their lineages into a unique whole , a trait which extends into their mentality as well as their physical qualities . Like humans , half - orcs are quick to action , tenacious , and bold , with an adaptability that is unusual amongst most races . This is useful to the race , given that they are considered outsiders just about everywhere and so the ability to thrive in unwelcome or unusual locations is a necessity for a half - orc ’ s welfare . From their orcish blood , half - orcs take less desirable qualities typically , which adds to the discomfort others often feel around them . Few half - orcs have the patience for the etiquette or protocol that civilization often imposes and are far from quiet about their opinions on the subject . As a result , half - orcs are often perceived as uncouth savages , a reputation perhaps accentuated by the half - orcish love of physical pleasures such as eating , drinking , or dancing . Impatient and ill - tempered are stereotypes that are not too far off the mark for most half - orcs , but these qualities are not necessarily negative . Sometimes , a brash and straight to business attitude is precisely what is required . The half - orc personality tends to be short tempered and sullen , though half - orc mental capabilities are often underestimated and members of the race are often significantly more cunning than full - blooded orcs . More often than not , half - orcs prefer simple pleasures such as feasting , singing , wrestling , or wild dancing to refined pursuits such as poetry or philosophy . Most half - orcs are free - spirited like their orcish brethren , though they have fewer of the evil tendencies that blemish the reputation of orcs and are as likely good as they are evil , at least when raised amongst humans . Ecology . Culture . Half - orcs have no home to truly call their own , in most places , excepting Palischuk in Vaasa , where a community thrives , and the possible exception of Many - Arrows , an orcish kingdom whose borders lies along several human nations , and as such have no truly common culture . Most half - orcs grow up amongst either humans or orcs , either in urban environments or , more often , along the outskirts of civilization , taking on many of the qualities of their home culture . The majority of half - orcs born since the Spellplague have half - orc parents , rather than being first generation half - orcs although it is still not wholly uncommon for a half - orc to be born from a half - orc and human coupling , either by consent or rape . In most culture , half - orcs are prejudiced against . Within the lands of their human ancestors , half - orcs are commonly seen as savage thugs and looked down upon . As a result , most half - orcs in human society are forced into menial labor or violence for a career . Some choose to take on the life of an adventurer , perhaps merely as another acceptable means to wealth and power or sometimes as a way to throw off the shackles of other people ’ s perceptions . Within orc society , half - orcs are sometimes still looked down upon as weaker and inferior creatures , but overall they tend to fare better . Most orcs grudgingly acknowledge the superiority of the half - orc ’ s intellect as well as their comparable strength . As a result , it is not entirely unusual for a half - orc raised amongst orcs to rise to a position of power within his or her tribe . Half - orcs who live amongst humans are frequently drawn to adventure simply because few opportunities are presented to them for less than violent occupations . Pressured into martial lifestyles and rejected by polite society , half - orcs often only find acceptance amongst other races by proving their worth as adventurers . Likewise , the only friends a half - orc is likely to make are other adventurers , who are often also outcasts of a sort . Religion . Half - orcs who live amongst orcs commonly take to worshiping the orc pantheon , sometimes with even greater zeal than their orcish brethren since they feel the need to prove themselves worthy . Half - orcs raised among humans , on the other hand , typically worship other deities . Common focuses of half - orc worship are Bane , Garagos , Hoar , Loviatar , Malar , Talona , and Tempus . Tyr was also commonly worshiped by many half - orcs prior to the god ’ s death . Relations with other races . Half - orcs often have poor relations with other races . In particular , half - orcs rarely get along with the Tel - quessir races or dwarves , due to racial enmity between either and orcs . Halfling s and gnome s are also typically distrusting of half - orcs , although not to the degree of dwarves or Tel - quessir . Even amongst their human brethren , half - orcs are generally distrusted or feared . Half - orcs react to this distrust through a number of ways . Some half - orcs fall into introverted behavior , trying to attract as little attention to themselves as possible in a manner paradoxical to the image of boisterous barbarian half - orcs typically evoke . Others try their hardest to do good unto others , whether out of sincere charity or simply a desire for approval and acceptance . Some half - orcs take neither approach , accepting who they are and instead give others no choice but to accept them or leave . The troubles that their heritage brings them teaches most half - orcs to be untrusting and suspicious . Some half - orcs have as much trouble forming bonds with others as other races have accepting them , making friends with great difficulty and losing them with much greater ease . History . Half - orcs have existed in the world for many , many centuries , although like most half - breeds they ’ ve never had an independent cultural history . Half - orcs of historical note have made their impact not through a civilization of their own , but by excelling at whatever path they ’ ve taken within another people ’ s culture . Since the Era of Upheaval , however , half - orcs have come somewhat more unto their own , with the founding of Many - Arrows by Obould a century ago . Since then , relations between orcs and humans have eased , as have the circumstances from which half - orcs are born . Homelands . Half - orcs have no true home to call their own , with the possible exception of the city Palischuk in Vaasa , a ruin rebuilt during the Era of Upheaval by half - orc settlers . Another city with a great number of half - orc members is Phsant in Thesk , which has strong ties to the gray orc s of the east . Half - orcs are also common in Northwest Faerûn , particularly the nation of Many - Arrows , nor are they entirely uncommon in Amn , along the Moonsea , or in Waterdeep .