Half-Orc

## Summary

Whether in a human village or an orcish hamlet, half-orcs combine what many say are the best qualities of their orc and human parents: human curiosity, determination, and resourcefulness bolstered by the emotional intelligence and love of life from their orcish side. Half-orcs are welcome almost everywhere, and many of them become adventurers, achieving greatness far and wide.

## Species Biology

### Appearance

Half-orcs’ pigmentation is typically a splendid mix between the complexion of their orcish and human parents. Small tusks and a slightly larger jaw size are what physically distinguishes them further from humans. Half-orcs tend to be slightly larger than humans on average.

### Teeth and tusks

To orcs, tusk maintenance is highly important, and this holds true for half-orcs. Orcish tusks are primarily for aesthetic reasons, and different people have different tusk preferences. Thus, dental hygiene is critical among orcs and half-orcs. There is nothing worse to a half-orc than having dirty tusks.

### Olfactory System

A less visible biological factor to half-orcs is their orcish nose. Orcs have an incredibly keen sense of smell, which half-orcs inherit. This means that they can experience a much wider range of tastes than humans, and half-orcs take advantage of this by pioneering grand innovations in the culinary sphere.

## Empathy and Emotionality

Half-orcs feel emotions far more powerfully than most other species. Rage doesn’t just quicken their pulse, it makes their bodies burn. Good humour doesn’t just earn a smile, it scores thunderous laugher. An insult stings like acid, while sadness saps their strength. Their love is beyond that of other mortals, but their hate equally so. This intense affinity with their emotions makes half-orcs a highly passionate people, capable of anything they put their mind to, whether it be good or bad.

Half-orcs are sometimes perceived by other less emotional species like elves as "a little overdramatic", or in the worst case, “slaves to their emotions”. This perception clearly comes from a place of ignorance, and many ancient elven bigots are surprised when they meet a half-orc face-to-face. Half-orcs are powerful empaths, sensing the emotional state of nearby creatures and regulating their own emotions to match. This is aided through their orcish noses, which can detect changes in key hormones and pheromones that relate to the creature’s emotional state. This skill makes some half-orcs excellent diplomats, therapists, and friends.

## The Brightest Flame...

To the eyes of humans, half-orcs live very short lives, rarely living longer than 50 years old. To longer-lived species, this is a tragic affair, often feeling that their half-orc friend had been taken too soon. Yet half-orcs see this very differently, understanding that it is the quality of the person’s life that is important, not the quantity. This type of thinking leads to a vast difference in ethics between half-orcs and other short-lived races, and the eternal elves who have lived through ages.

*“Some people live more in twenty years than others do in 80. It’s not the time that matters, it’s the person.”*

## Half-Orc Traits

**Keen Smell**: Thanks to your orcish nose, you have a superior sense of smell. You have *Advantage* on Perception checks that rely on smell.

**Passionate Empath**: You gain proficiency in the Insight skill. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the *Calm Emotions* spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.

**Intense Determination**: When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You cannot use this feature again until you finish a long rest.

**Fiercest Fury**: When you score a critical hit with a melee weapon strike, you can roll one of the weapon’s damage dice one additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.