Half-Orcs

A half-orc with hammer in hand.

Walking in two worlds but generally accepted by only one, half-orcs combine what most say are the worst qualities of their orc and human parents.

## Physiology

Half-orcs' grayish or greenish pigmentation, sloping foreheads, jutting jaws, prominent teeth, and towering builds make their orcish heritage plain for all to see. Half-orcs stand between 6 and 7 feel tall and usually weigh between 180 and 250 pounds.

Orcs regard battle scars as tokens of pride and ornamental scars as things of beauty. Other scars, though, mark an orc or half-orc as a former slave or a disgraced exile. Any half-orc who has lived among or near orcs has scars, whether they are marks of humiliation or of pride, recounting their past exploits and injuries. Such a half-orc living among humans might display these scars proudly or hide them in shame.

## Common Personality Traits

The one-eyed god Gruumsh created the orcs, and even those orcs who turn away from his worship can'l fully escape his influence. The same is true of half-orcs, though their human blood moderates the impact of their orcish heritage. Some half-orcs hear the whispers of Gruumsh in their dreams, calling them lo unleash the rage that simmers within them. Others feel Gruumsh's exultation when they join in melee combat - and either exult along with him or shiver with fear and loathing. Half-orcs are not evil by nature, but evil does lurk within them, whether they embrace it or rebel against it.

Beyond the rage of Gruumsh, half-orcs feel emotion powerfully. Rage doesn't just quicken their pulse, it makes their bodies burn. An insult stings like acid, and sadness saps their strength. But they laugh loudly and heartily, and simple bodily pleasures - feasting, drinking, wrestling, drumming, and wild dancing - fill their hearts with joy. They tend to be short-tempered and sometimes sullen, more inclined to action than contemplation and to fighting than arguing. The most accomplished half-orcs are those with enough self-control to get by in a civilized land.

Each half-orc finds a way to gain acceptance from those who hate orcs. Some are reserved, trying not to draw attention to themselves. A few demonstrate piety and good-heartedness as publicly as they can (whether or not such demonstrations are genuine). And some simply try to be so tough that others avoid them.

Whether proving themselves among rough barbarian tribes or scrabbling to survive in the slums of larger cities, half-orcs get by on their physical might, their endurance, and the sheer determination they inherit from their human ancestry.

## Society

Half-orcs most often live among orcs. Of the other races, humans are most likely to accept half-orcs, and half-orcs almost always live in human lands when not living among orc tribes.

Some half-orcs rise to become proud chiefs of orc tribes, their human blood giving them an edge over their full-blooded orc rivals. Some venture into the world lo prove their worth among humans and other more civilized races. Many of these become adventurers, achieving greatness for their mighty deeds and notoriety for their barbaric customs and savage fury.

#### How Other Races React

Half-orcs are less widespread than dwarves, elves, halflings, and humans. In big cities, most people hardly look twice at them, but the small towns and villages that dot the countryside are different. The common folk aren't accustomed to them. It's usually safe to assume that a half-orc is belligerent and quick to anger, so people watch themselves around an unfamiliar half-orc. Shopkeepers might surreptitiously hide valuable or fragile goods when a half-orc comes in, and people slowly clear out of a tavern one enters, assuming a fight will break out soon.

Half-orcs sometimes struggle to find acceptance from humans and halflings, but it is often nearly impossible for them to find it from dwarves or elves.

## Names

Half-orcs usually have names appropriate to the culture in which they were raised. A half-orc who wants to fit in among humans might trade an orc name for a human name. Some half-orcs with human names decide to adopt a guttural orc name because they think it makes them more intimidating.

#### Typical Male Orc Names

Deneh, Feng, Gell, Henk, Holg, Imsh, Kelh, Krusk, Mhurren, Ront. Shump. Thokk

#### Typical Female Orc Names

Baggi, Emen, Engong. Kansif. Myev. Neega. Ovak, Ownka, Shaulha, Sulha. Vola, Volen, Yevelda

## Gameplay Traits

#### Ability Score lncrease

Half-orcs' Strength score increases by 2, and their Constitution score increases by 1.

#### Age

Half-orcs mature a little faster than humans, reaching adulthood around age 14. They age noticeably faster and rarely live longer than 75 years.

#### Alignment

Half-orcs inherit a tendency toward chaos from their orc parents and are not strongly inclined toward good. Half-orcs raised among orcs and willing to live out their lives among them are almost always evil.

#### Darkvision

Thanks to their orc blood, half-orcs have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. They can see in dim tight within 60 feet of themselves as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. They can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

#### Menacing

Half-orcs gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill.

#### Relentless Endurance

When half-orcs are reduced to O hit points but not killed outright, they can drop to 1 hit point instead. They can't use this feature again until they finish a long rest.

#### Savage Attacks

When half-orcs score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, they can roll one of the weapon's damage dice one additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.

#### Language

Orcish is a harsh, grating language with hard consonants. It has no script of its own but is written in the Dwarvish script.

## Basic Info

### Alignment

Any (most often 'lawful good or lawful neutral')

## True Traits

Orcs are a much-maligned race, the nature of which is much exaggerated and often outright fabricated. Consequently, it is the same with half-orcs. Below is a more accurate portrayal of the race.

## Physiology

Half-orcs' grayish or greenish pigmentation, sloping foreheads, jutting jaws, prominent teeth, and towering builds make their orcish heritage plain for all to see. Half-orcs stand between 6 and 7 feel tall and usually weigh between 180 and 250 pounds.

Their eyes are usually brown, but occasionally take the color of their human parents, including all possible natural human eye colors.

Half-orc hair is usually black, dark brown, or dark blue, but occasionally takes on lighter shades found among humans.

Some half-orcs grow facial hair, others do not. If a half-orc does grow it and lives among orcs, they rarely bother to groom or otherwise maintain it. If they live among humans, they typically keep it trimmed and well-maintained.

There is a stigma in non-orc societies about half-orcs with scars. Such societies believe that half-orcs are particularly enamored with their scars, and if an individual from such a society is close enough emotionally to a half-orc that they speak to them, they often ask about any scars they see, expecting boasting and elaborate tales. The truth is that half-orcs do not care about scars, generally, though some that live among non-orc societies try to hide them, to avoid questioning.

## Common Personality Traits

Half-orcs feel emotion powerfully, but most that live among non-orcs have learned that these emotions are not welcome in non-orc societies. Because of this, half-orcs often come off as terse and sullen, as they go overboard in trying to temper their emotional displays. Around those they're comfortable with, however, half-orcs laugh loudly and heartily, and enjoy simple pleasures like eating or drinking with friends, listening to music, dancing, and light sparring. They tend to be much more even-tempered than non-orcs expect, and are generally inclined to think things through before taking action. They try to avoid fighting when in cities and towns, knowing that law enforcement is likely to come down particularly hard on them for such things.

Each half-orc finds a way to gain acceptance from those who hate orcs. Most become reserved, trying not to draw attention to themselves. A few demonstrate piety and what other races consider 'good-heartedness' as publicly as they can (whether or not such demonstrations are genuine). And some simply try to be so tough that others just avoid them, though most that choose such an approach don't meet pleasant ends or live long lives.

## Society

Half-orcs most often live among orcs, as orc society is the only one that truly embraces and supports them. Of the other races, humans are the most likely to accept half-orcs, and half-orcs almost always live in human lands when not living among orc tribes.

Some half-orcs rise lo become proud chiefs of orc tribes. Some venture into the world lo prove their worth among humans and other non-orc races. Many of these become adventurers, achieving greatness for their mighty deeds, though rumors of barbaric customs and savage fury always follow them, regardless of their validity.

#### How Other Races React

Half-orcs are less widespread than dwarves, elves, halflings, and humans. In big cities, most people hardly look twice at them, but the small towns and villages that dot the countryside are different. The common folk aren't accustomed to them. Such folk usually assume that a half-orc is belligerent and quick to anger, so they watch themselves around an unfamiliar half-orc. Shopkeepers might surreptitiously hide valuable or fragile goods when a half-orc comes in, and people slowly clear out of a tavern one enters, assuming a fight will break out soon.

Half-orcs usually struggle to find acceptance from humans and halflings, but it is nearly impossible for them to find it from dwarves or elves.

## Names

Half-orcs usually have names appropriate to the culture in which they were raised. A half-orc who wants to fit in among humans might trade an orc name for a human name. Some half-orcs with human names decide to adopt a guttural orc name to show respect towards their orcish heritage.

#### Typical Male Orc Names

Deneh, Feng, Gell, Henk, Holg, Imsh, Kelh, Krusk, Mhurren, Ront. Shump. Thokk

#### Typical Female Orc Names

Baggi, Emen, Engong. Kansif. Myev. Neega. Ovak, Ownka, Shaulha, Sulha. Vola, Volen, Yevelda

## Gameplay Traits

#### Ability Score lncrease

Half-orcs' Strength score increases by 2, and their Constitution score increases by I.

#### Age

Half-orcs mature a little faster than humans, reaching adulthood around age 14. They age noticeably faster and rarely live longer than 75 years.

#### Alignment

Half-orcs raised among orcs tend toward a lawful neutral alignment, as do most orcs. Half-orcs raised by humans still tend slightly toward lawful alignments, but are almost as varied as humans in their alignments, overall.

#### Darkvision

Thanks to their orc blood, half-orcs have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. They can see in dim light within 60 feet of themselves as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. They can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

#### Menacing

Half-orcs gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill.

#### Relentless Endurance

When half-orcs are reduced to O hit points but not killed outright, they can drop to 1 hit point instead. They can't use this feature again until they finish a long rest.

#### Hard-Hitting Attacks

When half-orcs score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, they can roll one of the weapon's damage dice one additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.

#### Language

Orcish is a harsh. grating language with hard consonants. It is written in the Dwarvish script.