Half Orcs

While most half-orcs are the product of assaults on humans by orcs (or vice versa), sometimes orcs and humans in tribal cultures have been known to marry, or at least interbreed. Their offspring can be raised among either culture; if human, they tend to be less volatile and more intelligent, while orcish culture emphasizes their strength, ferocity in battle, and short-tempered nature.

Personality: Being the byproduct of humans (who are themselves warlike) and orcs (an ill-tempered race, on the whole), half-orcs are just as irascible as their parents. They take pleasure in simple things – a good meal, drinking, loud music, and brawling - and disdain the finer points of culture.

Physical Description: Half-orcs have large, square, prognathous jaws with a mild underbite. Their skin is brown or grey, and scars easily. They have large feet, and powerful hands, the fingernails black and thick. Half-orcs are heavy-boned, with musculature to match, thick foreheads with jutting eyebrows, and thick necks.

Table 1: Height and Weight by Gender

Gender Base Ht. Ht. Mod Base Wt. Wt. Mod
Male 4' 10" +2d12 150 lb. ×(2d6) lb.
Female 4' 8" +2d12 110 lb. ×(2d6) lb.

Relations: Half-orcs get on well with most races except for elves (and the feeling is mutual).

Alignment: Half-orcs gain a tendency toward chaos from both their human and orcish sides, but they don't tend toward good or evil on the whole.

Lands: Half-orcs don’t bother founding towns or settlements of their own; instead, they live with humans or, more often, orcs. Most half-orcs, whether raised in human or orcish culture, spend at least some time living in and experiencing the other side as well.

Religion: Orcs worship either orcish or human gods. Many lean toward the gods of battle and strength.

Languages: Half-orcs speak Common and Orcish.

Names: Half-orcs use human or orcish names, depending on which society raised them. Some have both - one name from one parent and one from another.

Adventurers: Half-orcs have a better time fitting in than half-elves; often they join mercenary companies or adventuring parties where they can put their talents to good use. Half-orcs among orcish society tend to be bards, clerics, or one of the fighter classes; druidism and wizardry are less common, but sorcery is more common among half-orcs than orcs, due to the influence of the human blood. Like orcs, half-orcs view thievery as cowardly, though some may become thuggish rogues, and martial arts as little more than a silly dance.

Table 2: Starting Age

Adulthood Barbarian,
Rogue, Sorcerer
Bard, Fighter
Paladin, Ranger
Cleric, Druid
Monk, Wizard
14 years +1d4 +1d6 +2d6


Racial Traits

Medium size.

Racial Abilities

Low-Light Vision (Ex): A half-orc can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. He retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.

Monstrous Mien (Ex): Half-orcs have a +4 racial bonus on Intimidate checks. At 5th level and every five levels thereafter, the bonus increases by +1.

Orc Blood (Ex): For all effects related to race, a half-orc is considered an orc.

Rage (Ex): At 10th level, a half-orc comes to understand and draw upon the natural ferocity that courses through his blood. He can fly into a screaming blood frenzy once per day (or one additional time per day, if he already has a rage ability). This ability is identical to the barbarian's rage ability. If a half-orc has improved rage abilities (such as the barbarian class features greater rage, indomitable will, tireless rage, or mighty rage), those improvements apply to this rage ability as well.

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