Peter, if you allow half-orcs and orcs to take Scent, Gnomes should as well (after all, they are the only race I know of that have a skill bonus because of their keen smell).
Since we're discussing orcs, here are my orcs from my
homebrew world. Here, orcs call themselves "Kazten", which means something between "true warrior" and "valorous". Also, some places in my campaign world are conscious, and are nearly deity-like, intervening through miracles or mortal pawn. One of them is an orcish city. Enjoy !
The so-called
Mountain Orcs are the standard orcs from the MM. They have that same dark brownish-greenish skin tone, similar to some stones.
Deep Orcs are orcs that live in the Far Netherworld (or Deep Underdark, if you prefer). They are like standard orcs, except they have Darkvision 120 ft., Spider Climb once per day (a recent addition, after having seen a certain movie), and spell resistance 8+character level. Their light sensitivity is stronger, and they suffer a -2 penalty to attack rolls, and a -1 penalty to all skill checks and saving throws, in bright sunlight or within the radius of a
daylight spell. They have a sickly pale white-green skin color, like some albino fishes of the caves.
Steppe Orcs are more brown than mountain orcs, and they have slightly oversized legs (something like 15% longer than "normal" proportions). They are nearly like normal orcs, except they don't have vulnerability to sunlight, that they have the Endurance feat as a racial trait, that their base speed is 40 ft. (which logically improve to 50 ft. when they're barbarians), and their average ability scores are Str 15, Dex 10, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 7, Cha 7. They are weak-willed and easily controlled by any one who seems badass and autoritary enough.
The
Grey Orcs are the most dangerous of the orc breeds. They are similar to standard orcs, except that their alignment is "Usually lawful evil", and their average ability scores are Str 15, Dex 10, Con 11, Int 11, Wis 10, Cha 11. They also don't have light sensitivity, as they live mostly in their surface city of Kaztengarken, which means both "orcish jewel", "true stronghold" and "city of the valorous", and in the nearby Laëlmore forest and Kaztenland steppes. They have enslaved the near totality of the Steppe Orc tribes, and use them as fireball fodder for their war. They have a dull grey skin, and wear masterwork shining armors.
A rare occurence among the Grey Orcs,
Black Orcs are Grey Orcs with their eyes totally, utterly black. They are always Grey Orcs born from a Grey Orc mother who stayed for the whole pregnancy in the city of Kaztengarken. They are in fact orcs possessed by the spirit of the city, which use them to further "her" ambition of growing until it covers the whole world. Black Orcs are like Grey Orcs, except their average ability scores are Str 15, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 13 Cha 15, and they have the following psionic spell-like abilities at will:
steadfast gaze,
charm person,
detect psionics and
know direction; as well as the following psionic combat mode at will:
ego whip,
intellect fortress,
mental barrier and
psychic crush.
