D&D 5E What Makes an Orc an Orc?

[Redwizard007]

The obvious solution is to do away with monolithic racial cultures.

Replace them with poly-racial cultures revolving around regional, religious, or mercantile divisions. You can use generalities like, "orcs tend to act more impulsively than others in their culture," or "orcs are often pushed to the edges of society in culture XYZ."

 

[Crimson Longinus]

I feel that fantasy species should actually try to be at least somewhat alien and not just funny looking humans. If that is not the case I have no need for them. Now this of course doesn't mean anything as silly and simplistic like 'evil species' or other such nonsense. But they are biologically and psychologically not just humans. They can have different capabilities, instincts preferences and other modes of thought.

 

[Doug McCrae]

Not in mainstream books.

OD&D Book I Men & Magic:

There is no reason that players cannot be allowed to play as virtually anything, provided they begin relatively weak and work up to the top, i.e., a player wishing to be a Balrog would have to begin as, let us say, a “young” one and progress upwards in the usual manner, steps being predetermined by the campaign referee.​

This blog post discusses monstrous PCs in OD&D in more detail, including Mike Mornard's balrog PC in Gary Gygax's campaign.

The core rules in 3e, 4 years earlier than WoW, allowed monstrous PCs also.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

How are orcs "incredibly strong" without getting a bonus to Strength? Powerful Build always seemed like a sop to avoid making creatures large to me.

Strength bonus is fine. Int penalty not so much though.

'Strong and primal' to me sounds pretty succinct way to characterise the core or orkishness.

 

[Oofta]

You don't see the difference in niche between "incredibly strong primal people" and their mixed offspring with humans? Really?

Umm ... No? That's why I said it?

Feel free to post your vision.

 

[Micah Sweet]

The obvious solution is to do away with monolithic racial cultures.

Replace them with poly-racial cultures revolving around regional, religious, or mercantile divisions. You can use generalities like, "orcs tend to act more impulsively than others in their culture," or "orcs are often pushed to the edges of society in culture XYZ."

If we make every culture composed of multiple races, we are radically altering the dynamics of virtually every D&D setting (although I sure someone can come up with counter-examples). Not only does that seem weirdly homogeneous, I don't think WotC could sell it to the broad audience they want.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Strength bonus is fine. Int penalty not so much though.

'Strong and primal' to me sounds pretty succinct way to characterise the core or orkishness.

I'm all for dropping penalties; they're not much fun, and we have to err on the side of the "G" sometimes. But, we don't even know if ability bonuses tied to race are going to ok at all. Also, strong and primal sounds right to me, but I think we need to define the word "primal". Close to the earth, shamanistic, nomadic, lacking technology?

 

[TheCosmicKid]

The obvious solution is to do away with monolithic racial cultures.

Replace them with poly-racial cultures revolving around regional, religious, or mercantile divisions. You can use generalities like, "orcs tend to act more impulsively than others in their culture," or "orcs are often pushed to the edges of society in culture XYZ."

Not that poly-racial cultures are a bad thing, but poly-cultural races seem to me like they'd do more on the avoiding-monolithic-stereotypes front. "The dwarves of Tharagund are isolationist but true allies to those in need; the dwarves of Mizinthur bully their neighbors and extort them for protection money."

 

[Guest 6801328]

Start with narrative descriptions of how orcs are different. Use verbs and adverbs, not adjectives.

Then invent mechanics that evoke those differences.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Umm ... No? That's why I said it?

Feel free to post your vision.

I genuinely don't know how or where to start with explaining the difference in niche between a distinct people, and the mixed offspring of those people with someone from another quite different people.