D&D (2024) The Half Orc. Are they still needed?

[Professor Murder]

Honestly I don't want the game to go so modular. It's one of the things that turns me off Pathfinder tbh.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Maybe in 6e but I just don't see that level of massive concept change in the revision - which I think you predict as well as you're saying you have no great expectation of it.
Seems like the creators keep stressing it's just a revision of existing rules and not even a half edition, but people on message boards (and I am guilty of this as well) keep filling the concept with new-edition level changes.

Unfortunately I think you are correct. I see it as a lost opportunity in this regard in that the current races could be redefined in that way with out changing anything about them but it leaves the way for further expansions to expand the traits of the races, separating culture form biology and really empowering DMs down the road.

 

[DND_Reborn]

To expand on the idea I posted upthread, I was thinking something like this:

Orc:

• Adrenaline Rush (strong feature)
• Darkvision (strong feature)
• Powerful Build (weak feature)
• Relentless Endurance (weak feature)

Tabaxi:

• Cat's Claws (strong? feature)
• Cat's Talent (weak feature)
• Darkvision (strong feature)
• Feline Agility (weak feature)

A PC with such lineage would pick two strong features and two weak features, perhaps one from each parent or possibly in any combination?

One example might be:

• Adrenaline Rush (strong feature- Orc)
• Darkvision (strong feature - Tabaxi)
• Feline Agility (weak feature- Tabaxi)
• Relentless Endurance (weak feature - Orc)

The PC is quick and agile, but with the endurance of the orc. ASI's might even be +2 DEX and +1 CON?

 

[jmartkdr2]

I had been thinking about this. What was the impetus of introducing Half-Orcs into AD&D? Half-Elves have Tolkien. Are Half-Orcs also cribbed from somewhere or are they an actual original creation?

I recall being told Uruk-hai were essentially half-orcs.

And having read the whole thread, I've changed my mind: half-orcs should stay in as a distinct race or variant (ie subrace of humans or some such)

 

[Reynard]

I recall being told Uruk-hai were essentially half-orcs.

And having read the whole thread, I've changed my mind: half-orcs should stay in as a distinct race or variant (ie subrace of humans or some such)

In Tolkien, half orcs were meant to move freely among Men as spies. Hence why the AD&D half orc could be an assassin. They weren't misunderstood. They were evil.

 

[Weiley31]

Eh, then it's pretty much doing it how Pathfinder 2 does it. I rather just keep Half-Orcs in.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

I don't see Half-Orcs going away even if there could be Orcs in a new PHB. After all Half-Elf hasn't disappeared yet.

Tieflings have since 2e been the Marginalized Minority Option since their first appearance in the Planescape Campaign Setting Boxed Set, and the writeup in Fiends: Faces of Evil was maybe the first time they addressed gender and sexuality of Tieflings or possibly any race not being "conventional".

While Aasimar have been the Model Minority Option. But older editions have made the mistake of making Aasimar too "Aryan" which has left a negative opinion in some cases.

 

[JEB]

The discussion reminds me that in Critical Role there has been several Uniya, that is elf-orc, NPCs. I don't know if Mercer has written any PC rules for them in case someone wants to play one.

The Tal'dorei Campaign Setting Reborn book has guidelines for "mixed ancestry", though I'm not sure how meticulous they are.

 

[Eltab]

"What about human/dwarf?"

The D&D half-human / half-dwarf is a Mul.
Its Dark Sun background material creates a place for 'broken family' backstories.

 

[Minigiant]

I will be that person.

I vehemently dislike the "pick a human feature and pick orc/elf/dwarf feature and combine them to make a race idea". I prefer the more fantastic idea that a mix of races creates new features. Like how the human abition cancels the elven fey aloofness. Perhaps the human skeleton makes the orc muscle stand better.

My Half Orc would be

• 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.
• Size. Half-orcs are somewhat larger and bulkier than humans, and they range from 5 to well over 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.
• Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
• Darkvision. Thanks to your orc blood, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
• Menacing Posture. You have advantage in Charisma checks against creature that value physical might and Strength checks to knock down objects and creatures while standing still.
• Relentless Endurance. When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can't use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
• Savage Attacks. When you score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack or spell attack within 10 feet of you, you can roll one of the weapon's damage dice one additional time or spell's damage dice two additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.
• Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Orc.

Orc would be the big bruiser race. Half orc can be the "big skillmonkey" race.