Fixing the Half-Orc

[Gnome]

For those of you who think the half-orc is underpowered or uninteresting, what house rules do you have to make them a more appealing choice?

They seem to make good barbarians, as expected, but suffer really big drawbacks in nearly every other class. They make pretty good fighers, but the INT penalty hurts with the selection of certain feats. They can make passable monks, rangers, and druids, but the lack of skill points due to the INT penalty really hampers them in these classes. The remaining classes only get worse from there.

I think what they need isn't a "power-up" in stats or anything like that, but rather some unique advantage that somewhat offsets their disadvantages for classes other than straight barbarian, and makes the race a more interesting choice.

Thoughts?

 

[IndyPendant]

I like simple solutions to under-powered problems. All I've done is give the half-orc a bonus Fighter feat, similar to the human bonus 'anything' feat.

Does it solve the problem? No idea. No one's taken the race yet. : ) Does it shoehorn them even more into a combat class? Arguably yes.

Is it simple? Yes. Have I seen anything simple that is better? No.

For now, it stays, but I'm eager to see someone come up with a better idea...: )

 

[Terath Ninir]

Well, I think WotC has now used this idea for another race in one of their race books, but I allows half-orcs to carry a load equal to 1 1/2 times that of other medium races. I give them a +2 bonus on Intimidate and Survival checks. I also give them a free Toughness feat at 1st level. It's only +3 hit points, but it helps establish them as tough customers, even if you make them a non-barbarian.

I also drop the Charisma penalty, but even with it, the Intimidate bonus means that they can still be good at that very half-orc-like skill.

 

[Evilhalfling]

Endurance feat at 1st level
Stronghands - + 2 to grapple, or reist disarms
okay perhaps still not balanced with other races, but it is unique.

They were bred for building pyamids, which the dwarves designed. Both used as slaves by the Old Ones. And enough half-breed nonsence. They are a seperate race of civilized orcs, with a few human like features. Even in tolkien they had magic help. It just bugs my sense of genetics. I discourage 1/2 elves for the same reason. (although they are still techically allowed I dont use them for NPCs or feel any need to encourage others to play them.

 

[Ace]

Here is my tweaked half Orc called the Warmade

Warmade were created some 200 years ago by a currently unknown wizard
They have animal and human traits both and are enginered for the purpose of war
The Warmade do have free will and many have trancended this limits they were made with to become something else

+2 Strength

+2 Constitution

-2 Intellegence

-2 Charisma

Warmade are strong and hardy but they are somewhat dull and lack spirit compared to baseline humans

Nightvison

Bloodspeech (speak with the one animal type as a human language. This animal type must be selected at character creation)


Beastial Traits

warmade may take feats that represent the animal traits they are made with-- examples include Scent, Hightned Attribute, Great Hearing (+4 to Listen)

 

[Destil]

Bouns feat at 1st level (half elves get bonus skill points).

 

[maggot]

I dropped the CHA penalty so you could have Half-Orc sorcerers and Half-Orcs good at intimidate. I think this works well, although you might see more Half-Orc bards than you might care to.

I considered giving them a racial bonus to intimidate and then penalty to diplomacy and bluff but didn't bother.

Also, a minor ability not really useful for fighter types would be good (they are good enough fighters without it). Like proficiency in a martial weapon of choice.

The suggestion of a free toughness feat is good too. It is like the human bonus feat, but is prepicked and one of the lamer feats at that. And it is also of more benefit for non-fighter types with lower hit dice. Might see Half-Orc rogues or sorcerers at least a lower levels.

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

I give +2 racial bonus to Intimidate and Survival checks, and a +2 racial bonus to Fortitude saves vs. poison and disease. Of course, I also give Orcs these same abilities, but I think Light-blindness and the Wisdom penalty keep Orc and Half-Orc roughly on par.

The bonus feat Toughness is another good addition-- moreso in my games, because I houserule it as +3 HP and +3 massive damage threshold. I may have to make this change myself.

Try changing their Favored Class to Any, like the Humans and Half-Elves. I know that barely counts as any kind of balance issue, but it's the most irritating area where I feel Half-Orcs got shafted.

 

[Turanil]

The suggestion of a free toughness feat is good too. It is like the human bonus feat, but is prepicked and one of the lamer feats at that.

I don't like to modify too much things, so keep half-orcs as they are. However, if I had to modify something, I would give them not one, but two bonus feats: Toughness and Improved Unarmed Strike. Rationale: they are often born from violence, and subsequently raised in societies that despise them. From a young age they were used to violence and grew up used to brawl and bully.

 

[BlackFalconKY]

Upgraded via GRR's Advanced Player's Manual

Interesting question. I just started playing with this very issue the other day after buying GRR's Advanced Player's Manual. I ended up with the following critter as the new half-orc in my campaign. It looks extreme at first, but it really isn't more unbalanced than elf or dwarf races. I've been reconsidering the half-elf now as well.

Racial Abilities:

* +2 Strength, –2 Intelligence, –2 Charisma.
A half-orc's starting Intelligence score is always at least 3. If this adjustment would lower the character’s score to 1 or 2, his score is nevertheless 3.
* Medium: As Medium creatures, half-orcs have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
* Half-orc base land speed is 30 feet.
* Darkvision: Half-orcs (and orcs) can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and half-orcs can function just fine with no light at all.
* Natural Armor: Half-orcs benefit from a +1 natural armor bonus.
* Orc Blood: For all effects related to race, a half-orc is considered an orc.
* +2 racial bonus on Craft (weaponsmithing) checks.
* +2 racial bonus on Intimidate and Jump checks.
* +2 racial saving throw bonus against necromancy spells or effects.
* Stability: A half-orc gains a +2 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground (but not when climbing, flying, riding, or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground).
* Weapon Familiarity: Half-orcs may treat orc double axes as martial weapons, rather than exotic weapons.
* Weapon Proficiency: Half-orcs receive the Martial Weapon Proficiency feats for the battleaxe, handaxe, throwing axe, and shortbow (including composite shortbow) as bonus feats.
* Favored Class: Barbarian. A multiclass half-orc’s barbarian class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty.