Fixing the Half-Orc

[Feldspar]

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?

I tried to to come up with traits that would work for both human and orc raised half-orcs and came up with:

HALF-ORCS

• +2 racial bonus on Intimidate and Sense Motive checks: Half-orcs are not readily accepted among any race; Half-orcs must quickly learn how to identify allies and discourage challengers in order to survive.
• Weapon Affinity: Combining the natural aggressiveness and combative nature of orcs with humankinds adaptability and quick learning has produced a race which takes to weapon play like no other. Half-orcs may choose one of the following:
  
  • Simple: may consider themselves proficient with all simple weapons
  • Martial: may treat any martial weapon as if it were a simple weapon
  • Exotic: may treat one chosen exotic weapon as if it were a martial weapon

So the single class half-orc wizard would only be able to get benefit from taking the Weapon Affinity: Simple. As a wizard they've only had the most rudimentary combat training, yet they have no problems using such simple weapons as longspears and maces. A thuggish half-orc rogue forgets about trying to fence prettily and instead just bashes his opponent with a greataxe, taking advantage of his natural strength and his choice of Weapon Affinity: Martial. The half-orc ranger who is planning to go with the two weapon fighting track eagerly selects Weapon Affinity: orc double axe.

Players may choose any of the options, regardless of what their first class will be; it just might not be useable. For example, a player could select Weapon Affinity: spiked chain and then start as a thief. They would not be able to use the chain as a rogue, but if they later gained a level in a class which gave proficiency in all martial weapons then they would be able to.

 

[Li Shenron]

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.

I've done something similar for a Half-Orc variant I was planning to use (but haven't used yet), which would simply be called "Orc" and replace both the PHB Half-Orc and the MM Orc.

I dropped the Cha penalty too. It is a bad penalty design-wise because most of the classes can live with it at no effective penalty, while other classes suffer from it too much.

I gave them +2 Intimidate, Survival and Handle Animal, since it fits the character idea of the race, and added also a +2 morale bonus to saving throws vs Fear effects (magical or not): I thought about poisons first, but I wanted them to be different from all other races and Dwarves already have that.

Then I gave them the Scent ability, but otherwise also a -2 penalty to Spot and Listen, so to make them different on the physiological side (I kept Darkvision).

Finally, I gave them a special ability called "combat instinct" which halves the penalties for not being proficient with weapons. This isn't really very useful, and doesn't weight in the race balance, but fits with the flavor.

Overall it may seem a bit too much, and that's true because I also gave almost all the other races something extra as well (except Dwarves).

 

[GreatLemur]

There are a lot of nice ideas, here. Dropping the CHA penalty has always been an obvious (and utterly necessary) fix, but I'd never considered things like Intimidate bonuses, poison/disease resistance, Scent, and natural armor. Sticking them with a degree of light sensitivity might be a good idea, too, if they need a little nerfing after these upgrades.

I've always really disliked the whole policy of deliberately designing races to work well only in certain classes, and half-orcs definitely seem to get it worse than everybody else.

 

[yennico]

This are just my 2 cents.

A half-orc is either a child of two half-orcs or an orc and a human.
If you calculate the stats and benefits of a half-orcs you have a half-orc with 50% of the abilities of an orc and 50% of the abilties of a human.
If you want to improve the half-orc you logically have to improve also the orc.
If you give a half-orc +X on a skill an orc will have to get +2X on that skill.

If you want to make a difference between a half-orc raised by humans and a half-orc raised by orcs you also have to make the same difference by a half-elf.
But if education of different races makes a difference to a player character think of an orc raised by humans. Does the orc gets the advantage of any favorite class... ?
You can give a half-orc more advantages of one race of his parents but you do not justify this with their education. A correct cause is this half-orc has not only 50% of the genes of one of his parents, he has 51 or more % of this race.

I like some of your ideas (toughness, Survival, etc.) but I dislike dropping the Cha penalty.
Orcs and Half-orcs are not known for their diplomacy and their magic.
A half-orc with Cha 18, raised by humans , thinking of a bard or a rogue with many ranks in diplomacy or a sorcerer is not a character I want in one of my groups.

 

[Turanil]

Okay, reading all these half-orcs suggestions I would houserule it like this:

Half-orc Racial Traits

• +2 Strength, –2 Intelligence. 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.
• Light Sensitivity: Half-orcs suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls in bright sunlight (but not a cloudy day) or within the radius of a Daylight spell.
• Orc Blood: For all effects related to race, a half-orc is considered an orc.
• +2 racial bonus on Intimidate and Sense Motive checks: Half-orcs are not readily accepted among any race; Half-orcs must quickly learn how to identify allies and discourage challengers in order to survive.
• -2 penalty to Diplomacy and Gather Information checks: Half-orcs tend to suffer from prejudice even among orcs.
• 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.
• Toughness and Improved Unarmed Strike feats for free: Half-orcs are often born out of violence, and subsequently raised in societies that despise them. From a young age they were used to violence, and grew up having to brawl and bully in order to make themselves respected.
• Favored Class: Barbarian. A multiclass half-orc’s barbarian class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty.

I think the penalties offset well the advantages. IMO: Weapon Familiarity + Toughness and Improved Unarmed Strike feats as bonuses feat don't munchkinize them.

 

[MadBlue]

I noticed that the UA Racial Paragon special abilities pretty much build on racial traits a character of that race already gets, except for the Half-Orc Racial Paragon. In my next campaign, I'm planning on giving Half-Orcs the Half-Orc Paragon's Rage and Monstrous Mien abilities as racial traits (and not using the Racial Paragon classes, of course).

 

[Gnome]

Okay, reading all these half-orcs suggestions I would houserule it like this:

Half-orc Racial Traits

• +2 Strength, –2 Intelligence. 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.
• Light Sensitivity: Half-orcs suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls in bright sunlight (but not a cloudy day) or within the radius of a Daylight spell.
• Orc Blood: For all effects related to race, a half-orc is considered an orc.
• +2 racial bonus on Intimidate and Sense Motive checks: Half-orcs are not readily accepted among any race; Half-orcs must quickly learn how to identify allies and discourage challengers in order to survive.
• -2 penalty to Diplomacy and Gather Information checks: Half-orcs tend to suffer from prejudice even among orcs.
• 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.
• Toughness and Improved Unarmed Strike feats for free: Half-orcs are often born out of violence, and subsequently raised in societies that despise them. From a young age they were used to violence, and grew up having to brawl and bully in order to make themselves respected.
• Favored Class: Barbarian. A multiclass half-orc’s barbarian class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty.

I think the penalties offset well the advantages. IMO: Weapon Familiarity + Toughness and Improved Unarmed Strike feats as bonuses feat don't munchkinize them.

I like this version, except that I think the CHA penalty really fits for flavor reasons. Also, I'm not sure that stability really fits. Dwarves get this because they have a wide frame; about the same shoulder width of humans, thick limbs, etc.

So, I'll probably use this version for my next campaign, but I'll keep the CHA penalty, drop stability, and drop the light sensitivity to balance this out.

 

[BlackFalconKY]

I like this version, except that I think the CHA penalty really fits for flavor reasons. Also, I'm not sure that stability really fits. Dwarves get this because they have a wide frame; about the same shoulder width of humans, thick limbs, etc.

So, I'll probably use this version for my next campaign, but I'll keep the CHA penalty, drop stability, and drop the light sensitivity to balance this out.

The Advanced Player's Manual gave me the idea of giving other races Stability at a lower bonus than dwarves. When I thought about it, I decided that half-orcs are broad, wide-framed, but tall. Thus, they are very sturdy, but their height makes them easier to knock over than the "low-rider" dwarf. In my mind, I can easily picture a half-orc around Hulk Hogan size, and I'm honestly going to have a hard time putting him on his butt!

I agree with everyone talking about keeping the Charisma penalty. Although I realize that Charisma is NOT simply a measure of appearance, let's face it, appearance does have a lot of impact on social interactions. It is unfortunate that sorcerer spellcasting got all wrapped up in the same ability that governs social interaction. Perhaps a good compromise would be to give half-orcs a -1 or -2 penalty to Charisma-based skill checks regarding social interactions. This would allow Cha 18 half-orc sorcerers. That kind of makes sense, seeing how most orcs and half-orcs are going to have trouble finding a wizard to teach them magic, but sorcerer springs from within. Pitting elven wizards against orcish sorcerers sounds like a fun campaign element to me!

Charles Plemons

 

[MadBlue]

I agree with everyone talking about keeping the Charisma penalty. Although I realize that Charisma is NOT simply a measure of appearance, let's face it, appearance does have a lot of impact on social interactions. It is unfortunate that sorcerer spellcasting got all wrapped up in the same ability that governs social interaction.

I'd have to disagree and go in other direction to say that it's unfortunate that WotC didn't put enough mechanical benefit into a stat that, according to the rules, encompasses self-awareness, self-confidence, sense of purpose and ability to draw on one's talents. In that regard, I can see Dwarves getting a Cha penalty because they tend to be clannish and think of Dwarven society before themselves as individuals, and Half-Orcs getting a penalty because they tend to be outcasts from their parents' races, and have to work to overcome their feelings of self-worth.

 

[GreatLemur]

I like some of your ideas (toughness, Survival, etc.) but I dislike dropping the Cha penalty.
Orcs and Half-orcs are not known for their diplomacy and their magic.
A half-orc with Cha 18, raised by humans , thinking of a bard or a rogue with many ranks in diplomacy or a sorcerer is not a character I want in one of my groups.

Frankly, that's exactly the kind of thing I want. The pigeonholing of PC races into narrowly-defined roles has always been an annoying part of D&D.

More specifically, Charisma penalties seem very hard to justify based on things like abrasive personalities and xenophobic cultures. Charisma, after all represents "strength of personality, not merely how one is perceived by others in a social setting" (quoting the PHB, here). I'd even call it willpower, if the Will save wasn't rather inexplicably tied to Wisdom.

I totally agree, however, that cultural and background-related abilities--such as who raised a character--have no place in a character's racial traits. Ideally, that sort of thing should be limited to physical stuff.