Fixing the Half-Orc

[Viktyr Gehrig]

D&D works under the assumption, like much fantasy does, that a great deal of one's psychological and cultural traits flow from blood-- that your birth determines who and what you are. This mirrors the thinking of the eras they're roughly based on very well; after all, how else would you justify hereditary rulers?

 

[GreatLemur]

D&D works under the assumption, like much fantasy does, that a great deal of one's psychological and cultural traits flow from blood-- that your birth determines who and what you are. This mirrors the thinking of the eras they're roughly based on very well; after all, how else would you justify hereditary rulers?

That's a damned good point. Still something I'd houserule out of the game, but a good point. The fluff discussing half-orcs and tieflings certainly suggests this mindset, after all.

 

[Spatzimaus]

IMC we added a homebrew Half-Ogre race, which filled the "heavy hitter" niche nicely. So we changed Half-Orcs into a sort of wilderness race. Some groups are semi-feral, others are more like the old Native American tribes; the only difference between the two are starting language and Favored Class.

Favored Class was changed to Ranger for the "tribal" Half-Orcs, and stays Barbarian for the "feral" subrace.
Half-Orcs get both Low-light vision (x2) and Darkvision (60').
Half-Orcs with WIS 13+ can choose Limited Scent as a Feat. It's like Scent, but with much shorter range, higher DCs, and you can't pin down a target's square unless you're right on top of him. But it gives a bonus to Track checks. (We also said that those with WIS 15+ and Limited Scent can choose the full Scent ability, but it ended up being too powerful)

Anyway, none of these are huge bonuses, but they really go a long way towards making Half-Orcs wanted; no one's better as a scout, and they're still really good fighters.

 

[Klaus]

http://www.fierydragon.com/DB/DB_MAY27_2004.htm

These are my TWO variants of the half-orc, the half-human orc (raised by orcs) and the half-orc human (raised by humans). In both cases I dropped the Cha penalty.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

I've been contemplating giving half-orcs a favored enemy of their choice. It'll function just like the rangers' favored enemy at first level.

 

[sfedi]

I don't find half-orcs underpowered at all.

Darkvision, and aptitude for the Barbarian, Fighter and Rogue classes seem a big advantage to me.

Granted, spellcasting half orcs aren't as good (specially wizards) but they are not crappy either.

 

[Eolin]

Pitting elven wizards against orcish sorcerers sounds like a fun campaign element to me!

Charles Plemons

I'm so stealing this.
Now I may have to run another DnD game, with elven magic being very long-lasting items and the like, while orc and half-orc magic dies with the wielder. The elves will have magical water purification systems, defenses, and artifact-level weapons that have been modified and made better and more complicated over the millenia, while the orcs (who prize the half-orcs, as they're better at magic.) have single spurts of great magics that quickly die out in the wars and the like that the orcs fight with elves, men and dwarves.

Hmmm... A half-orc (no cha minus, possibly other changes) with a level of barbarian and X levels of sorcerer. That barb level goes a long way to getting rid of the inherent minuses of being a sorcerer, and one level isn't so much as to ruin the character. Unless some nambly pambly elven wizard is around who *isn't* multiclassed -- he'll be casting a whole spell level higher.

Them's the breaks, I guess.

Hmm.... If Humans are to Elves as Orcs are to Humans, then where do half-orcs go?

And, then what are orcs to elves?

 

[MatthewJHanson]

I don't find half-orcs underpowered at all.

Darkvision, and aptitude for the Barbarian, Fighter and Rogue classes seem a big advantage to me.

Until you remember that dwarves have all that and more.

A lot of people have mentioned dropping the Cha penalty, but I'd rather drop the Int penelty. Probably partially because I dislike playing chacters with a low Int, but also it seems to fit the mood to me more. Crude bute cunning.

 

[Sammael]

Half-Orcs
• +2 Strength, -2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma
• Darkvision 60 feet
• Saving Throw Bonuses: Half-orcs have a +2 racial saving throw bonus against poison and disease effects.
• Skill Bonuses: Half-orcs have a +2 racial bonus on Intimidate and Survival checks.
• Scent Eligibility: Half-orcs may take the Scent special quality as a feat.
• Favored Class: Barbarian

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

I'm sitting pretty close to Sammael's position on this, except that I'd replace Scent Eligilbility with Toughness as a bonus feat and allow Half-Orcs to have Favored Class: Any.

My reasoning is, Half-Orcs get Toughness for free, even though full-blooded Orcs do not, because Half-Orcs have had to make their way between two societies, neither of which particularly fond of them. It's like the mirror image of the justification for the Half-Elf's racial skill bonuses.

It also makes Dwarves, Orcs, and Half-Orcs all roughly comparable for the front-line melee classes, which are their specialty.