half-orcs -- locked into stereotype?

[Driddle]

From experience I've seen that as soon as you say "half-orc," the other players have prejudged how the character looks. Doesn't matter if YOU (the player-owner) envision a more handsome countenance, tending toward the human side more than the orc side -- downplaying the unibrow and tusky jaw, for example.

 

[EricNoah]

My guy -- http://webpages.charter.net/ericnoah/noahrpg/etchars/vangkor.html -- is not typical. A) he's a wizard, B) his parents are also both half-orcs (no "orc raped my mom" here!), and C) he's a snazzy dresser and tries to keep as clean as he can given his grungy profession.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

(no "orc raped my mom" here!)

Well, maybe the usual thing is "an orcess raped my father" "you were raped?" "well, at first..."

 

[Mean DM]

I've been thinking about playing a half-orc bard.

I once played a half-orc bard. I loved it!! Grundek was a master of the drums and wooden flute. Although the standard stero-types were in play, I enjoyed adding a layer talant/culture to the race. But it would make the other characters a bit unnervous when he would sign songs of Grummish's honor, virtue, and heroism. Further, he would claim that his god was just misunderstood.

 

[Klaus]

Well, maybe the usual thing is "an orcess raped my father" "you were raped?" "well, at first..."

Yeah, we don't get enough of those...

Say, back in the Across Eberron booklet, isn't the narrator character a half-orc bard?

 

[el-remmen]

Just read "The Story of Ratchis"

 

[Jdvn1]

My first character was a Half-Orc Fighter, but I roleplayed my stats which were good. A lot of people judged me when they saw me, since I was a Half-Orc, but once I cracked a joke and smiled my big toothy smile, nervous laughters broke out and tension released...

I was a big, friendly Half-Orc that could take down almost any other Fighter. I had something like 8 or 9 attacks per round, I didn't need to worry about Intimidate.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

I had something like 8 or 9 attacks per round

What?

You know, when we mean half-orc, we speak of orc-human hybrids, not orc-spider, so no multiweapon fighting with 6 limbs

 

[Azgulor]

I know the traditional role of orcs and their half-human offspring in the fantasy setting. Everyone knows about orcs. Repeating the details of their less-than-genteel society would be pointless.

But when you play a half-orc character, does he (or she) always follow type? Is it assumed that a 50-percent cut of orc blood must lead the person to act and look a certain way?

Or do you seek ways to break the mold and play an uncommon half-orc?

Rarely, actually. My experience has been that if a half-orc is to integrate with a group of "typicial" adventurers, he better be embracing his civilized half. They usually have a mean streak a mile-wide, however. I ran a half-orc fighter/rogue (i.e. assassin) and a cleric in this fashion.

In my current campaign, the players have identified the only half-orc encountered thus far as the BBEG (or rather, the highest ranking BBEG lieutenant). He's not what I would consider a traditional half-orc. He is a barbarian/cleric/knight. (Using S&S's Excalibur Knight class).

 

[Seeten]

My half-orc barbarian 2/fighter 5 has a 14 int, charisma 12, and is intelligent, well spoken, and stronger than an ox. He gets mad, but his fighting style is more skill than wild flailing, and his grasp on tactics is strong. He comes up with battle plans, he makes fun of the wizard's cowardly nature with barbs and sarcasm, and is mildly superstitious, based on his past(and his horrendous will save).

I used the stereotype to get a template for a starting point to "break out" of. He is something of all the stereotypes, but it doesnt define him, just where he started from. He swings a greataxe, but he does so with power and skill both. I like the challenge.