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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Yaarel" data-source="post: 9226857" data-attributes="member: 58172">Here is a tentative writeup for the Orc species, and for it, setting-specific cultural backgrounds. The design goal is to preserve D&D traditional flavors for Orc while avoiding racist stereotypes. I also tweak the Orc species description. The species needs to be as setting-neutral as possible, to plug as-is into any D&D setting, especially any homebrew setting. Meanwhile it is important to decouple the entire Orc species from the flavor of the "undeniably Evil" Gruumsh. Oppositely, the setting-specific backgrounds dig deep into the default Forgotten Realms setting flavor, with some adaptation to highlight distinctive cultural groups. Using the Players Handbook for a setting other than Forgotten Realms is a matter of removing and adding pertinent backgrounds. A background is a building block. The cultures and worlds are made out of backgrounds. Backgrounds are the details and flavors of a setting, coming to life as player-facing options. For the Orc species description, I add the Advantage mechanic to the Adrenaline Rush trait, in order to apply it to more circumstances including social and intellectual challenges. Here adrenaline includes heightened focus, such as analyzing a clue or engaging a social challenge like speaking in front of an audience. Here the Orc Size can be Large. (I feel the Human should be able too. Large and Small Humans are rare but they exist and are obviously human.) Large has no mechanics in itself, but other mechanics might refer to it. (Exactly the how to balance Large Size can be figured out elsewhere − and its balance needs to be figured out anyway.)S P E C I E SORC[SPOILER="Orc Species Description"]Orcs are a Humanoid species of Giant, relating to Ogre. Comparing to other Giants, they enjoy a reputation for being smaller and fiercer, with extraordinary resilience, determination, and quick response.Comparing to other Humanoids, Orcs tend toward tall and massive. The complexions can be any shade of greenish, especially grayish, and ranging from pale to dark. The ears are small and slightly pointy. Prominent lower canines protrude upward like small tusks. The nose tends toward flat and narrow.Orcs often experience sudden and profound surges of adrenaline. They channel their spikes of power to face any challenge, to focus concentration, meet new people, do financial trading, engage competitive sports, seek the thrills of a daredevil stunt, urgently escape danger, and fight. Many Orcs relish in the intensity of life, while some seek out tranquility.ORC TRAITSCreature Type: Humanoid GiantSize: About 7 feet tall on average, Medium (5−8 feet) or Large (8−9 feet)Speed: 30 feetLifespan: Adulthood around 20 with life expectancy about 80 years on averageAs an Orc, you have these special traits.Adrenaline Rush. You surge with sudden energy. You gain advantage on all d20 tests until your next turn, gain a number of Temporary Hit Points equal to your Proficiency Bonus, and can take the Dash Action as a Bonus Action. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest. When you choose, your eyes can glow red during the round of your Rush.Darkvision. You have Darkvision with a range of 60 feet.Powerful Build. The body is massive. You count as Large Size when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can lift, push, or drag.Relentless Endurance. Your resilience is astonishing. When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 Hit Point instead. Once you use this trait, you cant do so again until you finish a Long Rest.[/SPOILER]B A C K G R O U N D SOrc Mountainer Hulgorkyn Cultural Backgrounds[Nomadic hunter-gatherer cultures, animism, primal, elementalism, but adding a "typically Chaotic Evil" Orcus faction][SPOILER="Orc Mountainer Hulgorkyn Backgrounds"]MOUNTAIN NOMADAbility Scores Increase: Intelligence, StrengthSkill Proficiencies: Nature, AthleticsToolset Proficiency: Cook, Mason, Painter, Potter, Weaver, or WoodcarverLanguage: Giant (Hulgorkyn Orcish Dialect)Feat: Elemental TouchedThe Orc is a Humanoid Giant species, relating to the Ogre. The species originates in the northwest of the continent of Faerun, at the Rauvin Mountains, northeast from the High Forest. Today, the Mountainer cultures of the indigenous Orcs flourish across most mountain ranges in Northwest Faerun, including Nether, World Spine, and Sword. These animistic nomads continue ancient ways of life while adapting to new challenges. Typically, the Mountainers travel on foot as an extended family, a kinship averaging about 26 people, such as 10 adults, yet ranging from about 4 to 100 people depending on scarcity to abundance. Many adopt Nonorc species as family members. Each kinship migrates seasonally around its own route of sites across several mountain ranges. They dwell in hand-crafted tents, tho some families circuit permanent structures. Altho migrating several mountain ranges, each kinship tends to consider one mountain range home, where they bury their dead and visit their sacred ancestor ancestors. Mountainers tend to preserve a native Old Faith that lacks gods and temples. They recognize the various features of Material nature − the shapes of rocks, the flowing streams, the blanketing night − as living mindful persons, who are members kinships that are part of the Mountainer communities. To respect, care for, and protect each member of ones community is a sacred duty. Each kinship develops personal relationships with particular natural phenomena.ELEMENTAL TOUCHEDBackground FeatYour companionship with the neighboring minds of nature, the landscapes and the weather patterns, imbues you with Elemental affinity. You know the Commune with Nature spell and can cast it without a spell slot out to 90 feet. You can cast it this way again after a Long Rest. You also gain a cantrip of your choice, whose effect you can personalize to express your attunement with rocks, waters, winds, lights in the sky, and plants. You can cast the spell and the cantrip innately (without spell components and with chosen casting ability, including when using any spell slots to cast it).RAUVIN HUNTERAbility Scores Increase: Strength, WisdomSkill Proficiencies: Athletics and one from Perception, Survival, or Animal HandlingToolset Proficiency: Cook, Leatherworker, or Rider of a MountLanguage: Giant (Hulgorkyn Orcish Dialect)Feat: Savage Attacker (your Unarmed Strike Damage increases to your Strength + 1d6 bludgeoning or slashing, and you can also use this Unarmed Strike Damage for your Savage Attacks instead of a Weapon)The indigenous Orc culture of the Rauvin Mountains traditionally hunts animals by wrestling and subduing them with bare hands. Every part of the animal is used, whether for food or other resources. Some kinships hunt regularly this way. Many kinships of the Rauvin tribe and of other Mountainer cultures across other mountain ranges do this hunt as an annual sacred event, to celebrate physical power and daring. It is common to see Nonorc Humanoids also participate in these events. Also, many hunters learn to wrangle and ride bareback the larger wild animals, gaining a friend to help them hunt.MANY-ARROWS HEALERAbility Scores Increase: Wisdom, IntelligenceSkill Proficiencies: Medicine and either Survival or NatureToolset Proficiency: HerbalistLanguage: Giant (Hulgorkyn Orcish Dialect)Feat: ChefAlignment: Typically GoodMany-Arrows is an Orc tribe that is native along the World Spine mountain range in the far northwest of the continent of Faerun. They are one of the nomadic Mountainer Orc cultures, but after winning lengthy territorial wars, some of the kinships of the Many-Arrows tribe are in a process of settling down, building towns, and recently forming the Monarchy of Many-Arrows. Kinships from other Orc cultures and even other Humanoid species are also becoming citizens of this tribal nation. Many-Arrows healers tend to blend sacred ancestral healing customs, with recent healing techniques that the other cultures introduce. The medical training includes finding and preparing various plants, and applying balms and dosages appropriately, to enhance the activities of the body. They treat all ill and injured, first the members of ones own kinship who are often healers as well, then any others who they can. They also fortify hunters and warriors for their upcoming efforts.ORCUS INITIATEAbility Scores Increase: Wisdom, IntelligenceSkill Proficiencies: Religion, ArcanaToolset Proficiency: PoisonerLanguage: AbyssalFeat: Shadow Touched (without score increase) or Undead CompanionAlignment: Typically Chaotic EvilOrcus the Fiend of Undeath is taboo among many Mountainer Orc cultures. Folkbeliefs and cautionary tales feature it. Mountainers tend to view reincarnation within the Material Plane as the natural cycle, and Orcus waits to capture those whose lives go wrong. Traditionally, Mountainers visit their sacred burial sites to share love with their ancestral parents, and sometimes to seek advice their nearby incarnations as the dust of the earth and as the breaths of the sky. Once buried, it is forbidden to disturb their bodily remains. For curiosity, to freeze ones reincarnation, or to inflict horrifying vengeance, some individuals and some outcast families seek out Orcus among the desecrations of the resting dead. These necromancers, often powerful, terrify many Mountainers. A group of necromancers often band together as an adoptive kinship of gloom and rot and decaying tents, with Undead members among them. There are tales of a Negative Journey, thru a Shadow Crossing into the underworld, and from there a place into the Deep Shadow, where Orcus arrives to meet the necromancers.UNDEAD COMPANIONBackground FeatYour desecrating the dead draws the attention of undeath, which changes you. You know the Find Familiar spell. You can cast it as a necromancy, as an action without a spell slot. When you do so, you must have the corpse, at least the bones, of the qualifying Beast before you. Its mindfulness awakens and animates its remains. It is an Undead, but otherwise conforms to the statistics of the Find Familiar spell. Additionally, when you take the Attack action, you can forgo one of your own attacks to allow your familiar to make one of its own attacks with its Reaction. At level 3, your familiar can instead be a Skeleton of Medium Size (upto 9 feet tall), whose corpse is before you and whose mind is willing. Note, the corpse can be of a newly fallen member of your party. The Skeleton has an independent will and can refuse your commands, behaving as it normally would, as a mockery of its former life. You can cast this spell in this way again after a Long Rest, but only one familiar at a time.[/SPOILER]Orc Grasslander Daraktan Cultural Backgrounds[Farming cultures, national armies, polytheism, divine, but adding a "typically Chaotic Evil" Gruumsh faction]. . .Orc Underdarker Orog Cultural Backgrounds[City cultures, technology, transcendent monotheism, enlightenment, arcane, but adding a "typically Neutral Evil" faction]. . .</blockquote>

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