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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Moonstone Spider" data-source="post: 2839050" data-attributes="member: 40079">I was putting together a low-power game scenario the other day in which a key event would be two dozen orcs (Bog standard ones) attacking and slaughtering (Unless the PC's helped) a villiage of around 50 human commoners.Just one problem, when I ran the numbers I realized the Orcs were going to die horribly from the commoners alone.  How are the Orcs as written a threat to commoner humans?  Observe:Commoners have a decent number of skill points and both listen and Spot are class skills for a commoner.  Meanwhile Orcs with their low intelligence have a miserable selection of skill points and don't have move silently or hide.  So the couple of humans wandering around with lanterns and shouting "All's Well!" are probably going to see the Orcs coming and alert the town, it's quite possible that the Orcs will actually walk into an ambush.A commoner can only use one weapon from the simple list with any proficiency.  I figure a first level commoner can't afford a crossbow and most weapons will be improvised farming or hunting tools, daggers, sickles, and slings with some quarterstaves, spears, and clubs thrown in.  With only 5HP for the Orc, most of those weapons have the potential to be instant death to an orc in one hit if the human rolls decently, and all of them will kill by the second hit.  The Orc has only significantly better chances of getting a hit in since he has studded armor and a BAB 1 point higher, so one Orc IS a match for a level 1 commoner (And is almost certain to kill in one hit) but it's no sure thing, and at two to one the Orcs get slaughtered.  And the bonus feat the humans all have means they have far more options, although I assume most commoners are probably going to have things like a skill focus on a craft or service skill a few will surely have been draftees in some fight or another and picked up some combat feats.And this is Orc raiders vs. Farmers with pitchforks and knives, not Orcs vs. human warriors with gear to match an orc. How did these guys ever manage to become a threat?</blockquote>

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