Re-balancing the 1/2 Orc for my own campaign (II)

[Thurbane]

Seems like option D.) is favored, then...

 

[Sadrik]

I wanted C and D! So, I just put C to go against the grain.

 

[Nyaricus]

I voted "other".

There were a couple threads a while back that I was involved in which tried to re-baalnce the half-orc. Here's what became of it:

+2 Str, -2 Int. Half-orcs are incrediably strong, but are as dumb as dirt.

medium size

base speed is 30 feet

Darkvision 60 ft

Half-orcs take a -2 penalty on all charisma-based skill checks except intimidate, and may choose (if favourable) to use his Str instead of his Cha for Intimidate checks.

Toughness or Endurance for free (+1 natural armour was nixed; endurance seems to be a favoured one; but i am still undecided on which of the two to impliment)

Racial Weapon Profs: Half-orcs may treat Orcish double axes as martail weapons rather then Exotic.

Orc and Human Blood: a half-orc is considered both a orc and a human for affects that apply to race.

Automatic Languages: Common and Orc. Bonus Languages: stuff.

Favoured Class: Barbarian

I still prefer gicing +1 NAB to them (I do this in my homebrew) but I still like the above version better

cheers,
--N

 

[Storyteller01]

Voted Other. Didn't 'fix' it per se. I did buy Badaxe's half-orc book, then said 'if you're not playing a half-orc, don't bother looking'. There are some great bits in their that make them part of the game, as opposed to walking shields.

The Hoodoo is a personal favorite. Nothing's scarier than watching Gran'ma half-orc come riding into combat on a raging fiendish dire wolf.

 

[Stone Dog]

I am toying with the idea of giving half orcs +1 to all ST checks and ST based skill checks and calling it "brutish frame" or something like that. It isn't quite a +2 to ST directly, but add to that the houseruling that you can use ST to Intimidate instead of CHA for acts of menacing brawn and it might boost them up to be equal but different to orcs themselves.

I wouldn't give them scent though. Neither orcs nor humans have scent and with a WIS penalty orcs aren't as perceptive as other races anyway. I see no reason to give half-orcs traits that neither parent has.

 

[was]

I vote for just dropping the charisma penalty

 

[Felix]

I voted for "as is", but if you're going to do something to give them a little boost, then something along the lines of +4 to Intimidate checks would do nicely. It's a net +3 with the CHA penalty, and that single +3 bonus relates to the elves spot/listen in the same way that Skill Focus relates to Alertness.

But elves do also get a +2 Search... perhaps a +4 Intimidate, and +2 on Strength checks? Sure they get a STR bonus, but how often do Strength checks occur that a bonus like this would be too much?

Bonuses to attack dwarves and elves would work very well for Orcs and make them more playable with their host of mental stat penalties, but I have a hard time figuring that every half-orc would inherit the emnity orcs hold for dwarves and elves.

 

[Wik]

I think they're fine as is. Darkvision is pretty handy, especially compared to low-light vision. And that bonus to strength is great, and emphasizes that half-orcs make great barbarians and fighters - a -2 int and cha doesn't get in the way of that, either.

If you were to change anything, I think it shouldn't be in the ability scores. -2 int and cha make perfect sense to me. +2 to two different skills (intimidate and survival?) would help, and maybe some bonus to attack rolls or even maybe endurance or toughness as a bonus feat.

 

[Darklone]

I like the bonus feat idea. Giving a free feat would be too strong, but one nice themed feat would be good. Scent: too strong. Perhaps Extra Rage (which would only net a benefit if he takes a level of barbarian)?

 

[XO]

Charisma

We apply the negative bonus as a POSIITIVE for Intimidate alone... "So ugly he's scary" approach. Or speak elsewhere, the fetid breath is killing me <choke, tears>

Did someone mention 1/2 Orc sorcerers and bards? Nahhhhhh ! Only play permissible for a half-orc is a starring role in "Death of a Greenie", unless their class is Barbarian, or Frenzied Berserker...