Your take on charismatic half-orcs

[s/LaSH]

I always thought of Klingons as being extremely charismatic. More so than many Federation personnell, in fact. It's that whole self-confidence thing; rather than saying 'I'm a horde member rah rah' they say 'I'm a proud warrior of a proud tradition, I am animal, hear me roar' or something.

Klingons and orcs. Does it make sense?

(PS: The Targ may be strangely applicable to this situation. Think about it.)

 

[The_Gneech]

When the Uruk-Hai were marching towards Amon Hen in FotR, I kept thinking "Klingons" the whole time. It works.

Wouldn't you say the leader of the Uruk-Hai who killed Boromir had plenty of Charisma? He certainly stood out in a crowd!

-The Gneech

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

Well, you've already stated he's a Bard. He's charismatic and smart. Have him riff off of the other player's jabs in a way that makes them look stupid-- and have NPCs pick up on it. He probably knows tons of people-- he'll have to deal with a lot of racism, but just about anyone who really knows him will like him.

He's a Half Orc, so he's already frightening. His opportunity to show his Charisma is in being persuasive and friendly. Reinforce his Intelligence, too. On the other hand, playing up his Orcish side will also make his Charisma more apparent when dealing with humans-- he's got battle scars, which he's proud of, but he's kind and gentle to people who warrant it. When dealing with Orcs, though, see if you can talk him into changing instantly into the kind of person orcs respond to. Then have him change back. It might make the other players nervous about the "dumb orc" crap.

Are the two characters that are feeding him "dumb orc" Human? If so, when one of them pulls it out, have the Half Orc turn to the other and say "Hey, I think he's talking to you." And vice versa. Maybe their orcish heritage is a little more distant, but they're certainly showing it more.

 

[Umbran]

Hm, Mark, about the "jack about physical beauty" and "Physical attractiveness" quotes.

"Attractiveness" does not necessarily equate to "beauty". There are beautiful people who aren't particularly attractive (the old Gilligan's Island Ginger vs Maryanne thing come to mind). There are people who are not beautiful, but are found to be attractive.

Attractiveness has as much or more to do with presence than it has to do with physical form.

In general, high Charisma is easy to do without good looks. Richard Nixon - hefty presence, but in no way, shape, or form could you call the man beautiful. John Goodman - again, projects likeability like there's no tomorrow, but darned few people would cal the man "attractive".

 

[Hypersmurf]

3. Where most half-orcs come out looking rather hideous, in his case, some combination of genetics and luck gave him an almost leonine face. He doesn't look human, but he looks proud and beautiful in his own way, and his noble bearing sets him apart. (uses Diplomacy)

He comes from a secret place, far below the city streets, hiding his face from strangers, safe from hate and harm. He brought me there to save my life...and now, wherever I go, he is with me, in spirit. For we have a bond stronger than friendship or love. And although we cannot be together, we will never, ever be apart.

-Hyp.

 

[hunter1828]

In one of my current games I used a full orc paladin of Tyr with a Charisma of 17 as a major NPC for a while. Aerik Tyrson had been found as an infant by a paladin of Tyr and raised entirely by humans and half-elves in a temple of Tyr.

I used it as an example of nurture over nature and Aerik became very popular with the PCs, to the point that one of the players actually shed tears when I had Aerik sacrifice himself to save the others.

Aerik was not pretty, but he was strong, confidant, likable, witty, commanding and friendly. His high charisma was a reflection of that rather than his physical appeareance.

hunter1828

 

[Mark]

Charisma measures a character's force of personality, persuasivenss, personal magnetism, ability to lead, and physical attractiveness.

 

[CrusaderX]

Being beastial-looking doesn't necessarily mean you're totally ugly.

Think of Beauty and the Beast. Especially the TV show that starred Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman. The Beast was definitely beasty-looking, but women loved him. Vincent (the Beast) was a very charasmatic and charming individual, even though he didn't look at all human.

I can imagine a half-orc whose high charisma stems from a Vincent-like noble soul.

 

[CrusaderX]

He comes from a secret place, far below the city streets, hiding his face from strangers, safe from hate and harm. He brought me there to save my life...and now, wherever I go, he is with me, in spirit. For we have a bond stronger than friendship or love. And although we cannot be together, we will never, ever be apart.

-Hyp.

Heh. I read that after I made my post.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Heh. I read that after I made my post.

Snap

-Hyp.