
Half-Orc
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Species Details
The warchief Mhurren roused himself from his sleeping-furs and his women and pulled a short hauberk of heavy steel rings over his thick, well-muscled torso. He usually rose before most of his warriors, since he had a strong streak of human blood in him, and he found the daylight less bothersome than most of his tribe did. Among the Bloody Skulls, a warrior was judged by his strength, his fierceness, and his wits. Human ancestry was no blemish against a warrior—provided he was every bit as strong, enduring, and bloodthirsty as his full-blooded kin. Half-orcs who were weaker than their orc comrades didn’t last long among the Bloody Skulls or any other orc tribe for that matter. But it was often true that a bit of human blood gave a warrior just the right mix of cunning, ambition, and self-discipline to go far indeed, as Mhurren had. He was master of a tribe that could muster two thousand spears, and the strongest chief in Thar.
Whether united under the leadership of a mighty warlock or having fought to a standstill after years of conflict, orc and human communities, sometimes form alliances. When these alliances are sealed by marriages, half-orcs are born. Some half-orcs rise to become proud leaders of orc communities. Some venture into the world to prove their worth. Many of these become adventurers, achieving greatness for their mighty deeds.
Scarred and Strong
Half-orcs exhibit a blend of orcish and human characteristics, and their appearance varies widely. Grayish skin tones and prominent teeth are the most common shared elements among these folk.
Orcs regard battle scars as tokens of pride and ornamental scars as things of beauty. Other scars, though, mark an orc or half-orc as a former prisoner or a disgraced exile. Any half-orc who has lived among or near orcs has scars, whether they are marks of humiliation or of pride, recounting their past exploits and injuries.
The Mark of Gruumsh
The one-eyed god Gruumsh—lord of war and fury—created the first orcs, and even those orcs who turn away from his worship carry his blessings of might and endurance. The same is true of half-orcs. Some half-orcs hear the whispers of Gruumsh in their dreams, calling them to unleash the rage that simmers within them. Others feel Gruumsh’s exultation when they join in melee combat — and either exult along with him or shiver with fear and loathing.
Beyond the rage of Gruumsh, half-orcs feel emotion powerfully. Rage doesn’t just quicken their pulse, it makes their bodies burn. An insult stings like acid, and sadness saps their strength. But they laugh loudly and heartily, and simple pleasures — feasting, drinking, wrestling, drumming, and wild dancing — fill their hearts with joy. They tend to be short-tempered and sometimes sullen, more inclined to action than contemplation and to fighting than arguing. And when their hearts swell with love, they leap to perform acts of great kindness and compassion.
Half-Orc Names
Half-orcs usually have names appropriate to the culture in which they were raised. A half-orc who wants to fit in among humans might trade an orc name for a human name. Some half-orcs with human names decide to adopt a guttural orc name because they think it makes them more intimidating.
Male Orc Names: Dench, Feng, Gell, Henk, Holg, Imsh, Keth, Krusk, Mhurren, Ront, Shump, Thokk
Female Orc Names: Baggi, Emen, Engong, Kansif, Myev, Neega, Ovak, Ownka, Shautha, Sutha, Vola, Volen, Yevelda
Half-Orc Traits
Your half-orc character has certain traits deriving from your orc ancestry.Ability Score Increase
Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.
Age
Half-orcs mature a little faster than humans, reaching adulthood around age 14. They age noticeably faster and rarely live longer than 75 years.
Size
Half-orcs are somewhat larger and bulkier than humans, and they range from 5 to well over 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision
Thanks to your orc blood, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Menacing
You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill.
Relentless Endurance
When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
Savage Attacks
When you score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, you can roll one of the weapon’s damage dice one additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and Orc. Orc is a harsh, grating language with hard consonants. It has no script of its own but is written in the Dwarvish script.
I myself personally am about to start a campaign playing as a half-orc barbarian farmer. I couldn't choose between fighter, Barbarian, or Monk ( monk probably being the obvious choice) because my character is going to be using farming implements as weapons and or anything in arms reach.
These big guys any Meele weapon + a 20 roll
half-orc druid 👌
Well I imagine your character's pretty under-powered then, but that could make for good role play.
hey Atvior,
i just started a half-orc cleric. very martial life domain.
oh yeah....she's got issues
I'm pretty sure this isn't the best place for this question but I kind of just put 2+2 together while trying to figure out why I was having so much trouble looking up my abilities on my mobile devices. Are the Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron versions of classes and races being fazed out/becoming inaccessible on D&D Beyond?
But have you ever thought of making one a prize fighter?
why?
They are good blood hunters
Something I'm confused on is why, when you are making a Half-Orc character in the Character Builder, Common and Orc aren't language options... Like, am I blind or missing something?
I had a friend that that rolled a Half Orc Bard who was a stand up comic with a Harmonica... belly laughter every session... good times...
I'm currently playing a half-orc monk built as a grappler/brawler, multiclassed with a few levels of druid. He's far and away the most fun character I've ever played.
Try a half orc totem of the bear and then go blood hunter with blood curse of mitral suffering. I’ve been playing him from level one to ten with a DM who ups the encounters and still he is still haven’t been knocked out!
Dwarven since their language use Dwarven script, assuming if the local clan didn't suffer raids from Orcs (not to mention racial enmity between Orcs and Dwarves in many settings).
Elves? Gruumsh called extermination of all elves as his decree after losing an eye to Elven god.
Undercommon and Draconic might be good, assuming if Drows are part of Gruumsh's "no elves" order for the former.
I'm in the process of creating one actually!
Some notes on critical hits, this assumes a two-handed weapon for maximum damage.
Barbarian
Fighter, Champion
Going fighter, champion over barbarian will give you earlier (in levels) more reliable, higher damage output and an increased chance to make use of Savage Attacks. But hitting critically with a barbarian will feel very rewarding when you eventually critically hit.
Ovak the bagpipe playing bard
Orc Monk - what do you think?
strangely enough this Race speaks to me ......in orcish and common
I'm going to be trying out a Half-Orc barbarian sorcerer multiclass character.