Homebrew Dwarf-Orc Species Details

Orc and dwarf communities sometimes form alliances. When these alliances are sealed by marriages, dwarf-orcs are born. Some dwarf-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

Dwarf-orcs exhibit a blend of orcish and dwarven 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 dwarf-orc as a former prisoner or a disgraced exile. Any dwarf-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 dwarf-orcs. Some dwarf-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, dwarf-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.

Dwarf-Orc Names

Dwarf-orcs usually have names appropriate to the culture in which they were raised. A dwarf-orc who wants to fit in among dwarves might trade an orc name for a dwarf name. Some dwarf-orcs with dwarven 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

Dwarf-Orc Traits

Your dwarf-orc character has certain traits deriving from your orc ancestry.

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength score increases by 1 and your Constitution score increases by 2.

Age

Dwarf-orcs mature a little faster than dwarves, reaching adulthood around age 14. They age noticeably faster and rarely live longer than 260 years.

Size

Dwarf-orcs are about as large and bulky as dwarves, and they range from less than 5 to around 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

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.

Stonecunning

Whenever you make an Intelligence (History) check related to the origin of stonework, you are considered proficient in the History skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.

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.