Homebrew Olog-hai Species Details
To feel the thunder of an Olog-hai’s footsteps outside the gate and to hear a chorus of voices growling and chanting is the nightmare of every civilized place in the world. For no matter how thick its walls, skilled its archers, or brave its knights, few settlements have ever withstood a full-scale onslaught of Olog-hai.
Every soldier who lives through a fight with Olof-hai tells of confronting a hulking foe that can crush a warrior with a single blow, part of a force that can cut down enemies as though they were trembling stalks of wheat before the scythe. Only a skilled and determined part can hope to survive single combat with an Olog-hai.
Savage and fearless, Olog-hai are ever in search of elves, dwarves, and humans to destroy. Motivated by their hatred of the civilized races of the world and their need to satisfy the demands of their dark lord, the Olog-hai know that if they fight well and bring glory to their dark lord they shall be rewarded hansomly.
Life in the Tribe
Orcs survive through savagery and force of numbers. Theirs is a life that has no place for weakness, and every warrior must be strong enough to take what is needed by force. Orcs aren’t interested in treaties, trade negotiations or diplomacy. They care only for satisfying their insatiable desire for battle, to smash their foes and appease their gods.
Future Warriors
Young Olog-hai must mature quickly in order to survive their perilous upbringing. Their early years are fraught with tests of strength, fierce competition and war. From the time a child can wield a stick or a crude hammer, it asserts itself and defends itself while learning to fight, to survive in the wild, and to fear the dark lord.
The children that can’t endure the rigors of a life of combat are culled from the main body of the tribe, taken into the depths of the fort, and left As food for hungry caragors. A fully grown Olog-hai warrior is well prepared for a lifetime of combat.
Search,Destroy,Repeat
When the dark lords armies are on the move, Olog-hai warriors scour the surrounding landscape for any opportunity to spill blood and bring glory to their dark lord. Often, bands of warriors work Randomly, with one group heading out on a raid just as another group returns, laden with severed heads, sacks of loot, and armfuls of food.
The territory that Olog-hai war parties cover can extend for many miles around the lair, and any encampment or settlement of elves, dwarves, or humans in that area is at risk. If Olog-hai come upon a target that is much greater in size, they will attack directly: with ferocity. Olog-hai whose hunger for battle is not quenched sufficiently will lurk along supply routes, taking out their frustration on caravans and travelers. Left unchecked, a party can subsist on this sort of prey and booty for quite some time.
colours of conquest
Three colors have special meaning to all Olog-hai warriors, and they adorn their bodies, possessions, and houses with pigments that produce those hues. Red ochre is used to represent blood, grayish-white ash to represent death, and charcoal to represent darkness.
The unwritten laws that govern the status of individual Olog-hai within a tribe are manifested to a degree in how each Olog-hai uses these colors on itself and its personal items. For instance, a captain or warlord in one fort might be the only one that has the right to stain its body with red ochre, while the warriors of another tribe rub streaks of ash into their garments to signify their safe return from a battle.
The gaze of the One Eye brings madness to many an Olog-hai.
Roleplaying an Olog-hai
Most Olog-hai have been indoctrinated into a life of destruction and slaughter.
No matter how passive an Olog-hai might seem, its blood lust flows just beneath the surface. With its instinctive love of battle and its desire to prove its strength to its dark lord.
Olog-hai Personality Traits
| d6 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I never relinquish my weapon. |
| 2 | I welcome any chance to prove my battle skills. |
| 3 | I always appear like I am about to kill everyone around me. |
| 4 | I love a good brawl. |
| 5 | I drink the blood of monsters to consume their power. |
| 6 | I chant orcish war dirges during combat. |
Orc Ideals
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Strength. Showing superior strength brings honor to the dark lord, Sauron. (Evil) |
| 2 | Prowess. Killing all your enemies is the path to greatness. (Evil) |
| 3 | Dominance. I will have achieved glory when all cower before my might. (Evil) |
| 4 | Intimidation. I can get what I want from weaklings that fear me. (Evil) |
| 5 | Glory. The goals of the tribe don’t concern me. Personal glory is what I crave. (Chaotic) |
| 6 | Savagery. I will not be controlled by the enemy. (Chaotic) |
Orc Bonds
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I will defend my tribe to the death. |
| 2 | Every serious choice I make must be decided by signs or omens from the dark lord himself. |
| 3 | I carry the teeth of a great warrior. They inspire me to commit great deeds in battle. |
| 4 | To avenge the dark lord, I will kill every elf I see. |
| 5 | I will seek and destroy those who murdered my brigade in battle. |
| 6 | I owe my survival to a fellow warrior. |
Orc Flaws
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I have a calm temperament and let insults roll off my back. |
| 2 | I don’t fear the gods and have no patience for superstitions. |
| 3 | I am slow to anger, but when I do become enraged I fight until my enemies are dead, no matter the cost. |
| 4 | I understand the value of democracy and the order that society brings. |
| 5 | I don’t trust anyone. |
| 6 | I believe in living to fight another day. |
Olog-hai Names
Olog-hai names don’t always have meaning in Black speech, and most noteworthy orcs are given epithets by their tribe mates.
Orc Names
| d12 | Male Name | Female Name | Epithet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ur-hakon | Kansif | The Filthy |
| 2 | Lortar | Ownka | Skull Cleaver |
| 3 | Abzug | Emen | Eye Gouger |
| 4 | Shugog | Sutha | Iron Tusk |
| 5 | Urzul | Myev | Skin Flayer |
| 6 | Ruhk | Neega | Bone Crusher |
| 7 | Az-laar | Baggi | Flesh Ripper |
| 8 | Shamog | Shautha | Doom Hammer |
| 9 | Mugrub | Ovak | Elf Butcher |
| 10 | Argul | Vola | Spine Snapper |
| 11 | Rhorog | Engong | Death Spear |
| 12 | Jahrukk | Volen | The Brutal |
Olog-hai Traits
Your Olog-hai character has the following racial traits.Ability Score Increase
Your Strength score increases by 2, your Intelligence score increases by 1.
Age
Olog-hai reach adulthood at age 12 and live up to 50 years.
Alignment
Olog-hai are vicious killers who follow the will of Sauron. They also respect strength above all else and believe the strong must bully the weak to ensure that weakness does not spread like a disease. They are usually chaotic evil.
Size
Olog-hai are usually over 7 feet tall and weigh between 430 and 480 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
Aggressive
As a bonus action, you can move up to your speed toward an enemy of your choice that you can see or hear. You must end this move closer to the enemy than you started.
Menacing
You are trained in the Intimidation skill.
Powerful Build
You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and Black speech.