Homebrew Half Elf and Half Orc Species Details
Few races share a hatred of each other like the orcs and elves. In many ways they are opposites. One beautiful, the other grotesque. One strong, and one agile. One intelligent, one that could not think its way out of a parchment satchel. The truth is this contempt runs deeper than their differences, their blood and their history. This is a hatred that weeps from their very gods, and any pitiful creature born of an unthinkable union between them is doomed to a life of anguish.
Strong, agile and utterly unpredictable, an elf-orc is formidable yet despised by both their parent races. Those born to elven mothers are sometimes raised in secret, or taken to human lands and raised there instead. Those born to orc mothers aren't usually allowed to live. The loathing between these races cuts to the very core of their being, and the rare child sired between them is condemned to the life of an outcast.
Dexterous Yet Durable
Elf-orcs are blessed with the beauty of elves, marred only by jutting jaws, prominent teeth and a slight hunch to their build. Elf-orcs stand between 6 to 7 feet tall yet lack the broad, bulky bodies of their orc parent, instead having slim builds with their natural muscle wrapped tightly beneath the flesh. Their skin tones tend to reflect that of their elven parent tinged with a grayish, dulling hint.
There is an almost elegant quality to their purposeful movements, reminiscent of lion or tiger—powerful, yet precise and fluid. Elf-orcs are not as strong as full orcs, nor as agile as pure elves, they instead embody a near-perfect balance between might and speed. They are impulsive and erratic, making them all but impossible to anticipate in battle; a trait which earns the respect of some of their parent races, if not their acceptance.
Turmoil Within
The elf-orcs are a people that not only struggle with others, but also conflict with themselves. The whispers of the orc god Gruumsh do not directly reach their minds, kept at bay by their fey ancestry, yet his influence still burns in each and every elf-orc. It's this influence with amplifies their already chaotic tendencies, a gift also of their elf blood, and sees them act on instinct—unpredictable but often reckless, with little regard for law and order. It drives them to violence, and only the fine control granted by their elven heritage allows them to—mostly—rein in these urges.
Likewise, their elf blood steers them toward doing good—a task made difficult by the fact that they are widely shunned, along with their vicious cravings and aloof nature. These often futile desires commonly lead to frustration, and see more elf-orcs maintain a neutral or evil alignment than any form of good.
Misunderstood by their parents and almost every other race, including other part-orc people, elf-orcs feel most at ease among tieflings who know what is to be scorned by the masses. The few elf-orcs in existence often find a home among the slums of human cities or wander the lands as lone drifters. Those with power who come to accept elf-orcs find them to be both capable and efficient, often employing them as personal bodyguards, lethal assassins, bounty hunters or shock troops.
Elf-Orc Names
Elf-orcs are given names fitting to where they were raised. Those raised by a reclusive elf will have an elven name, whilst one raised by an exiled orc will bear a more gutteral sounding, orc name. Alternatively, like tieflings, some elf-orcs adopt a "virtue" name based on a word that they feel signifies their struggle to survive, or an important goal to them.
Look between elf names, orc names, and tiefling "virtue" names and choose one for your character.
Those given away to be raised by others, whether to guardians from another race, a monastery or faction order, or otherwise, could have any name relevant to those.
Half Elf and Half Orc Traits
Your elf-orc character has certain traits deriving from your mixed ancestry.Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common, Elvish, and Orc.
Ability Score Increase
Your Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores each increase by 1.
Age
Elf orcs mature quickly due to their orc heritage, usually at the age of 14. Their elven heritage, however, increases their lifespans, and they have been known to live up to the age of 200.
Alignment
Half-elves share the chaotic bent of their elven heritage. They value both personal freedom and creative expression, demonstrating neither love of leaders nor desire for followers. They chafe at rules, resent others’ demands, and sometimes prove unreliable, or at least unpredictable.
Size
Elf orcs bridge the physique between elf and orc and are easily about 5 to over 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Hybrid Physiology
Aggressive. As a bonus action, you can move up to your speed toward a hostile creature that you can see.
Elf Weapon Training. You have proficiency with the longsword, shortsword, shortbow, and longbow.
Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.
Keen Senses. You have proficiency in the Perception skill.
Menacing. You have 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.
Trance. Elves don't need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. (The Common word for such meditation is “trance.”) While meditating, you can dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive through years of practice. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep.
Darkvision
Thanks to your mixed 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.
Comments