Homebrew Tiefling Half-Orc Species Details

“But you do see the way people look at you, devil’s child.”

Those black eyes, cold as a winter storm, were staring right into her heart and the sudden seriousness in his voice jolted her.

“What is it they say?” he asked. “One’s a curiosity, two’s a conspiracy —”

“Three’s a curse,” she finished. “You think I haven’t heard that rubbish before?”

“I know you have.” When she glared at him, he added, “It’s not as if I’m plumbing the depths of your mind, dear girl. That is the burden of every tiefling. Some break under it, some make it the millstone around their neck, some revel in it.” He tilted his head again, scrutinizing her, with that wicked glint in his eyes. “You fight it, don’t you? Like a little wildcat, I wager. Every little jab and comment just sharpens your claws.”

— Erin M. Evans, Brimstone Angels

It's a joyous occasion to orcs when a Tiefling half-orc is brought in to their hoard. A human with a bloodline curse having a child with an orc is incredibly unlikely, but when it happens, there's usually a shift in the power dynamic the half-orc would usually have inherited. Often claiming high ranks and trust among orcs, their towering height often intimidates other orcs, especially with their gargantuan tusks rising above their head, commanding respect. 

Hellishly Built

Tiefling half-orcs’ red/violate pigmentation, sloping forehead, prominent jutting jaw, horn-like tusks, and towering builds make their orcish heritage plain for all to see, and their fiendish blood more terrifying to others. Tiefling half-orcs stand between 6 and 7 feet tall and usually weigh between 200 and 280 pounds.

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 slave or a disgraced exile. Any Tiefling 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. Such a half-orc living among humans might display these scars proudly or hide them in shame.

The Mark of Gruumsh

The one-eyed god Gruumsh created the orcs, and even those orcs who turn away from his worship can’t fully escape his influence. The same is true of half-orcs, though their human blood moderates the impact of their orcish heritage. 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. Half-orcs are not evil by nature, but evil does lurk within them, whether they embrace it or rebel against it.

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 bodily 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. The most accomplished half-orcs are those with enough self-control to get by in a civilized land.

Tribes and Slums

Half-orcs most often live among orcs. Of the other races, humans are most likely to accept half-orcs, and half-orcs almost always live in human lands when not living among orc tribes. Whether proving themselves among rough barbarian tribes or scrabbling to survive in the slums of larger cities, half-orcs get by on their physical might, their endurance, and the sheer determination they inherit from their human ancestry.

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. For some, the chosen name is a noble quest. For others, it’s a grim destiny.

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

“Virtue” Names: Art, Carrion, Chant, Creed, Despair, Excellence, Fear, Glory, Hope, Ideal, Music, Nowhere, Open, Poetry, Quest, Random, Reverence, Sorrow, Temerity, Torment, Weary

Mutual Mistrust

People tend to be suspicious of tieflings, assuming that their infernal heritage has left its mark on their personality and morality, not just their appearance. Shopkeepers keep a close eye on their goods when tieflings enter their stores, the town watch might follow a tiefling around for a while, and demagogues blame tieflings for strange happenings. The reality, though, is that a tiefling’s bloodline doesn’t affect his or her personality to any great degree. Years of dealing with mistrust does leave its mark on most tieflings, and they respond to it in different ways. Some choose to live up to the wicked stereotype, but others are virtuous. Most are simply very aware of how people respond to them. After dealing with this mistrust throughout youth, a tiefling often develops the ability to overcome prejudice through charm or intimidation.

A tiefling half-orc living in human society will often demonstrate grand generosity and great feats of kindness to prove that their intimidating appearance is not all they are, whether this is deception or not depends on the being in question.

Tiefling Half-Orc Traits

Your half-orc character has certain traits deriving from your orc ancestry, however, corrupted by your infernal bloodline.

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 but stagnate at the age of 50, where their ageing slows down enough to slightly, but noticeable live just longer than humans.

Alignment

Tiefling half-orcs inherit a tendency toward chaos from their orc parents and are not strongly inclined toward good. Tiefling half-orcs raised among orcs and willing to live out their lives among them are usually evil. Tiefling half-orcs are usually proudly accepted by orcs as a sign of strength, though due to their human half, they often choose a different path. If raised in human civilisation, the Tiefling half-orc will usually end up chaotic, even if they may not have a tendency towards evil, their blood certainly encourages it.

Size

Tiefling half-orcs are much larger and bulkier than humans, being slightly larger than other Half-orcs and they range from 6 to well over 7 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.

Frightening Physique

You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill and you have resistance to fire.

Infernal Attacks

You know the thaumaturgy cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the hellish rebuke spell as a 2nd-level spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, when you score a critical hit with a spell, you can roll one of the spell's damage dice one additional time and add it to the extra damage of a critical hit, this can only be done once per long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Infernal 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.