Orc


Our present-day conception of an Orc or Ork is one of a race of mythical humanoid creatures, generally described as brutish, aggressive and repulsive, stemming from the writings of Tolkien, where Orcs contrast with the benevolent Elvish race. Tolkien developed his idea of the orc from the Old English term Orcneas. In popular culture (including fantasy fiction and fantasy games), Orcs are variously portrayed. Facial features tend toward the grotesque (generally a mixture of the ape-like and pig-like), and their skin typically varies from black to grey to green, and sometimes red. They may be physically stronger or weaker than humans, but always high in numbers. They often ride boars, wolves, and wargs. In many role-playing and computer games, Orcs have green or greenish skin. The Oxford English Dictionary refers to Orke, used in 1656 in a way that is reminiscent of Giants and Ogres. The word ultimately comes from Latin Orcus, the demonic Roman god of death, who should not to be confused with Pluto, the god of the underworld, and has transformed by several stages from the meanings 'underworld', 'hell', 'devil', 'evil creature' to 'ogre'. Tolkien and the lexicons he used attributed the origin of the doubtful Old English orc to 'Orcus' and in one of his invented languages, the word for orc also had the form Orco.

Since the publication of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Orcs have become a fixture of fantasy fiction and role-playing games, where the Orcs and Goblins are usually considered to be distinct races of Goblinoids. They were once often depicted with pig-like faces, although they were never described as such by Tolkien. In the 1980s, another orc archetype was introduced by the table-top miniature war games Warhammer Fantasy Battle, a heavily muscled, green-skinned barbarian with exaggerated tusks, brow, and lower jaw, whose personality is not so much evil as crudely thuggish, often to a comical degree. This style of Orc has since become popular in a vast number of fantasy settings and games, including a signature of the Warcraft series of computer games and spin-offs.

 

Species Name: Orc, Ork, Orcneas, Orke, Orcus, Orco

Type: Humanoid

Physical Traits: Orcs are large creatures with long arms and short legs, huge slabs of muscle move under tough green skin, and their jaws are lined with vicious fangs that jut out from their underbite. They have beady red eyes, a generally foul demeanour, and are naturally bald. Orcs have tough, thick, green skin which is highly resistant to pain. They can survive even the most horrific of injuries, They are easily noticeable due to their green to grey skin, lupine ears, lower canines resembling boar tusks, and their muscular builds. Orcs stand in a bent over shape making them appear as ape-like humans. Orcs have a slightly stooped posture, a low jutting forehead, and a snout instead of a nose. Orcs have well-developed canine teeth for eating meat and short pointed ears that resemble those of a wolf. Orcish snouts and ears have a slightly pink tinge. Their eyes are human, with a reddish tint that sometimes makes them appear to glow red when they reflect dim light sources in near darkness. This is actually part of their optical system, a pigment which gives them infravision.

Height: 5-7 feet

Weight: 180-280lbs

Abilities: Infravision 60 feet

Mobility: Legs

Sensory Organs: Visual

Communication: Vocal

Reproduction: Sexual. They have a gestation period of 10 months and produce two to three offspring per birth. Infant mortality is high.

INT: 3D6 -1, WIS: 3D6, STR: 3D6 +1, DEX: 3D6, CON: 3D6 +1, CHA: 3D6 -2, MR: 3D6, HPs: CON +D10

Orbit/Climate: See Earth

Feeding Habits: Orcs eat all manner of flesh, including the flesh of Men.

Lifespan: 50 years

Technology: 2

Culture: Hostile, intolerant and aggressive, held in check by strong social customs. They respect power and strength, and naturally tend towards becoming bigger and stronger as they rise through their society. While they lack the education of more advanced races, Orcs possess immense cunning and are quick learners, but rarely adopt new tactics to replace their fondness for close quarters brutality. Orcs communicate through their own language which has been described as a variety of guttural sounds, but they are often shown as capable of speaking humans languages, mostly broken and fragmented.

Orcs are not very intelligent or knowledgeable but are capable of cunning. In combat they can transform even the most common object into a lethal killing instrument. They are extremely warlike, with a society geared towards constant warfare, living in small tribal groups with a strong chain of command. They are known for large, brutal armies of difficult-to-kill troops, usually supported by a variety of units and war machines. The constant need to fight keeps the orcs from forming anything but temporary alliances with one other. This is described in-game as "animosity".

Orc "culture" is dominated by the concept of strength. The strongest and meanest orc is the leader until a stronger orc comes along. There is no law, and therefore no crime. If an orc feels wronged, he can challenge the source of his grievance to a pit fight. Once the fight is over, the matter is considered settled. Orcs have no concept of pity; to an orc, the weak are simply weak, and are beneath them in society. An orc attains a higher social rank by fighting and defeating members of that rank. Because of their bizarre physiology, orcs receive a steady supply of adrenaline when preparing to challenge a superior, causing him to physically increase in size and muscle-mass. An alert superior will spot this occurring and promptly beat the challenger down before he becomes a threat. If the superior fails to notice this development, then a battle inevitably results. Once such a leadership battle is won, the winning orc undergoes an extreme boost in power, gaining up to a dozen pounds of muscle in the wake of the fight.

Bestial and savage, orcs band together as tribes, living on hunting and raiding. Believing that the only way to survive is by expanding their territories, they have developed enmities with many races. Even though they have good relationships with other evil humanoids in times of peace, their chaotic nature stops them from cooperating unless forced to do so by a powerful leader. Orcs live in a patriarchal society, taking pride on how many females and male children they have. Orcs like scars and take pride in exposing them, whether they are of a victory or loss.

Orcs hate direct sunlight and fight at -1 penalty to their attack rolls in sunlight. Their morale decreases by 1 under these circumstances as well. Orcs employ sniping and ambush tactics in the wild. They do not obey the “rules of war” unless such is in their best interests; for example, they will shoot at those who attempt to parlay with them under a white flag unless the orc leader feels it is advantageous to hear what the enemy has to say. They abuse human rules of engagement and chivalry to their best advantage.

It is often believed that orcs are so bloodthirsty and cruel that they are ineffective tacticians and that they would rather be vicious than victorious. Like most stereotypes, this is highly misleading; it is true for some orc tribes but not for all. Many orc tribes have waged wars for decades and have developed a frightening efficiency with battle tactics.

Orc lairs are underground 75% of the time, in a wilderness village 25% of the time. Orc communities range from small forts with 100-400 orcs to mining communities with 500-2,000 orcs to huge cities (partially underground and partially above ground) with 2,000 to 20,000 orcs.  Most lairs above ground are rude villages of wooden huts protected by a ditch, log rampart and log palisade, or more advanced constructions built by other races. The village will have 1-4 watch towers and a single gate. There will be one ballista and one catapult for every 100 adult male orcs.

Orcs are aggressive. They believe other species are inferior to them and that bullying and slavery is part of the natural order. They will cooperate with other species but are not dependable: as slaves, they will rebel against all but the most powerful masters; as allies they are quick to take offense and break agreements. Orcs believe that battle is the ideal challenge, but some leaders are pragmatic enough to recognize the value of peace, which they exact at a high price. If great patience and care are used, orc tribes can be effective trading partners and military allies. Orcs value territory above all else; battle experience, wealth, and number of offspring are other major sources of pride. Orcs are patriarchal; women are fit only to bear children and nurse them. Orcs have a reputation for cruelty that is deserved, but humans are just as capable of evil as orcs. Orcs have marriage customs, but orc males are not noted for their faithfulness.

Government: Tribal Leader

Population: 3,215,250


 

Creating an Orc character

Step 1: Attributes
Roll attributes as normal but INT is -1, STR and CON is +1, CHA is -2. Mana = INT + WIS x3. Mana is recovered at a rate of 10 per hour if remain active (but not using magic) and 20 per hour if asleep. Mana can however be permanently traded for HPs at a rate of 1 for 1. Hit points = CON +10, +10 per level.
Step 2: Skills

Choose skills in the normal manner according to the character's class.
Step 3: Abilities

All Orcs gain all the following free;

Night Vision - The character can see in absolute darkness at a distance of 60 feet.

Additionally Orcs start with 40 Points to spend on any of the following abilities. As they earns more experience they may buy or rebuy more abilities.
Ability Cost Notes
Increased Thac0 5 +1 Thac0 with hand to hand weapons at levels 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19.
Intimidating 10 This character has greater presence, +1 CHA.
Natural Chameleon 5 Using this ability the Orc can blend into and render himself nearly invisible in wooded areas, fields of tall grass, clumps of bushes, or any other area with dark or shaded terrain. When hiding he can conceal himself from attackers and eavesdrop on his enemies. He can hide near a well travelled road and secretly observe passersby, or conceal himself near an enemy campsite waiting for an opportune moment to steal their supplies. 
Natural Mana 10 +10 Mana at levels 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20.
Nature Survival 5 Due to an Orc's extensive experience and training underground they gain +1 to any physical, combat and survival rolls made while within that environment. He may choose an additional terrain at level 5. Terrain types include; Forest/Jungle, Desert, Tundra, Ocean,  Mountain. Forest Orcs begin with Forest/Jungle terrain instead.
SAN Bonus 10 +1 Sanity save at levels 2, 5, 9, 11, 13 and 17.
Smell 10 Smell increases to x1 normal range per 3 WIS with an additional x1 per level. It can be used for smelling poison or impurities in food and beverage. It can also be used to detect and water or food being prepared within the radius.
STR Bonus 10 +1 STR
Willpower Bonus 10 +1 Willpower save at levels 1, 4, 8, 12, 14, 16 and 20.
Witch Sight 10 The character can see the true image of any person or object regardless of any form of concealment, disguise, illusion or invisibility. This also includes the ability to detect whether it is magical, and whether it is harmful or helpful.
Step 4: Classes

Any.

 

Races