Half-orc

W hether united under the leadership of a mighty warlock or having fought to a standstill after years of conflict, orc and human tribes som etim es form alliances, joining forces into a larger horde to the terror of civilized lands nearby. W hen these alliances are sealed by marriages, half-orcs are born. S om e half-orcs rise to becom e proud chiefs of orc tribes, their human blood giving them an edge over their full-blooded orc rivals. Som e venture into the w orld to prove their worth am ong humans and other m ore civilized races. Many of these becom e adventurers, achieving greatness for their mighty deeds and notoriety for their barbaric custom s and savage fury.   S c a r r e d a n d S t r o n g Half-orcs’ grayish pigmentation, sloping foreheads, jutting jaws, prominent teeth, and towering builds make their orcish heritage plain for all to see. H alf-orcs stand between 6 and 7 feet tall and usually weigh between 180 and 250 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 half-orc w ho has lived am ong 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 am ong humans might display these scars proudly or hide them in shame.   T h e M a r k o f G r u u m s h The one-eyed god Gruumsh created the orc s, and even those orcs w ho turn away from his w orship can’t fully escape his influence. The sam e is true o f half-orcs, though their human blood m oderates the impact of their orcish heritage. Som e half-orcs hear the w hispers of Gruumsh in their dream s, calling them to unleash the rage that sim m ers within them. Others feel Gruum sh’s   T h e w a r c h i e f M h u r r e n r o u s e d h i m s e l f f r o m h is sleeping-furs and his women and pulled a short hauberk of heavy steel rings over his thick, well-muscled torso. He usually rose before most of his warriors, since he had a strong streak of human blood in him, and he found the daylight less bothersome than most of his tribe did. Among the Bloody Skulls, a warrior was judged by his strength, his fierceness, and his wits. Human ancestry was no blemish against a warrior—provided he was every bit as strong, enduring, and bloodthirsty as his full-blooded kin. Halforcs who were weaker than their orc comrades didn't last long among the Bloody Skulls or any other orc tribe for that matter. But it was often true that a bit of human blood gave a warrior just the right mix of cunning, ambition, and self-discipline to go far indeed, as Mhurren had. He was master of a tribe that could muster two thousand spears, and the strongest chief in Thar. —R ichard Baker, Swordmage exultation w hen they join in m elee com bat—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 em brace 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, drum ming, and wild dancing—fill their hearts with joy. They tend to be short-tempered and som etim es sullen, m ore inclined to action than contemplation and to fighting than arguing. The most accom plished half-orcs are those with enough selfcontrol to get by in a civilized land.   T r i b e s a n d S l u m s H alf-orcs most often live am ong orc s. Of the other races, hum ans are m ost likely to accept half-orcs, and halforcs alm ost always live in human lands w hen not living am ong orc tribes. W hether proving themselves am ong rough barbarian tribes or scrabbling to survive in the slum s of larger cities, half-orcs get by on their physical might, their endurance, and the sheer determination they inherit from their human ancestry.   H a l f - O r c N a m e s H alf-orcs usually have nam es appropriate to the culture in w hich they w ere raised. A half-orc w ho wants to fit in am ong humans might trade an orc name for a human name. S om e half-orcs with human nam es decide to adopt a guttural orc nam e because they think it makes them m ore 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   H a l f - O r c T r a i t s Your half-orc character has certain traits deriving from your ore ancestry. hate orcs. Some are reserved, trying not to draw attention to themselves. A few demonstrate piety and good-heartedness as publicly as they can (whether or not such demonstrations are genuine). And some simply try to be so tough that others just avoid them.   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 and rarely live longer than 75 years.   Alignment. H alf-orcs inherit a tendency toward chaos from their orc parents and are not strongly inclined toward good. Half-orcs raised am ong ores and willing to live out their lives am ong them are usually evil.   Size. H alf-orcs are som ewhat larger and bulkier than humans, and they range from 5 to well over 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.   Speed. Your base w alking 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 w ere bright light, and in darkness as if it w ere dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades o f gray.   Menacing. You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill.   Relentless Endurance. W hen 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. W hen you score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, you can roll one of the w eapon’s damage dice one additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.   Languages. You can speak, read, and write Com m on 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.