Orc

"Commander Tor'uk, twelve enemy ships approaching!". The Orcish commander looks down at his battleship crew "Hold the line" he says calmly. Tor'uk can hear the nervous breathing from amongst his shipmates, but he remains undeterred. "Commander, they appear to be carrying pulse bombs. Enough to blow this ship in two" the younger orc yells. "Hold the line" Commander Tor'uk says again, "Shields up and at the ready". The ships draw closer, full speed ahead. Sweat builds on the crews faces as the enemy combatants outnumber them. Tor'uk holds firm, with a stern unwavering face. The ships race closer, their weapons glowing with energy ready to fire. The young oak looks back at the captain one more time... BOOM! ...from the asteroid field a missile fires. Hordes of orcish fighter ships emerge to engage the enemy. Smaller but more numerous, they swarm the ships and cut through the defenses from the side. "We hold the line" the commander says a final time, "the most likely cause of a plan failing is not sticking with it in the first place".

Large and imposing, it would be bad enough if the orcs were a dumb brutish species. The fact that the orcs are some of the brightest, most tactical military minds in the galaxy is what keeps all other intelligent species on edge. The Orcish Empire spans multiple galaxies and continue to grow, claiming further planets under the orcish banner. They can afford to stay independent from the United Galactic Nations UGN, but are smart enough to avoid conflict by not pushing into UGN space, leaving everyone else to wonder: do the orcs keep their friends close and their enemies closer?

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The Green Wave

Most Orcs stand taller and broader then the other humanoid races, with low foreheads and piggish faces with prominent lower canines that resemble tusks. Their skin ranges from green to greenish-brown, and feels closer to a rough elephant-like hide than softer humanish skin. At a young age they are trained as soldiers and bred for war, and this culture-wide education makes them deceptively athletic for their size.  Even the weakest among them deliver an imposing silhouette.

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An Empire of Expansion

As soon as orcish technology achieved space travel, they began efforts to colonize and expand their empire as far as they could. Orcish pride runs strong, and the belief is that all creatures under the orcish empire (including those they have "absorbed" into the empire's rule) should strive to protect and uphold the empire's greater good. They are willing to handle things peacefully should the native species be willing to acquiesce, but those that don't often receive a much stronger hand. Orcs that live outside of the empire find their new lives to be extra difficult.  They deal with the cultural guilt of abandoning the greater good while also not being trusted by the society they attempt to assimilate into.

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The Center of the Universe

Ask any orc and they will say that Orcus Prime is the center of the universe. It mirrors old Terra in a lot of ways, having vibrant oceans, vast forests and expansive cities. The native flora and fauna are quite more dangerous compared to what the humans had to deal with, but given the Orcs size and constitution it is no wonder they evolved into the perfect soldiers.  

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Reason to Travel

Not every orcish military mission is successful.  As with anything else, the universe is vast and filled with nightmarish creatures, and sometimes entire battalions are wiped out due to unforeseen events.  The few survivors left are listed as MIA, their belongings and resources absolved back into the greater good, leaving those still remaining to seek out a new place in the galaxy.   Sometimes, certain orcs may become disillusioned with the greater good.  Should it be a change in conscious, an opportunity to make it rich on their own or something else, Orcs think for themselves and often get labelled deserters as the search to make their own place in the larger galaxy.

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Ancestral Traits

Your human character has the following natural abilities.

Darkvision. Thanks to your orcish ancestry, 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.

Size. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

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.

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Lifespan

Orcs mature a little faster than humans, reaching adulthood around age 14. They live to be about 75.

Average Height

5'4" + 2d8

Average Weight

175 lb. X (2d6) lb.

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Cultural Traits

Orcs value the way of the soldier, and are often trained as warriors from birth with the intent that they will help the empire expand as adults.

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.

Alignment. Orcish cultures tend toward the strict, regimented lifestyle of a dedicated soldier.  Orcs that lean toward chaotic are usually in exile of the empire.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Orcish. Orcish is a guttural language with hard consonants.

Confident. You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill.

Powerful 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.