Half-ork
Whether united under the leadership of a mighty warrior or having fought to a standstill after years of conflict, orc tribes and human settlements sometimes form alliances, joining forces into a larger horde to the terror of civilized lands nearby. When these alliances are sealed by marriages, half-orcs are born. Some half-orcs rise to become proud chiefs of orc tribes, their human blood giving them an edge over their full-blooded orc rivals. Some venture into the world to prove their worth among humans and other more civilized races. Many of these become adventurers, achieving greatness for their mighty deeds and notoriety for their barbaric customs and savage fury.
Half-orcs can take pride in a dual heritage of the industrious and clever humans, and the strong and proud orcs. Some say a half-orc lacks the whit of a man or the strength of a true orc, but a proud half-orc would say cleverer than an orc, and stronger than a man. Still, they are discriminated against quite blatantly in many settlements as not really fitting in entirely, and much of this has nothing to do with their physique.
Half-orcs wear their feelings on their sleeves so to speak, showing happiness, anger, and sorrow openly for all to see. Prone to show a big grin when life is good, but also quick to enrage if wronged. This trait is quite obviously shared with orcs and makes them easy to read in human society. Thus they usually adopt a culture of honesty.
Half-Orc
Ability Score Increase +2 Con, +3 Str, +2 cha, -1 int, -2 dex, and one free point to distribute. (Half-orcs can raise their constitution, strength and charisma to 22, but intelligence cannot be raised above 18 by normal means)
Size Medium
Speed 30 ft
Half Orc Traits
Age Half-orcs mature a little faster than humans, reaching maturity around age 14. They age noticeably faster and rarely live longer than 55 years. Size Half-orcs are somewhat larger and stronger muscled than humans, and they range from 6 to well over 8 feet tall. Their size is Medium. Half-orcs stand between 6 and 8 feet tall and usually weigh between 200 pounds for females and 300 pounds for males. Speed Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Dim light vision Thanks to your orc blood, you have superior vision in dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, you can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. Menacing and blunt Half-orcs gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill but suffer from disadvantage on charisma checks to deception. 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 short 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.Languages. Half-orcs can speak, read, and write one common language and Orcish. Orc is a harsh, grating language with hard consonants. It has no script of its own but is written in the Draconic script.
Basic Information
Genetics and Reproduction
Being a mixed breed between orcs and humans, half-orcs is usually thought of as a subrace of both. A half-orc is either born of mixed parentage or two half-orcs. When half-orcs mate with humans there is a trend towards human traits, while a half-orc and an orc will without fail produce a half-orc. Through a long history of the three races, it has become evident that regardless of parentage, the trend is towards humanity, and no two half-orcs can make an orc child. Orc elders or shamans have explained this as a matter of spirit, though what merit it holds is uncertian.
Additional Information
Facial characteristics
Half-orcs display clearly their mixed heritage, with males having facial hair, strong jaws, and 'small' tusks (at least in comparison to true orcs). Females tend to have smaller 'tusks' and more chiseled faces, while men tend towards broad chins.
Average Intelligence
Half-orcs are not dumb by and large, but their blunt and raw outlook on life tends to leave them more rigid in their thinking.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
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.
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
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Scarred and Strong
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 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.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
Half-orcs most often live among humans, though they tend to self segregate. Of the other races, orcs 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. In fact, in most human settlements, half-orcs are prised for their superior strength and endurance, well suited for menial labor, for which their honor demands equal or higher pay.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Half-orcs come in hues from light gray to dark green but usually fall somewhere in between.
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