Gleamguard Tribe

The peaceful orcish monks who strive to find a better way to live

Racial Traits

Rigorous Self-Discipline: Gleamguard orcs' attacks always count as Law-Aligned for the purposes of overcoming DR. Whenever they roll low enough to fail a saving throw, miss an attack, or fall a check or test they may give up their move action for their next turn to roll it again and take the higher result. The second time this is used in a round, you must give up your standard action. You cannot use this ability more than twice per round. If not in combat(or about to enter combat), take 1 CON damage instead each time it used.
Seekers of a better way: Gleamguard orcs gain any two knowledge skills of their choice as class skills, and gain a +2 to both.
Peaceful Asceticism: Gleamguard Orcs must take at least one Monk Vow(If none fit, work with GM to create a similarly restrictive vow), but gain one of the following benefits(Chosen at character creation). They may take more vows to gain more of the below benefits, up to 4 vows. Each can only be selected once.

• +2 to any Mental Ability Score of their Choice


• +2 to all saves made VS mind-affecting effects


• +10ft to their base land speed and gain either a burrow or swim speed(Their choice). They may run across water or up walls as if they had the Light Steps Ninja Ability.


• Select an Unchained Monk Ki power without a level requirement. It may be used a number of times per day equal to 1 plus your CONMOD(Min 1). Powers that take up 2+ ki points use an amount of uses equal to the amount of ki it costs.

Inner Turmoil: If a Gleamguard Orc goes more than 3 days without killing another intelligent (INT 3+) living or partially living creature, they must make a Will Save (DC 15 + 3 per day) each day afterwards they do not kill such a creature or take 1d4 CON and STR damage as their body wastes away. After 3 days of this damage, if they still live and have not killed an intelligent creature as described, the damage becomes drain. After another 3 days, if they still live and have not satisfied the requirements to avoid the damage, the CON and STR drain becomes 1 permanent negative level per day. Replaces Curse of the Incomplete.

Alternate Racial Traits

Eternal Wisdom: Racial Ability Score Modifiers becomes (+2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma). Modifies Racial Ability Scores.
Their minds full of wisdom attained through generations of study, many Gleamguard Orcs carry the wisdom of their tribe within them and greatly benefit from it.

Hatchet-Thrower: You can form throwing axes out of pure radiant energy at will, though you may only have 2 formed at any given time. If you throw them as part of a full round attack, you may form another to continue throwing them for as many attacks as you can make in a full round attack. These axes deal force damage. You are always proficient with these weapons. Replaces Rigorous Self-Discipline.
Their bodies pulsing with pure radiant energy, these Gleamguard Orcs can wield these energy as easily as breathing, forming weapons to throw at their foes and wield as lethal energy weapons.

Living Lantern: You can shed light as a torch at-will. For a number of rounds per day equal to 1/2 your HD(Min 1), you can treat this light as daylight. Replaces Seekers of a better way.
Literally glowing as if their very skin was a lantern, many Gleamguard Orcs are as radiant as their souls and personalities, shining light to drive back the evil within their hearts.

Hard Light Body: Gain DR 5/Magic and Piercing. You can project light to harden in one 5ft square per HD, turning into walkable land for 1 minute per HD. You cannot form these in squares with creatures inside of them. By concentrating as a move action, you may move a square you have made this way up to 30ft in any direction. Replaces Peaceful Asceticism.
Blessed with the gift of light, these rare Gleamguard Orcs are capable of projecting this light they are blessed with out into the world to walk on and move around - most useful to those who know how to use it.

Racial Feats

Blinding Blood:
Prerequisites: Gleamguard Orc, Character level 7th
Effects: Once a round in combat, when you are struck for damage by a piercing or slashing melee attack, you can force the attacker to make a reflex save (DC 10 + 1/2HD + CONMOD or CHAMOD, whichever is higher) or be blinded for 1d4 rounds and dazzled for 2d4 rounds. A successful reflex save negates the blindness and reduces the dazzle to 1d4 rounds.
Their blood like liquid sunlight, these Gleamguard Orcs are radiant and wonderful, and are adept at using their luminous blood to blind and dazzle their foes.

Master of the Death Trance:
Prerequisites: Gleamguard Orc
Effects: You may, as a full-round action, enter a death trance. During this trance you cannot move, but your bodily functions slow down and you can last without food, water, or air for a number of days equal to 1/2 your CON score before you even begin to start counting towards starvation or thirst - though breathing take effects immediately. You age at 1/10th speed during this trance as well, though you are helpless in this trance and can take no action other than to end the trance as a full-round action that does not provoke. You appear, to all senses and spells, to be dead for the duration of this trance unless deep, purposeful inspection of your corpse is done and a DC 30 Heal Check is passed - otherwise even spells such as Deathwatch identify you as dead.
Special: During this period you do not suffer the effects of 'Inner Turmoil' if you do not kill intelligent life for more than 3 days.
A technique developed by the monk-like Gleamguard as a method by which they might avoid their curse and rampage and kill, the Gleamguard Death Trance is a legendary thing accomplished only through rigorous mental and bodily training as well as special incenses and techniques - but once achieved, it is an incredible thing that allows for great inward meditation while staving off the effects of the Orcish curse.

Hair, Eye, and Body Coloration

Gleamguard Orcs have brightly colored skin, typically green though yellow or goldish green and other bright colors are not uncommon. Their eyes are almost always yellow, gold, silver, or copper, and their hair is brightly colored to the point of incandescance, typically either gold or bright ginger or red - similar to Taiga Giants in redness. However, most Gleamguard Orcs shave their heads bald as proof of their dedication to their monastic lifestyle of asceticism. Their skin typically shines from within like a lantern, their skin seemingly etched with small grooves or conduits that carry the light within them across their bodies, giving them a rather unique appearance.

Typical Home Environments

Mountains, Hills, Grasslands, Forests

Naming Standards

Gleamguard Orcs eschew typical Orcish names in favor of Indonesian names such as

Judas, Yuda, Cahaya, Radja, Liani, or Adina to set them apart from their kin. 'Earning their name' is a Gleamguard rite of passage and a sign of entering adulthood - typically they are given a traditional orcish name at birth but shed it upon entering adulthood as a sign of their dedication to a better life. Those Orcs or others who are adopted or taken into the Gleamguard tribe from outside shed their name upon being accepted into the tribe, and are given a new one as proof of their new life.