Orcs as a Player Character Race

Orcs

Orcs are tall and muscular, although their stooped posture tends to disguise their full height. Their appearance varies widely, with skin ranging from gray-green to sooty black. Orcs usually have coarse dark hair and dull, dark eyes. They possess prominent brows, flattened and upturned noses, slightly pointed ears, and great tusks that protrude from their lips. Orc men are slightly larger than orc women, but the difference between the sexes is not as great as it is in humans.

Orcs tend to be brutal and savage. Orcish culture prizes strength above all else, although such strength need not be physical: an orc clever enough to secure his or her position through intelligence is granted as much respect as another who relies on physical might. An orc must fight for what he or she wants; weak orcs deserve to serve the wishes and whims of their betters. Likewise, a strong orcish tribe sees it as their duty to conquer a weaker tribe.

Orcs enjoy hearty food and strong drink, and will indulge to excess if given the chance. Valuable items such as weapons, precious metals, and gemstones are prized and jealously hoarded. Orcs do not understand arcane magic, and like all other things they don't understand, fear it. Orcs consider goblins and kobolds beneath them and possess a fierce rivalry against hobgoblins. They fear the physical might of the ogres, although they sometimes form alliances with them. Orcs save their true hatred for the Others, especially dwarves and elves.

Orcs are superstitious and zealously religious as a race, although individual orcs may believe or not as they choose. Orcish gods reflect orcish society, and value strength, fertility, and war.

Orcs can be found in almost any environment, although they prefer mountainous terrain pocked with numerous caves and caverns, and prefer to make their homes underground. Due to their affinity for these dark places beneath the earth, orcs enjoy a 35% chance to detect new and unusual construction while underground, and a 25% chance to detect sloping passages.

Orcs do not like the sun, and prefer to venture out at night. Full sunlight blinds them, and in such conditions, orcs take a -1 penalty to all attack rolls. While they dislike any daylight, they do not take this penalty under cloudy or darker conditions. In nighttime or similarly dark conditions, orcs possess heat vision out to 60 feet.

An orcish character may choose to be a fighter, a ranger, a cleric, or a thief, and may choose to multiclass as a fighter/cleric, a fighter/thief, or a cleric/thief.

Racial Ability Requirements (Minimum/Maximum)

Strength 6 / 18

Dexterity 3 / 18

Constitution 8 / 18

Intelligence 3 / 16

Wisdom 3 / 16

Charisma 3 / 17 

Racial Ability Adjustments

+1 Strength, -1 Charisma

Average Height and Weight (Male / Female)

(61 / 59) + 2d12 inches, (160 / 150) + 7d12 pounds

Age

Starting Age 12 + 1d4, Maximum Age 70 + 2d12

Aging Effects

Middle Age 35 years, Old Age 47 years, Venerable 70 years

(Middle Age: -1 Strength, -1 Constitution, +1 Intelligence, +1 Wisdom; Old Age: -2 Strength, -2 Dexterity, -1 Constitution, +1 Wisdom; Venerable: -1 Strength, -1 Dexterity, -1 Constitution, +1 Intelligence, +1 Wisdom)

Class and Level Limits

Fighter Unlimited

Ranger 8

Cleric 9

Thief 11 

Thief Skill Adjustments
-5% pick pockets, +5% hide in shadows, +5% hear noise, +5% climb walls, -10% read languages

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