Orcs

The Orcs

The Orcs are a group of often misunderstood hominids who have thicker musculature than Humans or Elves, and generally have a larger stature. Their skin colors range from a dark warm grey to vibrant greens. Their hair colors range from black to dark brown to white. Their ears are pointed but short in most cases. Typically they have larger lower canines than other hominids, which jut out from their lower jaw, and frequently have pointed incisors.
They are often given unfortunate and unfair caricature-like portrayals as boorish or dimwitted brutes; however, they are frequently quite cunning and observant. Orcs are profoundly emotional and passionate beings, with their feelings heightened to the point that they often state their thoughts directly and feel empathy very directly as well, so they are quick to act upon these thoughts and feelings. They are also quick to anger at injustices inflicted upon them. Their cooperation, trust, and respect must be earned through actions. They are historically leery of elves since they had to compete with them since the dawn of time, but also for the fact that the elves are usually quite rude to them.
Orcs have a strong connection to the landscape they are from, and are very knowledgeable of their home terrain.
Late contemporary-era orcs were often put at the front lines during wartime alongside the humans of the Verdoyant nations. As a result of their combined strengths, the human-orc alliance led to the formation of a sturdy empire on the Westlands continent. The orcs also protested alongside other humans against the increasingly oppressive policing that was developing on Jazirah after the last great war up until the Cataclysm occurred. A famous quote from one particular Orc regiment during the war is "A besoin de plus takatakataka" which effectively translates to "Needs more takatakataka", which stemmed from them needing to communicate they need more machine guns but the messenger forgot the word for it in the heat of the moment.
Post-Cataclysm, orcs can be found in warbands and militia groups of mixed hominids, each playing to their tactical strengths and weaknesses. Some band together in settlements, some till the fields, others work as bodyguards for expeditionary groups, but almost all participate in some kind of strength-focused role in some capacity or another.

Subspecies

Orques du Domain - The most common type of orcs, the Orques du Domain are widespread and are quite resilient. They are excellent trackers and can use the Hunter's Mark spell starting at 1st level.
Orques Montagnards - The orcs of the mountains are well adapted to higher altitudes and climates so they don't tire out as easily as their flatlands brethren. They are quite resistant to cold thanks to a countercurrent circulatory system that acts as a heat exchanger for their bloodstream and enlarged lungs.
Orques Cavernaires - While not truly 'cave orcs' any longer, the Orques Cavernaires did settle in tunnel networks during the paleolithic era and carved out homes in cliffsides. They have superior darkvision and have vertical slit pupils with especially reflective tapetum lucidum. They are also generally better at stealth than the other orc subspecies.

Adaptations

Primordial orcs were forest-dwelling hunter-gatherer type hominids maybe several thousand years before the era of Antiquity, and as such, their skin patterns were frequently reflective of their surrounding biomes, and if they weren't, they'd paint themselves with patterns to break up their silhouette using ash or mud. This aided them in being stealthy hunters. They had larger body structures than the early humans they cooperated with and would tire out more easily so they would frequently be the ones to set up ambushes. Their high strength and durability would help them fell larger quarries, while the humans would work with them to tire out the prey before the prey would fall into the Orc's traps.
They worked with early humans to defend settlements as well once they'd moved into the neolithic period, but also helped move heavy equipment, so they were often fed well thanks to their contributions to society. All in all, Orcs are generally stronger, larger, and more durable than other hominids. They also sport heightened senses of smell and hearing, so they tend to work well in a pioneering/exploratory role with most parties.
Orc sexual dimorphism is inverted when compared to the majority of other hominid species. With Orcs, the females are often the larger and stronger of the two, and historically were the leaders of hunting parties. The males are often smaller, but are more nimble than the females. Similar to a lion's pride, the females are the ones that work together as a team to provide for the group as a whole, whereas the males are tasked with defending the young and going off to war. Differing from lions, however, the orc males are not nearly as transient and do not usually break off from the group to join other groups. Occasionally there are examples of particularly gigantic male orcs but these are the exception rather than the norm. It's rather curious, though, that the orc beauty standards seem to largely be determined by societal norms in their respective regions in spite of their general dimorphism and divergent appearances.

Technology

Orcish technology developed alongside the Verdoyant technology by virtue of orcish proximity to humans and unlike other worlds, orcs on Dunia do well when they collaborate, though more often, their equipment is built for larger bodies. One arms and vehicles manufacturer of the name Armerurie Citoyenne (Arm-Cit) was run and administered by orcs prior to the Cataclysm. It was only a decade or two before it was reconstructed and started pumping out weapons and vehicles again, but perhaps with more restricted resources. Their technology is made to be brutalized and is incredibly durable, almost never jamming.

Culture

Living alongside humans on the Western continent of Jazirah, they developed a language with them which can be considered francophonic. Differing strongly from outside perception, the Orcs do have a great affinity for the finer arts, and enjoy contrast from their daily stressors such as relaxing with a cup of coffee and casually reading or painting for leisure. Orcs will often paint war-game miniatures as a pastime. They are very closely involved in local politics because it also affects what they are forced to do, so they have become excellent at debate and protest.
The older generations of orcs at large are extremely wary if not outright prejudiced towards magic-users because of the shared history in the Verdoyant allied nations where they went to war because a magic user had killed one of their leaders. The younger generations are much more open to using magic as a tool for survival, however, regardless of the strange looks they'd get from their elders.
Orcs are generally matriarchal, with the largest females in a group often becoming the leader. As the leader, they dole out tasks and coordinate the group while simultaneously engaging in those same activities. It's not uncommon for the matriarch to have the largest number of children in a group. They have a strong bond with their family, and even stronger competition amongst themselves.
Militarily, the Legion de combat des Orques is the main body of orcish power in the Verdoyant armed coalition. Both men and women historically fought alongside each other to project power for the Verdoyant alliance. An elite division of counter-terror units were trained to defeat magic insurrectionists and separatist cells that had formed during the post-war era, prior to the Cataclysm. They were known for their ruthless efficiency and brutality, as most that would sign up for this particular role had a bone to pick.

Architecture

Orcish architecture historically often used available materials and wood, covering the outer wall with a light stucco to set itself apart from the landscape. Farmhouses, etc. would be considered quite quaint at this point. Lots of the older orc generations before the Cataclysm preferred to retire to the countryside and just relax in a fairly forested area overlooking a plot of land they had bought after the war. Some of the more modern buildings that the Orcs made were called 'brutalist' by virtue of the word brut meaning 'raw' in Verdoyant, referring to the raw concrete or a raw unfinished, industrial look, often complemented by greenery to offset the more drab designs. In urban population centers, there would frequently be street art murals that the Orcs themselves had painted onto their buildings to give young artists a canvas to work with. Some of the art survived the Cataclysm but has somewhat faded.
Post-cataclysm, the Verdoyant nations' industrial base has largely fallen apart so the Orcs rely on found materials to make do. They're excellent at welding because of tradesmen. Their designs often have a very industrial appearance overall. Orc settlements are fairly mobile at this point, so they design for portability rather than permanence unless they find stable resources to settle near. Roundhouses designed similarly to yurts are commonplace, and so are campers. There aren't many extant examples of permanent Orc settlements post-cataclysm.

Unique Vehicles

Armurerie Citoyenne (Arm-Cit) VBL - An Orcish designed multirole armored reconnaissance vehicle with a fully enclosed cabin and a 4x4 drivetrain. It has very deep travel and is capable of a brisk average speed of 60 mph (100km/h). It is mine-resistant and ambush protected, and has space for two standing turrets in its roof. There was also a prototype variant that had a 20mm autocannon mount. The VBL is fully amphibious.
Armurerie Citoyenne (Arm-Cit) CRAB - A next-generation iteration of the Orcish VBL, the Combat Reconnaissance Armored Buggy (CRAB) is equipped with a singular proprietary weapon mount for 3 different caliber chain guns, 20, 25, and 30mm size guns and is automatically stabilized for rough terrain, keeping it a very accurate weapon. It can get up to to 60 mph (100km/h) on flat terrain.
Armurerie Citoyenne (Arm-Cit) AMX-10 - An Orc-designed amphibious tracked Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) that can equip a 20mm Autocannon and an AT-52 GPMG.

Unique Weaponry

Arm-Cit RG-134-MP - A man-portable rotary gun that fires intermediate cartridges at an insane rate of fire when fully spooled. As a bonus action, the player must spool the weapon prior to making attacks with it otherwise it will only fire half its shots. Spooling the weapon reduces movement to 0 for the rest of the turn, so position wisely.
Arm-Cit SMACK-ID-20mm - A Shoulder-Mounted AutoCannon, Kinetic, infantry-deployed 20mm weapons system, the SMACK is one of the rare examples of an anti-armor, semi-automatic 20mm cannon being deployed by infantry. It can be loaded with airburst ammunition and generally has to be fired from a stable position, but some are able to overcome this prohibitively intense design through sheer strength. It also helps that the whole gun itself is practically built as a recoil buffer system. To fire from a stable position, one must use a bonus action to stabilize the weapon and reduce their movement to 0. It has a 10-round detachable box magazine that feeds from the top of the weapon.
Arm-Cit SLAP-IR-8mm - Designed around Orcish strength, this bullpup-configured infantry rifle fires an 8mm sabot-launched armor-piercing round, and can be fired fairly easily from the shoulder if strength is sufficient. It has a 20rd detachable box magazine and pierces armor like paper.

Species Features

Ability Score Increase
In D&D 5e: Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1
In PF2E: You get a stat boost to Strength, Constitution, and a free boost of your choice
Age
Orcs mature a little faster than humans, reaching adulthood around age 14. They age noticeably faster and rarely live longer than 75 years.
Size
Orcs are somewhat larger and bulkier than humans, and they range from 5 to well over 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.
Speed
Your base walking 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 were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Menacing
You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill.
Relentless Endurance
When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 HP + your Proficiency Bonus instead. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long 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
You can speak, read, and write Common and Verdoyant. Verdoyant is closest phonetically to French on Earth, except coming from an Orc it sounds more like a dialect of Northern French, other Verdoyant dialects might sound closer to Southern or Corsican French.

Subspecies Features

Orques du Domain - The Orques du Domain are excellent trackers and are proficient in Survival checks. They also gain the ability to cast Hunter's Mark without increasing volatility starting at 1st level as many times as their proficiency bonus per long rest.
Orques Montagnards - The Orques Montagnards are very hardy and are well-suited to cold environments and as such have Cold Resistance.
Orques Cavernaires - The Orques Cavernaires are proficient in Stealth checks and also have superior darkvision. This does mean that they have to spend time adjusting to bright light, though, and may be disadvantaged on vision-related checks and ranged attacks if suddenly exposed to bright light rather than gradually, but this is up to the DM's discretion how they want to run it.