Half-Orcs

“We’re hunters in a world of sheep.” —Kalaash’arrna, Tharashk Inquisitive

Half-orcs can be found anywhere orcs and humans meet. The Ghaash’kala orcs of the Demon Waste are devout servants of the Silver Flame who devote their lives to containing the evils of the Waste; as a half-orc paladin, you might have been sent south on a divine mission, hoping your human blood will help you deal with these soft creatures. You could be the orphan child of an unusual pairing, forced to find your own way in the world. But the greatest concentration of half-orcs is in the Shadow Marches, where humans and orcs have coexisted for centuries. With the rise of the dragonmarked House Tharashk, orcs and half-orcs have spread out through the Five Nations and beyond.
Overall, the people of the Five Nations know little about half-orcs. The archetype of the Tharashk half-orc is that of a bounty hunter or inquisitive, though there’s also a touch of “simpleton from the swamps.” People may be uneasy around you or assume that you know little about the ways of civilization. With that said, while orcs are typically seen as primitives who live on the fringes of civilization, in Eberron orcs aren’t inherently EVIL. People may be afraid of you because they think you’re a dangerous bounty hunter, but there’s no immediate assumption that you’re cruel or bloodthirsty... Most of the time.

Half-Orcs of the Shadow Marches

Where the people of the Five Nations know little of your kind, in the swamps of the Shadow Marches half-orcs are celebrated. Human refugees settled in the Shadow Marches centuries ago, and the first half-orcs helped to cement the bond between these outsiders and the native orcs. Many Marchers feel that the half-orc carries the best traits of both races, with the strength of the orc and the cunning of the human.
The rise of House Tharashk has brought prosperity to the Marches. Many of the Marcher clans work for the house in some capacity, and you could be an agent of the house even if you don’t carry the Mark of Finding, working as a bounty hunter or a clever investigator. But there are other paths you could follow.

• The Gatekeeper druids of the Shadow Marches have defended Eberron from aberrations and the daelkyr for thousands of years. As a druid, ranger, or barbarian, you could be a Gatekeepers initiate pursuing a quest in the wider world.
• The Cults of the Dragon Below also have deep roots in daelkyr. While cultists are often evil, the main thing about the Cults is that their beliefs generally seem like madness to others. You could be a half-orc barbarian who’s ventured beyond the Marches so you can find worthy enemies; slaying powerful foes is the only way to earn your passage to the paradise that lies within the heart of the hollow world. This is also a logical path for a warlock using the Great Old One pact.
• You could be a simple hunter from the Shadow Marches. You might have fought as a mercenary in the Last War , or you could be seeking your fortune or a real challenge in the world that lies beyond.

Half-Orcs and Dragonmarked

The half-orcs of House Tharashk carry the Mark of Finding. House Tharashk licenses bounty hunters, inquisitives, and prospectors; if you want something found, turn to Tharashk.

Half-orc Traits

Your half-orc character has the following traits.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.
Age. Half-orcs mature a little faster than humans, reaching adulthood around age 14. They age noticeably faster and rarely live longer than 75 years.
Alignment. Half-orcs inherit a tendency toward chaos from their orc parents and are not strongly inclined toward good. Half-orcs raised among orcs and willing to live out their lives among them are usually evil.
Size. Half-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 hit point 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 Orc. Orc is a harsh, grating language with hard consonants. It has no script of its own but is written in the Dwarvish script.