Guruk-Vra

Known in merchant tongue as Half-Orc

"Have drams, have hope. Have sword, have everything." - Guruk-vra saying.

Half-orcs (or guruk-vra in Orcish) are uncommon on Tellene. The chaotic orcs live in disorganized bands ruled by the strongest among them, and the humans and half-breeds who live among them share the dangers of short life spans dictated by orc society and constant challenges to their right to belong. Human races persecute them, and they tend to become thugs or thieves out of necessity. Their careers often end in a dark dungeon somewhere, or at the end of a rope.
Half-orcs spend most of their time either with orcs or with humans, depending on who raised them. They do, however, share a special bond with the other half-breeds, especially half-hobgoblins, alongside whom they are often persecuted. They generally do not get along well with the subterranean races, mostly because of those races hatred of orcs. They are not on friendly terms with halflings either.
One generally sees half-orcs near lands dominated or frequently raided by orcs: Lake Jorakk, Shadesh Bay and southern Tarisato are prime examples. Particularly large tribes of orcs live in the Krond heights and Legasas. Thus, a few half-orcs live in small villages in Eldor, Cosdol and the land governed by P’Bapar. The villagers treat them like any other ugly cousin: with the acceptance of family, but with no particular favor.
Most guruk-vra tend to be loners and revere “less sociable” gods. The Watcher is a common patron. Others admire power, believing that sufficient personal power will change their predicament and allow them to fit in somewhere. These half-orcs might follow the Powermaster, the Storm Lord or the Riftmaster.
Half-orcs use the standard Half-orc abilities. They speak the language (or languages) of whatever culture in which they currently reside. This generally includes the Merchant’s Tongue and either Orcish or a human regional language.

Ability Scores

Str +2; Con +1

Size

Medium

Speed

30 ft.

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.

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.

Darkvision

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.

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 Orc and Merchant's Tongue.

Parent ethnicities

• Humans ethnicity

Languages spoken

• orcish

Related Locations

• Tarisato