Half Orc
It has been said that orcs will crossbreed with virtually every species. The mongrel offspring of orcs and these other species are known as half-orcs. The most common mongrel half-orc tend to favor humans born with the orcish strain heavily prevalent, and as such are basically orcs, although one out of every ten of these offspring can pass as ugly humans.
Half-orcs stand between 6 and 7 feet tall and usually weigh between 180 and 250 pounds. A half-orc’s grayish pigmentation, sloping forehead, jutting jaw, prominent teeth, and coarse body hair make his lineage plain for all to see. Orcs like scars. They regard battle scars as tokens of pride and ornamental scars as things of beauty. Any half-orc who has lived among or near orcs has scars, whether they are marks of shame indicating servitude and identifying the half-orc’s former owner, or marks of pride recounting conquests and high status. Such a half-orc living among humans may either display or hide his scars, depending on his attitude toward them. Half-orcs mature a little faster than humans and age noticeably faster. They reach adulthood at age 14, and few live longer than 75 years.
Half-orcs ultimately owe their plight to the deity Kthon, The Orc Father. Legend has it that
when Kthon discovered all the territories of the world had been claimed by other races, he swore the ores would avenge themselves by taking what they wanted by force. The great hordes continue to do just that today, appearing periodically from out of the wilderness to raid and scavenge.
As a result, the word "orc" has no pleasant connotation throughout the known realms. At the same time, the word "half" is a mark of derision among orcs. Some half-orcs raised among orcs react to this stigma by being more brutal than others of their tribe, which can put them in roles of leadership, but outsider half-orcs aren't welcomed into orc society because they aren't of pure orc blood. And they aren't accepted into other societies because of their orc heritage. Half-orcs are seen as off-putting and intimidating by other people, which is both a blessing and a curse, because while they are often left alone by those who fear them, they also become targets of discrimination, or outright attacks, from those who feel threatened by them.
This prejudice against the race makes half-orcs slow to trust even those who show them courtesy because they all have stories of when they were tricked by such behavior. Their orc blood, the Mark of Kthon, makes them quick to anger and inclined to lash out at those who treat them unfairly. Having grown up among orcs or under the shadow of their heritage, half-orcs rarely have experience with pleasant society, and they often come off as coarse, blunt, or rude in dealings with other people.
With the directness of an orc, they speak their minds with no apparent concern for how their opinions are received. No matter where they live half-orcs usually find themselves defined by others in terms of their usefulness as heavy laborers and soldiers. It is the rare and fortunate few who are judged by their character and their deeds rather than their ancestry.
Half-orcs are distrusted by both human and ore cultures because they remind each of the other's racial stock. Half-orcs advance in orc culture by flaunting their superior ability and in
human culture by associating with people who don't care about appearance. Most tend toward neutrality with slight lawful and evil tendencies, but lawful good half-orcs are not unknown.
Some half-orcs have split from both cultures to form their own societies in remote areas. These half-orcs worship their own gods and, like most hermits, are extremely suspicious of strangers.
Half-orcs love simple pleasures such as feasting, drinking, boasting, singing, wrestling, drumming, and wild dancing. Refined enjoyments such as poetry, courtly dancing, and philosophy are generally of little interest to them. At the right sort of party, a half-orc is an asset. At the duchess’s grand ball, they are a liability.
RPG Datasheet
Half Orc
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