Half-Orc
The Best of Both Worlds
Half-Orcs are humanoids born of a humanoid and orc ancestry. While this pairing is usually between a human and an Orc there have been instances of Half-Orcs being born from relationships with Elves, Half-Elves, Dwarves, Aasimar, Genasi, and Tieflings. Hlaf-Orcs combine the most powerful traits of both their parent ancestries, making them formidable individuals.
Half-Orcs have the following features;
- Ability Score Increase: Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.
- Size: 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 the languages of your parents as well as Common. Orc is a harsh, grating language with hard consonants.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Half-Orcs traditionally take on an Orcish given name and then take the family name of their non-orc parent. For example, a Half-Orc born from a Male Human and Female Orc would have an Orcish given name and a Human family name.
Half-Orc naming conventions can be found at the following link; Half-Orc Names. When determining the family name use the relevant name generator from the non-Orc parent.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Half-Orcs speak the languages of their parents. A Half-Orc born from an Orc and an Elf will likely speak Orchish, Elvish, and common.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
Half-Orcs observe the customs and traditions of the communities they are born into. When a Half-Orc is born into a predominantly Orcish society, like the Orc Domain, they will observe predominantly Orcish traditions. Half-Orcs growing up in the Human dominated city of Aqueliea, in the Capsan Heartland, tend to observe human traditions. This pattern is observed in almost all Half-Orc communities across Thinia.
History
Half-Orcs like Half-Elves are an unintended product arising from the mingling of ancestries. Like the Half-Elves the Half-Orcs intrdouced something new and unexpected to the world of Thinia. The first Half-Orcs were ostracised and cast out from early Orcish societies that were largely intolerant of other ancestries and saw a Half-Orc as a watering down of the Orchish ancestry. This has not been the predominant view among Orc communities for thousands of years, though there are still some communities that view Half-Orcs with disdain. Half-Orcs often integrate into their parents' societies and thus Half-Orc history is inseperable from a number of humanoid histories. There have been many famous and infamous Half-Orcs throughout the history of Thinia.
Lifespan
75 years, Half-Orcs mature around 14.
Average Height
5'00"-6'00"
Average Weight
165-200 lbs.
Average Physique
The average Half-Orc has a strong build. Even smaller Half-Orcs have more muscle than the average human.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Half-Orcs vary in skin tone. Most are either green or gray but there are instances of white, black, and red Half-Orcs depending on region.
