Orc (3.5e Race)


 * This article is about the homebrew Orc race. You may be looking for the SRD:Orcs (Race).

Orc
"We shall drive the machine of war with the sword and the spear and the iron fist of the Orc."

The orc race survives in a vicious cycle of Malthusian principles. While their population continues to grow exponentially, their territory, food, and other resources can only appreciate linearly (if they increase at all). In order to rectify this disparity, every few generations sees the rise of a massive orc army and the declaration of war against all of their enemies in a bid for a massive land grab. This always ends catastrophically for the orcs involved, decimating their population and temporarily reducing their numbers to acceptable levels. And because their most competent leaders and thinkers are slain during this crusade, the orcs never progress as a people, dooming them to repeat history over and over again.

Huge breeding numbers, fast maturation time, and a massive gender disparity cause the orcs to forcibly kick out their adolescent (but still battle-ready) males at age eleven. This rite of passage involves surviving outside orc territory for a period of five years before being allowed re-entry. During this time, the older orcs still within the established settlement will actively treat the castaways as enemies, providing incentive for them to get as far away from orc-held territory as possible. Many of those forced out band together to form the crux of the common outsiders' experience of the orc race: raiding parties. Others leave on their own and integrate into other civilizations, not drawing too much suspicion when encountered away from the company of their brethren.

For all intents and purposes, this orc race can replace the SRD half-orc race. If you want to play an orc, you may as well go all the way.

Racial Traits

 * Type::Humanoid (Subtype::Orc)
 * Orc base land speed is 30 feet.
 * Rage (Ex): An orc can enter a rage, which is functionally identical to that of a 1st level barbarian. No additional barbarian class features are gained by this ability, but if the game is using the SRD barbarian this allows the orc an extra rage per day.
 * Orcs are automatically proficient with either the battleaxe or the greataxe; which of these they have proficiency in is up to the particular orc.
 * +2 bonus on Intimidate checks
 * Automatic Languages: Orcish.
 * Bonus Languages: Abyssal, Common, Goblin, Infernal, Undercommon.
 * Favored Class: Barbarian
 * Level Adjustment: +Level Adjustment::0
 * Effective Character Level: Effective Character Level::1
 * Favored Class: Barbarian
 * Level Adjustment: +Level Adjustment::0
 * Effective Character Level: Effective Character Level::1