Publication:Unearthed Arcana/Desert Orcs

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Desert Orcs

Desert orcs are martial creatures who live for battle. Prowess in battle is their only measure of social standing, and they don’t particularly care if weaker races get hurt when orcs test their skills. In fact, the chief difference between desert orcs and desert goblinoids is that the former never accept defeat—when desert orcs attack, they conquer or die trying.

Desert orcs live in a perpetual state of war, participating in eternal night sorties from their isolated desert canyons and ancient ruined cities to attack settlements and expand their territory. Only the burning sun, and their weakness when in it, keeps them from ruling the desert with the orc gods’ iron fists.

Occasionally an individual orc questions the need for constant battle, or seeks strategies other than brute force. Such iconoclasts often leave their tribes—at least temporarily—to become adventurers.

Racial Traits: Desert orcs have the following racial traits.

• +4 Strength, –2 Intelligence, –2 Wisdom, –2 Charisma. A desert orc’s starting Intelligence score is always at least 3. If this adjustment would lower the character’s score to 1 or 2, his score is nevertheless 3.
• Humanoid (Orc).
• Medium: As Medium creatures, desert orcs have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• A desert orc’s base land speed is 30 feet.
• Low-Light Vision: A desert orc can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. He retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
• Light Sensitivity: Desert orcs are dazzled in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell.
• Heat Endurance: Desert orcs gain a +4 racial bonus on Fortitude saves made to resist the effects of hot weather.
• Endurance: Desert orcs gain Endurance as a racial bonus feat.
• Automatic Languages: Common and Orc. Bonus Languages: Dwarven, Giant, Gnoll, Goblin, Undercommon.
• Favored Class: Barbarian. A multiclass desert orc’s barbarian class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty.
• Level Adjustment: +0.

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