NOTE: This contains spoilers for my campaign. If you're one of my players please don't continue reading.
So I'm running my very first Pathfinder Adventure Path and my players are 4th level and traveling from one location to another. While I could just roll on a random encounter table a few times, I hate doing that. While once or twice it helps serve a purpose for the story, ultimately it comes off as very unsatisfying for me.
So I wanted to throw some orcs at them, specifically a Belkzen raiding party. Thing is, I've never made NPCs under a 3.5e system before, so I've got some questions about ability scores.
If I was making a human NPC would I just create it as I would a PC (with the option to use NPC class levels) when it comes to ability scores? Would I employ a 15 point buy and create the NPC like that? Or should I use a stat array?
Second question is: If I'm making orc NPCs, should I just advance the Orc Warrior 1 from the Bestiary? Or would it not be unusual to instead make my own Orc Warriors using my own ability scores?
I'm just looking at the stats and I can't work out how these stats were generated.
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
Usually NPCs with PC classes get base scores of 15, 14, 13, 12, 10 and 8 before racial modifiers. If the NPC hat only NPC classes (such as warrior), the base scores usually are 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, again before racial modifiers.
Orcs have the following racial modifiers:
+4 Strength, –2 Intelligence, –2 Wisdom, –2 Charisma.
The orc warrior's listed ability scores are:
Str 17, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 7, Wis 8, Cha 6.
This means the scores were as folows before the addition of the racial modifiers:
Str 13, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 9, Wis 10, Cha 8
This conforms to the NPC array mentioned above.
I hope this makes it clearer.
Zaister has it exactly right.
So if your orcs are just mooks -- Warriors -- use the listed ability scores. If they have PC class levels, then they're going to have the better array of stats: 15, 14, 13, 12, 10 and 8.
How those stats get arranged depends on what kind of PC class you're dealing with. An orc fighter or barbarian will put the 15 in Str. An orc cleric would put it in Wis, a bard in Cha, and so forth. A melee-type orc with PC levels would probably look like this (with racial modifiers):
Str 19, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 6
-- if 4th level or higher, add +1 to Str.
Note that these are guidelines, not iron-clad rules. Following the RAW strictly, you could never have an orc start with Int, Wis or Cha better than 13 (because even with PC levels the best stat would be 15, and the racial modifier is -2). But you could certainly create an unusual orc NPC with a 16 Int if you wanted to.
You can spend as little or as much time on this as you want to. If you just want a bunch of orcs, then use the orcs from the Bestiary -- maybe advance them with another level or two of warrior. That's simple enough. If you want more dangerous orcs, or a more complex encounter, then give them PC levels and maybe mix things up a bit. Against a group of 4 4th level characters, I might do something like "six mook orc warriors, a fourth level barbarian leader, and a third level caster -- witch, cleric, or bard -- for support." That's about CR 4-5. If you want to make it a real challenge, then try 10 mooks and give the leader another level of barbarian. (But be careful -- at this point the action economy is starting to tip against the PCs.)
Don't forget orc ferocity (staggered but can keep fighting at negative hp) and light sensitivity (-1 on attack rolls and perception during the day). Ferocity makes large groups of low-level orcs more dangerous, as you have to drop them to -14 hp to shut them down for good.
BTW, you can find some pregenerated orc NPCs here:
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/humanoids/orcs
Also, if creating a mixed party, pause for a moment and consider tactics. For instance, in the party described above, everyone might hold initiative until the cleric can cast Communal Protection from Good (L2 spell, +2 on AC and saves vs. good creatures, will last 3 rounds). Then the mooks might charge and try to flank, with maybe one holding back, keeping an action to make a ranged attack against anyone who tries spellcasting. The barb boss then rages and charges the weakest looking PC -- preferably a caster -- taking an AoO if need be in order to get up close.
Note that a 4th level raging orc barbarian with 20 Str, a greataxe and Power Attack will charge for around +11 (BAB +4, Str +7, charging +2, Power Attack - 2) for d12+13. That'll drop pretty much any 4th level character on a crit or two hits. Wise PCs will make sure he doesn't get the chance to hit twice!
Doug M.
...mind, how easy/hard this encounter is will depend sensitively on your PCs' spell selection. If they've invested in mass / area affect save-or-suck spells targeting Will or Reflex saves, they're probably good: even low-level stuff like Color Spray, Sleep, Grease, Web or Glitterdust is likely to take out a bunch of these guys at once. Even the boss barbarian has only +1 Will and +2 Reflex.
If your guys are tanked up on this sort of thing, then consider giving the orcs some compensating advantage -- let the encounter be at night, for instance, where their darkvision will be an advantage. Or give them cover and some chance of an ambush.
Doug M.
You could also include some half orcs as well. A bard with orc warrior mooks with inspire courage gets good attack and damage. you don't have to make them all identical. You can also change the weapons if you wanted to give them greataxes and then change the feat to weapon focus greataxe.
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