Quarter-Orc


Pathfinder First Edition General Discussion


Got weird idea.

Orcs can breed with almost everything and result is usually half orc.
Outsiders can breed with everything and result is the natural outsider, only with side change if necessary.

Now, could we breed orc with for example, halfling-tiefling and get a small sized halforc?

I have to ask from my GM whenever I'm need of new character, though I would like to hear some arguments to defend my case or against it.

Liberty's Edge

There's no evidence that either Tieflings or Orcs can 'breed with anything'. Indeed, the evidence is pretty compelling that orcs can't. Humans are the ones with the 'Racial Heritage' Feat and thus the ones who can 'breed with anything'.

So...yeah, there isn't actually a lot of support for this idea.


Checked the Player handbook and there is not word of their parents. Ouch.

I clearly remember some text saying that offspring of orc and human, elf etc. is halforc due their strong genes. I was probably thinking some older system then. :(

Though, Orcs of Golarion, pg. 19 says:
"Orcs are known—and feared—for their ability to
interbreed with other races, most commonly humans.
The offspring of a human and an orc is a half-orc."

Which actually leaves open the results with other combinations.


If you just want a small sized half-orc, you could go for alternative explanations. He may have suffered from underfeeding, come from a tribe of cave orcs (smaller size can be beneficial in narrow caves) or was hit by a permanent Reduce Person spell (and is content with being small now, so not looking for a dispel). I am not sure how further polymorph spells interact with the last one, but you (GM and you) might be best off to treat as a permanent condition, not as polymorph.


Realistically speaking, once you have an offspring of two Humanoids, it creates a particular kind of hybrid. Half-Elf and Half-Orc are established as frequent enough combos to warrant a pre-made race (and core, at that), but other hybrids are viable and would simply need to be custom-made. For instance, a Halfling/Human hybrid would be a Humanoid(Human, Halfling) and an Orc/Goblin hybrid would be Humanoid (Orc, Goblin). Alternatively, one race could assert dominance for reproduction and an Orc/Goblin would still be an Orc, just with certain goblinoid physical traits. The difficulty comes in deciding what it becomes when the hybrid, itself, produces offspring. For instance, a "purebred" Half-Elf is the offspring of two Half-Elves. The offspring of a Human and a Half-Elf would result in either a Human with a thematic impetus to pick up Racial Heritage(Elf), or a Half-elf with a thematic impetus to pick up the Human Spirit feat. But what about the offspring of a Dwarf and a Half-Elf? Or a Half-elf and a Half-Orc? Considering Half-Orcs and Half-Elves are typically presumed to take Human for granted, they have the Human-restricted +2 to any ability score, and Human is supposed to be a better "blender" for race; Human and Orc makes Half-Orc while Goblin and Orc, as mentioned above, probably makes an Orc. Human and most non-Humanoids make a new subtype of Humanoid; Hag and Human makes Humanoid(Changeling), Vampire and Human makes Humanoid(Dhampir). Then, you have the added challenge of beings infused with planar energies (Outsiders) and Dragons who are so arrogant, they simply will genetics out of existence when they breed with non-Dragons.

All that having been said, I'd say that a Half-Orc brings to the table a significant amount of "Human quality". Meanwhile, Tieflings are Native Outsiders which arise because a remnant outsider energy signature that's latched onto otherwise non-Outsider genetics gets "triggered" and causes a cascade of genetic changes that, more or less, affects the entire genome. Planetouched races don't really make "halfbreeds" as such because they are the result of a latent energy signature from the original outsider. So, arguably, the offspring of a Halfling and a Halfling-heritage Tiefling is just a Halfling, though with strong thematic reasons to have a fiendish sorcerer bloodline (Infernal, Abyssal, or Daemon). Another Tiefling may crop up somewhere down their line in the future. So you can consider the offspring of a Half-Orc and a Tiefling(Halfling) to be the same as the offspring of a Half-Orc and a Halfling. So what is the result? Humans tend to incorporate new genetics, but the result is only 25% Human, 25% Orc, and 50% Halfling. I think the best thing to do, in this case, is have the offspring be a Humanoid(Human, Halfling) of custom build and pick up Racial Heritage (Orc). Alternatively, build a custom Humanoid(Human, Orc, Halfling).


Choose the racial stats of an existing race and refluff it completly.

-

Have a character inspired by The Imp from Game of Thrones, but want him to be racially Human for roleplay reasons?

Take the statblock from a Halfling and say that he his a freak of nature, but born truly to human parents, without magical or otherworldly influences. Simply lost the genetics lottery, so to speak.

-

Really want to play a Quarter-orc, as in one greatparent was an Orc?

Take the regular human racial stats, give him some visual characteristics that hint at the bloodline, like slightly enlarged canines or slightly greenish tinted skin, perhaps some anger-control issues, and voila: Quarter-Orc.

Liberty's Edge

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

Right now, in PFS, I have a Half-Orc that has most of the human side taken over by Mongrel Person. It is cosmetic, to be sure, but it makes for a good backstory. (She is called "Uh Oh" and has a profile)


There are rules in Bastard of Golarion on the back-page for distant heritage humans. Mostly aimed at 3/4 human, 1/4th other. Consider using them for a Quarter-orc.


I tought jokingly that half sized halforc makes quarterorc, not that only one of his granparents would be orc.

@Guru. Imp is one of greatest characters in history of fantasy, though I didn't think of him. More like that I have history of weird characters. My current one is nude barbarian build for dex, who has mark of fey of having sweet tasty skin (I rolled that from random aasimar table).


They get the Run Feat for free.


Who's talking 'bout me? I'll punch 'em!

Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder First Edition / General Discussion / Quarter-Orc All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.
Recent threads in General Discussion