I like the World of Warcraft Orc much better than what is the norm for the race, so I'm looking to convert them.
Obviously, a + to Wisdom is a must. But I wonder, would it make more sense to be a +4 to Wis and a +2 to Str with just a -2 to Cha?
I'm also thinking +2 to Knowledge(Nature) and Survival. Id also create a trait that gives an extra +1 to both and makes one always a class skill, if such a trait doesn't already exist, for those Orcs who are even closer to the elements than normal.
Beyond that, I'm not sure what else, if anything I'd change or add to the race.
|
You're not alone on that preference. :)
My orcs run along those lines more than the crush-kill stereotype, so some of this might work for you.
Orc
+2 Strength, +2 Wisdom, -2 Intelligence - Orcs possess great strength, heightened senses, and a deep spirituality, but lack the intellectual prowess of most races.
Medium: Half-orcs are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Half-orcs have a base speed of 30 feet.
Darkvision: Orcs can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
Hatred: Orcs receive a +1 bonus on attack rolls against dwarves due to ancient emnity with these foes.
Intimidating: Orcs receive a +2 racial bonus on Intimidate skill checks due to their fearsome nature.
Ferocity: An orc remains conscious and can continue fighting even if its hit point total is below 0. It is still staggered and loses 1 hit point each round. A creature with ferocity still dies when its hit point total reaches a negative amount equal to its Constitution score.
Weapon Familiarity: Orcs are always proficient with greataxes and falchions, and treat any weapon with the word “orc” in its name as a martial weapon.
World of Warcraft the computer game, or World of Warcraft the pen and paper RPG (for 3.5)?
The starts from the pen and paper version (they are open content):
+2 constitution, -2 intelligence
Medium size, 30 foot base speed
Low light vision
Battle Rage: 1/day as a barbarian, or if the orc already has rage from a class, he gets an extra use of that rage per day
+2 racial bonus on Handle Animal checks with wolves
+2 racial bonus on Intimidate checks, and intimidate is always a class skill
+1 racial bonus on attacks against humans
Weapon familiarity: treat orc claws of attack as martial instead of exotic.
Favored Class: Barbarian
(orc claws of attack: exotic weapon, 25 gp, 1d6 damage, 18-20/x2 crit, 2 lbs, slashing)
this is my conversion:
Orc Racial Traits
+2 Constitution, +2 Wisdow, –2 Intelligence: Orcs are incredibly tought and have noble souls, but they are more likely to follow their passions instead of reason.
Medium: Orcs are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Orcs have a base speed of 30 feet.
Low-Light Vision: Orcs can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
Battle Rage: Orcs long ago learned how to harness the ferocity that dwells within their fierce hearts. This ability functions exactly as a barbarian’s rage, except for the differences noted below.
The orc may rage only 2 rounds per day. If the orc belongs to a class that already allows access to a rage-like ability (such as the barbarian class), the orc’s racial battle rage ability allows him to rage 2 additional rounds per day.
Intimidating: Orcs always treat Intimidate as it was a class skill for them.
Hatred: Orcs receive a +1 bonus on attack rolls against humanoid creatures of the human subtype due their long history of enmity.
Weapon Familiarity: Orcs treat any weapon with the word “orcish” in its name as a martial weapon.
Wolf Empathy: Orcs get a +2 racial bonus on all Handle Animal and Ride checks against Wolves of any kind.
Languages: Orcs begin play speaking Common and Orcish. Orcs with high Intellect scores can choose from the following: Goblin, Low Common, Taur-ahe and Zandali
Obviously, a + to Wisdom is a must. But I wonder, would it make more sense to be a +4 to Wis and a +2 to Str with just a -2 to Cha?
I don't know if it's that's obvious. I don't see WoW orcs getting a bonus to wisdom at all. And really not a +4.
A few leader orcs are all wise and shamany, but most of them are the same primitive brutes you see everywhere. I guess it depends on which writer has done what.
I would probably either build on the writeup from the 3.5 rpg, or else make a 'leader caste' sub-race that gets all the wisdom stuff but are weaker than the common orc. Personally, I don't think the latter would fit particular well and instead assume that (some of) the notable leaders of the race just rolled really well on their stats so they could afford to splurch on wisdom. :)
Oooo, this looks like the place to posit a differing take, but I'm likely looking at a sound drubbing...
In the upcoming edition of my game, I want the Orcs to be soulless. What modifications would I need to make? Are they immune to Holds? Can the be targeted by certain spells? Obviously Soul Jar is useless against them, but how would they react to possession spells?
Souless, this one is easy, they are immune to raise dead ressurection etc.
Away from all this an orc is an orc. So if you plan on creating or adjusting a races stat block just do a complete rewrite and label the new Race High-Orc Wood-Orc Dark-Orc or Shadow-orc. well aside from these being the elf generic named races, there were plenty more silly elf names.
One thing to consider while making new races, try to make them balanced.
I do like orcs, I really liked the Eberron setting with them and hobo's. WoW setting, cough cough, I liked the undead race. O.o
You're not alone on that preference. :)
My orcs run along those lines more than the crush-kill stereotype, so some of this might work for you.
Orc
+2 Strength, +2 Wisdom, -2 Intelligence - Orcs possess great strength, heightened senses, and a deep spirituality, but lack the intellectual prowess of most races.
Medium: Half-orcs are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Half-orcs have a base speed of 30 feet.
Darkvision: Orcs can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
Hatred: Orcs receive a +1 bonus on attack rolls against dwarves due to ancient emnity with these foes.
Intimidating: Orcs receive a +2 racial bonus on Intimidate skill checks due to their fearsome nature.
Ferocity: An orc remains conscious and can continue fighting even if its hit point total is below 0. It is still staggered and loses 1 hit point each round. A creature with ferocity still dies when its hit point total reaches a negative amount equal to its Constitution score.
Weapon Familiarity: Orcs are always proficient with greataxes and falchions, and treat any weapon with the word “orc” in its name as a martial weapon.
This, with the racial hatred toward elves too, is my ideal Orc, Warcraft or not.
Souless, this one is easy, they are immune to raise dead ressurection etc.
Away from all this an orc is an orc. So if you plan on creating or adjusting a races stat block just do a complete rewrite and label the new Race High-Orc Wood-Orc Dark-Orc or Shadow-orc. well aside from these being the elf generic named races, there were plenty more silly elf names.
One thing to consider while making new races, try to make them balanced.
I do like orcs, I really liked the Eberron setting with them and hobo's. WoW setting, cough cough, I liked the undead race. O.o
To simulate "Soulessness" in your orcs just make them outsiders. In essence outsiders are either just physical embodiements of the concepts of a soul or the opposite, a metaphysical being that has no soul being non humanoid. Most people I know take the second stance so being an outsider makes them subject to everything that constitutes not having a soul.
Mikaze`s version is basically the Beta PRPG HALF-Orc.
A Wisdom bonus was too `controversial`, even though plenty of straight up ANIMALS have great WIS scores.
I guess Paizo also decided to make all the Half-Human races more equivalent to Human,
even though their stats for full Orcs are clearly a step beyond that of full Elves.
I would say that whether or not official PRPG or the +2 WIS version of Half-Orcs is used, FULL Orcs should have:
+4 Strength, +2 Constitution, –4 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom, –2 Charisma
(+2 CON, -2 INT, +4 WIS NET diff to standard PRPG version... )
ALternatively, ditch the CON bonus I threw in, and switch the INT penalty back to -2.
They should also probably be able to count their CHA as higher for Orcish Sorceror Bloodline ala Tieflings,
and possibly other classes, e.g. War Oracle.
CHA doesn`t need to be excessively penalized because force of personality is MORE important in less civilized societies, and although the fallacy persists, CHA is not about measuring attractiveness, and there is nothing to say that Orcs have a harder time attracting each other to mate than other species do, or that they consider themselves ugly, etc (there exist multitudes of planar freak monsters with massive CHA scores, for one, some of which aren`t even social creatures like Orcs are). I give them a minor penalty to distinguish them from Half-Orcs who DON`T have any CHA penalty (they are called out as leaders amongst Orcs), and because I presume that relatively more disputes, etc, are resolved directly by tests of STR...
You don`t need special bonuses for Survival because the WIS bonus helps with that.
Specialist shamans/druids/rangers have the skill points and class skill bonus for that and Know:Nature.
If the lumpen hordes of Orcish warriors don`t actually know all that much about details, it doesn`t really matter.
If they truly lived in harmony with nature, etc, they wouldn`t have time for large-scale raiding and combat.
|
|
I guess Paizo also decided to make all the Half-Human races more equivalent to Human,
even though their stats for full Orcs are clearly a step beyond that of full Elves.
I was actually fully convinced for a while that the PFRPG Orc was going to be toned down(and up) to be more in line with elves because of that when Core came out.