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I've seen the half-orc discussed as part of a few threads, but haven't seen it discussed in its own thread. Apologies if I missed it.
I had a few ideas on addressing the half-orc's changes, particularly the ability score adjustments, and wanted to put them out for consideration. Discussion and feedback are much appreciated.
+2 Strength: Half-orcs have inherited the physical prowess of their orcish ancestry.
My Reasoning: In keeping with the changes to the core races, I tried to maintain the net +2 modifier. This was easily maintained by simply giving the half-orc a single bonus. The proposed wisdom increase seemed a bit off the beaten path of half-orc flavor, so its elimination seemed logical.
Unfortunately to keep the net +2 modifier, this resulted in the elimination of the intelligence penalty. This was a more difficult, as the penalty was more to the half orc’s traditional flavor. No other penalty seemed to fit the half-orc traditional flavor – Constitution? Half-orcs are known for being tough. Dexterity? Perhaps, but it seemed a bit of a stretch. Half-orcs aren’t known for dancing among the treetops, but they aren’t known for having two left feet either. Charisma? This penalty from the 3rd edition rules always seemed out of place. Charisma was force of personality. Who ever heard of a quiet and shy half-orc?
Option I: Of course this doesn’t fully address the perceived weakness of the half-orc as a viable core race. Some of the text with the wisdom bonus referred to the half-orc as being “on the constant lookout for danger”. Perhaps this could be served with the following option:
Instinctive Reaction: Half-orcs are quick to react to perceived danger, tapping into their less civilized half to react without thought. This is reflected as a +2 bonus to initiative.
Option II: If a half-orc without an intelligence penalty seems a bit off, take a look at this option:
Impatient Learner: Although a half-orc may learn any skill, their innate desire for activity and motion hinders them in learning skills requiring extensive book study or oral history memorization. Consequently, half-orcs take an innate -2 penalty to all knowledge rolls.
Just a few thoughts. As I mentioned above, feedback and discussion are appreciated.