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Is light sensitivity a notable part of how you envision orcs and orc PCs? Or is it a negligible element that's a nuisance at best?
If you think it's an important part of the race, what option for overcoming the weakness would you prefer? Traits? Feats? Equipment? APG-style alternate racial features/weaknesses?
Not really a fan of orc pcs in general, in most cases you can just pick an half-orc to go with that particular flavor of PC. An orc has better combat potential and is mentally backwards, not really traits I want to encourage any more among my players.
Light sensitivity makes for a significant trait that determines outcome of battles and prefered tactics as a race, as an individual character it is not that important, except as a balancing factor with it's impressive strength.
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Not really a fan of orc pcs in general, in most cases you can just pick an half-orc to go with that particular flavor of PC. An orc has better combat potential and is mentally backwards, not really traits I want to encourage any more among my players.
Probably should have mentioned:
The baseline for these theoretical orcs would be +2 STR, +2 WIS, -2 INT. The +4 STR, -2 All Mental set would be an option for "throwback" orcs, possibly.
Keep it and the pig snouts! I think there was a feat in the Forgotten Realms setting that allowed you to overcome light sensitivity? A feat or even a trait would be fine.
+1 re: the snouts. As for the light sensitivity, since I'm a big fan of Yin-Yang advantages and disadvantages, I see it being tied directly to their excellent darkvision. After all, darkvision really is just light sensitivity put to good use.
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Normally I'd agree with the yin-yang approach, but dwarves and half-orcs get the same darkvision ability with no drawbacks. That's a big reason why I was seriously considering just tearing the weakness out, to bring them further in line with the core races along with that alternate stat array.
I just wanted to see if that element really was an important part of orcs for those interested in playing one, which seems two for two so far. Now I'm really considering making a different weak-point that can be traded for the traditional light sensitivity APG-style, for those that want it. Or maybe keep the sensitivity for the "throwback" orcs...
(as for noses, this is for Golarion's orcs specifically, so they'll have the same range)
Light sensitivity is needed to balance out a +4 STR. If they don't have that, they don't need to balance it.
I can see Orcs as a +WIS race, given enhanced senses and devotion to their gods. I think I might have to steal that for my games, though I'll have to adjust Hobgoblins accordingly.
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Normally I'd agree with the yin-yang approach, but dwarves and half-orcs get the same darkvision ability with no drawbacks. That's a big reason why I was seriously considering just tearing the weakness out, to bring them further in line with the core races along with that alternate stat array.
Maybe that's a good argument for that drawback applying to half-orcs and dwarves?
Most players I know considered the dwarf a no-brainer choice in 3.5, except for bards, paladins and sorcerors (and hardly anyone wanted to play either of those three in 3.5...).
I am actually in favor of making creatures with darkvision light sensitive by default, if light sensitivity is inappropriate change the darkvision to lowlight vision. Though creatures with darkvision should also be granted lowlight vision then I think, treating it as a lesser ability, which in many respects it is.
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Pushing sensitivity for the other darkvision races kind of falls outside the scope of what I'm working on, but it's certainly an idea for underground-heavy campaigns. It does strike me as odd though that the orcs that are so often portrayed as living out on broken plains and badlands are portrayed as having the weakness while mountain-dwelling dwarves aren't. Heh.
Probably going to go with Viktyr's take in the end now. No light weakness for orcs except for the "throwback" +4 STR guys.