Half-Orc Racial Traits - Natural or Learned?

[MPT]

The Half-Orc Racial Traits seem to be a mix of genetic abilities (i.e. those they are born with) and abilities that they must be taught. This causes problems if the PC has not lived their life in the appropriate environment.

In CRB Page 25 it states that Half-Ocs are proficient with greataxes and falchions and treat any weapon with the word “orc” in its name as a martial weapon. Whilst a Half-Orc who spent their early life among Orcs could certainly pick-up these skills, how does a Half-Orc living among humans 'naturally' become proficient with a weapon that they would not have any experience of? May I suggest that, from their background, an unarmed ability would be more reasonable for Half-Orcs who lived among humans; and a wilderness skill for Half-Orcs who lived a more outcast life?

A similar problem occurs with their bonus languages for high Intelligence. If Abyssal and Draconic are not, somehow, part of their genetic make-up; how does a Half-Orc in human lands get contact with these languages to learn them? Whilst Half-Orcs who live among humans could learn languages that are spoken in the local area, I cannot think of appropriate bonus languages for those who were outcast. Any ideas?

[alexd1976]

We ignore language restrictions completely.

As for proficiency with 'racial' weapons, it is what it is. Perhaps they have a genetic predisposition.

If you don't like it, change it.

[Java Man]

The alternate racial traits in ARG will fix most of these issues.

[RJGrady]

The half-orc writeup is pretty weird on several levels. They gain a versatile ability score bonus, but orc weapon proficiencies?

[Kerney]

I think you use the racial traits in whatever way fits your character. For example, I have a pfs half orc arcanist raised by the Order of the Godclaw. She traded darkvision for skilled and the backstory was that the nuns kept a light spell going in her room to prevent her from developing darkvision but she would sneak books under the covers.

Simularly, she has sacred tatoo, which can be defined as scarification. She has a back that looks like the old pictures of slaves and takes inspiration from surviving the nuns beating her half to death on a regular basis.

[MPT]

Java Man wrote:

The alternate racial traits in ARG will fix most of these issues.

Thanks. I will have to look at that.

[MPT]

Kerney wrote:

I think you use the racial traits in whatever way fits your character. For example, I have a pfs half orc arcanist raised by the Order of the Godclaw. She traded darkvision for skilled and the backstory was that the nuns kept a light spell going in her room to prevent her from developing darkvision but she would sneak books under the covers.

Simularly, she has sacred tatoo, which can be defined as scarification. She has a back that looks like the old pictures of slaves and takes inspiration from surviving the nuns beating her half to death on a regular basis.

What an interesting back story. I may use this as an NPC when I GM.

As an experienced roleplayer I had come to the conclusion that the racial traits needed tweeking for particular backgrounds - however Half-Orc was the only race whose traits stood out as being not applicable to the background most PCs would have, the other races seem fine.