I’ve been making Pathfinder homebrew for years, but here is my first go attempt for Starfinder. I think that the racial features are might be a little too much, but I’ll post it anyways. I tried to weigh this orc against the racial write up for the half-orc. Wether or not these two races are balanced against each other really depends on how much weight you give to choosing what ability score gets a +2, and how bad light sensitivity is.
ORC, SPACE
In the time before the gap, many of Golarion’s races of savage humanoids were on the verge of extinction due to extreme measures taken by more technologically advanced races. Only those among them with the ability to adapt to the changing world were able to survive.
Modern orcs typically live on worlds deemed unsuitable by most races: those with extreme temperatures, thin atmospheres, deadly radiation, or severe storms. As a result of living for generations in these conditions, a number of sub-species have emerged with physiological differences and a wide variety of skin tones. Orcs from an icy planet for example are quite pale, while those from a radiated planet could be purple or orange.
While many remain in desolate regions of the Pact Worlds, others have travelled on colony ships to other systems. They instinctually compete with other life forms for even the most meager of resources. Some labor on harsh worlds and do battle with the strange life forms there. Some mine the Diaspora and other meteors, inadvertently carrying on their ancient conflict with dwarves. The most warlike of them live and die as mercenaries serving powerful masters as foot soldiers and continue to travel to even more distant worlds.
The orc that has emerged in the age of space travel is not mentally deficient as those of antiquity, but on the whole the race continues to be manipulated or fooled by those with power. Most are aware of their poor lot in the universe, yet continue to repeat old mistakes and hold grudges against races they considered privileged. Some are content to live in their own communities far away from all other sentient life.
RACIAL TRAITS
Ability Adjustments: +2 Con, +2 Str, -2 Wis
Hit Points: 5
Size and Type: Space orcs are medium humanoids with the orc subtype.
Atmospherically Conditioned: Space orcs gain one of the following abilities, chosen at the time of character creation:
1) Can hold his breath for a number of minutes equal to his Constitution score and suffers damage from slow suffocation only once per hour.
2) Penalties to attack and Perception due to weather are reduced by 4, and any miss chance due to weather are reduced by 10%. This includes magically created weather effects.
3) Resist cold 2 and a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against cold damage.
4) Resist fire 2 and a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against fire damage.
5) Treats areas of radiation as one level less in severity, and is unaffected by low radiation.
Darkvision: Space orcs have darkvision with a range of 60 feet.
Orc Ferocity: Once per day, a space orc brought to 0 Hit points but not killed can fight for 1 more round. The orc drops to 0 HP and is dying (following the normal rules) but can act normally until the end of his next turn, when he becomes unconscious as normal. If he would lose additional Hit Point before this, he ceases to be able to act and falls unconscious.
Light Blindness: A space orc exposed to bright light is blinded for 1 round, and dazzled as long as he remains in areas of bright light.
Savage Instinct: Space orcs receive a +2 racial bonus on Intimidate and Survival checks.
I've been wondering how relevant "darkvision" really is in a setting where you can spend a few credits to purchase it with ocular implants.
Fair point. Some abilities in SF are easier to get than they were in PF. Still, eyes are an item slot and you give up the ability to have something else there.
I've been wondering how relevant "darkvision" really is in a setting where you can spend a few credits to purchase it with ocular implants.
Well if you already have darkvision you can get the ocular implants that give a +1 to perception instead.