Hi all,
I was wondering how to play a proper orc.
So, if you are playing an orc, what behaviour or attitude do you focus on, to make your group mates "feel" that you are an orc.
Looking forward to hear from you
Best regards
For my money-
Orcs are forceful, they prefer to confront problems. They're not necessarily direct (though people don't expect lateral thinking from an Orc) but they are inclined towards elegance aesthetically so they prefer succinct and efficient solutions when they are available. Orcs are very physical, not just in how they fight, but also in how they recreate- think back slaps, chest bumps, hugs, friendly headbutts- that sort of thing.
I think the hook to RPing an orc is to make sure your orc is really passionate about something (or several things). You're into something, and you want to share this with the people that you meet.
You need to know what the heirarchy in your group is, be submissive to the people above you, and feel free to bully the ones below you (to varying degrees based on alignment i imagine) You're unlikely to do anything fatal to an underling unless they challenge your place but are prone to strong reactions to being challenged by underlings.
Physical solutions will probably come to mind first, even if you're not particularly dumb they're an impulsive strong race.
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Hide the fact that you can read and like books - it is embarrasing !!!
Eat loudly without fork or knife, and when asked why: “the rabbit (stew) are already dead, why do I need weapons?
Collect hair/fur/feathers from fallen enemies to stuff your pillow. The trophies makes your pillow softer and your dreams sweater.
I think Cabbage is right about the boisterous mannerisms to be found amongst Orcs, or Orcs and those they are close to... real locker room/infantryman/grunt behavior.
Individually, I usually have proud, passionate Orcs/Half-Orcs that go around with a chip on their shoulder. A lot of my Orcs either act like the world owes them something, or as if they have been slighted and are mad/focused because of it.
Always enjoy fine art, and music. Some of the finer luxuries are lacking in Orc society, and when encountered in the world such things bring a seldom known peace and serenity.
Draw. Make sure you have either chalk or charcoal to sketch in your downtime. Your Orc doesn't have to be a grand artist, this doesn't need ranks in any skills... just doodle and draw in your downtime. Many Orcs use pictographs to make communication easier, and it's a way to catalog one's personal adventures... evidence of your triumphs.
The answers are as varied as the characters you want to play (just as no two humans are the same, so should no two orcs be the same), but in general, orcish ways strike me as very direct, with little patience in general for dishonesty or subterfuge. That most obviously plays out in power struggles, but would play out in friendly interactions as well. Your orc friend isn't going to recognize hints or suggestions for what they are - "maybe it'd be nice to have someone else to face the dragon with" isn't going to get your message across, where "come with me to kill the dragon" will.
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I've always thought the best way to play an Orc is basically the same way a person would play a Klingon. Direct, Honorable Warrior but perhaps more brutish as they'd would be played similar to a Klingon's ancestor not a modern/future version.
(Although... a Starfinder version having crash landed would be very interesting I think to role play, Could even have there own trouble with keeping a 'Prime Directive' and trying to act as they think other orcs would act)
Yeah, it really depends on the setting and the culture of the orcs in question.
My half-orcs tend to be on the quiet side; when you're the subject of constant prejudice and everyone assumes you're a stupid, violent brute, I imagine you'd learn to keep your head down and your thoughts to yourself for the most part.
And then there's the self-self-fulfilling prophecy aspect, where a world constantly assumes you're a stupid, violent brute shapess you into someone with little experience in the more sophisticated spheres and plenty with petty violence and physical labor.
If they're especially witty or charismatic, they might be inclined to less savory or respectable occupations; if most people dislike you at first glance, might as well roll with it. They might be especially snarky and gregarious, using the weight of their personality to steamroll over people and their smarts to stay a step ahead of any consequences.
Outside of traditional medieval fantasy civilization, I usually play up the fact that such people are no strangers to pain and discomfort, and that even the more urban of them have some experience roughing it. They're usually more closely tied with the land than a typical human, though that ranges from a grudging, practical respect to a mystic spiritual connection.
Of course, a lot of these issues fade with time. A lvl2 half-orc ranger is still closely tied to the mundane aspects of the world, but at lvl10, they could well have seen enough weird, crazy, insane, dangerous stuff to have set them apart from normal society. The petty prejudice of the common folk doesn't matter as much after you've walked down the Bottomless Stair in the Witch-Well of Angubond and faced the Withered Worm that gnaws at the roots of the world.
And as for full-blooded orcs, it's all just intensified.