- See also: Category:Half-orcs
Half-orcs are the result of orc and human coupling and typically bear many of the physical traits of their orc ancestors. They usually have green skin, large tusk-like teeth protruding from the lower jaw, large muscular builds and thick body hair. They also receive a -2 penalty to intelligence but their reputation as being mentally-deficient is generally exaggerated.
Half-orcs are usually tolerated but not accepted. One reason for this is that, more often than not, unions between orc and human are not consensual. To say a consensual union has never occurred is inaccurate but it is not as common. There is a heavy stigma associated with having orc blood even generations down the line and, should a half orc have children with a member of another race, orc traits such as teeth, skin color, body hair, and large build can be passed on to third or even fourth generation children and sometimes skip a generation.
Like many half-breeds, half-orcs have no home or culture of their own. They are not orcs and they are not human. They walk the line between the races as cultural outcasts. Not surprisingly, most half-orcs have little care for laws and social niceties though some do attempt to fit into human society. Many half-orcs do menial labor or become mercenaries or bandits finding no other place in the world. This encourages the stereotype of all half orcs as evil, violent, savages, like their orc ancestors. They fare little better among orcs who see them as weak and inferior.[1]
Racial Traits[]
- Stat Modifiers: +1 STR, +1 CON, -2 INT, Infravision (restored with the Spellhold Studios aTweaks mod.)
- Stat Minimum/Maximum:
- Strength: 4/19
- Dexterity: 3/18
- Constitution: 4/19
- Intelligence: 1/16
- Wisdom: 3/18
- Charisma: 3/18
- Half-orcs have the same bonuses to thief skills as humans:
- +10% Open Locks
- +5% Find Traps
- +15% Pick Pockets
- +10% Move Silently
- +5% Hide in Shadows
Classes[]
Accessible Classes[]
Barbarian, Cleric, Fighter, Thief, Shaman
Accessible Multi-Classes[]
Fighter / Thief, Fighter / Cleric, Cleric / Thief
Description[]
| “ | Half-orcs are born from the union of human and orc parents. They are as tall as humans, but a little heavier due to their muscular builds. Their greenish pigmentation, sloping forehead, jutting jaw, prominent teeth, and coarse body hair make their lineage plain for all to see. In the Sword Coast, half-orcs are tolerated, as unlike in the north the local people haven't had centuries of warfare with orc kind. Half-orcs are known for their great strength.
Half-orcs have the following traits:
|
” |
Gameplay (community)[]
~Write your insights below, different from the Gameplay section above, you may use your signatures here, example page~
- Half-orcs are the true powerhouses in the game with the huge +1 bonus to Strength and Constitution. They don't suffer the penalty to dexterity dwarves have, as well, putting them up a net +2 physical points over dwarves. They do not have the giant saving throw bonuses dwarves enjoy, however, making them more vulnerable to hazards such as fireballs, charms and poisons. Their Strength bonus will also have a lesser effect in Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition where strength-enhancing items become common. Half-orcs can't dual-class like humans, but they do make the best damage-inflicting thief with a Strength score of 19, as the extra strength (it must be 19 to make the most out of a half-orc PC) lends itself to more reliable backstabs (strength damage is not multiplied). A half-orc fighter/thief is even better, as they'll benefit from the CON bonus for fighters and have more HP, though of course this comes with a slower level progression. -- Added by JuneOak (talk • contribs)
- An interesting playstyle for a half-orc character if you are looking for a playthrough that isn't necessarily the strongest option but is enjoyable nonetheless, would be to create a fighter, thief, or fighter/thief. Place your proficiencies in daggers and utilize the Boomerang Dagger +2 or Firetooth +3 with another weapon in the off-hand (preferably Belm or Kundane as a non-fighter, for the increased APR). Because of the returning nature of these two daggers and their ability to switch between melee and ranged; you are able to effortlessly switch between ranged attacks to lethal close-ranged combat on command as well as perform powerful backstabs, all from the same weapon - allowing you to use other items with your other characters. With just the enhancement tome from the first game, a half-orc character can possess a natural 20 Strength in Baldur's Gate II; which packs an impressive +8 to damage with melee weapons - and to the damage of thrown daggers. For fighters or the multi option, you can also achieve Grandmastery in Daggers and (with the Tweaks Anthology installed to restore Grandmastery to its former glory) add an additional +5 damage to your daggers -- for a total of +13 damage in both melee and ranged combat; making for an incredibly powerful playstyle that doesn't even need to exploit the thief's Use Any Item HLA like the majority of builds do (although, thieves can still utilize the HLA to equip the Scarlet Ninja-to as an upgrade for Belm or Kundane if they wanted to and still keep to the build's RP flavor (rather than jumping to Crom Faeyr ). Firetooth +3 is also capable of hitting all but only a tiny handful (I think 5) of enemies throughout the entire trilogy, and for those few enemies you can use the Dagger of the Star +4/+5 (provided you are capable of dealing with the demilich that guards its room in the Watcher's Keep ), which is a nice weapon for thieves due to the chance to turn invisible after each successful hit. Bonus Note: For ToB, if you took the evil route during the Hell Trials and used the Machine to grant you a total of +3 to your strength, you can waltz in with a natural 23 Strength and you +8 damage will have become +11, (24 and +12 through the use of the Deck of Many Things' STAR Card as a Fighter/Multi). Special Note: Cleric and Cleric/Multi's can achieve natural 25 by equipping their Holy Symbols, obtained at level 25; but because they cannot use daggers, this playstyle's reliance on a single weapon or melee/ranged will only work with The Brick -- Added by Anonymous
See also[]
External links[]
- Half-orc on the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting Forgotten Realms.