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5 years ago ::
Jun 06, 2008 - 6:13AM
#1
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Date Joined:
Apr 26, 2007
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They have Orc in the MM, but no Half-orc anywhere?
At least they got the Gnome in the MM....
I think as a House rule, I'll be using the racial outline for player orcs as Half-orcs, Anyone think this is a good or bad idea?
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5 years ago ::
Jun 06, 2008 - 7:11AM
#2
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Date Joined:
Aug 31, 2007
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They have Orc in the MM, but no Half-orc anywhere?
At least they got the Gnome in the MM....
I think as a House rule, I'll be using the racial outline for player orcs as Half-orcs, Anyone think this is a good or bad idea?
It should do fine until a real half-orc is presented. WotC said something making the half-orc available online shortly after the books are released. But no telling when that will actually happen.
Jay
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5 years ago ::
Jun 06, 2008 - 8:43AM
#3
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Date Joined:
Oct 22, 2005
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It's odd that they left out half-orcs, considering the history of the campaign starter area they provided in the DMG (the Nentir Vale). That area should be rife with half-orcs.
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5 years ago ::
Jun 06, 2008 - 9:08AM
#4
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Date Joined:
Jan 28, 2004
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It's odd that they left out half-orcs, considering the history of the campaign starter area they provided in the DMG (the Nentir Vale). That area should be rife with half-orcs.
Well, they where fadded out in AD&D 2nd Ed. and didn't exist (I think) in 0D&D.... they were also never very popular, and the whole debate on their grim origins, so...
Changes around the Orcs stats with ideas from the Human and Half-Elf template... I'm sure someone will do it soon here, anyway.
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5 years ago ::
Jun 06, 2008 - 12:57PM
#5
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Date Joined:
Sep 25, 2007
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I believe the Half-Orc will be in the Forgotten Realms player's guide. Or the campaign guide.
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5 years ago ::
Jun 06, 2008 - 1:39PM
#6
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I noticed and I can't say I'll cry for this, since it was a meaningless race to me...
Exchanging them with the Dragonborns is like trading a Ferrari for trash...
I know many people like Half Orcs, but this is how I feel...
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5 years ago ::
Jun 07, 2008 - 6:00AM
#7
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Date Joined:
Aug 24, 2007
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I noticed and I can't say I'll cry for this, since it was a meaningless race to me...
Exchanging them with the Dragonborns is like trading a Ferrari for trash...
I know many people like Half Orcs, but this is how I feel...
YMMV, of course, but I feel just the opposite way. After my inaugural one-shot in the seventies, my first long-running character was a half-orc, and when I play CRPGs (rare), I always name a half-orc character after him. PC half-orcs in xD&D are a tradition of three decades.
Why a half-orc? "I think I was trying to suggest something about the duality of man, sir." :D
While these sorta-dragon thingies feel just the tiniest bit munchkiny to me (to me only; absolutely no disrespect intended to anyone who digs 'em, and I'm not saying they're over-powered), I certainly have no objection to their inclusion in the PHB; the more, the merrier, right? However, it's astounding to me that they would be in the initial 4E release, along with half-elves and two different kinds of elves, for cryin' out loud...but that my good ol' half-orcs are nowhere to be found. Odd choice there, and while it could be defensible based on whatever new cosmology they're selling, it just doesn't feel D&D, you know? I imagine that there are WoW players out there, for example, who might feel similarly about not being able to play an orc--something that's foreign to me.
As you suggested of my second-favorite race, these dragonborn are sort of "meaningless" to me, but that's only because I've never played one, never known anyone who played one, and haven't yet mentally connected them with the RPG experience.
Sticking in eladrin and dragonborn while omitting half-orcs and bards is IMO like painting the garage before you put in the bedroom floor. :D All worthy of inclusion, no doubt, but the priorities implied are...weird. To me.
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5 years ago ::
Jun 07, 2008 - 9:11AM
#8
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Date Joined:
Jan 28, 2004
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Why not just use a full orc instead and not the 'weak' half-breed?
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5 years ago ::
Jun 07, 2008 - 7:34PM
#9
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Why not just use a full orc instead and not the 'weak' half-breed?
We have a party with a full orc in 3.XE and it is a lot of fun (had to work around why he was with a mostly goodish aligned party first, but after that...). Adds a foil to everyone else in the party in a way that no other character does. Also, he seems perfectly balanced to me, doing pretty much about as well as all the other characters...
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5 years ago ::
Jun 07, 2008 - 9:54PM
#10
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Date Joined:
Mar 20, 2004
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I only noticed that the half-orc was gone because everyone decided to mention it. That being said, I think that a fine substitution is taking the half-elf and making a few changes:
Change the bonus from Charisma to Constitution.
Change the skill bonus from Diplomacy to Intimidate.
Chalk off the group bonus to Diplomacy and instead grant running charge (from the orc racial writeup).
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