After rereading this post, I realize that a good portion of this post sounded more like a munchkin rant than a semi-rational reconstruction. I apologize and will attempt to keep that side of me in check in the future. I've also reread my books, and got my facts straight. So without further ado, here's Races Revised 2.5: Orcs.
Ability Scores: +4 Strength, -2 Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma
Orcs are big, tough, and strong, it's their thing. However, it shouldn't be their only thing. If there's one thing John Wick has showed me, it's that orcs can be more than just martial classes or "shaman" based divine casters. His orc bard archetype from Orks: Children of Pain managed to make the race-class combination pleasing lore-wise, but a force to be feared. He also did the smart thing and gave them a more reasonable ability score bonus set. Unfortunately, John Wick has a very different idea of racial power level than standard Pathfinder races (Read Endzeitgeists reviews for some of his Wicked Fantasy products.).
Since might is generally more valued in orc culture, I'm going to do what John Wick did and give them two bonuses to physical scores, and throwing in a mental penalty for balance:
+2 Strength & Constitution, -2 Intelligence.
STR and CON are self-explanatory, orcs can dish out punishment and take it. As for the INT penalty, orcs are generally portrayed as lacking in brains, whether due to shunning scholarly pursuits, mental deficiency, thought inhibiting chemical imbalance, or fiend induced blood haze.
Add Intimidating
Half-orcs receive +2 to Intimidation checks. Orcs do not. Personally, it doesn't make sense, especially since their orc heritage is the source of this trait to begin with. So I'm adding it in.
Optional Light-Sensitivity
This is where things start to get a little risky. In Pathfinder, orcs came from underground and escaped to the surface when the dwarves made their way topside, hence their light-sensitivity. That's fine, but what if some people want to start a campaign where orcs didn't originate from underground? They'd have it get rid of it. Granted, that would also mean getting rid of their darkvision trait, but I don't think it's really that much of a difference and doesn't really upset balance all that much. Especially since the dwarves can get away with it.
Orc Ferocity & Wrath
This is the big one. "Orc Ferocity" allows a half-orc to fight disabled for one more round if below 0 HP before collapsing once per day. "Ferocity" allows orc to do this for as long as they want, only staggered. This is the biggest issue as far as PC orcs are concerned. Yes it makes them vicious enemies, but it leaves them somewhat overpowered as allies.
While it would be easy to give orc PCs the weaker "Orc Ferocity" and give them the stronger "Ferocity" as a feat, it would also remove the biggest difference between them and their hybrid offspring. So how do we give pure orcs a unique edge to fill the void? A trait that embodies the other source of their strength: that born of wrath.
Orc Wrath (Ex): Orcs can call upon hidden reserves of near god-like strength and endurance, but this puts a tremendous strain on their bodies. Once per day as a swift action, an orc can gain a +4 wrath bonus to Strength & Constitution for a number of rounds equal to their character level divided by 4 (Min. 1) at the cost of half their current hit points and reducing their maximum hit points by half. Only a full 8 hours of rest can remove this penalty and you must have more than 1 hit point to use this ability. These bonuses don't stack bonuses gained from class abilities like the barbarian's rage or spells.
Half-Orc Alternate Traits
This is what really got on my nerves. In the Advanced Races Guide half-orcs got all these different racial traits to choose from, and pure orcs only got 4, only 1 of which they shared with their hybrid cousins. Furthermore, some of the half-orc alternates suggest that orcs are supposed to have these abilities (The Bestial trait for instance.). This is a pretty easy fix:
Pure orcs may select any half-orc alternate racial trait except Skilled, as that trait is intended for half-orcs who are more human than orc.
Conclusion
Now that that's taken care of, let's total everything up based on the ARG's creation system:
Orcs Revised (Only traits with point costs are listed)
I am The Disgaean, and this has been "Races Revised".
Ability Scores: +4 Strength, -2 Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma
Orcs are big, tough, and strong, it's their thing. However, it shouldn't be their only thing. If there's one thing John Wick has showed me, it's that orcs can be more than just martial classes or "shaman" based divine casters. His orc bard archetype from Orks: Children of Pain managed to make the race-class combination pleasing lore-wise, but a force to be feared. He also did the smart thing and gave them a more reasonable ability score bonus set. Unfortunately, John Wick has a very different idea of racial power level than standard Pathfinder races (Read Endzeitgeists reviews for some of his Wicked Fantasy products.).
Since might is generally more valued in orc culture, I'm going to do what John Wick did and give them two bonuses to physical scores, and throwing in a mental penalty for balance:
+2 Strength & Constitution, -2 Intelligence.
STR and CON are self-explanatory, orcs can dish out punishment and take it. As for the INT penalty, orcs are generally portrayed as lacking in brains, whether due to shunning scholarly pursuits, mental deficiency, thought inhibiting chemical imbalance, or fiend induced blood haze.
Add Intimidating
Half-orcs receive +2 to Intimidation checks. Orcs do not. Personally, it doesn't make sense, especially since their orc heritage is the source of this trait to begin with. So I'm adding it in.
Optional Light-Sensitivity
This is where things start to get a little risky. In Pathfinder, orcs came from underground and escaped to the surface when the dwarves made their way topside, hence their light-sensitivity. That's fine, but what if some people want to start a campaign where orcs didn't originate from underground? They'd have it get rid of it. Granted, that would also mean getting rid of their darkvision trait, but I don't think it's really that much of a difference and doesn't really upset balance all that much. Especially since the dwarves can get away with it.
Orc Ferocity & Wrath
This is the big one. "Orc Ferocity" allows a half-orc to fight disabled for one more round if below 0 HP before collapsing once per day. "Ferocity" allows orc to do this for as long as they want, only staggered. This is the biggest issue as far as PC orcs are concerned. Yes it makes them vicious enemies, but it leaves them somewhat overpowered as allies.
While it would be easy to give orc PCs the weaker "Orc Ferocity" and give them the stronger "Ferocity" as a feat, it would also remove the biggest difference between them and their hybrid offspring. So how do we give pure orcs a unique edge to fill the void? A trait that embodies the other source of their strength: that born of wrath.
Orc Wrath (Ex): Orcs can call upon hidden reserves of near god-like strength and endurance, but this puts a tremendous strain on their bodies. Once per day as a swift action, an orc can gain a +4 wrath bonus to Strength & Constitution for a number of rounds equal to their character level divided by 4 (Min. 1) at the cost of half their current hit points and reducing their maximum hit points by half. Only a full 8 hours of rest can remove this penalty and you must have more than 1 hit point to use this ability. These bonuses don't stack bonuses gained from class abilities like the barbarian's rage or spells.
Half-Orc Alternate Traits
This is what really got on my nerves. In the Advanced Races Guide half-orcs got all these different racial traits to choose from, and pure orcs only got 4, only 1 of which they shared with their hybrid cousins. Furthermore, some of the half-orc alternates suggest that orcs are supposed to have these abilities (The Bestial trait for instance.). This is a pretty easy fix:
Pure orcs may select any half-orc alternate racial trait except Skilled, as that trait is intended for half-orcs who are more human than orc.
Conclusion
Now that that's taken care of, let's total everything up based on the ARG's creation system:
Orcs Revised (Only traits with point costs are listed)
- Specialized Ability Set (1 RP)
- Orc Ferocity (2 RP)
- Weapon Familiarity (2 RP)
- Darkvision 60 (2 RP)
- Skill Bonus: Intimidate (2 RP)
- Orcish Wrath (? RP)
I am The Disgaean, and this has been "Races Revised".
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