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Half-orcs, also known as goblin-men, are the offspring of an unholy union between orc and human. They have a reputation in mannish realms for being cruel and brutish; while a reputation not entirely undeserved, one might wonder how much of that brutality is nature, and how much is nurtured by a hostile world.
Inheriting traits of both parents, half-orcs are taller than true orcs, but broader than humans. Their arms are of mannish length, but their hands are large and often long-fingered. The most distinctively orcish feature of these mongrels are their heads. Half-orcs have large heads with heavy brows, smouldering eyes, and wide toothy maws. Unlike true orcs, half-orcs are unbothered by the sun.
Half-orcs have dark-vision, which enables them to see up to 60 feet in darkness. Additionally, their acute sense of smell gives a +1 bonus to surprise rolls.
Inheriting the fell strength of their orcish parentage, half-orcs add 1 to their initial strength scores. Their unpleasant visages cause them to subtract 1 from their initial charisma scores.
A half-orcish character can be a barbarian, druid, fighter, ranger, thief.
The initial languages a half-orc can learn are common, orcish, wolf, and any others your DM allows.
Orcs are creatures of cave and chasm, tunnelling beneath the surface, hidden from the baleful sun. Having inherited these instincts, half-orcs can, while underground, detect the following information when within 10 feet of the particular phenomenon (but they can determine their approximate depth below the surface at any time).
| Detect Grade or Slope in Passage: | 1-4 on 1d6 |
| Detect new tunnel/passage construction: | 1-3 on 1d6 |
| Determine approximate depth underground: | 1-2 on 1d6 |
Note that the half-orc must deliberately try to make these determinations; the information does not simply spring to mind unbidden.
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