Orcs in Legacy

[JohnPaulB]

Originally Posted by Shostak

Granite the gargoyle is the one exception, made at the very start of the campaign before the world was more resolved. There have been no dwarves though—or at least they don’t show up in either my memory or the campaign notes.

Doh! I'm recalling other campaigns. Sorry.

[Skarg]

My first orcs were TFT orcs, and they're still my favorite flavor of orc.

If I were running a Middle Earth campaign, I think many of those goblin/orcs are more like TFT hobgoblins, with the more impressive ones being more like TFT orcs. I don't remember any orcs in Tolkien being like elves, even if in some places it says they may have originally been a corruption of elves. (I also don't remember any orcs in Tolkien being like TFT goblins (i.e. especially smart, and bound to their word) except maybe the Great Goblin in The Hobbit (though IIRC, he was also large).

[Bill_in_IN]

I prefer TFT Orcs.

Having said that, in my game they tend to be the bad guy hordes that harass the Kingdom's citizens that are comprised many races.

[TippetsTX]

Originally Posted by hcobb

Our orcs are different and we love them for it. (Our elves, goblins, etc. are also different.)

I don't think TFT orcs are different enough, TBH. Their distinguishing characteristic is being "quarrelsome" which isn't enough to base a whole race on.

I actually prefer John's idea to use the Wendol as a template for a "nastier" human culture, but I can't call them orcs.

[hcobb]

I have tried my hand at an orc society. (Based of course on the French)

https://www.hcobb.com/tft/The_Humongous_Fungus_Trip.pdf

[David Bofinger]

Originally Posted by TippetsTX

I don't think TFT orcs are different enough, TBH. Their distinguishing characteristic is being "quarrelsome" which isn't enough to base a whole race on.

Agreed. I've toyed with orcs being ST 9 DX 8 IQ 7 + 8, negatives to reactions, negatives to resisting various mind control magics (hence commonly used as Dark Lord cannon fodder), positives perhaps to resisting diseases and what have you, superior dark vision but nothing magical. But there needs to be a better reason for taking them than "I want a 25 point Melee character" and I don't know how to do that.

[Steve Plambeck]

I also don't think of TFT orcs as being very distinct, and have always preferred using Goblins anyway, although mine are a little bigger and stronger than the classic TFT goblins, without being as dumb as the hobgoblins. I also prefer them quicker, with a minimum MA of 11 and a maximum of 13. If they are aware you're in one of their tunnel systems, they will catch up with you if they want to before you get out.

While I designed a social system for mine as well, the greatest distinction they always had when we played back in the day was that were truly a nocturnal species, which actually is rather in keeping with Tolkien. Consequently they never got picked as PCs, though we never had a rule against it. Besides the fact the other PCs all disliked/feared/hated Goblins, who'd want to be the one PC in the party on a different sleep cycle than everyone else?

And with being nocturnal, they came with (what we called) Night Vision. It was the opposite of Day Vision. A Goblin saw as well in total darkness as anyone with Day Vision saw in full sunlight. We had a whole 5 level lighting scale that went from one extreme to the other, with Gloom/Overcast being the middle at which both diurnal and nocturnal races had an equal -1 DX penalty. Any darker would favor Goblins over Humans, and brighter would favor Humans over Goblins.

You never encounter one of our Goblins outdoors on a sunny day, because they'd be at -5 DX besides being in pain. But travel by night, and the tides would turn.

[hcobb]

What's the game effect of the fangs and claws of the orc?
Say always uses the dirty fighting bonus when they use brawling?

[phiwum]

Originally Posted by hcobb

What's the game effect of the fangs and claws of the orc?
Say always uses the dirty fighting bonus when they use brawling?

No in-game effect at all, far as I'm concerned. Just a bit of color.