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Orc, Common

This barbaric humanoid bears ragged equipment and armor in sullen colors. It has coarse body hair and a stooped posture like some primitive man but with a grayish-green skin tone and bestial facial features beneath a black hood. Burning red eyes peer below a low, sloping brow, just above a flattened nose, and prominent tusk-like teeth.

Orc CR 1/3

XP 135
Orc warrior 1
CE Medium humanoid
Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception –1
Weakness light sensitivity

DEFENSE

AC 13, touch 10, flat-footed 13 (+3 armor)
hp 6 (1d10+1)
Fort +3, Ref +0, Will –1
Defensive Abilities ferocity

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.
Melee falchion +5 (2d4+4/18–20)
Ranged javelin +1 (1d6+3)

TACTICS

Before Combat Orcs make few preparations before combat, preferring to charge headlong at any foe that presents itself.

During Combat Orcs prefer to use two-handed weapons to maximize the effectiveness of their great strength. They attack in ambushes from concealment to take an enemy off-guard and cause as much fear and confusion as possible.

Morale Orcs are bullies and cowards. They flee when the odds have turned against them and any nearby leaders are dead— or have already fled. They are prone to surrender and truces if such actions save their skins, although they honor such terms only as long as it is to their benefit to do so. Exceptions to this are dwarves and elves, from whom they neither ask nor give quarter.

STATISTICS

Str 17, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 7, Wis 8, Cha 6
Base Atk +1; CMB +4; CMD 14
Feats Weapon Focus (falchion)
Skills Intimidate +2
Languages Common, Orc
SQ weapon familiarity

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Ferocity (Ex)

An orc remains conscious and can continue fighting even if its hit point total is below 0. It is still staggered and loses 1 hit point each round. A creature with ferocity still dies when its hit point total reaches a negative amount equal to its Constitution score.

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Lore

Characters with ranks in Knowledge (local) can learn more about orcs. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs. Characters can also use Knowledge (nature) to determine this information, but the DCs are 5 higher. Those who recognize the creatures' ancestry can also use Knowledge (the planes) or Knowledge (religion) to learn more.

Knowledge (Local)

DC Result
10 This primitive looking creature is an orc, one of the most prolific and aggressive of the humanoid races. Orcs speak their own language, and the more intelligent of their kind often learn Goblin or Giant. This result reveals all humanoid traits.
15 Orcs are considerably stronger than the average human, though this is countered by a general lack of the more cerebral traits. A warlike people who believe that to survive they must conquer as much territory as they can, they are often at odds with those they encounter (including other tribes of their own kind) and are a generally hated race for this reason. Their warlike culture does however mean that all of their kind are well trained in the use of weaponry, and many prefer large, two-handed weapons that deal as much damage as quickly as possible.
20 Orcs do have one weakness - a sensitivity to bright light that can dazzle these naturally noctunal creatures. Orc leaders are traditionally warriors of one kind or another, often from the Barbarian tradition. Although rare, orc spellcasters are typically ruthlessly ambitious, and the rivalries between warrior and spellcaster factions can sometimes tear a tribe apart. Orc society is usually patriarchal, with females seen as prized possessions at best and chattel at worst.

Monster Lore from WOTC Community Forums - Monsters and Races - Monster Lore Compendium. Copyright 2007-2008, Author: Evandar_TAybara

ECOLOGY

Environment temperate hills, mountains, or underground
Organization solitary, gang (2–4), squad (11–20 plus 2 sergeants of 3rd level and 1 leader of 3rd–6th level), or band (30–100 plus 150% noncombatants plus 1 sergeant of 3rd level per 10 adults, 1 lieutenant of 5th level per 20 adults, and 1 leader of 7th level per 30 adults)
Treasure NPC gear (studded leather armor, falchion, 4 javelins, other treasure)

Along with their brute strength and comparatively low intellect, the primary difference between orcs and the civilized humanoids is their attitude. As a culture, orcs are violent and aggressive, with the strongest ruling the rest through fear and brutality. They take what they want by force, and think nothing of slaughtering or enslaving entire villages when they can get away with it. They have little time for niceties or details, and their camps and villages tend to be filthy, ramshackle affairs filled with drunken brawls, pit fights, and other sadistic entertainment. Lacking the patience for farming and only able to shepherd the most robust and self-sufficient animals, orcs almost always find it easier to take what someone else has built than to create things themselves. They are arrogant and quick to anger when challenged, but only worry about honor so far as it directly benefits them to do so.

An adult male orc is roughly 6 feet tall and 210 pounds. Orcs and humans interbreed frequently, though this is almost always the result of raids and slave-taking rather than consensual unions. Many orc tribes purposefully breed for half-orcs and raise them as their own, as the smarter progeny make excellent strategists and leaders for their tribes.

Tribal Standards

Any orc fighting within 60 feet of his tribal standard gains a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and Will saves against fear effects, just as if he had been the recipient of a bless spell. Conversely, the quickest way to rout an orc army is to capture or destroy its standard.

Section 15: Copyright Notice - Classic Monsters Revisited

Classic Monsters Revisited. Copyright 2008, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors: Wolfgang Baur, Jason Bulmahn, Joshua J. Frost, James Jacobs, Nicolas Logue, Mike McArtor, James L. Sutter, Greg A. Vaughan, Jeremy Walker.