Dire Orc (3.5e Race)

Author: Eiji-kun (talk) Date Created: 9-2-12 Status: Complete Editing: Clarity edits only please

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Dire Orc (Heldeofol)

It is said that the fiendish races, in their eternal war with heaven and themselves, looked upon the mortal world for new blood to fill their ranks. Slipping into the material plane, they found the orc to be a violent and brutish fellow, suitable as shocktroopers but alas holding many weaknesses of flesh. Thus a group of orcs were spirited away, experimented on, and returned to the world with a heart full of rage and blood of evil in their veins. They are Dire Orcs (also known as Heldeofol or "Hell-Demons"). Tainted by darkness, the dire orc is a vicious brute even among the violence of orckind. Cower before their might!

Personality

While the orc is mere brute, unknown to civility and unkind to weakness, the dire orc is the incarnation of the rage and hate of the abyss. Even orcs are unnerved by their fiendish presence. Anger drives them, rage is their only companion, and they are defiant even in death. Their greatest weakness is their short sightedness... able to be convinced by those of silk tongue, they unite in anger against a common foe, turning them into deadly troops for dark minded leaders.

Physical Description

The dire orc resembles the orc, but somehow even bigger and more monstrous. Standing on average 7 feet, skin various tones of green, gray, and black, with skin sometime mottled in color or possessing bone spurs and spines digging through their overmuscled flesh, they are a terror to behold. Their tusks are even bigger, and larger underbite and jaws to compensate. Their eyes are bloodshot red, orange, or yellow, and their hair is black as the deepest tar. Their breath oft stinks of rotting corpses, for the dire orc knows no morals. Be it cooked or not, or even still alive, and be it animal or sapient, all things are devoured. The dire orc even devour their own kind when times are tough, and they think nothing of it for only the most furious can survive in this dark world of theirs.

Corrupted by the forces of darkness, dire orcs no longer reproduce as normal. Shortly after pregnancy, a filthy egg sack is released which grows organic webbing and slime over the land, anchoring itself to the floor and wall. Within a month, a dire orc, fully formed, will burst from its fleshy cocoon, knowing only anger. Its first act is usually to attack its own, and those that survive the slaughter of birth and first taste meat soon gain sapience to match their bodies.

Relations

Dire orcs have no allies, no family, no friends. There are only loose allies due to common bond or reluctant acknowledgement of a greater strength. When the bond is over, or their strength matches their companion, then so the challenges and bloodshed break out. Were it not for their absurdly fast rate of reproduction they would surely murder themselves as a species.

Alignment

Dire orcs are almost universally chaotic evil. Variance from evil is unusual, and those turning non-evil represent some strange mutation in the genes, one likely to be killed.

Lands

The dire orc is not a natural being. Small pockets form around places where orcs once roamed, and some can even be found off in the lower planes, under the watchful thumb of demonic masters.

Religion

Dire orcs do not practice religion, but those which gain knowledge of their past often hold their demonic patrons in high regard. If you could call it worship is up to debate.

Language

Dire orcs speak Common, Orc, and Abyssal.

Names

Dire orcs names usually sound more like screams, howls, and curses. They soon obtain nicknames based on appearance or merit, often changing many times in their short life.

Racial Traits

• +4 Strength, +4 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma: Their bodies are muscle, bone, and hate. They are born with little knowledge or charm, and die the same.
• Humanoid (Orc): Tainted as they are, ultimately dire orcs are still orcs. Terrible, terrible orcs.
• Medium: As a Medium creature, a Dire Orc has no special bonuses or penalties due to its size.
• Dire Orc base land speed is 30 feet.
• Darkvision: A 60 can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and a Dire Orc can function just fine with no light at all.
• Dire Rage (Ex): Once per day, the dire orc can rage as a barbarian of his character level. This stacks in usage with regular rage attempts. While raging, the dire orc is considered one size larger for the purpose of opposed ability and skill checks, combat options, and weapon damage.
• Ferocity (Ex): Once per day, if an dire orc is reduced to -1 hp or lower they immediately can take a standard action before suffering from the effects of hit point loss.
• Fiendish Blood (Ex): Dire orcs count as evil outsiders when beneficial, including being able to take fiend feats.
• Natural Attacks (Ex): Dire orcs have a primary bite attack which deals 1d8 damage.
• Orc Toughness (Ex): Orcs gain an 1 additional hp per HD they possess.
• Thick Skin (Ex): A dire orc has a +4 natural armor bonus, and its bone spurs effectively give it armor spikes when wearing no, light, or medium armor.
• Terrifying Roar (Ex): Once per encounter a dire orc can give off a war cry that shakes creatures to the bone. As a standard action, you can make an intimidate check against all creatures in a 60 foot cone. If they fail they are shaken for 1 round per character level.
• Dire orcs gain a +8 racial bonus to Intimidate and Intimidate is always considered class skills. In addition, dire orcs may use strength in place of charisma for the intimidate skill and for determining your leadership score.
• Dire orcs are proficient in all simple and martial weapons.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Abyssal, Orc.
• Bonus Languages: Elven, Giant, Gnoll, Infernal.
• Favored Class: Barbarian

Vital Statistics

Table: Dire Orc Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex
5 years	+1	+1d3	+1d6

Table: Dire Orc Aging Effects

Middle Age1	Old2	Venerable3	Maximum Age
20 years	30 years	40 years	+1d10 years
At middle age, −1 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At old age, −2 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At venerable age, −3 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.

Table: Dire Orc Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	6' 6"	+3d12	300 lb.	× (3d6) lb.
Female	6' 4"	+3d12	280 lb.	× (3d6) lb.

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