Where do half-orcs come from? They come from regular orcs that had an encounter with an axe!

Quote from: David Johansen;1126531One really simple and realistic source for half orcs is a recessive gene.  One in four or one in eight orcs is born just a little more human.  There isn't really any human DNA involved, just a quirk of the genome.

Another fine addition to my collection of weird world ideas if I run a campaign again.

So where do half-elves come from?

Quote from: tenbones;1126926So where do half-elves come from?

A female elf rapes a human male cuz male elves were too busy doing each other to give her any. Then she leaves the unwanted half-breed child in human lands and sticks the guy with child support.

Quote from: soltakss;1126897I don't use D&D alignment, but if I did they would be LE, generally. Even the CE ones would bend to the Dark Lord, in their own special way.

Gygax confirmed when queried on the matter that the reason for LE orcs is a simple matter of survival for the smaller humanoids. To have a chance against competent PCs they must act as a group.

CE does not preclude serving a Dark Lord, it merely alters the manner of that service. Indeed, in the real world it is selfish pride that is the cornerstone of evil. What the game calls LG and CE are compared to each other by way of sheep and goats: The shepherd leads the sheep and protects them from the environment (note that modern sheep are stupider and fluffier than their ancient counterparts -- ancient sheep and goats were visually indistinguishable to non-shepherds), while the goatherd follows behind his herd and protects the environment from them. Sheep are loyal while goats are stubborn and do what they want. The CE Dark Lord (usually female in mythology, such as Tiamat and her monsters) merely follows behind his flock and laughs at the destruction and mayhem they cause.

On the origin of the half-orc; a treatise

Despite numerous distasteful rumors, half-orcs are, in fact, not the product of a union between an orc and human. Instead, they are the product of a very delicate yet extraordinary botanical happenstance.

There exists, in darker and cooler lands, a rare breed of large carnivorous plants. These plans blindly and instinctively lash out to consume the flesh of any passerby. They ostensibly grow near caravan roads and common trails, frequented by all sorts. The sharp leaves and mobile vines are so swift and powerful, most victims survive the assault however missing limbs and chunks. Normally, the flesh is then consumed within, as it rots naturally in the large trunk of the vicious plant.

On the occasion the meat of a human and orc are mingling in the miasmic pool of rot, a strange alchemical process takes place. The reaction kicks off quite abruptly, killing the carnivorous marauder, leaving only a tall hardened cocoon-like husk of the trunk. 12 hours later a fully grown albeit teenaged half-orc emerges. The gender being random and unpredictable.

All research of the greatest council of wizards has proven these creatures are fully flesh, and fully combined of the two species.

Unfortunately, slavers and ruffians watch for instances of these cocoons and often enslave the physically strong specimens for gladiatorial combat, hard labor or other less scrupulous matters. This lends to the common assertion that half-orcs tend to be evil or unscrupulous themselves. The truth however is more complicated.

As to the cause of this strange creation is anyone's guess. The wisest of our college are still studying the nature of both orcs and humans for clues.

Thandoren Fellumeen
Grand Master Wizard of the College of Magics

Quote from: trechriron;1126964On the origin of the half-orc; a treatise

Despite numerous distasteful rumors, half-orcs are, in fact, not the product of a union between an orc and human. Instead, they are the product of a very delicate yet extraordinary botanical happenstance.

There exists, in darker and cooler lands, a rare breed of large carnivorous plants. These plans blindly and instinctively lash out to consume the flesh of any passerby. They ostensibly grow near caravan roads and common trails, frequented by all sorts. The sharp leaves and mobile vines are so swift and powerful, most victims survive the assault however missing limbs and chunks. Normally, the flesh is then consumed within, as it rots naturally in the large trunk of the vicious plant.

On the occasion the meat of a human and orc are mingling in the miasmic pool of rot, a strange alchemical process takes place. The reaction kicks off quite abruptly, killing the carnivorous marauder, leaving only a tall hardened cocoon-like husk of the trunk. 12 hours later a fully grown albeit teenaged half-orc emerges. The gender being random and unpredictable.

All research of the greatest council of wizards has proven these creatures are fully flesh, and fully combined of the two species.

Unfortunately, slavers and ruffians watch for instances of these cocoons and often enslave the physically strong specimens for gladiatorial combat, hard labor or other less scrupulous matters. This lends to the common assertion that half-orcs tend to be evil or unscrupulous themselves. The truth however is more complicated.

As to the cause of this strange creation is anyone's guess. The wisest of our college are still studying the nature of both orcs and humans for clues.

Thandoren Fellumeen
Grand Master Wizard of the College of Magics

Ooooh. Clever. Although this also makes an excellent argument as to where some of the stranger entries in the Monster Manual come from.

Owlbears, for example.

Quote from: trechriron;1126964On the origin of the half-orc; a treatise

That's excellent! Kudos! Solid, fantastical and flavorful concept.

Documented evidence of how half-orcs happen. No Photoshop was involved!

I'm late to the party - but did anyone post this one yet? (relevant bit in the last four panels) Any time some brings up the background of half-orcs it reminds me of this comic - which both touches on the raider/attack version as a trop, while also flipping it on its head.

https://i.giantitp.com//comics/oots/oots0555.gif

Quote from: Charon's Little Helper on September 28, 2020, 04:14:08 PM
I'm late to the party - but did anyone post this one yet? (relevant bit in the last four panels) Any time some brings up the background of half-orcs it reminds me of this comic - which both touches on the raider/attack version as a trop, while also flipping it on its head.

https://i.giantitp.com//comics/oots/oots0555.gif

Here's another comic in a similar vein: https://mcnostril.tumblr.com/tagged/half-orc

I think we have to face the real problem here.


Many orcs have problems being strong enough for orc women. These weaklings can only lift small stones and are weak hunters and weak fighters. So what do these weak orcs do? These orcs find human women and make babies with them. Babies have gross round ears, pathetic small tusks, sickly-green skin, and are not very strong, though stronger than wimpy humans.

Humans try to claim orcs take advantage of their disgusting-looking human women. I don't know why any real orc would want one of those things that can barely give birth to one baby at a time unless he had no other choice. What kind of warrior would an orc with human blood in his veins be? Sure some become shamans, and that's good for someone who can barely lift an orcish axe.


But overall, it just shows how humans like to blame other races for things they don't want to admit. The difference between an elf and a human is that the elf can't help lying. But the human, they do it for a reason.


--taken from the Words of Gronk, Hand of Gruumsh, battle captain of the Bloody Tusk orc tribe

half orcs are hybrids and thus manufactured in california.

Is it low standards, or high standards? Half-orcs are the mules of humanoids -- smarter and better-tempered from their human side, bigger and stronger from their orc parentage. Just as some people breed mules on purpose, mightn't someone see the advantages of a half-orc child?

And, hey, if you want to stick with the mule analogy more closely, it could be that the half-orcs we know of are bred of human males and orc females, whereas the opposite would be like the hinny, which instead gets the worst traits of both parents for some reason -- so those would be scrawny, ugly, meanies that probably don't see the light of day much.

Quote from: Zalman on October 01, 2020, 06:34:02 PM
Is it low standards, or high standards? Half-orcs are the mules of humanoids -- smarter and better-tempered from their human side, bigger and stronger from their orc parentage. Just as some people breed mules on purpose, mightn't someone see the advantages of a half-orc child?

And, hey, if you want to stick with the mule analogy more closely, it could be that the half-orcs we know of are bred of human males and orc females, whereas the opposite would be like the hinny, which instead gets the worst traits of both parents for some reason -- so those would be scrawny, ugly, meanies that probably don't see the light of day much.

In my campaign, I shamelessly ripped off The Grey Bastards where the Fire-Cult nation to the south has raised GENERATIONS of half-orcs as slaves... and has given some of them a land grant ... on someone else's land... to help keep the hobgoblins and other nations in check.

MOST half-orcs in my campaigns come from other half-orcs... even if as 'mules' they should be sterile.  The original half-orcs?  Rape.  There is no love between orcs and other races - orcs don't have art, hobbies, hell, even jobs - orcs don't produce anything, they TAKE.

My current campaign is going to be using Orog's as the 'baseline' orc... with the 1 HD version either not existing or as the slave caste, a la Warcraft.  More coolness I'm pinching from French (author of The Grey Bastards) they have no dogs, no horses and can't raise livestock - animals know a predator when the smell one.

On a side note, I've always been of a mind that if you want the 'noble savage' (which is a bullshit concept.   You're either a savage, or a tribal) use hobgoblins.  Strength and Honor: The Mighty Hobgoblins of Tellene is IMO the single best thing Kenzer and Co. ever put out.  It's a good read, and even if I don't care much for the hairy-chewbacca like sub-breed they created (uh, bugbears guys?  use bugbears), it's a damn fine book, that to muddy the waters further, introduces a half-hobgoblin.