Born from orc and human parents, half-orcs are outcasts, looked upon with fear, hatred, and pity by most of the civilized world. Half-orcs are not a new phenomenon: in the days when orcs and humans clashed endlessly, many who found themselves caught in-between were the subjects of terrible violence, with half-orcs as the byproduct. While many half-orcs today share this dark history, others come from entire communities of half-orcs, bound together by their common lineage. Half-orcs favor many of the traits of their less-civilized parents, tending toward violence and a dark, brooding outlook. From their human parentage, half-orcs are gifted with a wide variety of passions. While these stereotypes are not universal, they are quite common. Half-orcs raised in orc society tend to blend in, earning positions of respect so long as they can physically match their peers. Those raised in human society often find themselves the targets of cruel prejudices and are frequently the suspect whenever a crime is uncovered. Due to such difficulties, many half-orcs turn to lives of crime or adventuring, where their combination of strength and wits serves them best.

The following are the racial traits of half-orcs:

• +2 Strength, +2 Wisdom, –2 Intelligence: Half-orcs are physically strong and constantly on the lookout for danger, but their orc stock hinders their intelligence.
• Medium: Half-orcs are Medium creatures, and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Normal Speed: Half-orcs have a base speed of 30 feet.
• Darkvision 60 feet: Half-orcs can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
• Weapon Familiarity: Half-orcs are proficient with greataxes and falchions, and treat any weapon with the word “orc” in its name as a martial weapon.
• Orc Ferocity: Once per day, when a half-orc is brought below 0 hit points, but not killed, he can fight on for one more round as if disabled. At the end of his next turn, unless brought to above 0 hit points, he immediately falls unconscious and begins dying.
• Orc Blood: Half-orcs count as both humans and orcs for any effect related to race.
• Languages: Half-orcs begin play speaking Common and Orc. Half-orcs with high Intelligence scores can choose any of the following: Draconic, Giant, Gnoll, Goblin, and Abyssal.
• Favored Class: The favored class of half-orcs is barbarian or druid. This choice must be made at 1st level and cannot be changed.