Orcs have gotten some love recently, but are continuing to get their ass beat on the regular. I've played a series of relatively low level orcs and am beginning to feel confident enough with the class to try the mid ranks. Clearly, though, there just aren't enough people playing orcs to really meet the orcish ideals (read: horde). Could you consider some of the following? Maybe more people would hop aboard what I consider to be a really fun class that would be really more fun if people would play the damn thing.

#1 - Make hide available at earlier ranks. Here you have the ultimate pansy race and they can't hide until the high ranks? I'd think orcs were brought kicking and screaming into the world knowing how to hide. Maybe a graduated hide capability wherein orc 1-10 can hide in the village, 11-20 can also hide in caves, 21-30 can also hide in swamps, 31-40 can hide everywhere current orcs can hide, 41-50 can also hide in the wilderness a la assassins, and the chieftain can hide anywhere.

#2 - If maran weapons are anti-orc make them not so. I haven't played high enough for this to be an issue, but if searing light is an orc vuln it'd help a lot if it weren't. It's what keeps me up at night when I think about playing an orc above 27th.

#3 - Give orcs some kind of rudimentary medicine man in their village that can heal you in an orcish way. Maybe he "patches" your wounds with a mixture of dung and mud or calls in a couple of orc thugs with an elvish slave that is then held over your prone form only to have it's neck slit so that the blood drains into your mouth. Maybe sometimes he just demoralizes you or utters blasphemies and takes your money. Something would be a load better than nothing.

#4 - Maybe make the village norecall and nosummon. Make the bastards come in for you, not have them summon you outside.

#5 - Maybe make them harder to knock unconscious? I'd think the life they lead would give them especially thick skulls so maybe blackjacking, stunning, cranialing, etc. one into unconsciousness is somewhat more difficult. It'd be like how boxers can take a blow to the head better than some glass jawed sissy boy.

#6 - Dire wolf mounts would be awesome :)

#5 - Maybe make them harder to knock unconscious? I'd think the life they lead would give them especially thick skulls so maybe blackjacking, stunning, cranialing, etc. one into unconsciousness is somewhat more difficult. It'd be like how boxers can take a blow to the head better than some glass jawed sissy boy.

I like this idea. Orcs have the ability to headbutt. The usage of their heads over long time would let them have some resistance against those skills.

>Orcs have gotten some love recently, but are continuing to
>get their ass beat on the regular. I've played a series of
>relatively low level orcs and am beginning to feel confident
>enough with the class to try the mid ranks. Clearly, though,
>there just aren't enough people playing orcs to really meet
>the orcish ideals (read: horde). Could you consider some of
>the following? Maybe more people would hop aboard what I
>consider to be a really fun class that would be really more
>fun if people would play the damn thing.

I played an orc before the recent love and even then they weren't THAT bad. The biggest detriment to the class is the no allies factor. An orc who has integrated himself with a few allies is the most dangerous of all the large jungle cats!

>#1 - Make hide available at earlier ranks. Here you have the
>ultimate pansy race and they can't hide until the high ranks?
>I'd think orcs were brought kicking and screaming into the
>world knowing how to hide. Maybe a graduated hide capability
>wherein orc 1-10 can hide in the village, 11-20 can also hide
>in caves, 21-30 can also hide in swamps, 31-40 can hide
>everywhere current orcs can hide, 41-50 can also hide in the
>wilderness a la assassins, and the chieftain can hide
>anywhere.

Orcs aren't stealthy by nature, but I could see leaving their hide alone and bumping it up in the ranks. Orcs are supposed to be cowardly, so I can see hiding earlier. However they are also big, smelly hulking beasts. To me that doesn't say "Can hise easy on a city street" Chief or no.

>#2 - If maran weapons are anti-orc make them not so. I haven't
>played high enough for this to be an issue, but if searing
>light is an orc vuln it'd help a lot if it weren't. It's what
>keeps me up at night when I think about playing an orc above
>27th.

Ok, this ones just not something I'd want to see, even if I play an orc. Orc vulns aren't sicksome, and to be honest a Maran SHOULD be the Elite Orc Killer Guy (tm) so their weapons should slice through an orc like a Kennedy through a stripclub. Besides, it's not like there's always 500 marans around, beating up orcs.

>#3 - Give orcs some kind of rudimentary medicine man in their
>village that can heal you in an orcish way. Maybe he "patches"
>your wounds with a mixture of dung and mud or calls in a
>couple of orc thugs with an elvish slave that is then held
>over your prone form only to have it's neck slit so that the
>blood drains into your mouth. Maybe sometimes he just
>demoralizes you or utters blasphemies and takes your money.
>Something would be a load better than nothing.

Stuff like this is available to buy in a few places, but yeah I could see it.


>#4 - Maybe make the village norecall and nosummon. Make the
>bastards come in for you, not have them summon you outside.

Thats what hide is for. I could see a few select spots in the village being this way from desecration or what have you, but not the whole place. Or maybe just make paladin summoning not work there from the unholiness of the place.

>#5 - Maybe make them harder to knock unconscious? I'd think
>the life they lead would give them especially thick skulls so
>maybe blackjacking, stunning, cranialing, etc. one into
>unconsciousness is somewhat more difficult. It'd be like how
>boxers can take a blow to the head better than some glass
>jawed sissy boy.

This is a great idea.

>#6 - Dire wolf mounts would be awesome :)

Yes, yes they would. This would also be a great idea.

I understand orcs are difficult to play at times. I'm considering many ideas for them, as are others, and I'll think about your points, mainly 1 and 3. As for points number 6, please stop watching Fellowship of the Ring. It addled your brain!

Khas

>#1 - Make hide available at earlier ranks. Here you have the ultimate pansy race and they can't hide until the high ranks? I'd think orcs were brought kicking and screaming into the world knowing how to hide. Maybe a graduated hide capability wherein orc 1-10 can hide in the village, 11-20 can also hide in caves, 21-30 can also hide in swamps, 31-40 can hide everywhere current orcs can hide, 41-50 can also hide in the wilderness a la assassins, and the chieftain can hide anywhere.

I can agree with you on letting orcs hide earlier, and having areas they can hide in staggered like that is a good idea. However I do not think that orcs should be able to hide in the wilderness or anywhere once they become chief. I can't see the reasons behind letting orcs hide in the woods and forests, or on the roads like a thief or assassin.

>#2 - If maran weapons are anti-orc make them not so. I haven't played high enough for this to be an issue, but if searing light is an orc vuln it'd help a lot if it weren't. It's what keeps me up at night when I think about playing an orc above 27th.

Yes, one type of weapon that Marans can create are searing light which orcs are vulnerable to. However it isn't like becoming a Maran is a given for every squire. Plus the weapons, their description and their attack I think are very fitting for the Marans, so I don't agree with this point.

>#3 - Give orcs some kind of rudimentary medicine man in their village that can heal you in an orcish way. Maybe he "patches" your wounds with a mixture of dung and mud or calls in a couple of orc thugs with an elvish slave that is then held over your prone form only to have it's neck slit so that the blood drains into your mouth. Maybe sometimes he just demoralizes you or utters blasphemies and takes your money. Something would be a load better than nothing.

I like this idea, especially the part about him just taking your money and doing bad things to you as well. Maybe have it rely on your current Morale status as well as current rank. Because an Orc who has a high moral, who has just been out killing things, and has confidance, as well as brute strength, is not going to be turned down easy, and so would instill fear into the medicine orc.

>#5 - Maybe make them harder to knock unconscious? I'd think the life they lead would give them especially thick skulls so maybe blackjacking, stunning, cranialing, etc. one into unconsciousness is somewhat more difficult. It'd be like how boxers can take a blow to the head better than some glass jawed sissy boy.

I don't really like this idea either because if you do this then wouldn't you need to do the same for the giant races, because their skulls are thicker as everything on them is larger. Also for dwarves because they are known to be really thick skinned and boned. Also with giants being so big, and bones being so large, we should also reduce boneshatter duration and strength and so on and so forth. At least that is how I see it.

They are already giant sized and can wield two handed weapons in one hand which I think is extremely useful and perhaps not exactly required.

Just my thoughts,

Blobqirt

but on number five you state they shouldn't get it because giants should get it as well. and give a reason why dwarves should get it (which I agree) but then say they are already giant sized.
If they are giant sized (basically equal to the reason to say giants should get it) AND have abnormally thick skulls, then why not?
The extra 'bone-headedness' of being an orc and giant-sized makes it make sense. and no giants would not need to also get it.
just my opinion.

On a side note use the percentage skill in headbutt as a factor
in resisting cranial, blackjack, etc..

(who ever up there said using headbutt over long periods of time
gave me that idea, I know they meant the race has done it for a long time and built thick skulls, but it would also then prompt more
orcs to use headbutt -way underused imho. and play with it some.)