Quote from: TristramEvans;851428Orcs

Makes sense. When we play Star Wars, I use my Orc miniatures as Gamorreans.

IMO, Orcs can look like this guy




or this guy



Same basic features (pointy ears, coarse hair, grey skin) but one might be considered attractive while the other is scary as hell.

e: oh you made that drawing?? snap, that's really good.  

Here's a Half Orc Paladin I did (it's not as good) -

http://i.imgur.com/yFztSSS.jpg

Orcs come from legends of drowned corpses reanimated by demonic spirits, and I like em that way.

QuoteIn disposition, they are as the rabid dog. In tongue, as the scraping of nail on glass. They are they eye of madness at the centre of hate, and their existence is horror. Forever, perpetual horror.

Quote from: Harime Nui;851447e: oh you made that drawing?? snap, that's really good.  

Here's a Half Orc Paladin I did (it's not as good) -

http://i.imgur.com/yFztSSS.jpg

Oh, I like that. Nicely done armour.

Thanks!  Here's a sketch of what I think a 'typical' orc marauder might look like.  In case I want to use this drawing for my PC in an upcoming game, he'd be an orc from a desert environment, so I avoided using any fur.  

http://i.imgur.com/BWtbzZa.jpg

I like your take on orcs (and your drawings), Harime Nui.

I also usually default them to being more like the ones in Peter Jackson's movies (grey skinned and more human like, but with the occasional real scary monster types).

Tristram Evans: those drowned corpse ones are fucking bad-ass!

Thanks.  On the subject of orcs here's another thing I made... never gotten to use this in a real game yet though

Random Orc Generator
 
Orc skin color (roll 1d4)
1. White
2. Grey
3. Green
4. Brown
Orc eye color (roll 1d2)
1. red
2. yellow

Orc kits (roll 1d8)
1.  Hide armor, greataxe, buckler, javelins x6
2.  Studded leather, falchion, buckler, javelins x6
3.  Scale mail, greatclub, buckler, javelins x6
4. Hide armor, battleaxe, heavy shield, javelins x6
5. Studded leather, longsword, light shield, shortbow, arrows x20
6.  Studded leather, falchion, shortbow, arrows x20
7.  Scale mail, battleaxe, heavy shield, javelins x6
8.  Scale mail, greataxe, shortbow, arrows x20

Orc alignment (roll 1d100)
001-60 | Chaotic Evil  
61-81 | Chaotic Neutral
82-94 | Neutral Evil
95-100 | True Neutral  

Details (roll 1d20 2-3x, reroll contradictory results)
1. Wolf fur mantle
2. Hair gelled up
3. Face painted
4. Face tattooed
5. Feathers in hair
6. Armor fringed with fur
7. Necklace of ears
8. Bracers fringed with raven feathers
9. Jawbone shoulder decoration
10. Ogre jawbone gorget
11. Ogre or Ettin skull helmet
12. Brass studs and rings in face
13. Large facial scarring
14. Wolf's head as headdress
15. Broken tusk
16.  Dire boar tusks on mantle
17.  Scarred/missing eye
18. One ear torn off
19.  Necklace of rabbit's foot, chicken bones, wolf fangs and other fetishes
20.  Eye of Gruumsh tattoo

Example raiding party - 6 Orc warriors (CR 1/2 e., CR 3)
 
-Names derived from list of Babylonian names http://www.peiraeuspubliclibrary.com/names/asia/babylonia.html
p --> q; b --> q; e --> a; i, a --> e, double consonents removed

Uqluu
White-skinned, red-eyed Orc
studded leather, longsword, light shield, shortbow, arrows x20
chaotic evil
large facial scarring, necklace of ears, necklace of animal fetishes

Kedeshmen
Brown-skinned, red-eyed Orc
Scale mail, greataxe, shortbow, arrows x20
Chaotic Neutral
Dire boar tusks on mantle, face painted, one ear torn off

Menuqequ (by random roll, the leader)
Grey-skinned, red-eyed Orc
Scale mail, battleaxe, heavy shield, javelins x6
chaotic evil
Dire boar tusks on mantle, armor fringed with fur, Eye of Gruumsh tattoo

Kapluu
Grey-skinned, yellow-eyed Orc
Hide armor, greataxe, buckler, javelins x6
Chaotic Evil
Face painted, bracers fringed with raven feathers, one ear torn off

Eserutunu
Green-skinned, yellow-eyed Orc
Studded leather, falchion, shortbow, arrows x20
Chaotic Evil
Necklace of ears, face painted, raven-feather fringing

Nekenur
White-skinned, yellow-eyed Orc
Hide armor, greataxe, buckler, javelins x6
Chaotic Evil
Hair gelled up, necklace of ears, face tattooed

-I've since given up using real Babylonian names and go for stuff that just sounds right and kinda funny like "I am Golal and this is my lovely wife, Bishpish."

Quote from: Harime Nui;851432Yes.  Just like humans can be beautiful or hideous orcs in my games run the gamut from handsome beastman (or beastgirl) to Gamorrean looking mofos.

e:  ofc. not everyone is shallow like me.  Orcs produce adventurers (in the sense of wandering treasure-hunters liable to rise swiftly in power and cross much of the world) in a greater quantity than elves or dwarves but probably behind humans and halflings.  Not every Orc is a sad dude with a chipped axe in a furry diaper.  Some of them are powerful warlords in sexy armor with magic axes they pulled out of a ruined Storm Giant fortress or whatever.  They can and will explore and exploit the world around them just like any of the other young and vigorous races, they're just a lot less likely to leave survivors.

Cool, I asked because i usually see it one way: a human father willingly sires an a half orc child but rarely the other way despite the "Beauty and the Beast" idea. And as you say orc depications run the spectrum from Pig men to muscular barbarian types with odd colored skin and tusk. Physical appearance isn't everything either and sometimes, given the aggressive "Want/Take" culture some orcs have the human sire might not have been wiling in some cases.

I like your take on orcs. Its similar to my own. I like the present the humanoid races as being in their own right with tendencies but there are all sorts of variants and individuals among them.

True story, my longest-played PC ever (climbed from level 1 up to the dizzying heights of level 7) was a Half-Orc Druid named Beogar.  He hailed from a part of the setting called The Free North characterized by small human city-states while orc tribes regularly migrated through the large forests following deer herds on their way north.  His mother, Beatrix, was a druidess of a local order called The Bear Circle.  His father, Khaitar, was an orc warrior who's life she saved and so joined her on her adventures (he was basically her cohort).  Khaitar was this jolly fat old warrior type who loved to tell tales of his traveling days and they built a lovely home in a rustic cabin out in the woods, having seven children of whom Beogar was the oldest.  Beogar grew up in a loving environment and was a little naive and very ethical, but when angered he could show his "orc side" with some really brutal application of fire spells.  It was a blast to play him.

Quote from: Trond;849678This is also the problem with the boob armor argument; does it make sense or not? Who knows? Women hardly ever wore plate armor historically.

I'll (badly) quote Jan on this one as she was doing costuming for years and got to discussing this with her and Kishma at a con. Kisma costumed as Red Shetland. Who is a parody of Red Sonja. Kishma passed away last year unfortunately.

Quote"Boob Armor?  Look. If you have a even moderately sizable chest then you might want to shape the armor accordingly. This stuff has to be tailored and I'd rather be comfortable in the damn tin can rather than having my tits mashed. Besides. Looks cooler. Chainmail Bikini? If I rely on speed and maneuverability then all I need if I want a modicum of modesty is to cover the bouncy part. The armor just helps lessen the chance I'm getting an arrow in the lung before I hack you to pieces. Men should never be allowed to debate covering parts they ain't got!"

Quote from: Nexus;849812Thank you. I like the Monastic warrior order feel of the Space Marines and always thought of them as more genderless walking weapons than male for the most part. The SoB as warriors nuns and brides of the Emperor is cool too.

But if you want female Space Marines in your game (or Hell, male SoB) go for it. The universe isn't going to crack open.

Which is the opinion of the vast majority of people. It's when the holier than thou assholes decided that not having them or not condemning not having them made you a patriarchal shitlord that the problems arose.

Quote from: Nexus;851430Out of curiosity, does the reverse ever happen: a human woman willingly bears a half orc child?

My girlfriend thought Azog the Defiler was hot.

Quote from: Nexus;851430Out of curiosity, does the reverse ever happen: a human woman willingly bears a half orc child?

I'm sure it does. It's not orcs, but the latest adventure for Barebones Fantasy features a romance between a human woman and an ogre chieftain. In the Keranak Kingdoms, the official setting for that game, there are half-orcs, half-ogres, half-elves, and even half-giants. And there's no mention of rape being the primary source of half-breeds, sovat least some of those are coming from consensual couplings.