Rhorog is a half-orc who uses few words but can swear fluently in twelve languages. He believes in personal honour and lives only for the future, leaving behind the past. He is harsh on others but harsher on himself and sings orcish battle chants during combat.
Half-Orc Characters for 5e D&D
Half-Orcs have been in and out of Dungeons and Dragons through different editions. In for 1st Edition AD&D, 3rd Edition and Fifth. Not in core for 2nd Edition or 4th Edition. Often they are associated with savagery, great axes, ferocity, barbarians and difficult childhoods.
Some grow up in orcish cultures, others in human and some in-between or another place entirely different. They give the ability to play a "savage humanoid" while retaining a link to humanity. They are favoured for strength-based warriors and anyone wanting to add a bit of resilience to their character.
Here are tables for character traits, ideals, bonds and flaws. Last is a table for savage heritage
There is a half-orc character ideas generator at ChaosGen. And more tables with Half-orc Characters on DM's Guild
All character tables - dragonborn | dwarves | elves | gnomes | half-elves | half-orcs | halflings | tieflings | minotaurs
Half-Orc Traits
| 1d20 | Trait | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | I use few words | |
| 2 | I express my emotions often and without restraint | |
| 3 | I get bored when others talk too much | |
| 4 | I fill silence with crude jokes | |
| 5 | I love a friendly wager or challenge | |
| 6 | I compare everything to the way orcs do it | |
| 7 | I can swear fluently in twelve languages | |
| 8 | I often use physical activity to keep dark thoughts at bay | |
| 9 | I laugh loud and often, for tomorrow I may not laugh at all | |
| 10 | I don't trust in pretty things. They often hide an ugliness inside | |
| 11 | I love showing off my strength | |
| 12 | I bathe once a year | |
| 13 | I solve problems with direct solutions | |
| 14 | I keep a tight rein on my emotions after past experiences | |
| 15 | I flaunt my savage upbringing at every opportunity | |
| 16 | I prefer doing something to talking about it | |
| 17 | Every day I struggle against the beast within | |
| 18 | I am blunt where others use hints or lies | |
| 19 | I prefer a life of simple pleasure and few worries | |
| 20 | If you wrong me I will destroy you and everything you love |
Half-Orc Ideals
| 1d20 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Aspiration I will prove my worth to myself and those important to me |
| 3-4 | Cunning. Being smart where others are strong keeps you ahead |
| 5-6 | Fortune. Good things happen to those who make them happen |
| 7-8 | Glory. Others shall know of my deeds in stories and songs |
| 9-10 | Honesty. Plain words and hard work and are enough to live by |
| 11-12 | Honor. A broken oath is a broken person |
| 13-14 | Respect. If you want respect you must gather enough power to demand it |
| 15-16 | Savagery. I want others to see the pain and rage that lives inside me |
| 17-18 | Strength. The strong get to make the rules that others follow |
| 19-20 | Today. Enjoy each day while you can. Life is too short for big ideas |
Half-Orc Bonds
| 1d20 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | I have a feud with a rival that needs to be settled |
| 3-4 | I am the last of my family and I will bring my wrath down on those who harmed them |
| 5-6 | I'm hunted for a crime I did commit. And I'd do so again |
| 7-8 | I have great interest in the legends and tales of my heritage. We can be some much more than we are |
| 9-10 | I seek to build a place where everyone is welcome. A home to all |
| 11-12 | An orcish amulet is my most treasured possession, reminding me of something I must do |
| 13-14 | My adopted family are everything to me |
| 15-16 | I want to be remembered for the things I have done |
| 17-18 | I live only for the future. The past is best left behind |
| 19-20 | Wealth is a way to ensure survival in the world |
Half-Orc Flaws
| 1d20 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | I have a habit of holding grudges |
| 3-4 | I often get into trouble trying to live life to the full |
| 5-6 | I have no way of hiding my feelings |
| 7-8 | Violence is too often my response to any danger |
| 9-10 | I often have vivid dreams of bringing ruin to nearby lands |
| 11-12 | I am willing to sacrifice anything to survive |
| 13-14 | I sometimes take insults too far |
| 15-16 | I am harsh on others but harsher on myself |
| 17-18 | Once I indulge in strong drink or other vices I find it hard to stop |
| 19-20 | I often say the wrong thing in social situations |
Half-Orc Savage Heritage
Use this table for backstory and other ideas tying to parts of elven or human world.
| 1d20 | Savage Heritage | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | You give brutal sounding names to your weapons | a shield with a religious symbol |
| 2 | You proud bear several scars | a disreputable port city |
| 3 | You see omens in every cloud | an elderly adventurer |
| 4 | You have a vivid tribal tattoo | a barded warhorse |
| 5 | You prefer to sleep on animal furs | a crude display of wealth |
| 6 | You have several painful looking piercings | a loud family argument |
| 7 | You are guided by an ancestor spirit who fell in a great battle against elves | a retired fighter |
| 8 | You wear an orcish bone amulet | a sprawling metropolis |
| 9 | You prefer to be active during the night | a strange painting of a unicorn |
| 10 | You have taken an orcish epiphet such as the Fierce, Bone Snapper or Death Walker | several dogs |
| 11 | You are marked by a large battle scar | a lively tavern |
| 12 | You sing orcish battle chants during combat | shrine of a human deity of music |
| 13 | You believe one of the orcish gods watches you closely | a long beard |
| 14 | You have a blood feud with an orcish tribe | a large gambling debt |
| 15 | You have an orcish dance you perform whenever you hear drumming | greatsword of a feared barbarian |
| 16 | You look for omens and signs in the remains of dead creatures | a duck-feather pillow |
| 17 | You keep a piece of every creature you kill | pact with a devil |
| 18 | You believe a guardian spirit of an aurochs or bear protects you | a young necromancer |
| 19 | You have been branded with the mark of a deity | a farmstead |
| 20 | You believe the quality of music relates to how loud it is | a large family |
More Half-orc Tables
There is a half-orc character ideas generator at ChaosGen. And more tables with Half-orc Characters on DM's Guild
