The character has all the racial traits of its non-drag- on parent, plus the ones listed here.
• +8 Strength, +2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma: Half-dragons are immensely strong, very tough, and possessed of a keen intellect and com- manding presence.
• A half-dragon’s base speed is the same as that of her non-dragon parent.
• Half-dragons have low-light vision and darkvision, range 60 ft.
• Half-dragons’ Hit Dice are one level higher than the norm for their class, up to a maximum of d12. A half-dragon fighter, for example, use a d12 for her Hit Dice, instead of a d10.
• Half-dragons have a natural armor bonus of +4 to their AC.
• Half-dragon characters are the same size as their non-dragon parent.
• If the non-dragon parent’s size category is Large or greater, the character has wings that allow her to fly at her base speed and with average maneuverability. • Half-dragons have bite and claw attacks. The dam- age for these is determined by the character’s size, as shown on the table below. If the non-dragon par- ent also has bite and claw attacks, the character uses whichever is better.
• The character has a breath weapon, based on the dragon parent’s type, as listed on the table below. This can be used once per day. The DC to save against the breath weapon is listed in parentheses. A line breath weapon is 5 feet high, 5 feet wide, and 60 feet long. A cone is 30 feet long.
• Half-dragons are immune to sleep and paralysis spells and spell-like effects.
• The half-dragon has an additional immunity based on the dragon parent’s type.
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Bite Claw Size Damage Damage
Fine 1 — Diminutive 1d2 1 Tiny 1d3 1d2 Small 1d4 1d3 Medium-size 1d6 1d4 Large 1d8 1d6 Huge 2d6 1d8 Gargantuan 2d8 2d6 Colossal 4d6 2d8
Dragon Breath Damage Type Weapon (DC)
Black Line of acid 6d4 (17)
Blue Line of lightning 6d8 (18)
Green Cone of gas 6d6 (17)
Red Cone of fire 6d10 (19)
White Cone of cold 3d6 (16)
Brass Line of fire 3d6 (17)
Bronze Line of lightning 6d6 (18)
Copper Line of acid 6d4 (17)
Gold Cone of fire 6d10 (20)
Silver Cone of cold 6d8 (18)
Space Cone of space 6d10 (19)
• Half-dragon characters may take a feat available to dragons whenever they are eligible to gain a new feat.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Draconic, and the native languages of the non-dragon parent’s race. Also, Draconic Sign Language if the dragon parent is a space or star dragon. Bonus Languages: These are determined by the race of the non-dragon parent.
• Favored Class: Sorcerer. A multiclass half-dragon’s sorcerer class does not count when determining whether she suffers an XP penalty for multiclassing. The draconic blood rages in the half-dragons’ veins, and they are naturally drawn to sorcery.
Orc s
Orcs are a plague on many worlds in the galaxy. They are crude, aggressive, and warlike. They’re not particu- larly formidable when they’re alone, but there are a lot of them. Despite the fact that they’re usually chaotic evil, they band together for short times in hordes capa- ble of threatening even the most powerful empires.
Of course, not all orcs are evil. A rare few devote their lives to helping those in need, and even within a clan, many orcs are far kinder to each other than they are to outsiders. Few orcs indeed are pure enough to be pal- adins, but in the entirety of the galaxy, there may be some who have achieved this goal.
Personality: Most orcs are gruff and short tempered.
Their idea of diplomacy is to give a foe a chance to run before attacking him. They value action over talk, and talk over thought. Despite this, their greatest leaders are known to cogitate on their deeds for long moments before leaping into action. This is perhaps what sepa- rates them from their fellows.
The orcs are a hearty people, full of the kind of love for life you can only have when you walk hand in hand with death. They enjoy drinking, fighting, wrestling, feasting, drumming, and dancing with wild abandon. They have no use for polite society—or any politeness at all. To them, such niceties are a waste of time—time better spent enjoying life instead of tiptoeing around another’s easily bruised sensitivities.
Female orcs have enjoyed some emancipation in the Empire. While they still aren’t regarded as the equals of males in their own society, there are female orcs on the battlefield and in many other stations usually reserved for males. These women may be the exception for now, but their numbers are growing.
Physical Description: Orcs look something like
primitive or bestial humans with gray or greenish skin, sloped foreheads, jutting brows, piglike snouts, and prominent lower canines that look like tusks. Their hair is coarse and often worn in long braids. They tend to slouch, making them look less physically impressive until they raise themselves up to their full height of six feet or more. Their ears are short and pointed, and their eyes are tinged with red. They like to wear bright colors and carry large weapons, although they often neglect both their appearance and their equipment.
Relations: Orcs don’t get along with dwarves and
elves and never have. Orcs find the dwarves too serious
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Dragon Type Immunity
Black Acid Blue Electricity Green Acid Red Fire White Cold Brass Fire Bronze Electricity Copper Acid Gold Fire Silver Cold Space Cold Star Fire
and the elves too flighty to accord either race any kind of respect. Collectively, orcs haven’t made friends with any of the other races, either. They believe orcs are the finest of all the peoples. The only ones who are orcish enough for them are orcs. The orcs have a great deal of respect for the icy cruelty of the drow, though they believe the drow spend far too much time plotting and scheming.
Alignment: Most orcs are chaotic evil, but those who
aren’t are the ones most likely to be adventurers. Most orc leaders tend to be neutral evil or even lawful evil, tempering the wildness of their fellows with enough dis- cipline to get things done. Orc characters are usually chaotic neutral or neutral, and a rare few are chaotic good.
Orc Lands: The orcs believe that conquest is the only
proper way to extend their power and influence. Orcs were held in check for millennia by the rule of the Qesemet Emperors. With the rise of the Red Dragon, the orcs of many worlds are uniting to launch a renewed offensive on the unsuspecting planets of the Outlands. As long as the orcs don’t upset his plans, Mezzenbone is content to let them rampage across the fringes of the Empire. Their open aggression takes the media’s atten- tion off the Emperor’s more subtle designs.
Religion: Evil orcs generally worship the Destroyer,
as they have for millennia. Non-evil orcs may worship any of the Twelve, though it’s hard for them to ignore the call of violence that rages in their blood. The Warrior is the most popular deity among these orcs. Many orcs have been drawn to the worship of the Adversary. Orcs tend to see things in black and white, and a religion based on opposition and conflict is powerfully appeal- ing to them. Only a few orcs of good alignment honor the Creator, and those who do conceal their faith for fear of exile from their clans.
Language: Orc, a language that has no alphabet, is
the native language of orcs. Sometimes the orcs use Dwarven or Common to create phonetic spellings of their words, usually on war banners. Some orcs also know Goblin or Giant.
Names: Most orcs have only one name, but they can
recite the names of their fathers going back several gen- erations. A few female orcs can recite their mothers’ names as well.
Orc Male Names: Grokk, Kraal, Snash, Krakker,
Shuknadder.
Orc Female Names: Voleka, Daxa, Kraxelle,
Balasha, Puknada.
Adventurers: Orcs who renounce their clan and go
out to seek adventure are often reviled by those they left behind. Still, there are good reasons to leave. For instance, if the hero has committed a crime against the chieftain or the clan—which are often viewed as the
same thing—he can expect to be killed if he remains behind. Others leave out of sheer cussedness, mostly because they have been told they can’t. Never underes- timate an angry orc.