Orcs and Goblins

[TheImpossibleDream]

I typed this up way back for EFU and recently found it all typed and formatted so I figured I'd post it here.

Orcs!

The orcs of the eastern lands are concentrated in the Moonsea and Endless Wastes today, with much smaller number scattered through the various lands that lie between.

A gray orc looks less bestial than their more savage northern kin, but is still obviously nonhuman. They are somewhat hair, with long manes of bristly hair on their heads, shoulders and backs. Their faces are less porcine than mountain orcs,  with the exception of their tusks, They have yellow, orange, or red eyes, lupine ears, and black or gray hair. Gray orcs are more apt to wear "civilized" clothing than mountain orcs, and prefer varying shades of brown, black, blue and other dark colors. Skin tones are usually gray with mottled patches of lighter or darker gray on the chest or flanks.

Gray orcs are just as mean, savage and barbaric as their northern cousins, but they lack the mountain orcs' drive to conquer and enslave. A gray orc is quite likely to react suddenly and irrationally to events, trusting to his heart and instincts more readily than logic. When presented with an opportunity to attack a hated rival, a gray orc doesn't hesitate to attack even if he has been brutally defeated a dozen times before by the same enemy.

A gray orc's strength leads to the fighter and barbarian classes and their perception and cunning also make them effective rangers.

Favoured Class:Cleric. Although gray orcs are comfortable with the savage life of a barbarian, they tend to be more calm and collected than northern orcs, focusing their rage and hatred inward. This allows them to excel as clerics of the war-like orc deities.

Grey orcs are nomads. They dwell in remote, desolate corners of northeast Faerún and eke out a meager existence as they can, traveling along traditional migratory routes between established campsites and favorite caves as the seasons change. When resources in an area run low, a tribe moves on to greener fields.

A typical gray orc tribe consists of thirty to fifty members, led by the strongest orc in the tribe. This orc is known as chieftain and he is responsible for deciding when the tribe attacks its neighbors. The position tens to be a temporary one at best, for orc chieftains are constantly killed (either in battle or through treachery) and replaced by new chieftains.

The true power behind a tribe opf gray orcs, though is the tribes high priest, who is typically an adept or cleric(often female) who has held the position for many years. The gray orcs are zealots, and the word of their tribal clerics is law Clerics from other tribes are usually viewed as heretics, despite the fact that both tribes likely worship the same deity in the same manner.

The gray orc speaks a complex variant of orc tongue. Anyone who can speak orc can understand this language, but many words, inflections, and pronunciations vary wildly between tribes and usually a period of a few days is required to sort out  and get used to the idiosyncrasies of a new tribe. Gray orcs are not fond of learning new languages, but a tribe's  clerics typically know Common (to interrogate captives) and Giant and Goblin (to interact with possible allies).

Gray orcs worship all the various orc deities equally. They acknowledge Gruumsh as the leader of the orc gods, but a typical gray orc does not feel bound to worship him above any other deitym and usually selects a deity that most closely aligns with that orc's particular interests and temperament. Most of the orcs of a particular tribe worship the same deity.

The gray orcs don't get along well with anyone outside of their immediate tribe. Other orc tribes are viewed with suspicion and jealousy. Since it's assumed that another orc tribe has it better off than the one you belong to, orc tribes often attack each other to steal resources.

They have no particular hatred for other races, gray orcs pretty much hate everyone equally. Notable exceptions are goblins and kobolds (whom the orcs often accept into their tribes as minions or slaves) and ogres (whom the orcs admire for their savage strength).

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The orcs of the North and the Spine of the World comprise the oldest and most numerous of the various orc subraces active on Faerún. In fact, many people assume that all orcs are the savage warmongers found in these regions, and do not identify gray orcs or even half orcs as separate races.

A mountain orc is quite obviously a monstrous creature to most civilized folk of Faerún. Mountain orcs look vaguely like primitive humans but are a fair but taller at seven or more feet in height; a rare few exceed eight feet in height.  They have stocky, powerful necks, and their bestial heads seem to sit directly on their massive shoulders. Their eyes are always a deep shade of red, and their faces are dominated by porcine snouts and large tusks.

Mountain orcs often weave braids and tiny bones into their thick matted hair, which is usually black. Their clothing is crude and primitive, often composed of unpleasant colors like blood red, mustard yellow, yellow green and deep purple. They are far from the cleanest race on Faerún and delight in decorating their bodies in scars and warpaint.

The mountain orcs are above all else warlike and destructive. They firmly believe that one day they shall finally crush the civilized world and inherit the lands that are rightfully theirs. Their previous defeats are not thought of as losses, but as preliminary assaults designed more to test the resources and resolve of their enemies.

Despite this shared vision of a savage Faerún ruled by orcs, the greatest hurdle they face is their inability to band together for any other reason than warfare. When the orc populations grow large enough and an orc leader emerges with enough charisma and clout to rally them, the orc tribes of the North can shake the world. But most of the time the mountain orcs are consumed with bitter infighting among themselves.

Barbarians and fighters dominate among the mountain orcs, with rogues and adepts a distant third and fourth, respectively.
Favored Class: Barbarian; the mountain orcs have built their society around the concept that might makes right.

The mountain orcs gather in immense tribes. Unlike their gray orc kin, mountain orcs are not nomadic. They select a cavern or old ruin as a lair and settle in. As their populations grow, crude new buildings and keeps are built, and in many places in the North, orc lairs have begun to resemble actual cities. When an orc city grows too large, the usual result is a bitter civil war that ends with the losing faction breaking off and fleeing to form its own tribe elsewhere. This tradition of infighting keeps most orc cities and fortresses from becoming too large. The size of mountain orc tribe varies greatly, depending on the success of the tribe and its age. Smaller tribes are rarely less than fifty members, and the larger tribes, such as the Tornskull Orcs, can number in excess of five thousand fighting orcs.

The number of orc tribes in the North is past guessing, and the tribes rise or vanish on a monthly basis. Nevertheless, several tribes are large and old enough to have become infamous throughout the region. The three major tribes of the Rauvin Mountains are perfect example: the Red Fangs, the Heart Takers, and the Tornskulls have long terrorized this region. The orc tribes in the foothills and heights of the Spine of the World are by far the most numerous in total number, and it is also here that one of the most notorious and successful orc tribes now dwells- the Many Arrows tribe, led by King Obould.

The mountain orcs acknowledge the various orc deities, but they do not let matters of faith and religion get in the way of their goals. They assume that the orc deities placed them in this world to do what they do best and do not feel the need of constant support from clerics and the like. Almost all mountain orc clerics are worshipper of Gruumsh, since the other members of the pantheon are thought of as little more than the servants of Gruumsh.

There are also a large number of orc druids in the North these are usually loners who dwell apart from orc tribes. An orc druid is either Chaotic Neutral or Neutral Evil. They serve as oracles and advisors for orc chieftains, and are often called upon to use their power over nature to aid orc armies.

The mountain orcs are consumed with hatred towards most nonorc races (in particular elves, humans, and dwarves). Despite this, they remain on good terms with other races like the various goblinoid races, giants and other evil denizens of the North. Often ogres, trolls and hill giants can be found living in orc communities. It's often said an orc will willingly breed with anything even vaguely humanoid.

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Although everyone in Faerún knows about the orc hordes of the North (the mountain orcs) and the nomadic orcs of the East (the gray orcs), only a relative few know of the third subrace that hails from the deeps below ground. The Underdark is the chosen haunt of these terrible creatures, the orogs.

After thousands of years of survival in the harsh and dangerous Underdark, the orogs have changed to match their home, becoming more ferocious and better able to cope with the dangers found there. Physically, an orog looks similiar to a large mountain orc, except that the ears are somewhat larger, and their eyes are huge and pale. They  average six and a half feet tall.

Over Centuries, orogs have mastered the art of forging armor and weapons from the strange ores found in the Underdark. They favor half plate and full plate armor, which are typically adorned with armor spikes. Orog weapons are festooned with a multitude of hooks, spines and redundant cutting edges. An orog rarely goes anywhere without being fully armed and armored.

The orog spent thousands of years battling terrible creatures for living space in the Underdark. Now they have finally begun to return to the surface world, they are finding it to be something of a paradise. Stronger and better equipped than most of their enemies, the orogs are quickly settling into positions of leadership in the eastern tribes of mountain orcs near Anauroch. Whereas mountain orcs revel in its spoils. They are quick to rise to battle, but afterward they fall back to enjoy the fruits of their victories. The concept of leading a horde of ragin orcs on a pointless crusade that only ends when the last aggressor falls, still advancing, is alien to the mindset of the orog. Why go to war if you can't enjoy the results?

Most orog characters are fighters or barbarians, but recently more orogs are becoming rangers and rogues as they explore the surface world.

Favored Class:Fighter. Orogs have been battling ceaselessly in the Underdark for centuries.

Because orogs have higher Charisma scores than other orc races, a significant minority of them are bards and sorcerers.

Deep underground the orogs use slave labor to expand caverns into well-defended cities. These cities are completely enclosed in the rock and consist of huge, seemingly endless rooms connected by numerous large processionals and public squares. Orog cities often consist of layers, with rooms atop rooms atop rooms. Nobility usually resides in the highest chambers, which are accessed by trapped stairwells and vertical shafts with crude rope lifts. Orog cities such as these can house upwards of eight thousand orogs and up to three times that many slaves.

Most orog cities are much smaller and are comprised of only a few hundred orogs and slaves. All the near-surface cities are like this, although they mimic the larger cities' tendency to consist of dozens (if not hundreds) of interconnected small rooms. On the surface, orogs have so far not built cities of their own. Rather, they have simply moved in and taken over tribes of mountain orcs, seizing the best buildings for themselves and displacing the orcs to the smaller ones.

The one thing that binds together all orog societies is the placement of the forges. Orogs have a long tradition of armor smithing and weapon forging, and the first thing a tribe of orogs look for when they pick a site for a new town is a natural place to set up a forge. Volcanic vents and pools of magma are favorites, but more traditional forges built on epic scales serve as well. Orog forges are community-held, and any orog is welcome to build armor and weaponry at the forge just as long as what is produced is either put to immediate personal use or placed in the community armory.

Orogs brought the worship of Gruumsh with them into the Underdark and have more or less forgotten the other various deities. Certain fringe cults of orogs in the deep Underdark have started worshiping Ghaunadaur, but these orogs avoid their more traditional kin. Religion is an established facet of orog society, but not an overwhelming one. In many cities, orog clerics are thought of as little more than healers, the average orog having little interest in spiritual matters.

Orogs get along the best with orcs, whom they find easy to bully and subjugate. They are intrigued by the concept of the half-orc, since these hybrids can operate in the blinding light of the sun with ease and make excellent warriors for surface world campaigns.

Those orogs who remain deep underground often engage in more or less friendly trade with the gray dwarves and the drow who value the productivity of the orog mines enough to let orog cities alone. The orogs often make war on the svirfneblin, but they try to avoid the more alien races such as illithids and aboleth, whose mental powers can cut down even the mightiest orog with ease.

+6 STR -2 DEX -2 Wis +2 Cha
+2 Natural Armor
Fire Resist 5/-
Cold Resist 5/-
ECL +2

[TheImpossibleDream]

Goblins!

Though keep in mind I don't think we'll ever see Dekanter goblin pc's in efu.

Goblinoids are a group of humanoid races that include four different subraces in Faerun:goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears, and the relatively new Dekanter goblins. These creatures are close enough in outlook and society to discuss as a group. They are closely related by ties of language and culture.

Goblins are the smallest group. They stand only about four feet tall and weigh roughly 60 pounds. Like all goblinoids, they have flat faces, broad noses, pointed ears, wide mouths and sharp fangs. Their arms hang down almost to their knees. GOblin hides range in color from  yellow through orange to red, and members of the same tribe usually share similar coloring. Goblins wear dark leather clothing, which is usually heavily soiled due to their lack of concern with hygiene.

Hobgoblins are much larger, usually reaching 6 1/2 feet in height and weighing up to 275 pounds. Their hairy hides come in dark shades ranging from reddish-brown to gray. Their eyes are yellowish or dark brown, and their teeth are yellow and strong. They like to wear bright clothing, usually with black leather. They keep their weapons clean, even if they don't take so much care with themselves.

The largest of the goblinoids, bugbears stand about 7 feet tall and often top 300 pounds. Their hides are usually yellowish, ranging from brownish to mustard yellow. Their coarse hair runs from brown to brick red. Their eyes are green-white with crimson pupils, and their ears are more wedge-shaped than those of their smaller kin.

Dekanter goblins were created from regular goblins by the alhoon (illithid lich) known as the Beast Lord in the mines of Dekanter. They are larger than the race from which they sprang, ranging in height from 4 to 5 feet. Their tough hides are orange-red, and they have manes of wiry black hair that tumble down past their shoulders. Their heads are squat atop thick, powerful necks, and they have a sharp, rhinolike horn at the tip of their elongated snouts.

Whatever the subrace, goblinoids are universally bullies. They pick on smaller creatures whenever they can, and when faced with a superior force they turn tail and run. Because of their smaller size goblins prefer to strike from behind using every fighting trick they know to gain an edge. While tactically canny, the larger hobgoblins and bugbears usually prefer a more direct approach, often driving weaker troops before them into any perceived danger.

Dekanter goblins in contrast, are aggressive and fearless. They never met a foe they didn't want to impale on their horns. They are cunning enough not to charge directly into battle against a clearly superior foe, but they rarely run away from a fight.

Goblinoids are all short-lived. Most meet a violent end long before they reach old age. They are pressed into service as adults at just 10 years of age. They rarely live to be older than 40, although some few lucky or wily individuals have been known to make it to 60 years of age.

Goblinoids have the same life expectancy and age categories of half-orcs.

Life in goblinoid community is cheap. There are always a dozen people behind you, trying to trip you up, ready to take over your place as soon as you fall. Goblinoid leaders rule through aggressive ruthlessness, bullying any who get in their way and killing those who are foolhardy enough to challenge them. Goblinoids are constantly trying to get ahead of each other, mostly by backstabbing those infront of them.

Of course, goblins lack the strength and ferocity to lord it over hobgoblins. Similarly, hobgoblins are usually at the mercy of bugbears. The differences in size between the races are too great to overcome. A group of smaller goblinoids can sometimes band together to overpower a larger cousin, but they often end up betraying each other to the bigger creature. Even should they succeed in their efforts, the smaller creatures regularly fall to squabbling amongst each other as to who is now in charge, and another of the larger goblinoids often arrives on the scene to put an end to the argument by killing those who might lay claim to such leadership.

Dekanter goblins on the other hand, live only to serve their mines, mostly because of the alhoon's cunning in his command of them. Originally, these creatures only guarded the Beast Lord's domain. Today however, they have begun ranging far and wide, perhaps signalling that the alhoon has larger schemes to execute.

Most goblinoids take up lives as adventurers simply to get away from their clans. Some do this solely for reasons of survival, sure they would be killed if they were to remain. Others believe that if they can find real power in the wider world, they can return to their homeland and take over.

Living by their wits rather than their muscles, goblins favour the rogue class. The more combat-oriented individuals sometimes multiclass as fighter/rogues. Goblin tribes also feature the occasional cleric, who stands aside from the standard pecking order.

Hobgoblins depend on their physical impressiveness to cow both friend and foe, so they favourt he fighter class. The more cunning ones multiclass fighter/rogues.

Bugbears favour rogue class, because treachery figures at least as much into their success as their power in battle. Many bugbears multiclass as fighter/rogues, and a rare few serve their clan as clerics.

Dekanter goblins are basically killing machines so they favor the barbarian class. They value strength and ferocity in battle too much to take up less militant pursuits.

Goblinoid society is a difficult one in which to grow up. Simply surviving to adulthood takes a combination of luck, careful planning, and ruthless aggression. The golden rule among goblins is to do unto others before they do unto you.

Goblin children establish a pecking order much like that of their parents. The older and larger ones pick on the smaller ones, honing the bullying skills which will serve them well later as adults. In goblinoid communities, there are as many children around as there are adults. The reasons for this are many, but they boil down to two unavoidable facts. First, most goblinoids don't survive their harsh childhoods. Second, many adults die violent deaths before they advance too far in goblinoid society.

Males have almost all the power in goblinoid society.They support their clan by constantly raiding other communities and stealing their treasure, food, and drink. when supplies are short, goblinoids have been known to slaughter and eat members of other races, even even including smaller goblinoids.

Females are expected to stay home and raise as many young goblins as possible. They are not permitted to join the clan's warriors in their hunts or in battle. For this reason, many goblinoid adventurers are females who left their clans looking for better opportunities from life.

There is no sense of privacy in most goblinoid clans. Most clans live in large, communal area, often a cave only the leaders of the clan have the privilege of keeping their own quarters. These leaders like to limit such privacy in fear those they cannot see might use the opportunity to plot betrayal. This goes on all the time anyhow, but it's more difficult to accomplish in the common chambers, since many goblinoids are only too happy to sell out any mutineers in exchange for winning their leader's favor.

It's rare for a goblinoid to reach ripe old age. At the first sign of weakness, older goblinoids are constantly challenged by their younger kin, one right after another. Eventually the youth and persistence wins out over age and treachery.

Outside their home territories, most goblinoids try to replicate the conditions under which they were raised. They look for weaker people to bully them into joining up with a nascent clan. Even goblinoids who have renounced their native clans and become adventurers often fall back into old habits, given chance.

Most goblins speak only Goblin. Smarter ones often speak Common as well, as do those who become adventurers. Hobgoblins and bugbears speak both goblin and common - they have more need to, as they are often in charge of bossing around other creatures and need to be able to speak to the creatures they enslave. Dekanter goblins speak Goblin and Undercommon, since they spend most of their lives in the depths of the Dekanter mines.

Goblinoids of all sorts are illiterate, except for those who have player character classes other than barbarian.

Goblinoids worship a number of evil deities. These gods are often exhort their followers overbreed as much as possible and then attempt to overrun their foes with superior numbers. This is one reason why life is considered so cheap in goblinoid clans. Goblins, hobgoblins and  even Dekanter goblins worship Maglubiyet, god of goblinkind. They are inspired by the legendary tales of his strength and treachery winning over all. The god of bugbears, Hruggek, coaches his followers in the art of the ambush and furious fighting.

Goblinoids don't keep pet's. TO them, such creatures are for slaughtering and eating. They often steal livestock from their neighbors and may keep goats, sheep, or cattle for a short time., but they are in a habit of eating their loot at the first opportunity.

Goblins have a special relationship with worgs, and often ride worgs into battle. The evil wolves are goblins' allies, not their servants.

These stats are as listed in the races of FR manual some of which vary in efu!
Goblin

-2 Str +2 Dex -2 Cha
Small Stature
Darkvision
+4 Move Silent (stacks with small stature I believe)
Favored Class: Rogue
ECL: 0

Bugbear

+4 Str +2 Dex +2 Con -2 Cha
Darkvision
+3 AC
Free Feat: Simple Weapon Proficiency
+4 Move Silent
Favored Class: Rogue
ECL: 4

Hobgoblin

+2 Dex +2 Con
Darkvision
+4 Move Silently
Favored Class: Fighter
ECL: 1

Dekanter Goblins

+6 Str +2 dex +4 con +2 int +2 wisdom -2 cha
Darkvision
+4 AC
Cold Resistance 5/-
Free Feat: Simple Weapon Proficiency
Favored Class: Barbarian
ECL: 6