View Full Version : BRCS Religion Chapter - Torazan`s alignment
Green Knight
11-11-2003, 04:40 PM
Hi
The BRCS has Torazan, the god of Orogs listed as lawful evil. Any
particular reason since orogs as a race are neutral evil?
Cheers
Bjørn
Osprey
11-13-2003, 05:30 AM
I've always thought Orogs should be Lawful Evil anyways. They are consistently described as well-organized, strategically capable (BRCS even gives them a +2 Warcraft bonus!), and described as disciplined fighters on the battelfield. Sounds pretty darn lawful to me. Hell, they're the only humanoids who field pike companies! Tell me that doesn't take strict discipline and organization!
It might be a typo for all of that, but personally I'd rather see Orogs have Lawful Evil as their "usual" alignment.
the Falcon
11-15-2003, 10:01 PM
I agree that orogs should lawful evil. In my campaign, orogs are LE, goblins NE, and gnolls CE. A nice spread of of evil alignments among the three evil major races that way. :)
As I'm on the topic of orogs anyways, here's my v3.5 take on orogs that I made a while. Really don't remember if I've posted this before, but hey, better safe than sorry. :P
OROG
Medium Humanoid (Orog)
Hit Dice: 3d8 (13 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: +6 (+3 natural, +3 studded leather), touch +0, flat-footed +6
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+6
Attack: Falchion +7 melee (2d4+6/18–20) or javelin +2 ranged (1d6+4)
Full Attack: Falchion +7 melee (2d4+6/18–20) or javelin +2 ranged (1d6+4)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Darkvision 120 ft., light sensitivity
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +1
Abilities: Str 19, Dex 10, Con 11, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 9
Skills: Listen +6, Spot +6
Feats: Power Attack, Weapon Focus (falchion)
Environment: Underground
Organization: Gang (2–5), squad (6–11 plus 2 2nd-level sergeants and 1 leader of 2nd–5th level plus 1–2 monitor lizards), or band (20–80 plus 50% noncombatants plus 1 2nd-level sergeant per 10 adults, 5 4th-level lieutenants, and 3 6th-level captains plus 3–13 monitor lizards)
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually lawful evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +1
COMBAT
Light Sensitivity (Ex): Orogs are dazzled in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell.
OROGS AS CHARACTERS
— +8 Strength, –2 Charisma.
—Medium size.
—A orog's base land speed is 30 feet.
—Darkvision out to 120 feet.
—Racial Hit Dice: An orog begins with three levels of humanoid, which provide 3d8 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +2, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +1, Ref +3, and Will +1.
—Racial Skills: A orog's humanoid levels give it skill points equal to 6 × (2 + Int modifier). Its class skills are Listen and Spot.
—Racial Feats: A orog's humanoid levels give it two feats.
— +3 natural armor bonus.
—Automatic Languages: Orog, local human tongue. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Giant, Gnoll, Goblin, Karamhul.
—Favored Class: Fighter.
What do you think?
ConjurerDragon
11-15-2003, 11:52 PM
the Falcon schrieb:
> This post was generated by the Birthright.net message forum.
> You can view the entire thread at:
> http://www.birthright.net/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=2&t=2086
>
> the Falcon wrote:
> > Light Sensitivity (Ex): Orogs are dazzled in bright sunlight or within the radius of
> a daylight spell.
Has Light Sensivity been changed in 3.5? Or is this not a fixed term, as
for example the Duergar in 3.0 had "Light Sensivity" and had a -2
circumstance penalty.
Is "dazzled" the same as the "Daze" spell? If so would humanoids of 5+
HD still not be affected? Or are dazzled and dazed different?
> — +8 Strength, –2 Charisma.
Isn´t +8 too high for only -2 on charisma?
> —Medium size.
> —A bugbear’s base land speed is 30 feet.
Bugbear? But Bugbears are a goblin subrace and not orogs?
> —Darkvision out to 120 feet.
Is that 3.5 specific or do they really see twice as far as dwarves? Even
Deep Dwarfs see only 90 feet in the 3.0 MM and only Duergar would match
120 feet.
> —Racial Hit Dice: An orog begins with three levels of humanoid, which provide 3d8 Hit Dice,
a base attack bonus of +2, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +1,
Ref +3, and Will +1.
> —Racial Skills: A orog`s humanoid levels give it skill points equal to 6 × (2 + Int modifier).
Its class skills are Listen and Spot.
> —Racial Feats: A orog`s humanoid levels give it two feats.
> — +3 natural armor bonus.
> —Automatic Languages: Orog, local human tongue. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Giant, Gnoll, Goblin, Karamhul.
> —Favored Class: Fighter.
> What do you think?
Local human tongue as automatic language for every Orog? I can´t see
EVERY Blood Skull Orog speaking Rjurik or EVERY Black Spear Tribe Orog
speaking Khinasi or EVERY Iron Mountain? Orog speaking Vos language.
Why not a rule like in the 3.0 Monsters Manual under Goblins: "Goblins
speak Goblin; those with Intelligence scores of 12 or above also speak
common." Replace Goblin with Orog and common with local human language
or Karamhul and it´s fine.
bye
Michael
Green Knight
11-16-2003, 08:39 AM
This I think is an exceedingly bad idea. Why is such a change necessary?
There was already a nice spread of evil alignments.
Goblins are social creatures that seem to be able to build strong social
structures wherever they gather. Orogs, on the other hand, when they are
not fighting external enemies they are fighting each other, making orog
societies unstable at best.
-----Original Message-----
From: Birthright Roleplaying Game Discussion
[mailto:BIRTHRIGHT-L@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM] On Behalf Of the Falcon
Sent: 15. november 2003 23:01
To: BIRTHRIGHT-L@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM
Subject: Re: BRCS Religion Chapter - Torazan`s alignment [2#2086]
This post was generated by the Birthright.net message forum.
You can view the entire thread at:
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the Falcon wrote:
I agree that orogs should lawful evil. In my campaign, orogs are LE,
goblins NE, and gnolls CE. A nice spread of of evil alignments among the
three evil major races that way. :)
As I`m on the topic of orogs anyways, here`s my v3.5 take on orogs that
I made a while. Really don`t remember if I`ve posted this before, but
hey, better safe than sorry. :P
Light Sensitivity (Ex): Orogs are dazzled in bright sunlight or
within the radius of a daylight spell.
— +8 Strength, –2 Charisma.
—Medium size.
—A bugbear’s base land speed is 30 feet.
—Darkvision out to 120 feet.
—Racial Hit Dice: An orog begins with three levels of humanoid, which
provide 3d8 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +2, and base saving throw
bonuses of Fort +1, Ref +3, and Will +1.
—Racial Skills: A orog`s humanoid levels give it skill points equal to
6 × (2 + Int modifier). Its class skills are Listen and Spot.
—Racial Feats: A orog`s humanoid levels give it two feats.
— +3 natural armor bonus.
—Automatic Languages: Orog, local human tongue. Bonus Languages:
Draconic, Giant, Gnoll, Goblin, Karamhul.
—Favored Class: Fighter.
What do you think?
************************************************** **********************
****
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the Falcon
11-16-2003, 08:50 PM
Originally posted by ConjurerDragon+--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (ConjurerDragon)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>Has Light Sensivity been changed in 3.5? Or is this not a fixed term, as for example the Duergar in 3.0 had "Light Sensivity" and had a -2 circumstance penalty.
Is "dazzled" the same as the "Daze" spell? If so would humanoids of 5+ HD still not be affected? Or are dazzled and dazed different?
[/b]And I answer:
Originally posted by d20 v.3.5 SRD+--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (d20 v.3.5 SRD)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>Dazzled: The creature is unable to see well because of overstimulation of the eyes. A dazzled creature takes a –1 penalty on attack rolls, Search checks, and Spot checks.
[/b]
Originally posted by -ConjurerDragon
Isn´t +8 too high for only -2 on charisma?
Hey, they aren't Level Adjustment +1 for nothing. :)
Originally posted by -ConjurerDragon
Bugbear? But Bugbears are a goblin subrace and not orogs?
Hah! That's what I get for copy-pasting from another creature's description. :lol:
Is that 3.5 specific or do they really see twice as far as dwarves? Even Deep Dwarfs see only 90 feet in the 3.0 MM and only Duergar would match 120 feet.
No, it's Falcon-specific. ;) For purposes of comparison, here's my write-up of the 3.5 Cerilian dwarf:
DWARVES
[list] +2 Strength, +2 Constitution, –2 Dexterity, –2 Charisma.
Medium: As Medium creatures, dwarves have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Dwarf base land speed is 20 feet. However, dwarves can move at this speed even when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load (unlike other creatures, whose speed is reduced in such situations).
Darkvision: Dwarves can see in the dark up to 90 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and dwarves can function just fine with no light at all.
Stonecunning: This ability grants a dwarf a +2 racial bonus on Search checks to notice unusual stonework, such as sliding walls, stonework traps, new construction (even when built to match the old), unsafe stone surfaces, shaky stone ceilings, and the like. Something that isn’t stone but that is disguised as stone also counts as unusual stonework. A dwarf who merely comes within 10 feet of unusual stonework can make a Search check as if he were actively searching, and a dwarf can use the Search skill to find stonework traps as a rogue can. A dwarf can also intuit depth, sensing his approximate depth underground as naturally as a human can sense which way is up.
Stability: A dwarf gains a +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground (but not when climbing, flying, riding, or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground).
+3 racial bonus on saving throws against poison.
+3 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.
+4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the giant type. Any time a creature loses its Dexterity bonus (if any) to Armor Class, such as when it’s caught flat-footed, it loses its dodge bonus, too.+2 racial bonus on Appraise checks that are related to stone or metal items.
+2 racial bonus on Craft checks that are related to stone or metal.
Automatic Languages: Karamhul and one local human tongue. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Giant, Goblin, Halfling, Orog, and Terran.
Favored Class: Fighter. A multiclass dwarf ’s fighter class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing
Dwarves cannot be barbarians, paladins, or monks. A dwarf without the Shadow World Magic feat cannot be a sorcerer. A dwarf without a bloodline cannot be a wizard.
<!--QuoteBegin--ConjurerDragon@
Local human tongue as automatic language for every Orog? I can´t see EVERY Blood Skull Orog speaking Rjurik or EVERY Black Spear Tribe Orog speaking Khinasi or EVERY Iron Mountain? Orog speaking Vos language.
Why not a rule like in the 3.0 Monsters Manual under Goblins: "Goblins speak Goblin; those with Intelligence scores of 12 or above also speak common." Replace Goblin with Orog and common with local human language or Karamhul and it´s fine.
[/quote]To that I reply: <!--QuoteBegin--d20 v.3.5 SRD
GOBLINS AS CHARACTERS
Goblin characters possess the following racial traits.
[list] –2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, –2 Charisma.
Small size: +1 bonus to Armor Class, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +4 bonus on Hide checks, –4 penalty on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits 3/4 those of Medium characters.
A goblin’s base land speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision out to 60 feet.
+4 racial bonus on Move Silently and Ride checks.
Automatic Languages: Common, Goblin. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Elven, Giant, Gnoll, Orc.
Favored Class: Rogue.
[/quote]
the Falcon
11-16-2003, 08:57 PM
Originally posted by The Green Knight+--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (The Green Knight)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>This I think is an exceedingly bad idea.
[/b]What is so "exceedingly bad" about it?
Originally posted by The Green Knight@
Why is such a change necessary?
To me such a change is necessary because I (and indeed, others as well) think that LE orogs and NE goblins (as opposed to NE orogs and LE goblins) reflect better, under 3e terms and conditions of alignment, how orogs and goblins are described in the original Birthright material.
<!--QuoteBegin--The Green Knight
Goblins are social creatures that seem to be able to build strong social structures wherever they gather. Orogs, on the other hand, when they are not fighting external enemies they are fighting each other, making orog societies unstable at best.
[/quote]I'm sorry, but that's not the impression I have of orogs.
Osprey
11-17-2003, 04:28 PM
+8 Strength is approaching giant levels, yet Orogs are still only on the large side of Medium. How about +6 Strength and +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma? A bit more balanced, and makers orogs a bit tougher instead of being sheer aggression but nothing exceptional in endurance/toughness. +6 Str is about as far as I would push a Med.-sized creature without some strong justification behind why they're so incredibly strong. BRCS gives Orogs an avg. Str of 17, which I think is pretty reasonable when you consider that an Orog character (their favored class being fighter) will probably have a much higher strength than that: at +6, they could start out with a Strength as high as 24, and go higher with character levels! And even putting their best stat at only above average (14 base), a typical "elite" Orog fighter (Fighter 1) will have 20-21 Strength! Nothing to sneeze at...
the Falcon
11-18-2003, 09:50 AM
Originally posted by Osprey@Nov 17 2003, 06:28 PM
+8 Strength is approaching giant levels, yet Orogs are still only on the large side of Medium. How about +6 Strength and +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma? A bit more balanced, and makers orogs a bit tougher instead of being sheer aggression but nothing exceptional in endurance/toughness. +6 Str is about as far as I would push a Med.-sized creature without some strong justification behind why they're so incredibly strong. BRCS gives Orogs an avg. Str of 17, which I think is pretty reasonable when you consider that an Orog character (their favored class being fighter) will probably have a much higher strength than that: at +6, they could start out with a Strength as high as 24, and go higher with character levels! And even putting their best stat at only above average (14 base), a typical "elite" Orog fighter (Fighter 1) will have 20-21 Strength! Nothing to sneeze at...Well, the smallest, weakest giant around, the ogre, has +10, and they have 4 HD. As orogs have 3 HD, +8 Str seems about right to me. Or take orcs. They have have 1 HD and +4 Str. Orogs have 3 HD. That's 2 HD more. Again, +8 Str doesn't seem so bad to me. After all, bugbears have 4 points higher bonus to Str and 2 HD more than hobgoblins. So, by the same token, as orogs have 2 HD more than orcs, why wouldn't they be allowed 4 points higher bonus to Str than orcs as well?
Arjan
11-18-2003, 10:41 AM
Op 18 Nov 2003 11:18 CET schreef U:
> This post was generated by the Birthright.net message forum.
> You can view the entire thread at:
> http://www.birthright.net/forums/index.php...=2&t=2086<br (http://www.birthright.net/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=2&t=2086<br) />
>
> the Falcon wrote:
>
Originally posted by Osprey@Nov 17 2003, 06:28 PM
8 Strength is approaching giant levels, yet Orogs are still only on the large side of Medium. How about 6 Strength and 2 Constitution, -2 Charisma? A bit more balanced, and makers orogs a bit tougher instead of being sheer aggression but nothing exceptional in endurance/toughness. 6 Str is about as far as I would push a Med.-sized creature without some strong justification behind why they`re so incredibly strong. BRCS gives Orogs an avg. Str of 17, which I think is pretty reasonable when you consider that an Orog character (their favored class being fighter) will probably have a much higher strength than that: at 6, they could start out with a Strength as high as 24, and go higher with character levels! And even putting their best stat at only above average (14 base), a typical "elite" Orog fighter (Fighter 1) will have 20-21 Strength! Nothing to sneeze at...Well, the smal
> lest, weakest giant around, the ogre, has 10, and they have 4 HD. As orogs have 3 HD, 8 Str seems about right to me. Or take orcs. They have have 1 HD and 4 Str. Orogs have 3 HD. That`s 2 HD more. Again, 6 Str doesn`t seem so bad to me. After all, bugbears have 4 points higher bonus to Str and 2 HD more than hobgoblins. So, by the same token, as orogs have 2 HD more than orcs, why wouldn`t they be allowed 4 points higher bonus to Str than orcs as well?
I think 6 is reasonable as well
But i dont see the relative relation between HD and strength modifier?? just because you have more HD doesnt mean you have more strength and the other way arround
Arjan
Osprey
11-18-2003, 03:21 PM
Well, the smallest, weakest giant around, the ogre, has +10, and they have 4 HD. As orogs have 3 HD, +8 Str seems about right to me. Or take orcs. They have have 1 HD and +4 Str. Orogs have 3 HD. That's 2 HD more. Again, +6 Str doesn't seem so bad to me. After all, bugbears have 4 points higher bonus to Str and 2 HD more than hobgoblins. So, by the same token, as orogs have 2 HD more than orcs, why wouldn't they be allowed 4 points higher bonus to Str than orcs as well?
Using your line of reasoning, why should orogs have 4 higher Str than bugbears, yet are roughly the same size and bulk? At +6 they're still stronger than the great goblins...
Besides, I think the description of orogs makes them a bit shorter than bugbears, but probably thicker and denser.
I see base HD as representing size, bulk, and hardiness...this has some correlation to strength, but mostly to the amount of damage it takes to drop one. And Constitution more directly measures toughness, stamina, and general hardiness - something I imagine is a trait of orogs thanks to their selective "harrowing of the weak" and warlike, "be tough or die" culture. It simply wouldn't be enough to be strong but die quickly.
Besides, the imbalance between Strength and Constitution makes for lopsided encounters. Orogs at +8 Str hit ridiculously hard (avg. +4 damage), yet with no Con mod. and 3d8 hp (14 hp average) they go down in two blows from a decent fighter, maybe even one good shot!
I still think it's a better all-around descriptor to go +6 Str and +2 Con...
And if you really wanted a campaign that stressed the "orogs are mean and tough as hell" culture, you could even round those out to +4 Str, +4 Con, balancing aggression with survival of the fittest. That would give them an average hp of 20, essentially being able to take 3 decent blows before going down in a fight. And higher level leaders and elites would be even more frightening, of course...
Fearless_Leader
11-18-2003, 08:30 PM
Originally posted by The Green Knight@Nov 16 2003, 12:39 AM
This I think is an exceedingly bad idea. Why is such a change necessary?
There was already a nice spread of evil alignments.
Goblins are social creatures that seem to be able to build strong socialstructures wherever they gather. Orogs, on the other hand, when they are not fighting external enemies they are fighting each other, making orogsocieties unstable at best.
While goblins have shown that they are able to establish some civilization (Thurazor is a prime example, as is the city of Kal Murthan in Kal Kalathor), I think they still do display many chaotic tendencies. They tend not to respect their own leaders and are always on the verge of civil war. The only goblin society not on the verge of fragmentation is Markazor, where unity is imposed from above.
Orogs on the other hand have highly regimented, disciplined, and brutal societies. However, they do have a tendency to follow whoever is strongest. The current Scarlet Baron of the Blood Skull Barony being a good example (having come to power after killing the previous Baron during his invasion of Rjurik). I would say though that after a new leader is in power, Orog society follows that leader without the complications of civil wars.
Osprey
11-18-2003, 09:48 PM
While goblins have shown that they are able to establish some civilization (Thurazor is a prime example, as is the city of Kal Murthan in Kal Kalathor), I think they still do display many chaotic tendencies. They tend not to respect their own leaders and are always on the verge of civil war. The only goblin society not on the verge of fragmentation is Markazor, where unity is imposed from above.
Agreed. And of the 2 goblin nations described, both are prone to intense paranoia from plots and backstabbing, assassination attempts, coups, etc. The rulers who last are those who take paranoid measures against these constant threats.
Doesn't that sound more like a neutral evil racial tendency? "Trust no one except yourself, work together because somebody stronger than you makes you, if you see a chance to get ahead by any means, take it!" These are quintessential "by whatever means necessary" neutral evil platforms.
Orogs on the other hand have highly regimented, disciplined, and brutal societies. However, they do have a tendency to follow whoever is strongest. The current Scarlet Baron of the Blood Skull Barony being a good example (having come to power after killing the previous Baron during his invasion of Rjurik). I would say though that after a new leader is in power, Orog society follows that leader without the complications of civil wars.
I think following the strongest leader is a natural function of orog society - it is pyramidal, with the stronger ruling the weaker, who in turn dominate the weaker ones beneath them, and so on. Not so different from a feudal system, is it? Yet we call the Anuireans a lawful society, but the mean, brutish orogs can't make this claim?
I think the strong ruling the weak works fine for a Lawful Evil society. It's how they rule that would define whether or not they're lawful. Does the ruler of an orog band, nation, tribe, etc. tend to use strict rules, discipline, and order to maintain power? This would be lawful rule, IMO. If he uses pure personal strength, charisma, and brute force, this would be chaotic [evil] rule. A combination of the two might be neutral evil, although BR implies that most NE rulers seem to be scheming and backstabbing types. I would add that a NE ruler uses and obeys the rules when it suits him, and changes them when that works better. But changing rules does tend to lead to a breakdown in discipline and order - change and uncerainty breeds chaos, which destabilizes any leader's rulership and power.
After reflection and reading others' comments, I starting to think orogs could fall into LE or NE alignments equally well, as could goblins.
So my suggestion is this: instead of saying either race is usually LE or NE, why not use a less restrictive descriptor, such as Often.
To say orogs are "often Neutral Evil" means a plurality, 40-50%, are of that alignment, but variations are common.
Same goes for saying goblins are "often Lawful Evil."
This treats the races as less generic and a bit more varied within their societies, which it seems is reflected by their descriptions.
-Osprey
Aurel
11-19-2003, 03:01 AM
Why not used the orogs as exactly shown in the Races of Fearun Book?
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