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| Chak the barbarian/sorcerer |
When I first started playing D&D I had no real inspiration. I hadn't discovered Conan yet, hadn't read a lot of books beyond EB White, and really, my only model for a warrior was Bard the Guardsman in the Rankin/Bass The Hobbit, which I had watched on TV several times. In fact, I really can't even remember what I played in those early games. I never took part in a campaign that lasted more than a single session, so I had never gotten attached to any single character.
Later, I had my first long-term character, a half-elf fighter named Tomos (because I was oh-so creative with the names). I described him as a cross between D'Artagnan and Conan (he had 18/90 Strength, and a 19 Comeliness). For a long time after, half-elves were my thing.
But somewhere along the way I tried out a half-orc character. And I totally dug it. It was in 3E, and he was a barbarian/sorcerer named Chak. I only got to play him in a single session of a campaign that continued without me when I had to leave. But there was just something about being such an outcast character that I really got into. Not to mention the fact that he was excessively strong.
I have always played fighter-types, generally. And since Chak, they have mostly been half-orcs. I still go for other races on occasion, but half-orcs are my thing. And full orcs are even better, if I can convince the DM to allow them. My current character in our 3.5 game is Ahnuld the half-orc barbarian/favored soul/fighter. He is the tank, for obvious reasons, but he's also one of the most complex and developed characters in the group.
I have played one half-orc ever and he died so horrible that I am recounting it later this month.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I ever identified with the Half-Orcs. I think that the Halflings, Elves and Half-elves resonated more with my younger self because I was short and weaker than pretty much everyone else around me, so I tried to roleplay characters with other advantages.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to see a full-on Orc character as a possibility -- I always wondered why D&D only allowed half-orcs but half-elves and elves were allowed...
We went through AEG's World's Largest Dungeon (well, about 2/3 of it), and my first character, a Dwarf Barbarian, got killed in the second session (while someone was subbing for me in my absence...grrr). So, using the rules I found on an orc-centric RPG site, I made an Orc Warrior. Worked really well. Just different enough to be unique, but still pretty balanced.
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