New Culture - Orcs of the Misty Mountains
Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 3:08 pm
Since the new House Rules forum has been opened, I'll re-publish my rules for playing the Orcs, deeply revised after some playtest.
Courtesy from the almighty Rich H, here is also the link to the sexy pdf version of the document, in the same folder of his excellent stuff!
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/795 ... ntains.pdf
Enjoy!
ORCS OF THE MISTY MOUNTAINS
“Isildur was marching north along the east banks of the River, and near the Gladden Fields he was waylaid by the Orcs of the Mountains, and almost all his folk were slain.”
DESCRIPTION
Bred by the first Dark Power in the early years of the world to serve him in many wars, Orcs are an evil race of intelligent creatures. Their malicious spirit is full of hatred for all living things including their own kind, and when left to their own devices they often end up quarrelling fiercely over futile questions. They are usually strong and agile, quick and robust, and ready to learn or devise new methods or instruments of torment. Their appearance and size differs from tribe to tribe, but many prominent features are common to all Orcs, such as swarthy skin, short legs and broad, slanted eyes, wide mouths and long fangs.
Of the several different breeds of Orc serving the Shadow, the Orcs of the Misty Mountains are among the most numerous: they are used to living and making war in the deep places beneath the earth, where their sight is keener than any other Orc. When they are encountered in their mines, they are savage fighters and reckless in assault, but they leave the dark under the mountains only when marching to war or to avenge their fallen kind, as they suffer badly the light of the sun.
The Orcs of the Misty Mountains are a wild and independent lot, bent on their own purposes and aims when the Shadow’s influence is weak, but ready to obey the will of their Master when directly subject to it. The smallest among them are often referred to as goblins.
ORCS AND SHADOW
Orcs are cruel and cunning, bearing orders for all malevolent creatures with hate for the Free Peoples. They are born in the taint of the Shadow and they are often directly subject to the will of their Dark Lord: as such, they have totally succumbed to the Shadow. For this reason, Orc characters cannot ever accumulate Shadow points, nor can they ever choose the Heal Corruption Fellowship phase undertaking. Instead, an orc adventurer starts with the Murderous Flaw and all the four negative Traits related to his Calling’s Shadow weakness (if his Shadow weakness is the Curse of Vengeance, he must choose another Flaw among Cowardly, Thieving, Treacherous or Tyrannical, so to have a total of five negative Traits).
HATE
Orcs do not have a score of Hope. They have a score of Hate instead, and they can use it to invoke Attribute bonuses or to trigger the effect of a Cultural Virtue. Similarly to Hope, if an orc character finds his Hate score reduced to zero points, he is spiritually spent and cannot bear to continue a struggle of any sort, so he will flee from any source of danger or stress. Orcs may recover Hate during a game session spending Shadow points (see below).
COWARDICE
Cowardice points reflect the marks left on an orc-character when his fighting spirit is weakened by doubt and despair. Starting orc-characters begin the game with a Cowardice rating of zero.
When the Hate score of an orc decreases to reach his Cowardice rating, the orc is considered Miserable. Check the Miserable box on the character sheet, and apply the effects to the character.
When an orc-character that has been made Miserable by the Cowardice gets a Gandalf icon on his Feat die, he experiences a bout of madness, in all regards equal to those of normal player characters. In gaming terms, a player who suffered a bout of madness cancels all the Cowardice points he accumulated so far, and replaces them with a single ‘permanent’ Cowardice point. Differently from normal characters, an orc cannot develop any more Flaws after suffering a bout of madness.
An orc whose permanent Cowardice points equal to half his Hate score (rounded up) is lost and is taken out of play, probably as a consequence of a violent death by the hands of the Dark Lord or one of his lieutenants, who have no more use of such a pathetic creature.
SHADOW POINTS
Orcs may recover spent Hate by tapping into the Shadow pool: for every Shadow point spent, a character may raise his Hate score by one. To do so, a player must get permission from at least half the other members of the Warband. If this consensus cannot be found, he may either agree not to spend any points, or spend them anyway and gain a Cowardice point for each Shadow point used.
Players may recover a number of Hate points up to their maximum Hate score, as long as there are Shadow points left. For any other regard, Shadow points work exactly like Fellowship points (Adventurer’s Book, page 106).
Similarly to Fellowship rating, the number of Shadow points available to a warband of orcs at the beginning of the game is equal to the number of orcs in the group. Orc characters do not have any equivalent of a Fellowship focus, and may never choose one.
STANDARD OF LIVING
The Orcs of the Misty Mountains are a folk at war, and carve a living out of raids, lootings and depredations. They breed rapidly, and their constant fight with the Free People and even between themselves leaves them struggling to do more than simply feed their growing armies. Their culture ranks as Frugal.
ORC ADVENTURERS
The Orc chieftains of the Misty Mountains cannot really oppose the many young warriors who express their desire to leave their tunnels to plunder and prey upon the weaker of their own kind, or to exact revenge against the Free Peoples. Moreover, this tendency is a never-ending supply of enemies and adventurers from the Free Folks of the North, who frequently set out to hunt them.
Suggested Callings: Slayer, Treasure Hunter. Orcs make enemies readily, and many is the slaughtered chieftain’s son who goes seeking vengeance. Others, though, seek only to steal the marvels of other folks.
Unusual Calling: Scholar. Brutish and savage, Orcs take no interest in study.
WHAT THE GREAT GOBLIN SAYS…
• Bardings: ‘we already slew a King of Men at the Gladden Fields, we could have killed Bard the Dragonslayer as well if their elf friends and Durin’s Folk didn’t help him! But his downfall is just a matter of time…’
• Beornings: ‘Beorn the Skinchanger killed the great Bolg at the Battle of Five Armies. We will have our revenge on him and all his folk, soon!’
• Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain: ‘many of their ancient strongholds lie in ruins, or they already belong to us. We’ll cut Durin’s Folk down to the last dwarf!’
• Elves of Mirkwood: ‘the thrice hated Elves are growing weak, and they are losing interest in things outside their Realm in Mirkwood. Soon they will not be a danger anymore…’
• Hobbits of the Shire: ‘I heard about this small folk who once defeated my distant ancestor Golfimbul, but I’ve never seen one myself. They must be good for a stew!’
• Woodmen of Wilderland: ‘our closest enemies, with that annoying Brown Wizard protecting them! But when Dol Guldur will rise again, we’ll exterminate them and burn their forest homes to the ground!’
CULTURAL BLESSING
Night-eyes
"There's only one thing those maggots can do: they can see like gimlets in the dark."
The Orcs of the Misty Mountains are adapted to living in the pitch-black darkness of caverns and tunnels. As such, all Orcs have the Night-eyes Trait (see below) in addition to their normal Traits. For the same reason, though, they loathe the sunlight more than anything else: they lose 1 point of Hate at the end of the first round of combat fought while exposed to the light of the sun.
New Trait: Night-eyes
No darkness is too dark for the eyes of the Orcs. They can see perfectly in complete darkness, and suffer no penalty related to dark environments whatsoever.
STARTING SKILL SCORES
Copy the following skill ranks onto the character sheet and underline the favoured skill:
Awe 1 Inspire 0 Persuade 0
Athletics 3 Travel 2 Stealth 2
Awareness 2 Insight 0 Search 2
Explore 2 Healing 1 Hunting 2
Song 1 Courtesy 0 Riddle 0
Craft 1 Battle 1 Lore 0
Weapon Skills
Choose one of the following two weapon skill sets, and record it on the character sheet:
(Swords) 2, Orc-spear 1 or Broad-headed spear 1 (choose at character creation), Jagged Knife 1
Bow of horn 2, Bent sword 1 or Broad-headed sword 1 (choose at character creation), Jagged Knife 1
SPECIALTIES
Choose two Traits from:
Fire-making, Misty Mountains-lore, Mountaineer, Orc-work*, Smith-craft, Tunneling
*New Trait: Orc-work
Orcs make no beautiful things, but many clever ones including machines, tools and instruments of torture, and they are delighted by wheels, engines and explosions. You are especially crafty in these gruesome and dreadful ‘arts’.
BACKGROUNDS
1 – Goblin stalker
You are an orc of Goblin-Town, and the endless cave systems below the Misty Mountains have always been your home. You traveled stealthily from one tunnel to another, looking for new passages and secret galleries, spying upon rival tribes and stalking incautious adventurers who dared to come too close to Goblin-Town. You learned that, more often than not, a well-placed arrow shot from the dark was enough to earn an easy prize of meat and equipment.
Basic Attributes
Body 3, Heart 3, Wits 5
Favoured Skill
Stealth
Distinctive Features
(choose two Traits from those listed)
Cautious, Curious, Elusive, Hardy, Keen-eyed, Nimble, Small
2 – Escaped snaga
You are a snaga, a word that in the Black Speech means “slave”. Serving the Necromancer in Dol Guldur, you’ve always been considered a lesser orc by those stronger than you, no more than a hound used to track down the enemies of the Dark Power. But when the Shadow was cast out of his fortress, you managed to escape to the West, finding refuge below the Misty Mountains. Now your tracking skills only serve yourself, and you will finally have your share in the hunt of the Free People.
Basic Attributes
Body 3, Heart 2, Wits 6
Favoured Skill
Hunting
Distinctive Features
(choose two Traits from those listed)
Cunning, Hardened, Hardy, Reckless, Small, Suspicious, Swift
3 – Son of the Chieftain
Your father is an orc chieftain of Gundabad, who earned his status by simply being the largest, most wicked and cruel of his warband. You do not admire him, nor do you feel proud for being his progeny: as soon as your strength will match his, you will challenge him to become the new Chieftain of your tribe. Until then, you will prove your cruelty on the battlefield, taking the lives of Dwarves, Men and Elves alike, and of whoever will cross your path to glory.
Basic Attributes
Body 4, Heart 2, Wits 5
Favoured Skill
Battle
Distinctive Features
(choose two Traits from those listed)
Fierce, Hardy, Proud, Steadfast, Swift, Vengeful, Wilful
4 – Tough guard
You were chosen among the strongest and boldest to guard the immense halls in the mines of Moria, the ancient dwarf stronghold that now you call home. There you learned to trust your senses to recognize each and every of the slightest sounds your ears could catch from the depths, from the creaks of feet on unsteady stairs to the distant splash of a rock dropped by someone in the water. What couldn’t escape your attention could not escape your blade, either.
Basic Attributes
Body 4, Heart 3, Wits 4
Favoured Skill
Awareness
Distinctive Features
(choose two Traits from those listed)
Bold, Determined, Hardy, Quick of Hearing, Robust, Suspicious, Wary
5 – Messenger of Lugbùrz
You are an emissary of Barad-dûr, sent on an errand for your Master to spy upon the Free Folks of the North and to rouse all creatures with evil intent in the Wilderlands. You spread your lies and promises of power among orcs and fouler things, hoping that one day you will command yourself a great army to conquer the North and rule Men, Elves and Dwarves with the iron fist of the Orcs.
Basic Attributes
Body 4, Heart 1, Wits 6
Favoured Skill
Riddle
Distinctive Features
(choose two Traits from those listed)
Clever, Hardened, Hardy, Lordly, Secretive, Swift, Wary
6 – Exiled Uruk
You are a Mordor-breed uruk, stronger and more cunning than most of your kind, living in the caves below the Redhorn Pass. Your ancestors were sent from Minas Morgul to reinforce the lesser orcs of the Misty Mountains, and under their command they ambushed and killed Isildur at the Battle of the Gladden Fields. Their strength in your black blood still runs powerful, as well as your thirst for battle.
Basic Attributes
Body 5, Heart 1, Wits 5
Favoured Skill
Athletics
Distinctive Features
(choose two Traits from those listed)
Bold, Fierce, Grim, Hardened, Hardy, Vengeful, Wrathful
ENDURANCE AND HATE
Endurance: 23 + Heart score
Hate: 8 + Heart score
ORC NAMES
Male names: Azog, Balcmeg, Boldog, Bolg, Burzash, Ghor, Golfimbul, Gorbag, Gorgol, Grishnàk, Lagduf, Lug, Lugdush, Maghaz, Mauhùr, Orcobal, Othrod, Radbug, Radgul, Shagrat, Ubhurz.
ORC WEAPONS
Jagged knife: Damage 3, Edge Eye, Injury 14, Encumbrance 0.
Bent sword: Damage 4, Edge 10, Injury 14, Encumbrance 1, Called Shot: Disarming.
Orc-spear: Damage 4, Edge 9, Injury 12, Encumbrance 1, Called Shot: Piercing.
Broad-headed sword: Damage 5, Edge 10, Injury 14, Encumbrance 2, Called Shot: Piercing.
Broad-headed spear: Damage 5, Edge 9, Injury 12, Encumbrance 2, Called Shot: Piercing, Note: can't be thrown.
Orc-axe: Damage 5, Edge Eye, Injury 16, Encumbrance 2, Called Shot: Break shield.
Heavy scimitar (2h): Damage 7, Edge 10, Injury 16, Encumbrance 3, Called Shot: Break shield.
Bow of horn (2h): Damage 4, Edge 10, Injury 14, Encumbrance 1, Called Shot: Piercing.
CULTURAL VIRTUES - ORCS
Due to the variety of breeds, orcs are said to possess all sorts of malicious and dangerous qualities. Many of these Virtues bear the taint of the Shadow, and they could be attributed to the Dark Power's influence over the ages. What is certain is that nobody question the fierceness with which the Orcs carry out their invasions, sparing no weapon at their disposal.
Fighting Uruk-Hai
"We are the Uruk-hai: we do not stop the fight for night or day, for fair weather or for storm. We come to kill, by sun or moon."
You belong to an improved breed of the uruks, black orcs of great strength first appeared out of Mordor. Not only you are larger, but you can withstand the light of the day without being weakened, and you've been trained to use better weapons.
Raise your maximum Endurance score by 3 points. In addition, from now on you do not lose 1 point of Hate when fighting under the light of the sun, and the Encumbrance of any broad-headed sword and broad-headed spear you wield is reduced by 1.
Servant of the Shadow
The Orcs in the service of Barad-dûr use the sign of the Red Eye.
Tell-tale scars and mutilations mark your long service under the Shadow. Acting as a lieutenant for the Dark Lord, you have been recognized as a leader by the ranks of lesser orcs.
In battle, when you fight in an Open stance you may spend a point of Hate to attempt the Rally Comrades combat task in addition to your attack roll (instead of forfeiting your action for the turn). Additionally, raise both you maximum Hate score and your Standing rating by 1 point.
Snuffler
Orcs were as keen as hounds on a scent, it was said...
Gifted with wide, snuffling nostrils, you are able to catch the scent of enemies from a distance, even after a prolonged period of time has passed. You may make a Hunting roll to get a useful piece of information about a quarry you are tracking or a place you are seeking, if the Loremaster judges that it can be obtained through a keen olfaction; the higher the quality of the success, the more information you obtain.
In addition, if the Hunting roll was successful, you may spend 1 point of Hate: as long as you are hunting the same quarry or seeking the same place for which you rolled for, every roll you make using a Perception or Survival skill benefits from a free Attribute bonus.
Stealthy Archery
He leaped into the waters, but the Ring slipped from his finger as he swam, and then the Orcs saw him and killed him with arrows.
Most members of your kin possess a natural talent for moving and aiming in the dark when using their horn bows. You seem to possess that quality yourself, as your arrows find their target with deadly precision in the darkness, and your motions are exceedingly confident. When you are in the dark (at night, underground or in a dense forest), add a bonus equal to your basic Heart rating to your ranged attack rolls and to all Stealth rolls.
Warg Rider
“How the wind howls!” he cried. “It is howling with wolf-voices. The Wargs have come west of the Mountains!”
You made an alliance with a Warg of the North, which you now use as a mount. Reduce by 1 the amount of Fatigue increase generated by each Fatigue test during any journey (as if you were riding a Pony), and you can now cover 30 miles of distance in an average day of travel, instead of 20.
You can make additional bargains with the Warg, to gain the same benefits as those described under the Hound of Mirkwood Virtue of the Woodmen of Wilderlands. When you first choose this Virtue, the Warg agrees to assist you with one Common skill as described under Support (Adventurer's Book, page 133), without paying the Experience cost. You can bargain to be supported in additional skills, as well as to be assisted in combat (through Harass Enemy and Protect), as a separate undertaking during later Warband phases and at the price of additional Experience points, as described in the Virtue.
But such benefits come with a price: a Warg of the Wilderlands is a vicious beast, always ready to betray his orcish companion at the first sign of weakness. If you become Wounded or Poisoned during a fight, make a Valour test immediately after the battle ends: on a failure, the Warg attacks to feed on you! Use the stats of a Wild Wolf for this fight (Loremaster's Book, page 82). The Warg automatically wins the initiative, and you must assume a Forward stance for the whole duration of the fight. Your companions can join the battle and help you fighting the beast only starting from your second turn of combat, if they wish... and if you are not already dead.
The Warg stops fighting when reduced to half his Endurance or less, or if he becomes Weary. At this point, he will keep assisting you and will not attack again while you are healing from your injuries. If you kill the Warg you don't lose the benefits already gained with this Virtue, but you won't have the assistance of another Warg until the next Adventuring phase.
CULTURAL REWARDS - ORCS
The Orcs have gathered many uncommon pieces of war gear under the Misty Mountains: the heirlooms of ancient dwarven strongholds and the findings of years of life in the Wild. The orc-smiths spend a lot of time devising more efficient ways to defeat their enemies, and they can make very well weapons and poisons, or get other people to make to their design.
Orc-poison (piercing weapons)
Your weapons have been coated with a powerful poison, brewed by cruel arts. When you are attacking an enemy with a piercing weapon (a bow of horn, a spear, a broad-headed spear or a broad-headed sword), if you roll a great or extraordinary success you may choose not to apply your Damage rating and poison your enemy instead.
A poisoned opponent becomes partially blind after a number of rounds equal to his Attribute level, or half this value (rounded down) if the attack roll was an extraordinary success. A blinded opponent cannot make ranged attacks and suffers a modifier of +6 to the TN of all actions for the remainder of the combat.
Spear of Boldog (spear or broad-headed spear)
These short iron spears are made after the one that the Great Orc Boldog used to fight Thingol in single combat back in the First Age, and they are balanced to make close stabbing thrusts and viciously strike unprotected areas.
When you make a melee attack roll using a Spear of Boldog, you roll the Feat die twice and choose the best result.
Spoils of War (special)
A malicious habit of the Orcs is that of looting ancient strongholds and stealing weapons and armors from the dead bodies of their fallen opponents. When they find something of value, they usually keep it and add it to their hoards and plunders.
When you take this Reward, choose one Cultural Reward from the lists of Bardings, Elves of Mirkwood, Men of the Lake, Beornings, or Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain. Once chosen, it cannot be changed. From now on, you can use that Reward as if it was an Orc Cultural Reward.
This benefit comes with a price, however. Any opponent belonging to the Culture you “stole” your Reward from will double his efforts trying to retrieve what you have unjustly taken, and gains Hatred (Orcs of the Misty Mountains) special ability, attacking you when given the opportunity. In addition, you also gain 1 point of permanent Cowardice.
Courtesy from the almighty Rich H, here is also the link to the sexy pdf version of the document, in the same folder of his excellent stuff!
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/795 ... ntains.pdf
Enjoy!
ORCS OF THE MISTY MOUNTAINS
“Isildur was marching north along the east banks of the River, and near the Gladden Fields he was waylaid by the Orcs of the Mountains, and almost all his folk were slain.”
DESCRIPTION
Bred by the first Dark Power in the early years of the world to serve him in many wars, Orcs are an evil race of intelligent creatures. Their malicious spirit is full of hatred for all living things including their own kind, and when left to their own devices they often end up quarrelling fiercely over futile questions. They are usually strong and agile, quick and robust, and ready to learn or devise new methods or instruments of torment. Their appearance and size differs from tribe to tribe, but many prominent features are common to all Orcs, such as swarthy skin, short legs and broad, slanted eyes, wide mouths and long fangs.
Of the several different breeds of Orc serving the Shadow, the Orcs of the Misty Mountains are among the most numerous: they are used to living and making war in the deep places beneath the earth, where their sight is keener than any other Orc. When they are encountered in their mines, they are savage fighters and reckless in assault, but they leave the dark under the mountains only when marching to war or to avenge their fallen kind, as they suffer badly the light of the sun.
The Orcs of the Misty Mountains are a wild and independent lot, bent on their own purposes and aims when the Shadow’s influence is weak, but ready to obey the will of their Master when directly subject to it. The smallest among them are often referred to as goblins.
ORCS AND SHADOW
Orcs are cruel and cunning, bearing orders for all malevolent creatures with hate for the Free Peoples. They are born in the taint of the Shadow and they are often directly subject to the will of their Dark Lord: as such, they have totally succumbed to the Shadow. For this reason, Orc characters cannot ever accumulate Shadow points, nor can they ever choose the Heal Corruption Fellowship phase undertaking. Instead, an orc adventurer starts with the Murderous Flaw and all the four negative Traits related to his Calling’s Shadow weakness (if his Shadow weakness is the Curse of Vengeance, he must choose another Flaw among Cowardly, Thieving, Treacherous or Tyrannical, so to have a total of five negative Traits).
HATE
Orcs do not have a score of Hope. They have a score of Hate instead, and they can use it to invoke Attribute bonuses or to trigger the effect of a Cultural Virtue. Similarly to Hope, if an orc character finds his Hate score reduced to zero points, he is spiritually spent and cannot bear to continue a struggle of any sort, so he will flee from any source of danger or stress. Orcs may recover Hate during a game session spending Shadow points (see below).
COWARDICE
Cowardice points reflect the marks left on an orc-character when his fighting spirit is weakened by doubt and despair. Starting orc-characters begin the game with a Cowardice rating of zero.
When the Hate score of an orc decreases to reach his Cowardice rating, the orc is considered Miserable. Check the Miserable box on the character sheet, and apply the effects to the character.
When an orc-character that has been made Miserable by the Cowardice gets a Gandalf icon on his Feat die, he experiences a bout of madness, in all regards equal to those of normal player characters. In gaming terms, a player who suffered a bout of madness cancels all the Cowardice points he accumulated so far, and replaces them with a single ‘permanent’ Cowardice point. Differently from normal characters, an orc cannot develop any more Flaws after suffering a bout of madness.
An orc whose permanent Cowardice points equal to half his Hate score (rounded up) is lost and is taken out of play, probably as a consequence of a violent death by the hands of the Dark Lord or one of his lieutenants, who have no more use of such a pathetic creature.
SHADOW POINTS
Orcs may recover spent Hate by tapping into the Shadow pool: for every Shadow point spent, a character may raise his Hate score by one. To do so, a player must get permission from at least half the other members of the Warband. If this consensus cannot be found, he may either agree not to spend any points, or spend them anyway and gain a Cowardice point for each Shadow point used.
Players may recover a number of Hate points up to their maximum Hate score, as long as there are Shadow points left. For any other regard, Shadow points work exactly like Fellowship points (Adventurer’s Book, page 106).
Similarly to Fellowship rating, the number of Shadow points available to a warband of orcs at the beginning of the game is equal to the number of orcs in the group. Orc characters do not have any equivalent of a Fellowship focus, and may never choose one.
STANDARD OF LIVING
The Orcs of the Misty Mountains are a folk at war, and carve a living out of raids, lootings and depredations. They breed rapidly, and their constant fight with the Free People and even between themselves leaves them struggling to do more than simply feed their growing armies. Their culture ranks as Frugal.
ORC ADVENTURERS
The Orc chieftains of the Misty Mountains cannot really oppose the many young warriors who express their desire to leave their tunnels to plunder and prey upon the weaker of their own kind, or to exact revenge against the Free Peoples. Moreover, this tendency is a never-ending supply of enemies and adventurers from the Free Folks of the North, who frequently set out to hunt them.
Suggested Callings: Slayer, Treasure Hunter. Orcs make enemies readily, and many is the slaughtered chieftain’s son who goes seeking vengeance. Others, though, seek only to steal the marvels of other folks.
Unusual Calling: Scholar. Brutish and savage, Orcs take no interest in study.
WHAT THE GREAT GOBLIN SAYS…
• Bardings: ‘we already slew a King of Men at the Gladden Fields, we could have killed Bard the Dragonslayer as well if their elf friends and Durin’s Folk didn’t help him! But his downfall is just a matter of time…’
• Beornings: ‘Beorn the Skinchanger killed the great Bolg at the Battle of Five Armies. We will have our revenge on him and all his folk, soon!’
• Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain: ‘many of their ancient strongholds lie in ruins, or they already belong to us. We’ll cut Durin’s Folk down to the last dwarf!’
• Elves of Mirkwood: ‘the thrice hated Elves are growing weak, and they are losing interest in things outside their Realm in Mirkwood. Soon they will not be a danger anymore…’
• Hobbits of the Shire: ‘I heard about this small folk who once defeated my distant ancestor Golfimbul, but I’ve never seen one myself. They must be good for a stew!’
• Woodmen of Wilderland: ‘our closest enemies, with that annoying Brown Wizard protecting them! But when Dol Guldur will rise again, we’ll exterminate them and burn their forest homes to the ground!’
CULTURAL BLESSING
Night-eyes
"There's only one thing those maggots can do: they can see like gimlets in the dark."
The Orcs of the Misty Mountains are adapted to living in the pitch-black darkness of caverns and tunnels. As such, all Orcs have the Night-eyes Trait (see below) in addition to their normal Traits. For the same reason, though, they loathe the sunlight more than anything else: they lose 1 point of Hate at the end of the first round of combat fought while exposed to the light of the sun.
New Trait: Night-eyes
No darkness is too dark for the eyes of the Orcs. They can see perfectly in complete darkness, and suffer no penalty related to dark environments whatsoever.
STARTING SKILL SCORES
Copy the following skill ranks onto the character sheet and underline the favoured skill:
Awe 1 Inspire 0 Persuade 0
Athletics 3 Travel 2 Stealth 2
Awareness 2 Insight 0 Search 2
Explore 2 Healing 1 Hunting 2
Song 1 Courtesy 0 Riddle 0
Craft 1 Battle 1 Lore 0
Weapon Skills
Choose one of the following two weapon skill sets, and record it on the character sheet:
(Swords) 2, Orc-spear 1 or Broad-headed spear 1 (choose at character creation), Jagged Knife 1
Bow of horn 2, Bent sword 1 or Broad-headed sword 1 (choose at character creation), Jagged Knife 1
SPECIALTIES
Choose two Traits from:
Fire-making, Misty Mountains-lore, Mountaineer, Orc-work*, Smith-craft, Tunneling
*New Trait: Orc-work
Orcs make no beautiful things, but many clever ones including machines, tools and instruments of torture, and they are delighted by wheels, engines and explosions. You are especially crafty in these gruesome and dreadful ‘arts’.
BACKGROUNDS
1 – Goblin stalker
You are an orc of Goblin-Town, and the endless cave systems below the Misty Mountains have always been your home. You traveled stealthily from one tunnel to another, looking for new passages and secret galleries, spying upon rival tribes and stalking incautious adventurers who dared to come too close to Goblin-Town. You learned that, more often than not, a well-placed arrow shot from the dark was enough to earn an easy prize of meat and equipment.
Basic Attributes
Body 3, Heart 3, Wits 5
Favoured Skill
Stealth
Distinctive Features
(choose two Traits from those listed)
Cautious, Curious, Elusive, Hardy, Keen-eyed, Nimble, Small
2 – Escaped snaga
You are a snaga, a word that in the Black Speech means “slave”. Serving the Necromancer in Dol Guldur, you’ve always been considered a lesser orc by those stronger than you, no more than a hound used to track down the enemies of the Dark Power. But when the Shadow was cast out of his fortress, you managed to escape to the West, finding refuge below the Misty Mountains. Now your tracking skills only serve yourself, and you will finally have your share in the hunt of the Free People.
Basic Attributes
Body 3, Heart 2, Wits 6
Favoured Skill
Hunting
Distinctive Features
(choose two Traits from those listed)
Cunning, Hardened, Hardy, Reckless, Small, Suspicious, Swift
3 – Son of the Chieftain
Your father is an orc chieftain of Gundabad, who earned his status by simply being the largest, most wicked and cruel of his warband. You do not admire him, nor do you feel proud for being his progeny: as soon as your strength will match his, you will challenge him to become the new Chieftain of your tribe. Until then, you will prove your cruelty on the battlefield, taking the lives of Dwarves, Men and Elves alike, and of whoever will cross your path to glory.
Basic Attributes
Body 4, Heart 2, Wits 5
Favoured Skill
Battle
Distinctive Features
(choose two Traits from those listed)
Fierce, Hardy, Proud, Steadfast, Swift, Vengeful, Wilful
4 – Tough guard
You were chosen among the strongest and boldest to guard the immense halls in the mines of Moria, the ancient dwarf stronghold that now you call home. There you learned to trust your senses to recognize each and every of the slightest sounds your ears could catch from the depths, from the creaks of feet on unsteady stairs to the distant splash of a rock dropped by someone in the water. What couldn’t escape your attention could not escape your blade, either.
Basic Attributes
Body 4, Heart 3, Wits 4
Favoured Skill
Awareness
Distinctive Features
(choose two Traits from those listed)
Bold, Determined, Hardy, Quick of Hearing, Robust, Suspicious, Wary
5 – Messenger of Lugbùrz
You are an emissary of Barad-dûr, sent on an errand for your Master to spy upon the Free Folks of the North and to rouse all creatures with evil intent in the Wilderlands. You spread your lies and promises of power among orcs and fouler things, hoping that one day you will command yourself a great army to conquer the North and rule Men, Elves and Dwarves with the iron fist of the Orcs.
Basic Attributes
Body 4, Heart 1, Wits 6
Favoured Skill
Riddle
Distinctive Features
(choose two Traits from those listed)
Clever, Hardened, Hardy, Lordly, Secretive, Swift, Wary
6 – Exiled Uruk
You are a Mordor-breed uruk, stronger and more cunning than most of your kind, living in the caves below the Redhorn Pass. Your ancestors were sent from Minas Morgul to reinforce the lesser orcs of the Misty Mountains, and under their command they ambushed and killed Isildur at the Battle of the Gladden Fields. Their strength in your black blood still runs powerful, as well as your thirst for battle.
Basic Attributes
Body 5, Heart 1, Wits 5
Favoured Skill
Athletics
Distinctive Features
(choose two Traits from those listed)
Bold, Fierce, Grim, Hardened, Hardy, Vengeful, Wrathful
ENDURANCE AND HATE
Endurance: 23 + Heart score
Hate: 8 + Heart score
ORC NAMES
Male names: Azog, Balcmeg, Boldog, Bolg, Burzash, Ghor, Golfimbul, Gorbag, Gorgol, Grishnàk, Lagduf, Lug, Lugdush, Maghaz, Mauhùr, Orcobal, Othrod, Radbug, Radgul, Shagrat, Ubhurz.
ORC WEAPONS
Jagged knife: Damage 3, Edge Eye, Injury 14, Encumbrance 0.
Bent sword: Damage 4, Edge 10, Injury 14, Encumbrance 1, Called Shot: Disarming.
Orc-spear: Damage 4, Edge 9, Injury 12, Encumbrance 1, Called Shot: Piercing.
Broad-headed sword: Damage 5, Edge 10, Injury 14, Encumbrance 2, Called Shot: Piercing.
Broad-headed spear: Damage 5, Edge 9, Injury 12, Encumbrance 2, Called Shot: Piercing, Note: can't be thrown.
Orc-axe: Damage 5, Edge Eye, Injury 16, Encumbrance 2, Called Shot: Break shield.
Heavy scimitar (2h): Damage 7, Edge 10, Injury 16, Encumbrance 3, Called Shot: Break shield.
Bow of horn (2h): Damage 4, Edge 10, Injury 14, Encumbrance 1, Called Shot: Piercing.
CULTURAL VIRTUES - ORCS
Due to the variety of breeds, orcs are said to possess all sorts of malicious and dangerous qualities. Many of these Virtues bear the taint of the Shadow, and they could be attributed to the Dark Power's influence over the ages. What is certain is that nobody question the fierceness with which the Orcs carry out their invasions, sparing no weapon at their disposal.
Fighting Uruk-Hai
"We are the Uruk-hai: we do not stop the fight for night or day, for fair weather or for storm. We come to kill, by sun or moon."
You belong to an improved breed of the uruks, black orcs of great strength first appeared out of Mordor. Not only you are larger, but you can withstand the light of the day without being weakened, and you've been trained to use better weapons.
Raise your maximum Endurance score by 3 points. In addition, from now on you do not lose 1 point of Hate when fighting under the light of the sun, and the Encumbrance of any broad-headed sword and broad-headed spear you wield is reduced by 1.
Servant of the Shadow
The Orcs in the service of Barad-dûr use the sign of the Red Eye.
Tell-tale scars and mutilations mark your long service under the Shadow. Acting as a lieutenant for the Dark Lord, you have been recognized as a leader by the ranks of lesser orcs.
In battle, when you fight in an Open stance you may spend a point of Hate to attempt the Rally Comrades combat task in addition to your attack roll (instead of forfeiting your action for the turn). Additionally, raise both you maximum Hate score and your Standing rating by 1 point.
Snuffler
Orcs were as keen as hounds on a scent, it was said...
Gifted with wide, snuffling nostrils, you are able to catch the scent of enemies from a distance, even after a prolonged period of time has passed. You may make a Hunting roll to get a useful piece of information about a quarry you are tracking or a place you are seeking, if the Loremaster judges that it can be obtained through a keen olfaction; the higher the quality of the success, the more information you obtain.
In addition, if the Hunting roll was successful, you may spend 1 point of Hate: as long as you are hunting the same quarry or seeking the same place for which you rolled for, every roll you make using a Perception or Survival skill benefits from a free Attribute bonus.
Stealthy Archery
He leaped into the waters, but the Ring slipped from his finger as he swam, and then the Orcs saw him and killed him with arrows.
Most members of your kin possess a natural talent for moving and aiming in the dark when using their horn bows. You seem to possess that quality yourself, as your arrows find their target with deadly precision in the darkness, and your motions are exceedingly confident. When you are in the dark (at night, underground or in a dense forest), add a bonus equal to your basic Heart rating to your ranged attack rolls and to all Stealth rolls.
Warg Rider
“How the wind howls!” he cried. “It is howling with wolf-voices. The Wargs have come west of the Mountains!”
You made an alliance with a Warg of the North, which you now use as a mount. Reduce by 1 the amount of Fatigue increase generated by each Fatigue test during any journey (as if you were riding a Pony), and you can now cover 30 miles of distance in an average day of travel, instead of 20.
You can make additional bargains with the Warg, to gain the same benefits as those described under the Hound of Mirkwood Virtue of the Woodmen of Wilderlands. When you first choose this Virtue, the Warg agrees to assist you with one Common skill as described under Support (Adventurer's Book, page 133), without paying the Experience cost. You can bargain to be supported in additional skills, as well as to be assisted in combat (through Harass Enemy and Protect), as a separate undertaking during later Warband phases and at the price of additional Experience points, as described in the Virtue.
But such benefits come with a price: a Warg of the Wilderlands is a vicious beast, always ready to betray his orcish companion at the first sign of weakness. If you become Wounded or Poisoned during a fight, make a Valour test immediately after the battle ends: on a failure, the Warg attacks to feed on you! Use the stats of a Wild Wolf for this fight (Loremaster's Book, page 82). The Warg automatically wins the initiative, and you must assume a Forward stance for the whole duration of the fight. Your companions can join the battle and help you fighting the beast only starting from your second turn of combat, if they wish... and if you are not already dead.
The Warg stops fighting when reduced to half his Endurance or less, or if he becomes Weary. At this point, he will keep assisting you and will not attack again while you are healing from your injuries. If you kill the Warg you don't lose the benefits already gained with this Virtue, but you won't have the assistance of another Warg until the next Adventuring phase.
CULTURAL REWARDS - ORCS
The Orcs have gathered many uncommon pieces of war gear under the Misty Mountains: the heirlooms of ancient dwarven strongholds and the findings of years of life in the Wild. The orc-smiths spend a lot of time devising more efficient ways to defeat their enemies, and they can make very well weapons and poisons, or get other people to make to their design.
Orc-poison (piercing weapons)
Your weapons have been coated with a powerful poison, brewed by cruel arts. When you are attacking an enemy with a piercing weapon (a bow of horn, a spear, a broad-headed spear or a broad-headed sword), if you roll a great or extraordinary success you may choose not to apply your Damage rating and poison your enemy instead.
A poisoned opponent becomes partially blind after a number of rounds equal to his Attribute level, or half this value (rounded down) if the attack roll was an extraordinary success. A blinded opponent cannot make ranged attacks and suffers a modifier of +6 to the TN of all actions for the remainder of the combat.
Spear of Boldog (spear or broad-headed spear)
These short iron spears are made after the one that the Great Orc Boldog used to fight Thingol in single combat back in the First Age, and they are balanced to make close stabbing thrusts and viciously strike unprotected areas.
When you make a melee attack roll using a Spear of Boldog, you roll the Feat die twice and choose the best result.
Spoils of War (special)
A malicious habit of the Orcs is that of looting ancient strongholds and stealing weapons and armors from the dead bodies of their fallen opponents. When they find something of value, they usually keep it and add it to their hoards and plunders.
When you take this Reward, choose one Cultural Reward from the lists of Bardings, Elves of Mirkwood, Men of the Lake, Beornings, or Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain. Once chosen, it cannot be changed. From now on, you can use that Reward as if it was an Orc Cultural Reward.
This benefit comes with a price, however. Any opponent belonging to the Culture you “stole” your Reward from will double his efforts trying to retrieve what you have unjustly taken, and gains Hatred (Orcs of the Misty Mountains) special ability, attacking you when given the opportunity. In addition, you also gain 1 point of permanent Cowardice.
I especially like the Cowardice rules as a replacement for Shadow, and find them very appropriate. 
