(Before the encounter begins, use the table on page 82 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide to determine which side is stronger. If the player and the orcs both succeed, the orcs appraise the situation, attacking immediately if they’re stronger than the party but retreating if they’re weaker. Finally, a PC may try to threaten back! Have the player make a DC 20 Charisma (Intimidation) check, opposed by a Wisdom check for the orcs. If the lie fails, however, the orcs will attack immediately. If they succeed, the orcs will believe their lie. The PCs may also try to bluff their way past the orcs by making a Charisma (Deception) check with disadvantage (no disadvantage if they’ve been talked into indifference), opposed by the orcs’ Intelligence or Wisdom, depending on the nature of the bluff. If it succeeds, the orcs’ attitude will shift from hostile to indifferent if it fails, however, give the party only one more chance to successfully reach a détente. But a smooth talker may be able to stave off an attack by making a Charisma (Persuasion) check with disadvantage-against DC 15, say, or maybe DC 20 if the orcs are there for a specific purpose, such as guarding something or staking a territorial claim. At this point, any hostile action on the PCs’ party, including moving closer than 30 feet for any reason, will end the parley immediately and initiate combat. However, the fact that orcs have any social skill at all-even if it’s just Intimidation-suggests that there ought to be some opportunity to interact before combat begins.Īny parley with the orcs will be brief (no more than a handful of chances to cajole, bluff or bully them) and somewhat one-sided, as the orcs will issue nothing but demands and threats. As a dungeon master, you should therefore assume that first contact with a group of orcs always takes place at this distance, that the orcs will be initially hostile, and that they’ll charge the second they decide talking is boring. The Aggressive feature applies almost exclusively to one situation: when a group of orcs is between 30 and 60 feet away from the player characters. (Being fanatical valuers of physical courage, orcs-unlike most creatures-are more willing to fight to the death.) They’ll charge, they’ll fight hand-to-hand, and they’ll retreat only with the greatest reluctance when seriously wounded. These are no hit-and-run skirmishers or snipers. Their standard melee weapon, the greataxe, deals damage that can be deadly to a level 1 character. And, curiously, they possess a social skill (Intimidation +2). They have the Aggressive feature, which allows them to move their full speed toward a hostile creature as a bonus action, effectively allowing them to Dash, then Attack. They’re not very smart-their behavior is largely driven by instinct-but they possess average Wisdom and decent Dexterity. Unlike goblins and kobolds, orcs are strong and tough. How does the fifth edition of D&D make orcs unique? Actually, orcs have always been somewhat tougher than goblins and kobolds, but they remain one of the undistinguished stock foes of low-level D&D parties. With orcs, I continue my examination of the cannon-fodder humanoid monsters of Dungeons & Dragons.
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