Orcs¶
Behaviors: raid, plunder
An orc tribe raids for a living. They come in numbers with heavy blades and war cries. Every raid brings food, thralls, and glory for the War Chief. Weakness inside the tribe is not tolerated, and an enemy who has taken orc blood is not forgiven.
An orc tribe has a Faction Proficiency Bonus of +2.
Theme: Axe Tribe¶
A roving warband. Hide tents in a hollow around a fire pit, skulls on spears and war drums. The tribe moves when a stretch of country has been emptied, then camps again. Woodsmoke, tar, sweat, and the char of last night's spit-roast. The drum starts before an attack and does not stop until the take is home.
| Faction CR | Creatures | Features | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (6,950 XP) | 4 Orc War Parties, 1 Orc Linebreakers, 1 Orc Trackers, 1 Eye of Gruumsh, 1 War Chief | Trait: Personality, Origin, Goal, Trouble, Raid Season, Thralls, Lair Defenses, Hoard | Camp Ring, Chief's Tent, Warriors' Tents, Watch Post, Cook Pit, Loot Wagons, Thrall Pen, Eye's Shrine |
| 6 (16,350 XP) | 10 Orc War Parties, 2 Orc Linebreakers, 2 Orc Trackers, 3 Eyes of Gruumsh, 2 War Chiefs | Trait: Personality, Origin, Goal, Trouble, Raid Season, Thralls, Lair Defenses, Hoard | Camp Ring, Chief's Tent, Warriors' Tents, Watch Post, Cook Pit, Loot Wagons, Thrall Pen, Eye's Shrine, Muster Ground, Trophy Pole |
| 8 (24,300 XP) | 15 Orc War Parties, 3 Orc Linebreakers, 3 Orc Trackers, 4 Eyes of Gruumsh, 3 War Chiefs | Trait: Personality, Origin, Goal, Trouble, Raid Season, Thralls, Lair Defenses, Hoard | Camp Ring, Chief's Tent, Warriors' Tents, Watch Post, Cook Pit, Loot Wagons, Thrall Pen, Eye's Shrine, Muster Ground, Trophy Pole, Warriors' Barrows, Ancestor Stones |
| 10 (35,400 XP) | 22 Orc War Parties, 4 Orc Linebreakers, 4 Orc Trackers, 6 Eyes of Gruumsh, 3 War Chiefs, 1 Warlord | Trait: Personality, Origin, Goal, Trouble, Raid Season, Thralls, Lair Defenses, Hoard | Camp Ring, Chief's Tent, Warriors' Tents, Watch Post, Cook Pit, Loot Wagons, Thrall Pen, Eye's Shrine, Muster Ground, Trophy Pole, Warriors' Barrows, Ancestor Stones, Warlord's Pavilion, Slave Market |
Details¶
Creatures¶
Orc Trackers (CR 3, 600 XP) — 3 Orc Trackers ranging ahead of the tribe. Loot: 1d10 gp.
Orc War Party (CR 5, 1,000 XP) — the tribe's basic warrior formation. 1 Orc Brute plus 8 Orcs. Loot: 2d10 gp.
Orc Linebreakers (CR 4, 800 XP) — the tribe's shock troops. 4 Orc Brutes who charge first and hold the front. Loot: 2d10 gp.
Eye of Gruumsh (CR 2, 450 XP) — the tribe's blessed warrior-priest and the War Chief's lieutenant. Uses the Orc Eye of Gruumsh stat block. Loot: ritual spear, holy symbol of Gruumsh (25 gp), 2d10 gp coin cache. See Hoard for magic items the Eye may carry.
War Chief (CR 4, 1,100 XP) — a tribal leader who holds command by combat challenge. Uses the Orc War Chief stat block. Loot: a decorated greataxe, a stolen breastplate, a signet ring or crown looted from a fallen lord (100 gp), 3d10 gp coin cache. See Hoard for magic items the War Chief may carry.
Warlord (CR 5, 1,800 XP) — the commander who unites allied War Chiefs into a warhost. Uses the Orc Warlord stat block. Loot: a greataxe of note (magical or ceremonial), a full suit of plate scavenged from a lord's tomb, a chain of office (500 gp) taken from a defeated ruler, 5d10 gp coin cache. See Hoard for magic items the Warlord may carry.
Features¶
Personality. Roll d6 or choose.
Axe Tribe:
| 1. Bold (attacks in daylight; keeps a public trail). | 2. Cunning (chooses soft targets; avoids reinforced places). | 3. Vengeful (the tribe has a specific enemy and hits their allies). |
| 4. Prideful (leaves the tribe's mark on every burned house). | 5. Desperate (last winter was bad; raids are more frequent, more brutal). | 6. Rising (a new War Chief has united two smaller tribes; ambition is on). |
Origin. Roll d6 or choose.
Axe Tribe:
| 1. Migrated from a distant range after a stronger tribe drove them out. | 2. Broke off from a fortress when the Chief lost a succession challenge. | 3. Freed thralls turned raiders: were slaves; now they take what they want. |
| 4. Formed around a specific War Chief declared blessed by the Eyes. | 5. Ancient tribe that has always followed the herds and the raid. | 6. Descended from a mercenary company that stayed together after the war ended. |
Goal. Roll d6 or choose.
Axe Tribe:
| 1. Grow the tribe until the War Chief can crown himself King. | 2. Take a specific settlement by force and hold it. | 3. Raid enough to obtain the blessing of the gods. |
| 4. Recover a stolen or lost tribal relic held by a settlement or another tribe. | 5. Kill a specific person or family: a blood-feud from generations back. | 6. Muster enough tribes for a war against a neighboring power. |
Trouble. Roll d6 or choose.
Axe Tribe:
| 1. The War Chief was challenged and killed; his successor is contested. | 2. A raid brought back plague, and half the warriors are sick. | 3. A rival tribe is moving into the same country and picking the same targets. |
| 4. A Notable in a nearby settlement has hired mercenaries specifically to hunt the tribe. | 5. The Eye of Gruumsh had a vision that contradicts the War Chief's next raid. | 6. Thralls staged an escape; some got away, and the ones that were caught died badly. |
Raid Season. The tribe raids periodically, typically once per month, less often in winter. Between raids the tribe is at the lair. During a raid, half or more of the tribe's War Parties are away for days. A party that strikes the lair mid-raid faces half the warriors but risks the raiders returning while inside.
Thralls. Every orc tribe holds captives for labor, ransom, or ritual. Thrall count is 1d6 + Faction CR × 2. Thralls are Commoners in poor condition, kept at the Thrall Pen. They will not fight for or against the party without a specific reason but may pass information or slip a message out.
Killing or freeing thralls has consequences: freed thralls return to the settlement they came from and may summon a rescue party, a lord's reprisal, or a Notable's gratitude, depending on their standing.
Lair Defenses. Pick 3 at CR 4, 4 at CR 6, 5 at CR 8, 6 at CR 10. Place into Locations that may host one.
| Defense | Detect | Avoid | Effect | Themes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Trap | DC 13 Perception | DC 14 Dex save | Covered pit with an iron-toothed clamp: 1d6 piercing and restrained until a DC 15 Strength check opens it. | all |
| Bristle Pit | DC 13 Perception | DC 13 Dex save | Shallow pit of sharpened stakes at a gate or funnel: 2d6 piercing and prone. | all |
| Palisade Ring | — | — | Sharpened stakes around the camp: half cover for defenders inside; DC 16 Athletics to climb, 1d6 piercing on a failed check. Approach is funneled to a single gate. | all |
Hoard. Place at an appropriate Location in the lair.
| Faction CR | Coins | Gems | Magic Items |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 500 gp | 4 rolls on Orc Gems | 2 rolls on Orc Magic Items |
| 6 | 2,000 gp | 8 rolls on Orc Gems | 4 rolls on Orc Magic Items |
| 8 | 5,000 gp | 12 rolls on Orc Gems | 6 rolls on Orc Magic Items |
| 10 | 12,000 gp | 20 rolls on Orc Gems | 10 rolls on Orc Magic Items |
Junk (any hoard). Iron helmets and hauberks stripped from dead soldiers, broken bows, chipped axes, a bundle of banners taken from fallen units, mismatched boots, a wooden idol of a small god, a stolen wedding ring on a leather thong, a merchant's ledger no orc can read. For Axe Tribe: horse-hides from broken cavalry, a coach lantern with the mark of a noble house, a bundle of tally-sticks from a levied village.
Orc Magic Items. Roll d20 or pick.
| d20 | Item |
|---|---|
| 1 | Potion of Healing |
| 2 | Potion of Growth |
| 3 | Potion of Heroism |
| 4 | Potion of Poison |
| 5 | Spell scroll of shield of faith |
| 6 | Spell scroll of spike growth |
| 7 | Spell scroll of thunderwave |
| 8 | Berserker Axe |
| 9 | Boots of Striding and Springing |
| 10 | Bracers of Defense |
| 11 | Cloak of the Bat |
| 12 | Gauntlets of Ogre Power |
| 13 | Immovable Rod |
| 14 | Javelin of Lightning |
| 15 | Ring of Protection |
| 16 | +1 greataxe |
| 17 | +1 shield |
| 18 | +2 studded leather |
| 19 | Horn of Valhalla (silver) |
| 20 | Belt of Hill Giant Strength |
Orc Gems. Roll d10 or pick. All entries fit any hoard as a single roll; scale value by rolling more times. See Gems for how color determines affinity in crafting and spell components.
| d10 | Color (School) | Value | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red (Evocation) | 10 gp | Carnelian shard |
| 2 | Black (Necromancy) | 10 gp | Obsidian |
| 3 | Green (Conjuration) | 10 gp | Malachite |
| 4 | Iridescent (Divination) | 10 gp | Labradorite |
| 5 | Red (Evocation) | 50 gp | Carnelian |
| 6 | Orange/Yellow (Transmutation) | 50 gp | Citrine |
| 7 | Colorless (Any) | 50 gp | Rock crystal |
| 8 | Blue (Enchantment) | 100 gp | Lapis lazuli |
| 9 | Red (Evocation) | 100 gp | Garnet |
| 10 | Black (Necromancy) | 500 gp | Jet |
Locations¶
Ancestor Stones. A ring of standing stones marked with the names of past War Chiefs and the tribes they defeated. Rites happen here on high holy nights. May have: a Lair Defense.
Camp Ring. The open central space. Fire pit at the center; wagons and tents around. May have: a Lair Defense.
Chief's Tent. The largest tent, at the head of the ring. Where the War Chief sleeps and hosts councils. May have: a Lair Defense; a hoard.
Cook Pit. A stone lined pit with a spit and a fire. Loot: cured meats; a cask or two of stolen wine or ale.
Eye's Shrine. A crude altar to Gruumsh presided over by the Eye. Trophy skulls and offering bowls. Warriors visit before a raid. May have: a Lair Defense.
Loot Wagons. 2-4 wagons parked at the edge of the camp holding spoil from recent raids: cloth, tools, armor, chests, and a locked strongbox or two. May have: a hoard.
Muster Ground. Open space where warriors gather when the drum sounds. Packed earth, weapon racks along the perimeter. Loot: a rack of spare weapons.
Slave Market. A separated section of the Thrall Pen where captives are sorted, priced, and traded to visiting slavers. Iron scales, a whipping post, a locked ledger of transactions. Loot: the ledger (blackmail material against slavers in nearby settlements); a strongbox of dealings.
Thrall Pen. A staked corral where captives are kept. Straw floor, iron shackles staked to the ground. Watched by 1-2 orcs. May have: a Lair Defense.
Trophy Pole. A tall pole at the camp's main entry hung with heads, banners, armor scraps, and one or two intact bodies.
Warlord's Pavilion. The Warlord's tent, larger than the Chief's Tent, hung with the banners of every subordinate War Chief. Council table in the center. May have: a Lair Defense; a hoard.
Warriors' Barrows. Mounds of earth where the tribe's honored dead are buried with their weapons. A tribe that has been in the country for years has many; a young tribe has none. Loot: rusted grave-goods (weapons, armor, a horn) worth 1d6 × 100 gp if excavated.
Warriors' Tents. Smaller tents around the ring where the war parties sleep. Bedrolls, weapon caches, personal loot.
Watch Post. A picketed outpost on the camp perimeter. Fire pit, watch horn, a lookout on duty. May have: a Lair Defense.
Mapping¶
Once you know the Locations of the lair, you can create a basic map.
- Take a d6 for each Location. Drop them onto a page. This is your rough camp layout.
- Assign the center die (or one of them) as the Camp Ring. All other Locations are positioned relative to it.
- Place each remaining Location by distance from the Ring:
- Near the Ring: Chief's Tent, Cook Pit, Muster Ground, Eye's Shrine, Warlord's Pavilion.
- Outer band: Warriors' Tents, Loot Wagons, Thrall Pen, Trophy Pole, Ancestor Stones, Slave Market.
- At the perimeter: Watch Post, Warriors' Barrows.
- Read each die's face for local terrain elevation:
- 1-2: a clearing or depression.
- 3-4: level ground with trees and brush.
- 5-6: a hill or rocky outcrop. Mark each Location and its elevation on the map.
- Connect the Locations. Worn paths through the camp connect each Location. Every Location connects to at least one other. Watch Posts sit at the perimeter and connect inward.
- Place Creatures. Roughly half the Locations hold a creature at any given time. Camp Ring, Chief's Tent, Muster Ground, and Watch Posts almost always do. If any creatures don't fit, they are assumed to be away raiding, hunting, or scouting.
- Place Lair Defenses. Assign each pick from the Lair Defenses table to a Location.
- Place Hoards. Assign the hoard to a Location.