Ranting time...

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I think the "just about anyone would try to kill you on sight" factor comes into play with regards to why you can play a half-orc instead of an orc.

Mind you, in most versions of D&D, orcs were pretty much restricted to being one hit dice wimps who adventurers mow down like wheat so you have to wonder why a half-orc would get a bonus to strength instead of a penalty. It seems to me that a half-ogre would make more sense.

 

Well, it's the same 'adventurer' principle that applies to humans. Most humans would be even weaker than your average orc, but for characters, just reaching level 1 usually means you are better than average. So a level 1 human can take out an average orc, just as a level 1 half-orc can take out an average human or orc.

 

I agree -- adventurers are exceptional specimens, the equivalent of professional athletes today--the top 1% or less of the population.

Figure that (in 2e) the average persons stats are 9,9,9,9,9,9.

Adventurers, especially successful adventurers, are freaks of nature.

 

@JSBB
Would people in towns be glad when they see duergars and drow? The orcs can't be much more evil than them?
I usually see the orcs as strong but lazy creatures! They aren't really stupid but maybe not always as clever as humen. But I can't see them as "evil by nature" as D&D seems to see them.

I think the average stats for an average human should be 10,5 (3d6). The extra roll of the adventurer (the usual roll 4d6 and choose the 3 best) is to make them a bit better than average but not by much in level 1.

 

Well the orcs in ToB were prett fearsome, with 60 HP and wielding axe+2s.

And tackle orcs in HoF. You will be in for a fiery suprise.

 

Just a thought on Koroth and paladins as "Crusaders for Good" -- check out the "Song of Roland" where the Paladins of France fight the Paynim (i.e. Moslem) Paladins; an even dozen on each side, of course.

I much prefer the 2nd Ed stuff, but I also favor the 3rd Ed bit about multi-classing as thou pleaseth (almost) regardless of race and alignment.

The whole problem is really the D&D insistence on "alignments" and, even worse, "alignment languages" -- have they been scrapped yet? ("Hello, I speak Neutral Good.") Even though I like BG and IWD, I outgrew PnP D&D rather quickly and switched to RuneQuest, where anyone could do anything: no classes, no alignments, "paladins" for virtually every cult, cast a spell and cleave some sod in twain...

That's what's needed -- a WeiDU mod turning the whole BGT experience into RQ rules...