General Rules: Monsters - Orc, Desert

Desert Orc (Mercenaries)
Medium Humanoid (Fire, Orc)

Hit Dice: 2d8+6 (15 hit points)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 feet
Armor Class: 16 (+1 Dex, +2 natural, +3 studded leather armor), touch AC 11, flat-footed AC 15
BAB/Grapple: +1/+3

Attack: Desert scythe +3 melee (1d6+3, slashing, 20 x2)

Full Attack: 2 desert scythes +1/+1 melee (1d6+3/1d6+1, slashing, 20 x2)

Space/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet
Special Attacks: Ambush
Special Qualities: DR 1/-, fire resistance 5
Saves: Fortitude +6, Reflex +1, Will +1
Abilities: Str 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Dex 13, Con 16, Cha 7

Skills: Hide +4 (+8 in desert conditions), Listen +2, Spot +2, Move Silently +4 (+8 in desert conditions), Search +1, Survival +4

Feats: Two-Weapon Fighting
Environment: Any land and underground

Organization: Gang (2 - 4) or squad (11 - 20 plus 1 4^th level serjeant and 1 leader of 5^th - 8^th level), or war party (16 - 20, plus 2 4^th level serjeants, and 1 8^th level captain), or band (10 - 80 plus 100% noncombatants plus 1 4^th level serjeant per 10 adults, 3 7^th level lieutenants. and 2 9^th level captains)

Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: 50% standard
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +1

Desert orcs are more than just the sandy cousins of the forest dwelling variety. They are hardier, smarter, and most of all more resilient than their woodland kin.

They resemble common orcs in many ways. Their unkempt hair, dirty hides, and primitive features make them dusty colored derivatives that most mistake them for common orcs. Only their tan skin and finer hair separates them.

In addition, desert orcs are faster, more territorial, and far more disciplined than other orcs. They live in smaller enclaves and protect what little land and possessions they have. They raid desert caravans, feeding on what small food they can scavenge and living meager lives under the dunes of the desert.

The desert’s hot environment forces these orcs to grow stronger and hardier than would be expected in a direct or gully. Their skin is thicker than most orcs and their lives spent in the desert allow them to ignore most heat damage. Pound for pound, a desert orcs is as hardy as three regular orcs.

Desert orcs speak Euroz. The language an orc speaks varies slightly from tribe to tribe, but any orc is understandable to anyone who speaks Euroz. Some desert orcs speak Karstish or Jattalaic as well.

Combat
Desert orcs have sound tactics, never involving themselves in battles they cannot win. They attack from defensible or hidden positions in the desert and often have underground passages they can escape through.

Ambush (Ex): Desert orcs gain a +4 to Initiative checks whenever they have caught their opponents by surprise. In addition, during a surprise round, a desert orc may take a full round’s worth of actions instead of a typical partial action. Desert orcs gain a +4 circumstance bonus to all skill checks involving an ambush or surprise.

Skills: desert orcs receive a +4 racial bonus on all Hide and Move Silently checks while in a desert or desert-like setting.

Desert Orc Society
Desert orcs live in much smaller enclaves than other orcs, but exhibit most of the same tendencies. They are ruled by the strongest male, but keep relatively small families. They consider wives and children to be property, but do not keep slaves. They honor and recognize prowess in battle, but consider obscene wealth a detriment to the tribe’s structure.

Desert orcs live in something of a balance with the desert and do not take more food than they can eat or store and do not grow their tribe more than they can feed. A wise shaman or cleric helps a strong leader to govern and make decisions, but a foolish leader can undo generations of work.

Desert Orc Characters
A desert orc’s favored class is scout. Desert orc leaders are typically barbarians, fighters, or strong rangers. Desert orcs do not worship a god, but instead worship the sun itself. Clerics can choose two of the following domains: Earth, Fire, Life, Strength, and Sun.

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