Faerûnian Prestige Class : Orc Warlord
The orc warlord is a savage general of an unruly army, the leader of one of the deadly and all too common orc hordes that rampage down from the Spine of the World to savage and brutalize the civilized lands of Faerûn. An orc warlord is an imposing figure, often slathered with scars both ritualistic and all too real in origin.
Barbarians and fighter/barbarians are the best suited to become orc warlords, as they already excel in battle and often attract large armies on their own. Barbarian/clerics sometimes become orc warlords to better lead their followers into religious wars. orc barbarian/rangers and barbarian/rogues usually operate alone, although it is not unknown for one of these to become a warlord in desperate times. Perhaps the most potent of orc warlords, though, is the barbarian/bard; his natural abilities to handle large groups and inspire greatness stack quite well with the abilities granted by this prestige class.
An NPC orc warlord is usually encountered on the field of battle, commanding his horde of orcs. Between attacks, an orc warlord can be found back in his lair training his troops for the next attack, be it in a month or a decade or even farther into the future.
Requirements
To qualify to become an Orc Warlord, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Race: Orc, half-orc
- Alignment: Any non-good.
- Skills: Intimidate 8 ranks, Ride 5 ranks, Survival 5 ranks.
- Feats: Blood of the Warlord or Might Makes Right, Leadership.
- Base Attack Bonus: +5.
- Special: Barbarian rage ability.
Class Skills
The orc warlord's class skills are Bluff, Craft, Intimidate, Jump, Listen, Ride, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival.
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All the following are Class Features of the orc warlord prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Orc warlords gain no proficiency with any weapons, armor, or shields.
Gather Horde (Ex): An orc warlord can maintain a larger force of orc followers than a comparable leader could of other creatures. When determining the number of followers allowed for a warlord, multiply the amount listed in Table 2-25: Leadership in the DUNGEON MASTER'S Guide by the listed value. These additional forces must be orcs. For example, a character with a leadership score of 15 could normally have up to twenty 1st-level, two 2nd-level, and one 3rd-level followers. A 1st-level orc warlord could have thirty 1st-level, three 2nd-level, and one 3rd-level follower, as long as at least ten of the 1st-level and one of the 2nd-level followers were ores. A 3rd-level orc warlord could have forty 1st-level, four 2nd-level, and two 3rd-level followers, so long as half of them were orcs.
Inspire Courage (Su): At 2nd level, the orc warlord gains the ability to inspire courage, which has the same effect as the bardic ability of the same name. The warlord makes an inspirational speech, bolstering his allies, against fear and improving their combat abilities. To be affected, an ally must hear the warlord speak for a full round. The effect lasts as long as the warlord speaks and for 5 rounds after the warlord stops speaking (or 5 rounds after the ally can no longer hear the warlord). While speaking, the warlord can fight but cannot cast spells, activate magic items by spell completion (such as scrolls), or activate magic items by command word. Affected allies receive a +2 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects and a +1 morale bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls. A warlord in the midst of a rage can use this ability, but in those cases the warlord's speech is more of a rant of howls and curses than true speech.
Final Rage (Ex): At 5th level, the warlord gains the ability to incite a rage iii all his nearby allies for one last phenomenal attack. Any allies within ten feet of the warlord (including the warlord himself) immediately enter a rage, even if they could not normally do so or have used all their own rage ability for the day. If the warlord or an ally is already in a rage at the time or is capable of a greater rage, the affected creatures enter a greater rage instead (if an affected creature is already in a greater rage, this ability has no additional effect). This rage (or increase to greater rage) lasts until the warlord's next turn, and all penalties for leaving a rage apply (for example, the creatures are fatigued, and if already fatigued they become exhausted). Invoking the final rage is a free action.
| Orc Warlord | Hit Die: d12 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special |
| 1st | +1 | +2 | +0 | +2 | Gather horde x 150% |
| 2nd | +2 | +3 | +0 | +3 | Inspire courage |
| 3rd | +3 | +3 | +1 | +3 | Gather horde x 200% |
| 4th | +4 | +4 | +1 | +4 | - |
| 5th | +5 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Final rage |
Source: Races of Faerûn