I want to be a half-orc!

Not quite.

Early discussion about character concepts: a player wants to be a human with Fey Blood - orc trait: Lynx-eyed.

He sees the character as having been born to a noblewoman and raised somewhere else. Now he wants what his rightfully his: titles, castle, the whole caboodle.

I’m having trouble accepting this concept based on how vile the orcs are (according to the BW). I can see some good situations for this but it all depends on BITS and how the others truly accept the character and rationalize how they all work together.

Would this work? How would you make it work in a group of “normal” humans? How would society at large react to humans with the “orc taint?”

That’s up to you. You could take it as a big sign that says, “Beat me with discrimination!” in which case it’s an endless source of conflict as the character grows in influence and struggles to be accepted (in whatever way). Alternately, the world is a place where such unions are known; the pragmatic, hard-working populace just shrugs and says stuff like, “He never did nuttin’ bad to me.”

He’s only taking Lynx-Eyed, which is the most benign of the Orc’s horrible traits.

Ask the player what he’s interested in playing out. As Michael suggests, does he want to play out the discrimination aspect or does he just the trait for cool color? If he just wants it for color, then don’t bring the unsavory aspects into the foreground. He’s weird, that’s enough. If he wants more than that, enjoy the Beliefs-fest!

Yes, he enjoys the discrimination. As we talk a bit about the world, we determined such unions between orcs and humans are vile. Children are considered tainted and unholy. He wants his character to be hated (his own words). He also wants to get what he sees as rightfully his: the noble title and lands (noble ascendancy).

Sounds like the beginnings of a great struggle and a good story.

We finally nailed down a bit more what the player wanted for his character. We will burn the setting and characters next Friday but we talked today via Skype. The player really wants to explore the whole human with the tainted blood and the hatred and fear men have for such half-breeds. I don’t know exactly what LPs the player intends to take: either born slave and outcast or born peasant and outcast (his mother fled from shame and before her son would be thrown into the fire, she gave birth to him far away and cared for him hidden from everyone - a sort of hermit). The other players were okay with the whole hate thing and we are weaving the stories to thrown them together and force them to act together.

I really like the goal he set for himself of trying to reclaim his noble birth and status, more than any materialistic concerns, he wants what he believes is rightly his. He doesn’t care if people hate him or not, as long as he is given his due. We’ll shape up his Beliefs a bit better but I think this is a solid beginning. Since the players are new to the system, I already warn them that they would have to fight for what they believe and, in the end, they might not even succeed but they would be changed by the experience. They liked the idea. :wink:

If his mother lived to school him, you could let him take Born Noble and Bastard as his first paths. Fey Blood purchased with some trait points or some other path. That way he has penalties from normal folk from his uppity talking, and his freakish eyes.

Rather than the obvious option, perhaps some evil Orc shaman cursed the pregnant Noblewoman as she watched her husbands army conquer the Shamans tribesmen. There is precedent in Rituals of Blood to add mental traits to enemies, perhaps some greater curse was called, a daemon summoned to perform the curse. No-one knows how it was done, but the child was born with a caul over it’s eyes, and when it was torn aside, his eyes burned like the pits of hell itself.

There are several options open to him, Born Noble (if his mother gave him a proper education), Born Slave if he was born in captivity, Born Peasant (if his mother was hidden away from prying eyes), etc.

Another thing occurred to me. Orcs can be so brutal to human slaves; they eventually devour their prisoners if they can’t carry their own weight. Thus, a human with fey blood could be very rare. In fact, the character could be one of a kind, making him a very special character in the world, and also greatly hated and feared.

I see a lot of potential in this character, depending on where the player elects to take him.

And his name shall be Keanu Reeves, for he is The One. :wink:

He should be unique…until such a time that his Beliefs demand you introduce a brother or sister…

You know, I thought exactly the same thing. A twin brother, only this one has the trait Vile & Loathsome. He also wants the same things and hates his brother and every human for treating him like crap.

Yes! But later, after our hero has earned his title…his brother comes knocking.

Oh ho. How now?