Orc Point Primer

10/05/03 02:37:58 PM
redchin@sonic.net

Much of the art on these pages comes from WP Fantasy Productions.

D&D, Dungeons and Dragons, Greyhawk, and the D&D and Greyhawk logos are full copyrighted property of Wizards Of The Coast, Inc. ©2000. The information on the Greyhawk pages is also copyrighted ©2000-3 property of Wizards Of The Coast, Inc. This website is in no way a challenge to those property rights.

You are adventurer # to sojourn these pages.

In this adventure, the Orc Point (OP) system takes the place of all Intelligence checks and saving throws. The Orc Point system tracks how orclike you become.

Every time you do something orcish, this strengthens the "orc" mindset and puts you in greater danger of being stuck permanently in your new form. The OP system adds a bit of spice to the gaming session and can be tremendous fun. Groups that are supposed to be role playing "in character" at all times can make the most use out of this system.

Gaining Orc points

While you are in orc form, anything that you does that is orcish can earn you an OP. Behavior is "orcish" if it is rude, socially marginal, or involves one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Any player (or the DM) can nominate you for an OP at any time during the game session. "My character didn't really say that" is not an excuse at any point. At least for this adventure, you are "always on stage."

A two-thirds majority of the players (including the DM, but not including the nominee) must agree that the action warrants an OP. You may only get one OP per nomination.

Be careful; the idea is to have some fun, not to have the game session degenerate into a name-calling catfight. Have some fun being extremely PC (politically correct) and more than a little paranoid!

Mechanics

You should keep a running tally of OPs somewhere on your character sheet. Once you have OPs equal to your Wisdom score, you become an NPC orc under the control of the DM. Your character is irredeemably nonhuman at this point and permanently stuck in orc form. In fact, while it is possible to change your character back into its original form by using a wish spell or something similar, your character will believe itself to be an orc polymorphed into a different form. Of course, if you become an NPC orc, that does not mean you will immediately run to the nearest orc priest and turn the party in, or start fighting the PCs. In all probability, you will simply try to complete the mission. However, your attitude is going to be significantly altered – after all you must play like a true ORC!

Eventually, you will have to do something orcish in order to fit in and not blow your cover. Part of the point of this adventure is to act like orcs, after all. When you wish to have your character do something orcish in nature on purpose and you declare the attempt before doing it, then that character does not receive an Orc Point. After all, if you are declaring this action, then you must have been forcing yourself into the orc mindset as an act of will. It's only when you do something orcish without thinking twice about it that you should receive an OP.

Redeeming an Orc point

It is possible to redeem an OP. If you do something truly noble and good, it may remove an OP. The action must be brave, display virtue, involve risk, and succeed. Be careful. If you do something just to try to get rid of an OP, that is not good enough. All of the players (including the DM) vote on whether the action was sufficient to warrant redeeming an OP. The vote must be unanimous.

You will immediately get an XP bonus for every redeemed OP. You can nominate any other PC (except yourself) for redemption. Examples of behavior that would redeem an OP can certainly be imagined by you guys, I’m sure (as well as the opposite behaviors.)

Experience points

Good role-players will alter the way they play the orc character. You might either become very fearful of receving any more OPs, or you could actually begin to revel in the role (Magnor?!@%^). As a result, you will either become more polite as the game goes on or gain more and more OPs until you realize just how close they are to becoming an orc permanently. If you finish the adventure without permanently becoming an orc you will recieve an XP bonus to be determined by me, the DM.

Examples of Orc point Behavior

Most of the possible actions that will earn an OP fall into the categories of bad manners or a display of one of the classic Seven Deadly Sins: Pride, Covetousness, Lust, Anger, Gluttony, Envy, and Sloth. The following list of OP-earning behaviors is not meant to be exhaustive, but should serve to illustrate the concept.

	Making critical comments about another PC.
	Striking other PCs (even lightly in jest).
	Ordering (as opposed to asking) another PC to do something.
	Self-centered behavior. Example: The PCs learn that a dormitory near a temple in Honshar has burned down. A priest PC belonging to that temple, asks, "What about my dorm?" before asking if everyone got out OK and if anyone was injured.
	Rudely interrupting another PC.
	Any noxious bodily emanations like burping.
	Use of profanity (especially by a priest PC).
	Theft from another PC.
	Use of the "tools of evil" such as poison, betrayal, and deceit.
	A fighter PC and the player of a priest PC begin arguing loudly. Unless they declare that they are doing this on purpose, this excellent portrayal of the friction between orc priests and orc warriors earns an OP for both PCs!
	Prejudice or any sexist comments, such as "all men are pigs."