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It's an old, old joke/meme/argument in D&D that half-X races always seem to work out to be human plus X. Half-orcs, in particular, have often earned commentary on where the dwarven or elven half-orcs are, given these races also butt heads with orcs often enough and... well, let's be blunt: orcs do have a long and distasteful association as being rapists.
The absence of elf-orcs and dwarf-orcs can mostly be attributed to one of the various Gygaxian Neo-Tolkienisms that are endemic to D&D, but there have been some exceptions. In the Kingdoms of Kalamar 3rd party setting, there is the race of Tel-amhothlans, which are elf-orc hybrids (mechanically handled as half-orcs with a Dex bonus instead of a Str bonus, +1 to Spot/Listen checks and +1 to saves vs. enchantments). In the Midnight 3rd party setting, there is the race of Dworgs, which are dwarf-orc hybrids that replace conventional half-orcs entirely due to orcs in this setting being corrupted dwarves, and very different beasts indeed.
I find these ideas interesting, even if the execution doesn't thrill me so much, so I thought I'd try my own attempts at half-orc variants inspired by the two races... at least, by their basic concept.
Before anyone asks, I went with the idea of both races having subraces for two reasons. Firstly, I thought it emphasized their differences to the standard Half-Orc. Secondly, I felt it made sense that these races would be rarer than the Human/Orc because elven and dwarven blood doesn't mix as readily as human blood does, leading to more unpredictable, erratic arrays of racial traits.
Tel-Amhothlan
The union of elf and orc is an oddity indeed, but when it happens, the resultant hybrids are weirdly graceful and well-formed, compared to their more common half-human kin. The mixing of elven and orcish blood is somewhat unstable, leading to great diversity in what traits are manifested by each individual hybrid. Surprisingly, the most common of tel-amhothlan origins stems from the Underdark, where drow men have been known to mingle with orc slave women, rather than risk their lives in the beds of their own females.
Ability Score Modifiers: +1 Dexterity, +1 Strength
Size:Medium
Speed:30 feet
Vision:Darkvision 60 feet
Relentless Endurance:When you are reduced to 0 hit points, but not killed outright, you can instead choose to be reduced to 1 hit point instead. After using this trait, you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.
Fey Ancestry:You have Advantage on saving throws against being Charmed and are Immune to Magical Sleep effects.
Keen Senses:You have Proficiency in the Perception skill.
Muddied Heritage:Tel-Amhothlans are chaotic breed and can favor either orcish or elvish aspects of their lineage. Choose the Orcish Brutality, Elvish Grace, Fae Magic or Lolthbreed subrace options.
Orcish Brutality:
Ability Score Modifier: +1 Constitution
Savage Attacks:When you score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, you increase the damage inflicted by +1 dice.
Powerful Build:You are treated as being one size category larger to determine your capacity to Push, Pull, Drag, Lift and Carry.
Elvish Grace:
Ability Score Modifier:+1 Dexterity
Fleet-Footed:Your base walking speed increases to 35 feet.
Natural Athlete:You have Proficiency in the Athletics skill.
Fae Magic:
Ability Score Modifier:+1 Charisma
Mystic Talent:You can cast one Wizard cantrip of your choice. Charisma is your spellcasting ability score when casting the cantrip provided by this trait.
Lolthbreed:
Ability Score Modifier:+1 Charisma
Superior Darkvision:Your Darkvision increases to 120 feet.
Sunlight Sensitivity:You suffer Disadvantage on Attack Rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks made when you, the target of your attack or whatever you are studying is in direct sunlight.
Drow Magic:You can cast the Dancing Lights cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the Faerie Fire spell once per day. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the Darkness spell once per day. Charisma is your spellcasting ability score for these spells.
Dworg
Hated and reviled by all but the most open-minded of dwarven clans, on most worlds, dworgs come into existence in only two ways; when a dwarf woman is assaulted by an orc and survives, or when a dwarf falls so far into evil that he -or she- will willingly consort with orcs. Though some accounts also exist of duergar deliberately breeding halfbreed offspring with orc slaves to use as superior, though still expendable, warrior-slaves. "Warbrute" dworgs are often raised amongst dwarven clans, their orcish temperament frequently stoked with indoctrinated self-loathing before they are turned against their orcish kin as expendable warriors, whilst amongst orc clans they frequently become feared and respected fighters. "Stonecaller" dworgs are sometimes bred by orc clans from dwarven captives, as their natural knack for stone and metalwork is highly useful to orcs. "Tunnelfiends" are a strange and fearsome breed with a particularly predatory nature, believed to be touched either by the tainted lineage of duergar or else marked by the blessings of Luthic.
Ability Score Modifiers: +1 Strength, +1 Constitution
Size:Medium
Speed:25 feet
Vision:Darkvision 60 feet
Relentless Endurance:When you are reduced to 0 hit points, but not killed outright, you can instead choose to be reduced to 1 hit point instead. After using this trait, you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.
Dwarven Resilience: You have Resistance to Poison Damage and Advantage on saving throws against Poison and Disease.
Muddied Heritage: Dworgs are chaotic breed and different individuals express their mixed heritage in different ways. Choose the Warbrute, Stonecaller or Tunnelfiend subrace.
Warbrute:
Ability Score Modifier:+1 Strength
Savage Attacks:When you score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, you increase the damage inflicted by +1 dice.
Talent for Battle: You have Proficiency with the Battleaxe, Handaxe, Throwing Hammer and Warhammer.
Stonecaller:
Ability Score Modifier:+1 Intelligence
Crafter's Instinct: You have Proficiency with the Artisan's Tools of your choice from the following list: Smith's Tools, Brewer's Supplies, or Mason's Tools.
Stonecunning:When you make an Intelligence (History) check related to the origin of stonework, you are considered Proficient in the History skill and add double your Proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.
Tunnelfiend:
Ability Score Modifier:+1 Wisdom
Raking Talons: You possess claws, which you can use as natural weapons when making an unarmed strike, allowing you to inflict 1d4 + Str bonus Slashign damage on a successful hit.
Caverncreeper: You have Advantage on Stealth checks made when in caves or other underground regions.
Superior Darkvision:Your Darkvision increases to 120 feet.
Sunlight Sensitivity:You suffer Disadvantage on Attack Rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks made when you, the target of your attack or whatever you are studying is in direct sunlight.
The absence of elf-orcs and dwarf-orcs can mostly be attributed to one of the various Gygaxian Neo-Tolkienisms that are endemic to D&D, but there have been some exceptions. In the Kingdoms of Kalamar 3rd party setting, there is the race of Tel-amhothlans, which are elf-orc hybrids (mechanically handled as half-orcs with a Dex bonus instead of a Str bonus, +1 to Spot/Listen checks and +1 to saves vs. enchantments). In the Midnight 3rd party setting, there is the race of Dworgs, which are dwarf-orc hybrids that replace conventional half-orcs entirely due to orcs in this setting being corrupted dwarves, and very different beasts indeed.
I find these ideas interesting, even if the execution doesn't thrill me so much, so I thought I'd try my own attempts at half-orc variants inspired by the two races... at least, by their basic concept.
Before anyone asks, I went with the idea of both races having subraces for two reasons. Firstly, I thought it emphasized their differences to the standard Half-Orc. Secondly, I felt it made sense that these races would be rarer than the Human/Orc because elven and dwarven blood doesn't mix as readily as human blood does, leading to more unpredictable, erratic arrays of racial traits.
Tel-Amhothlan
The union of elf and orc is an oddity indeed, but when it happens, the resultant hybrids are weirdly graceful and well-formed, compared to their more common half-human kin. The mixing of elven and orcish blood is somewhat unstable, leading to great diversity in what traits are manifested by each individual hybrid. Surprisingly, the most common of tel-amhothlan origins stems from the Underdark, where drow men have been known to mingle with orc slave women, rather than risk their lives in the beds of their own females.
Ability Score Modifiers: +1 Dexterity, +1 Strength
Size:Medium
Speed:30 feet
Vision:Darkvision 60 feet
Relentless Endurance:When you are reduced to 0 hit points, but not killed outright, you can instead choose to be reduced to 1 hit point instead. After using this trait, you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.
Fey Ancestry:You have Advantage on saving throws against being Charmed and are Immune to Magical Sleep effects.
Keen Senses:You have Proficiency in the Perception skill.
Muddied Heritage:Tel-Amhothlans are chaotic breed and can favor either orcish or elvish aspects of their lineage. Choose the Orcish Brutality, Elvish Grace, Fae Magic or Lolthbreed subrace options.
Orcish Brutality:
Ability Score Modifier: +1 Constitution
Savage Attacks:When you score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, you increase the damage inflicted by +1 dice.
Powerful Build:You are treated as being one size category larger to determine your capacity to Push, Pull, Drag, Lift and Carry.
Elvish Grace:
Ability Score Modifier:+1 Dexterity
Fleet-Footed:Your base walking speed increases to 35 feet.
Natural Athlete:You have Proficiency in the Athletics skill.
Fae Magic:
Ability Score Modifier:+1 Charisma
Mystic Talent:You can cast one Wizard cantrip of your choice. Charisma is your spellcasting ability score when casting the cantrip provided by this trait.
Lolthbreed:
Ability Score Modifier:+1 Charisma
Superior Darkvision:Your Darkvision increases to 120 feet.
Sunlight Sensitivity:You suffer Disadvantage on Attack Rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks made when you, the target of your attack or whatever you are studying is in direct sunlight.
Drow Magic:You can cast the Dancing Lights cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the Faerie Fire spell once per day. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the Darkness spell once per day. Charisma is your spellcasting ability score for these spells.
Dworg
Hated and reviled by all but the most open-minded of dwarven clans, on most worlds, dworgs come into existence in only two ways; when a dwarf woman is assaulted by an orc and survives, or when a dwarf falls so far into evil that he -or she- will willingly consort with orcs. Though some accounts also exist of duergar deliberately breeding halfbreed offspring with orc slaves to use as superior, though still expendable, warrior-slaves. "Warbrute" dworgs are often raised amongst dwarven clans, their orcish temperament frequently stoked with indoctrinated self-loathing before they are turned against their orcish kin as expendable warriors, whilst amongst orc clans they frequently become feared and respected fighters. "Stonecaller" dworgs are sometimes bred by orc clans from dwarven captives, as their natural knack for stone and metalwork is highly useful to orcs. "Tunnelfiends" are a strange and fearsome breed with a particularly predatory nature, believed to be touched either by the tainted lineage of duergar or else marked by the blessings of Luthic.
Ability Score Modifiers: +1 Strength, +1 Constitution
Size:Medium
Speed:25 feet
Vision:Darkvision 60 feet
Relentless Endurance:When you are reduced to 0 hit points, but not killed outright, you can instead choose to be reduced to 1 hit point instead. After using this trait, you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.
Dwarven Resilience: You have Resistance to Poison Damage and Advantage on saving throws against Poison and Disease.
Muddied Heritage: Dworgs are chaotic breed and different individuals express their mixed heritage in different ways. Choose the Warbrute, Stonecaller or Tunnelfiend subrace.
Warbrute:
Ability Score Modifier:+1 Strength
Savage Attacks:When you score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, you increase the damage inflicted by +1 dice.
Talent for Battle: You have Proficiency with the Battleaxe, Handaxe, Throwing Hammer and Warhammer.
Stonecaller:
Ability Score Modifier:+1 Intelligence
Crafter's Instinct: You have Proficiency with the Artisan's Tools of your choice from the following list: Smith's Tools, Brewer's Supplies, or Mason's Tools.
Stonecunning:When you make an Intelligence (History) check related to the origin of stonework, you are considered Proficient in the History skill and add double your Proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.
Tunnelfiend:
Ability Score Modifier:+1 Wisdom
Raking Talons: You possess claws, which you can use as natural weapons when making an unarmed strike, allowing you to inflict 1d4 + Str bonus Slashign damage on a successful hit.
Caverncreeper: You have Advantage on Stealth checks made when in caves or other underground regions.
Superior Darkvision:Your Darkvision increases to 120 feet.
Sunlight Sensitivity:You suffer Disadvantage on Attack Rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks made when you, the target of your attack or whatever you are studying is in direct sunlight.
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