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 rampages down from Zos’Heim to brutalize the rest of Migdalia. An orc warlord is an imposing figure, often covered in scars both ritualistic and all too real in origin.

Barbarians and fighters are the most common warlords, already able to excel in combat and often attract sizable armies on their own. Clerics occasionally become warlords as well, leading their followers on holy crusades to exterminate the other races in a veritable orgy of violence.

Hit Dice: d10

Requirements

In order to qualify to become a Hero of Druskeden, a character must meet the following criteria.

Race: Orc

Region: Zos’Heim

Alignment: Any non-good, non-lawful

Deity: Gronz

Base Attack Bonus: +5

Skills: Intimidate 4 ranks, Diplomacy 4 ranks.

Feats: Daunting Presence, Power Attack, Cleave

Special: The character must survive a the Rite of Leadership, in which a number of orc warriors attack the character. Typically, the character must face two to six such challengers, each of which have a CR of one to two levels beneath that of the character. Should he survive, he is awarded the respect he deserves, and may enter this prestige class freely.

Class Skills

The Orc Warlord‘s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (local) (Int), Profession (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str). See Chapter 4 of the Player’s Handbook for skill descriptions.

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special
1	+1	+2	+0	+2	Warlord, Soul of Rage
2	+2	+3	+0	+3	Fearless, Blood Fury
3	+3	+3	+1	+3	Horde (100%)
4	+4	+4	+1	+4	Damage Reduction 2/–
5	+5	+4	+1	+4	Maddening Howl
6	+6	+5	+2	+5	Horde (150%)
7	+7	+5	+2	+5	Fanatical Bodyguards
8	+8	+6	+2	+6	Damage Reduction 4/–
9	+9	+6	+3	+6	Horde (200%)
10	+10	+7	+3	+7	Death Frenzy

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Orc Warlord prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Orc warlords gain no further weapon or armor proficiency.

Warlord (Ex): The Orc Warlord is looked upon as a powerful warrior and a great leader among his people. The warlord gains a +4 circumstance bonus on Charisma-based skill checks made to influence creatures aware of his status.

Soul of Rage (Ex): The orc warlord is a fearsome combatant, able to throw himself into fits of devastating rage. The character’s orc warlord levels stack with any barbarian levels he possesses for the purposes of determining the strength of his rages, as well as the number of rages he may enter each day. If the warlord did not possess the ability to rage previously, he gains the ability to enter a rage once per day, as if he were a barbarian.

Fearless (Ex): The orc warlord is relentless in battle, and cannot be turned aside from his goals by something as simple as fear. A warlord of 2nd level or greater is immune to fear (magical or otherwise).

Blood Fury (Su): Beginning at 2nd level, the orc warlord grows more and more violent as the odds turn against him. Whenever a warlord is reduced to 25% or less of his maximum hit point total, he gains a +2 bonus to his attack and damage rolls. This bonus increases to +4 if the warlord is raging, and his hit point total is less than the hit point bonus granted to him by his increased Constitution score while he is raging.

Horde (Ex): An orc warlord is a well-known figure among his brethren, and his fellow orcs believe fighting under his command to be an honor. The warlord gains the Leadership feat as a bonus feat, but each of his followers, as well as his cohort, must be orcs. At 6th level, move orcs flock to his banner, increasing the normal number of followers he may have at each level by half again (rounded down). At 9th level, the normal number of followers he may command increases to twice what he could normally command.

Damage Reduction (Ex): At 4th level, the orc warlord’s sheer toughness allows him to shrug off some damage from every blow he is dealt. He gains damage reduction 2/–, which increases to 4/– at 8th level.

Maddening Howl (Su): Beginning at 5th level, the orc warlord is able to release a terrifying howl which sends his allies into a bloodthirsty rage. Using this ability is a move action, and it allows allies within 30 feet of the warlord to enter into a rage, as per the barbarian ability of the same name. If the raging character possess the ability to enter an enhanced rage (such as greater rage), he enters that type of rage instead. The rage invoked by the warlord lasts one round for each class level he possesses, and may not be ended prematurely by those who choose to enter the rage. Each round, a creature raging from this ability takes 1 point of damage, which cannot be reduced by damage reduction or the like.

The warlord may use this ability an unlimited number of times per day, but any given creature may not enter a rage more than once per encounter. After the rage wears off, any previously raging characters are considered to be fatigued for the duration of the encounter.

Fanatical Bodyguards (Ex): By 7th level, the warlord has achieved such a degree of respect and admiration from his followers that they are willing to sacrifice their lives for his. Once per round, when the orc warlord would normally be hit with a melee or ranged attack, he may instead have the attack strike one of his followers or cohorts adjacent to him.

Death Frenzy (Su): A 10th level warlord is able to drive his followers into a maddened death frenzy, allowing them to fight even while suffering from otherwise fatal wounds. When using his maddening howl, any of his followers affected by the rage he inspires enter a death frenzy instead. This functions much like a the rage his maddening howl ability grants, save that followers in a death frenzy fight regardless of their hit point total; they do not fall unconscious when their hit points fall below 0, and do not die when their hit points reach -10. If their hit points are still below 0 when their rage ends, such followers fall or conscious or die immediately, as appropriate.

Ex-Orc Warlords

A orc warlord who willingly changes alignment or betrays Zos-Heim or its people as a whole immediately loses all supernatural abilities granted by this class, and his horde leaves him. He regains his abilities, horde, and advancement potential if he atones for his actions (see the atonement spell on page 201 of the Player’s Handbook).

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