@witchfynder_finder gimme a bit and I'll explain the system as it is and what I have for orcs. Gotta get packages and stuff and then I'll be online

@witchfynder_finder ok so skills from classes are instead from four tiers and as you progress you get ability points

Playable races have paths too and starting bonuses. Everything is attribute based in a 2d6 system so each point is one on the die.

So far for orcs my idea is +1 power (strength analogous) and +1 fortitude (constitution analogous), one physical skill, intimate can use power, and dark vision

Each skill progression is behind tiers which require a number of unlocks to access

@witchfynder_finder er, path progression. your heritage (racial) path points stack with your primary path for unlocking the next tier

anyway with that aside, all i've come up with for orcs is every 2 tiers starting with T1 you can withstand one more physical point of damage to your attributes before you fall unconscious

attributes are split between physical and mental and damage is usually split between them by category so once you hit 0 in a physical stat you're unconconscious

@witchfynder_finder this specific ability would allow you to stay conscious at 0 under the first tier, and after the 3rd tier you can stay at -1

considering the most you can have in a stat when you begin a character is gonna be 6, and your hp in that stat is equal to your rank (starts at 3), that means that if you unlock both at the start you have to take 12 damage in your primary stat to pass out (or whatever since damage is split 3 ways usually)

@witchfynder_finder i'm effectively trying to model the whole game under a "level 2 character with competence in their chosen profession" in D&D 5e terms being roughly the initial power feeling with regards to your specializations

@vahnj I see! That's a really interesting system~

I see what you're going for with orcs, but I think there might be a better way to do it than "They can take a few more punches." I think it works to give them some kind of physical skill like that, but have you considered having it be related to how much damage they can deal rather than how much they can take? Or would that overlap with another race?

@witchfynder_finder damage dealing in this game is tricky - 1 point of damage is a shockingly large amount

Also, most damage in the game is based on how far over a person's defense you get past. So for the "average" competent character at rank 3, you'd be looking at someone who's got roughly 14 defense (in a 2d6 system where their defense is +7)

with a decked out +9 on the orc who's dedicated to slapping the crap out of someone, +1 here and there adds up to a lot

@witchfynder_finder I'm also trying to avoid doing "raw numbers" type stuff when it comes to backgrounds

for instance - the cool thing about humans is they're good at cutting paths to unlocking higher tiers of mastery. Their tier upgrades are, at each tier, they can unlock a path ability that..... gives them another path ability!

@witchfynder_finder Elves gain terrain skills and abilities with which they can use their terrain skills in neat ways compared to other races, who would need magic to do.

Half-elves are unique in that instead of darkvision, their heritage points count towards a secondary tier (as well as their primary), and while they gain the terrain knowlege of their elfish side, they get to leverage it in far more social ways (beyond the first ability anyway)

@vahnj Ooooh! These all sound really cool and interesting. I see why you're having issues with the orcs. By comparison, it feels a little... Not necessarily boring, but flat, perhaps?

@witchfynder_finder Yeah! I was comfy doing this with dwarves - I gave them two tier unlocks of "Hardy" which is literally just adding 1 to the number of HP they can take before dying while unconscious, and their T3 ability is "Armor Expertise: Fortitude athletics checks do not have disadvantage and you do not lose speed by wearing armor"

@vahnj I like that for dwarves. The armour thing is a nice touch. Maybe that's all the orcs need; something Else.

@witchfynder_finder @vahnj
What would orc culture be focused on? Maybe something can be gleamed from that.
I'm thinking hunting/foraging bonuses, if that makes sense in mechanics.
Or camaraderie/loyalty bonuses for sticking with your group or clan?

@zatnosk @witchfynder_finder Something I came up with is the central idea behind orcs being about tradition and being nomadic. I'm thinking about giving them abilities related to domesticating unusual creatures and giving them creature knowledge skills

@witchfynder_finder every race also gains the choice to unlock a language at each tier, and on the 3rd, 5th, and every tier after that you can gain an ability point

that's it so far for heritage paths. i'm trying to figure out if the orc idea i came up with good, but it's not sitting right with me