Goliath versus Half-Orc

[Perseus]

Which do you guts prefer in your games, Half-Orcs or Goliaths?

I'm partial to Goliaths myself. Outside of the obviously eww creation that half-orcs come from I've just like how diversed they are compared to the other races.

Physically the Goliaths are everything the half-orcs should be plus the Goliaths have a culture outside of being the social outcast just trying to prove they are good (or social outcast that wants to get even with society) -_-.

Also, totally don't care what people think of the eating habits of half-orcs/orcs. I'm going with omnivores so let's nip that in the bud.

[JoeJ]

What's a goliath? (I presume you mean something other than the Biblical reference.)

[Perseus]

What's a goliath? (I presume you mean something other than the Biblical reference.)

3.5 Races of Stone and 4e PHB II have Goliaths... No nothing biblical, we don't need to get I to all the weird crap that goes on with that stuff.

[Rfkannen]

What's a goliath? (I presume you mean something other than the Biblical reference.)

Goliaths are a race of peaceful giants with bumps on them

Personally, I prefer goliaths simply because they are not half breeds. If it was between Goliath and orcs, I would personally prefer an orc. I personally like some savagery in my savage :)

[Hyena]

I don't even know why half-orc is a player race instead of simply orc. I mean, we're long past the time when orcs were just mindless XP fodder with Warcraft giving them the noble savage thing majority of them have today.

[Mandrake]

I dislike the Goliaths due to their name.

Nothing else to add. :)

[Morukai]

I've always been partial to Goliaths because they seem to have some depth. Maybe that's because of the resources devoted to them in Races of Stone, though.

Half-Orcs seem a bit too cliché to me now. Although I've seen that effectively turned on its head with a hakf-orc wizard before.

[JAL_1138]

If you don't like Half-Orcs because of the fluff around them but don't want to make full Orcs a PC race, you could rename them to Uruk-hai (or just "Uruks" if "Uruk-hai" too blatant of a Tolkien reference, although that's where halflings, elves as we know them, dwarves as we know them, and orcs come from anyway), make them a distinct species with their own religion, territories, and cultures, and establish a lasting racial enmity between them and the Orcs, which you could say were once the same species until they were corrupted by Gruumsh and his allies in what became the Orcish pantheon. Older-edition Greyhawk has entire pantheons that saw little use outside it to poach wholesale for their religion if you're running in another setting.

EDIT: The Baklunish or Touv pantheons look promising to yoink for this outside Greyhawk; the names didn't see a lot of use elsewhereas far as I'm aware.

[Asmodai]

If you're squicked out by Half Orcs... the Goliaths should be even worse considering their origin is half human half giant. They were force bred on Athas as gladiators and bodyguards. Besides, It's not like sex, consensual or otherwise doesn't happen in Fantasy.

[hamishspence]

Half-giants and goliaths are two separate races in 3rd ed - it was only in 4e that half-giants were represented with the goliath statblock.

[mephnick]

I like goliaths, but am also on record as hating half-breeds as a core concept, so YMMV.

[Perseus]

I like goliaths, but am also on record as hating half-breeds as a core concept, so YMMV.

I would like each race to be heir own species instead of having humanoid be the species.

I wouldn't mind Orcs being a playable race, or really, any monster being a PC race. One of the great things about 4e is how the races where very uniformed and easily made, while keeping what makes their race special (couple of exceptions of course ).

[Inevitability]

I prefer Goliaths. Half-Orcs have little to no culture, lands, or customs of their own, so most of the time they are just a weak attempt to let players play orcs. Oh, and then there's the implied rape. No please.

Goliaths have their own lands, culture, and actually bring something new to the campaign world. Oh, and GIANT WEAPONS.

[Shining Wrath]

Goliath. The whole "I prove myself against challenges" thing is a lot better than "My mother had REALLY atrocious taste in men, and married a human".

[Selkirk]

half orcs ... i love half breeds (but i don't like half elves :D). i wish there were more mixes..like orc and dwarf/human and dwarf/orc and elf . with all these wars it had to have happened :smalleek:...:smallbiggrin:

[silveralen]

Goliaths kinda felt... forced I guess? I don't really have a better way to put it. They just never clicked.

Half orcs I enjoy. They added something unique.

Personally, I enjoy dwarfs and muls better than both regardless.

[Rfkannen]

Goliaths kinda felt... forced I guess? I don't really have a better way to put it. They just never clicked.

Half orcs I enjoy. They added something unique.

Personally, I enjoy dwarfs and muls better than both regardless.

I do feel what you mean about goliaths, I felt the same way till 4e. I actually rather liked them there

Your mentioning of muls reminded me that they are the only half breed I like conceptioly. I mean while I am currently playing a half elf (that juicy +2 charisma and +1 wisdom, I thought I was going to play a monk and in a rush wipped up a minmaxed cleric :D) I generally feel that all that half breeds bring over their full blooded brethren is angst, I mean why would I play a half orc when I could play an orc? They can be cool characters in some situations, but often either they are just played as a pure breed or for angst. However, MULS ARE BADASS. I mean look at those badasses! Taller than a human, hardier than a dwarf. They are cromedomed badasses. Oh and they actually have something angsty to worry about if your into that thing, you were probably concieved by forced conception comanded by a slave driver and were raised a slave. However muls are just such awesomeness that they overcome that angst. They are just so badass! I mean they are workers of the highest degree, built to survive any kind of labor. I don't know why, but muls are one of the few half breeds I love. I also like half ogres but that is more for playing an ogre with less of an int penalty.