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Gormak

Medium species · Voss
sourceECsizeMedium
Tweaked from 5eYou already know this as 5e Half-Orc (likely) — Like the half-orc, the gormak are a muscular, aggressive warrior species built around raw physical menace, so treat them as your half-orc analog even though the names and flavor differ. ✨
Gormak
✨
Natural claws, a bonus-action charge, advantage vs. tech powers, and a full Technology-plus-crafting package — brawler and tinkerer in one.
Primitive-seeming yet brilliant tinkerers from Voss who can rebuild advanced technology from scrap while waging endless war against their neighbors.
melee-bruisertech-casterskill-expert
●●○weight · 1d4 claws, tech save adv
Ability focusStrength-first with Intelligence — a fighter who also fixes things.
Standout traits
  • Technological Affinity — proficiency in Technology, a vibroweapon, a blaster, and a crafting implement, plus advantage on Technology checks for unfamiliar tech
  • Claws — natural weapons dealing 1d4 kinetic, always available unarmed
  • Adaptive Resilience — advantage on Strength and Constitution saves against tech powers
!The Intelligence ASI is modest (+1), so the tech-skill package is more about breadth than depth — pair with a class that already boosts Intelligence.
natural-weaponstech-friendlytoughmobile
Pairs witha Strength melee class with crafting aspirations · the Engineer multiclass for true tech synergy · a frontline role that also handles tech obstacles

Biology and Appearance

The gormak are green humanoids with flat, noseless faces adorned with frills, collecting in whorls on the sides of their heads. They have clawed, three-fingered, frilled hands, and tend to possess a muscular build. Females are slightly shorter than males and lacked a whorl located above their nose.

Society and Culture

An aggressive species, the gormak hold an innate love of warfare and competition, and are extremely hostile towards the other natives of their planet, the voss. The gormak hold a belief that in order for them to prosper, the voss, whom they view as a plague on the planet, must be destroyed. To achieve that goal, warriors have repeatedly assaulted the voss capital city over the course of centuries; however, despite their far greater numbers, their nature has kept them from uniting against their enemy. While their society and speech are considered primitive by galactic standards, their innate talent with technology rivals the top minds of the galaxy. From bits of scavenged electronics and equipment, the gormak construct advanced tools, heavy machinery, specialized weapons and even cybernetic implants. However, despite their incredible affinity for technology, the gormak remain a pre-spaceflight culture confined to their homeworld, which causes them to be viewed as a backward species despite being perfectly capable of repairing, modifying and improving tech created by more advanced cultures.

Names

Gormak are commonly named after heroes of their history by local shamans. Surnames are tribe-based, but optional.

Male Names. Damal, Henet, Wockuss, Yryu, Zenit

Female Names. Finay, Heidith, Jhekon, Rakva, Sanas

Surnames. -Du, -Fo, -Qa, -Ry, -Ve

Distinctions. Frills on the face and body

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Intelligence score increases by 1.

Age. Gormaks reach adulthood in their late teens and live for more than a century.

Alignment. Gormaks' warlike nature causes them to tend toward the dark side, though there are exceptions.

Size. Gormaks typically stand 5 and a half to 6 and a half feet tall and generally weigh about 150 lbs. Regardless of your position in that range, your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Adaptive Resilience. Their innate understanding of technology allow gormak to readily adapt to its effects. You have advantage on Strength and Constitution saving throws against tech powers.

Aggressive. As a bonus action, you can move up to your speed toward an enemy of your choice that you can see or hear. You must end this move closer to the enemy than you started.

Claws. Your claws are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. Additionally, your unarmed strikes deal 1d4 kinetic damage.

Technological Affinity. You have proficiency in the Technology skill, one vibroweapon and one blaster of your choice, and your choice of armstech's implements, biotech's implements, constructor's implements, mechanic's kits, or tinker's implements. Additionally, you have advantage on Intelligence (Technology) checks made to understand, utilize, or modify technology that you are unaware of or have never seen before.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Galactic Basic and Gormak. Gormak is primitive and gruff, often lacking definitions for things found outside of their homeworld.