Orc Centurion
Orc Centurion (CR 10)
Orc centurions are the highly trained legions of the orc war tribes, marching through endless wars of conquest, pillage and destruction for the glory of their tribe. It isn't until you first encounter a legion of orc centurions that one truly realizes the scope of orcish ambition. These are not small squads of elite soldiers, the tribes cultivate hundreds upon hundreds of elite soldiers. Orc legions rarely include the lower level orc warriors. Low level warriors are the orcs one tends to encounter in small raiding parties, until they prove their skills are worthy of joining the legions of the tribe.
Centurions still retain their own individualism, of course. No race as chaotic as orcs would ever entirely surrender their private ambitions to the greater cause of the tribe. Each orc centurion is looking for his own means of gaining greater power within his society, and will eagerly employ guile and duplicity to rise to the top faster.
That said, even a small company of orc centurions is highly dangerous to the civilized places of the world. These orcs are strong, expert fighters who employ tactics instinctively, and will measure their foes carefully before striking, to ensure that maximum damage will be inflicted on their targets.
Of course, power in orc society is achieved through gaining notoriety and fame from your exploits, so most centurion raids tend to be high-profile, flashy affairs, meant to leave very visible results.
Orc centurions are sometimes led by an orc warlord, and larger bands can also include an orc wardrummer. While centurions are very dangerous on their own, they are especially dangerous in the company of strong leaders.
General
CR 10 Hit Dice 15
XP 9,600
CE Medium Humanoid (Orc)
Init +5; Senses Low-Light 120 ft., Perception +15
Defense
AC 30, touch 19, flat-footed 25 (+6 armor, +5 dex, +5 natural, +4 deflection)
hp 175
Fort +13, Ref +10, Will +10
Aura: -
SR: -
Special Defenses: -
Immunities: -
Weaknesses: -
Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Space / Reach: 5 ft. / 5 ft.
Single Melee Scimitar +18 (2d8+10/19-20x2)
Full Melee 2x Scimitar +18 (2d8+10/19-20x2)
Ranged Orc Shotput +18 (2d8+10/x2), range increment 10 feet, plus lesser returning
Special Attacks Warrior's Surge, Advance the Line
Action Points 0
Statistics
Str 19, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 10
Base Atk +10; CMB +16; CMD 26
Feats Precise Shot (EFFECT: Can make ranged attacks into melee without taking -4 to-hit penalty)
Skills Warfare +15
Languages Giant
Special Abilities
- Warrior's Surge (Su)
Once per encounter as a free action, an Orc Centurion may choose to heal itself for 50 hit points. Using this ability also clears any one status condition the Orc Centurion is suffering from. The Orc Centurion may use this ability at the start of his turn even if he is otherwise denied all actions by one or more status conditions.
- Advance the Line (Ex)
Once per round as a free action, the orc centurion may force an enemy he has just successfully struck in combat to make a Reflex save, DC 19, or or that enemy is shoved up to 5 feet in the direction of the Orc Centurion's choosing. If the enemy fails the saving throw, the Orc Centurion may choose to step into the square the enemy was just forced out of. Both the enemy's movement and the orc's step into the vacated square are considered forced movement which do not provoke attacks of opportunity. If the saving throw succeeds, this ability has no effect this round.
As with any forced movement, the shoved enemy can only be moved into an unoccupied square. Unlike normal forced movement, a shoved enemy who fails his save does not get a second saving throw to avoid being moved into a square with an environmental hazard (such as a trap). However, the shoved enemy may choose to fall prone in his current square, if he prefers, rather than being forced into a dangerous adjacent square. If the shoved enemy chooses to fall prone, the orc centurion may not step into the enemy's square (since it is still occupied).
Treasure
sell value of approximately 5,000 gp
Orc Centurions frequently carry an Orc Shotput +1 (with the free Lesser Returning property), having a sell value of 580 gp.
Combat Tactics
Orc Centurions are smart, well-versed in tactics, and can even use their Warfare skill to assess an enemy's relative toughness before engaging them in a fight.
They will optimize the use of their Warrior's Surge ability, typically waiting until they have taken at least 50 hit points of damage, though they will also use it if they are hit with a very debilitating status condition.
They will use Advance the Line every round, primarily to shove their way through any front line defenses and get at the ranged attackers and magic users in the rear of the party. Even when engaged with these softer targets, the Centurions will make use of Advance the Line to try to separate their target from its allies, or to push it into a nearby trap, pit or hazard for an easier kill.