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Orc life cycle

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ArkangelWinter

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« Reply #120 on: <03-16-12/2058:45> »
I keep being taken back by this idea an ork couldnt fight at 40. Humans in fighting shape at 60-65 are rare, but they certainly exist, especially if they spent their youth staying in ork-like physical condition

jonathanc

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« Reply #121 on: <03-16-12/2233:20> »
I keep being taken back by this idea an ork couldnt fight at 40. Humans in fighting shape at 60-65 are rare, but they certainly exist, especially if they spent their youth staying in ork-like physical condition
If we assume that most of them die off at 35-45, then 40 isn't the equivalent of a human at 60-65. It's equivalent to 70-75. While it's true that Christopher Lee is pretty sprightly for a guy in his 80's, let's not pretend that he's the average.

ArkangelWinter

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« Reply #122 on: <03-16-12/2240:03> »
As has been said repeatedly though, that last 5 years of an ork's life is probably akin to the more rapid aging of humans from a fairly spritely 60 to a decrepit 75

jonathanc

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« Reply #123 on: <03-16-12/2247:31> »
As has been said repeatedly though, that last 5 years of an ork's life is probably akin to the more rapid aging of humans from a fairly spritely 60 to a decrepit 75
There are no canon sources for that assertion. It's a nice thought, but then again, so is having Ork's age at a normal rate, and having their shorter life expectancy be due to a disproportionately dangerous life (poor medical care, poor diet, street violence, etc.)

IMO, it all comes down to what you want orks to be in your game. If you want them to be fecund underground hordes of cannon fodder, then their butterfly lifespan makes perfect sense. If you prefer orks like Bull, the gunslinger adept in the book, etc., then a more humanized view of their lifecycle makes more sense.

ArkangelWinter

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« Reply #124 on: <03-16-12/2259:18> »
The ork life cycle I get. Trolls bother me because they are just as violent, only have 10 years more lifespan, just as crappy living conditions, and dont have litters. So how do they even sustain their population?

Critias

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« Reply #125 on: <03-16-12/2300:21> »
The ork life cycle I get. Trolls bother me because they are just as violent, only have 10 years more lifespan, just as crappy living conditions, and dont have litters. So how do they even sustain their population?
They also have, barring a few exceptional places (like their "kingdom" in Germany, if it's even still a canon place), a much, much, smaller population to sustain, than any other core metaspecies.

Angelone

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« Reply #126 on: <03-16-12/2329:33> »
The Troll Kingdom is still around at least as of Attitude, where it gets mentioned they have an Urban Brawl team.
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« Reply #127 on: <03-16-12/2334:47> »
The Troll Kingdom is still around at least as of Attitude, where it gets mentioned they have an Urban Brawl team.
Yeah, I just don't keep up with the German books (what with not being able to read German, and all), and I know there've been several released since then, so I wasn't positive.

Angelone

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« Reply #128 on: <03-16-12/2358:43> »
I've been debating about getting my German speaking side of the family to translate them for me, I don't think I could afford the amount of beer needed for bribes.
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Morg

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« Reply #129 on: <03-17-12/0144:49> »
interesting question: If some orcs goblinize at puberty and some are born with active metagenes do the gobliized orcs have a more human life span and learning curve? are the human children of orc parents recorded as orcs until puberty occurs before declaring them human (some may still consider them tainted orcs anyways)
if some of the litter do not receive their robustus metagenetic state are they the more likely portion of an  orc family to die?

crisses

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« Reply #130 on: <03-17-12/0941:51> »
If we assume that most of them die off at 35-45, then 40 isn't the equivalent of a human at 60-65. It's equivalent to 70-75. While it's true that Christopher Lee is pretty sprightly for a guy in his 80's, let's not pretend that he's the average.

Runner-class Orks are also far from average.  Even one stat at 5 or higher puts a person in the "Very exceptional" category in terms of overall humanity.  If body approximates constitution, Orks probably never get "decrepit".  These guys are usually martial artists of some sort, and have all types of genetic & lifestyle advantages over the "average ork".  Sure their mom & dad could be long gone by the time they're 45, but that doesn't mean that they have one foot in the grave and need bifocals.  In many ways, a human life is full of examples of "use it or lose it" and that includes your life overall.  I'd go into gruesome statistical detail but that's not necessary.  Point is, overall, the more of their brain, body, instincts, vision, strength, etc. that the Ork uses over their lifespan without "retiring" the more likely they are to go kicking & screaming to their death.

If Average Lifespan of a human is 75, and humans live to 120+ on occasion (that's an additional adult lifetime!), a PC-caliber ork being an exception to every rule should be able to make it to 75 (perhaps even more) and still be an active member of the community.