Orcs Vs. Undead

[Legolas]

Orcs may be stronger, but they lack the dicipline to fight in an effective fashion and turn one advantage into another. Also, hitting emotionless skeletons is not as much fun as pounding on the frightened 'umies that ocassionally even begin to run. Oh, and there are 206 bones in the human body to smash to bits [img]tongue.gif[/img]


A more technical argument would be the following:

A NWN orc is a humanoud, has 4 hp (1HD), AC 10 and a 1d12 (critical 20-20 (x3)) slashing great axe, with a +2 STR bonus.
A NWN skeleton is undead, has 6 hp (1HD), AC 10 and a 1d8 (critical 20-20 (x3)) slashing battleaxe.

On average, without criticals, their weapons do 8.5 and 4.5 points of damage respectively. For both sides that is enough to slay the other in a single hit.
This would mean that the stronger humanoids have the advantage as they hit more often. Unfortunately for them, the greataxe does slashing damage, meaning that it is at 1/2 strength vs undead (or should be). At an average of 5.25, two hits are required to exceed the 6 skeletal hitpoints.
The attack bonus the orcs get is not nearly enough to double the amounts of hits they get though, and so they are the ones which would be grinded over time.

QED [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[Sythe]

Well wouldn't a smart orc warchief hand his grunts crushing weapons instead of slashing?

[Legolas]

Very likely. But if we include the general who has access to a large amount of blunt weapons, then to be fair we should also include the cunning undead general which may, for example, add a number of fallen orcs to the ranks of the clan or similar, which would tip the balance right back in favour of the skeletons.

[StigTC]

You guys aren't taking fighting skills into account.
An orc army is made up of skilled warriors, while the undead army is anyone who died, skilled or not. And the orc heroes can surely match more than one undead, but the only real undead "hero" is the their leader, who I'd imagine is busy doing a thousand other things (like controlling his minions).

[Legolas]

Actually, I am. I'm making the assumption that the fighting is going on only between 100 skeletons and 100 orcs, using the equipment and fighting skills the standard orcs and skeletons have been assigned in NWN. Also, I was under the impression that skeletons can take action even if their creator is long since gone. I seriously doubt there's an undead general present in every single undead-infested crypt, waiting all eternity for the off-chance that an adventurer might pass by and the skeletons need to be activated and controlled.

[9_1_6]

Although I have no idea who Keith Richards is, I beleive he would win.
Why? Don't ask me why, because I don't know who he is..

But then again, the Orcs are fairly strong fighters and their shamans are good too..

So, a draw between Orcs and Ken Richard.. or whatever his name was...