In Peter Jackson's Fellowship of the Ring, there's this:
"I once knew all the spells of men and elf and orc"
-Gandalf, at the Doors of Durin
I have no idea how true to Tolkien this is, but I think it's cool for two reasons:
1. Gandalf used to know more spells than he does now.
2. Men, Elves and Orcs are the major spell casting races.
For the first item, it makes me think a low level Magic-User might not be some rookie schmuck, but a grizzled old wizard, maybe mostly out of his gourd. As this PC gains in level, he's not just learning new magics, he's remembering, regaining former glory. This is also reminiscent of Merlin aging backwards.
As for Orc wizards and witches, that sounds great to me too.
Here is a first Level Orc Spell:
Mind Wolf
The orc mage raises their hand and brings their thumb together with the rest of their fingers like they are closing the mouth of a puppet. (orc spells are quick, sometimes quick and dirty, sometimes quick because they have been refined, whittled down to their essence)
A spectral wolf head forms in front of the Caster's hand and lunges at an opponent. This is essentially a short range magic missle. The caster rolls damage (D6+Level). If a 1 is rolled the spell fizzles into nothing, no damage is inflicted but if a 6 is rolled the caster also rolls another D6 damage on the following round as the Mind Wolf stalks its prey before finally returning to its spectral home.
