I've been asked why Jake isn't green. Jake isn't green because not all orcs are green contrary to some people's current views on orcs.
Jake was originally created for an AD&D game around 1990, and from the AD&D 1st edition Monster Manual it describes half-orcs as:
"Orcs appear particularly disgusting because their coloration - brown or brownish green with a bluish sheen - highlights their pinkish snouts and ears. Their bristly hair is dark brown or black."Further it states that 10% of all half-orcs will resemble their non-orc half well enough to pass as a member of the other race. (It lists half-orc/half-human, half-orc/half-hobgoblin, and half-orc/half-goblin as some of the possibilities.) It seems reasonable to presume that in order to pass as human, a half-orc that favored the human side could not be green. For the character, I elected that his skin be a brownish-tan.
Yes, it's true that games like Warhammer and Warcraft have all orcs, goblins, trolls, etc... as green, but in defense of non-green coloration, the modern orc interpretation mostly originates from Tolkien's conceptualization of orcs in his series Lord of the Rings. Tolkienish orcs are not described as green.
"Although Orcs varied from tribe to tribe, they tended to be short, squat, and bow-legged, with long arms, dark faces, squinty eyes, and long fangs."
It describes the Uruk-Hai (sometimes called Great Orcs) as:
"...almost as tall as Men, had straight, strong legs, and did not weaken in sunlight. Uruks were black and slanty-eyed."
