In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, orcs are a primitive race of savage, bestial, barbaric humanoid.
Publication history The orc was one of the earliest creatures introduced in the D&D game. The D&D orc is largely based upon the orcs appearing in the works of J. R. R. Tolkien."'Orc' (from Orcus) is another term for an ogre or ogre-like creature. Being useful fodder for the ranks of bad guys, monsters similar to Tolkien's orcs are also in both games."
Dungeons & Dragons (1974–1976) The orc was one of the first monsters introduced in the earliest edition of the game, in the Dungeons & Dragons "white box" set (1974), where they were described as tribal creatures that live in caves or villages.Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson. Dungeons & Dragons (3-Volume Set) (TSR, 1974)
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977–1988) The orc appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977), where it is described as a fiercely competitive bully, a tribal creature often living underground.Gygax, Gary. Monster Manual (TSR, 1977)
The mythology and attitudes of the orcs are described in detail in Dragon #62 (June 1982), in Roger E. Moore's article, "The Half-Orc Point of View".Moore, Roger E. "The Half-Orc Point of View." Dragon #62 (TSR, June 1982)
In the article "Hey, Wanna Be a Kobold?" by Joseph Clay in Dragon #141 (January 1989), kobolds, xvarts, goblins, and orcs were presented as player character races along with two new character classes, the "Shaman" and the "Witch Doctor".
Dungeons & Dragons (1977–1999) This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the orc, in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1977, 1981, 1983).Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson , edited by J. Eric Holmes. Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (TSR, 1977)Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson , edited by Tom Moldvay. Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (TSR, 1981)Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson , edited by Frank Mentzer. Dungeons & Dragons Set 1: Basic Rules (TSR, 1983) The orc was featured as a player character race in The Orcs of Thar (1989). Orcs were also later featured in the Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1991), the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991),Allston, Aaron, Steven E. Schend, Jon Pickens, and Dori Watry. Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (TSR, 1991) the Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1994), and the Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game set (1999).Slavicsek, Bill. Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game (TSR, 1999)
The Krugel orcs are presented as a player character race for the Hollow World campaign setting in the Hollow World Boxed Set, in the "Player's Guide" (1990).Allston, Aaron. Hollow World Campaign Set (TSR, 1990)
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989–1999) The orc appears first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989), which also features the orog, a relative of the orc. The orc and orog are reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).
The orc is first detailed as a playable character race in The Complete Book of Humanoids (1993).Slavicsek, Bill. The Complete Book of Humanoids (TSR, 1993) The orc is later presented as a playable character race again in Player's Option: Skills & Powers (1995).Niles, Douglas and Dale Donovan. Player's Option: Skills & Powers (TSR, 1995)
The scro, a space-faring relative of the orc for the Spelljammer campaign setting first appears in Monstrous Compendium Spelljammer Appendix II (1991),Varney, Allen, ed. Monstrous Compendium Spelljammer Appendix II] (TSR, 1991) and then in the modules Goblin's Return (1991) and Heart of the Enemy (1992). The scro is then presented as a player character race for the setting in The Complete Spacefarer's Handbook (1992)Scott, Curtis M. The Complete Spacefarer's Handbook (TSR, 1992) and is expanded on a few years later in the first Dragon Annual (1996) in the "Campaign Classics" feature.Moore, Roger E. "Campaign Classics: The Scro." Dragon Annual #1 (TSR, 1996)
The ondonti, a version of orcs bred by the goddess Eldath in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, first appear in the Ruins of Zhentil Keep boxed set (in the Monstrous Compendium booklet) in 1995. The black and red neo-orog appear in the Realms' Spellbound boxed set (1995). These orc variants all then appear in the Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Three (1996).Pickens, Jon, ed. Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Three (TSR, 1996)
The Orog for the Birthright campaign setting appeared in the Birthright Campaign Setting set (1995).
Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000–2002) The orc appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000).Cook, Monte, Jonathan Tweet, and Skip Williams. Monster Manual (Wizards of the Coast, 2000)
The gray orc is presented as a player character race for the Forgotten Realms setting in both Races of Faerûn (2003),Reynolds, Sean K., Forbeck, Matt, Jacobs, James, Boyd, Eric L. Races of Faerûn (Wizards of the Coast, 2003) and Unapproachable East (2003). The mountain orc and orog (deep orc) also presented as player character races in Races of Faerûn.
Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003–2007) The orc appears in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003).
The aquatic orc, the arctic orc, the desert orc, the jungle orc, the orc paragon, and the water orc were all introduced in Unearthed Arcana (2004).Collins, Andy, Jesse Decker, David Noonan, and Rich Redman. Unearthed Arcana (Wizards of the Coast, 2004) The orc snow shaman appeared in Frostburn: Mastering the Perils of Ice and Snow (2004).Baur, Wolfgang, James Jacobs, and George Strayton. Frostburn (Wizards of the Coast, 2004) The orc battle priest, the orc berserker, and the war howler orc are introduced in the Monster Manual IV (2006).Kestrel, Gwendolyn F.M. Monster Manual IV (Wizards of the Coast, 2006) The frostblood orcs appear in Dragon Magic (2006).
The sharakim are a race of orcs that were transformed from humans, and appeared as a player character race in Races of Destiny (2004).
The scro of the Spelljammer setting return in Dragon #339 (January 2006).Cole, Joshua. "Races of Spelljammer." Dragon #339 (Paizo Publishing, 2006)
Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008–2014) The orc appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008), and is also presented as an optional player character race.Mearls, Mike, Stephen Schubert, and James Wyatt. Monster Manual (Wizards of the Coast, 2008)
Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition (2014–) The orc appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2014).Wizards PRG Team, Monster Manual (Wizards of the Coast, 2014) Orcs are given further detail and are available as a Player Character race in the supplement Volo's Guide to Monsters.
2024 revision In the 2024 revision of the 5th edition rules, orcs are available in the Player's Handbook as a playable race, replacing the half-orc available in previous editions. This edition also replaces references to race with the word "species".
Description Orcs are carnivorous humanoids, standing approximately 5'11" to 6'2", weighing from 180 to 280 lbs. They are easily noticeable due to their green to gray skin, lupine ears, lower canines resembling boar tusks, and their muscular builds. Orcs stand in a bent over shape making them appear as ape-like humans.
Bestial and savage, orcs band together as trıbes, living on hunting and raiding. Believing that the only way to survive is by expanding their territories, they have developed enmities wıth many other races, although mainly elves and dwarves, as well as humans, gnomes, halflings, goblins, hobgoblins, and even other orc tribes. Even though they have good relationships with other evil humanoids in times of peace, their chaotic nature stops them from cooperating unless forced to do so by a powerful leader. Orcs live in a patriarchal society, taking pride on how many females and male children they have. Orcs like scars and take pride in exposing them, whether they are of a victory or loss. Their chief deity Gruumsh claims that the orc is the top of the food chain, and that all riches are the property of orcs stolen by others.
Aside from Gruumsh, the other orc deities include Bahgtru (deity of Strength and Combat), Ilneval (deity of Warfare and Leadership), Luthic (goddess of Fertility, Medicine, Females, and Servitude), Shargaas (deity of darkness, night, stealth, thieves, and the undead), and Yurtrus (deity of death and disease).
Subtype In earlier editions of Dungeons & Dragons, the orc was a subtype of goblinoid. In the third version, the orc was promoted to its own subtype.
In earlier editions Orcs vary widely in appearance as a result of frequent crossbreeding with other species. In general, they resemble primitive humans with grey-green skin covered with coarse hair. Orcs have a slightly stooped posture, a low jutting forehead, and a snout instead of a nose. Orcs have well-developed canine teeth for eating meat and short pointed ears that resemble those of a wolf. Orcish snouts and ears have a slightly pink tinge. Their eyes are human, with a reddish tint that sometimes makes them appear to glow red when they reflect dim light sources in near darkness. This is actually part of their optical system, a pigment which gives them infravision. Male orcs are about 5½ to 6 feet tall. Females average 6 inches shorter than males. Orcs prefer to wear colors that most humans think unpleasant: blood red, rust red, mustard yellow, yellow green, moss green, greenish purple, and blackish brown. Their armor is unattractive besides—dirty and often a bit rusty. Orcs speak Orcish, a language derived from older human and elvish languages. There is no common standard of Orcish, so the language has many dialects which vary from tribe to tribe. Orcs have also learned to speak local common tongues, but are not comfortable with them. Some orcs have a limited vocabulary in goblin, hobgoblin, and ogre dialects.
Earlier versions of Dungeons & Dragons depicted orcs slightly differently. They were Lawful Evil and had fully porcine snouts. An illustration by David C. Sutherland III in the 1977 Monster Manual clearly showed them with pig-like faces, a depiction which persisted for several years. For example, illustrations accompanying the Dungeons & Dragons tournament adventure Round the Bend, published in issue #15 of Imagine magazine (June 1984), also portrayed them as pig-men.
An insightful passage from the Monstrous Manual reads, "Orcs have a reputation for cruelty that is deserved, but humans are just as capable of evil as orcs".
The half-orc in the original AD&D game was a standard player character race, typically assuming the assassin class. Half-orcs were removed in the second edition of the game but were revived, albeit altered, in one of the 1995 revision books—Player's Option: Skills & Powers—to the second edition rules. Half-orcs also appear as a core playable race in D&D 3rd edition.
Orc crossbreeds A fecund race, orcs often breed with other humanoid creatures. Known crossbreeds include:
Half-orcs: These orc-human crossbreeds are most often born in as the unfortunate byproduct of raids in border areas between human and orc cultures. Despite rejection from both sides of their heritage, many half-orcs achieve renown. Losels: Losels are orc-baboon crossbreeds bred by Iuz and the Scarlet Brotherhood because they reproduce faster than common orcs. Ogrillions: These creatures are the brutish, armor-skinned offspring of a female orc and a male ogre. Orogs: An orog is the offspring of a male orc and a female ogre. Orogs usually live among orcs; they are stronger, more intelligent, and more disciplined than typical orcs.