<Sorry, orcs are not a political and/or racial statement. They are just orcs. - Prespos, 2020>
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

FREQUENCY: Common

1. ORC (Average orc)
NO. APPEARING: 30-300 <(ogrillons: II)>
ARMOR CLASS: 6 <1 off?> <check the other humanoids/demi-humans>
MOVE: 9"
HIT DICE: 1
% IN LAIR: 35% (80 Orcs: forest, TPL24:4th, REF3.34)
TREASURE TYPE: Individuals L; C, O, Q (x 10), S in lair
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 ~ 19
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-6 or by weapon
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
STRENGTH: 10
INTELLIGENCE: Average (low)
WISDOM: <(3-12+2-8)/2>
ALIGNMENT: Lawful evil <(bully, cruel)>
SIZE: M (6'+ tall)
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: I | 10 + 1
DEITY: Gruumsh

SAVES: 14.15.16.17.17

2. ORC (Guard or Subchief)

ARMOR CLASS: 6
HIT DICE: 11 hp <(2 HD)>
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 ~ 16
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-7 or by weapon
INTELLIGENCE: Average
SIZE: M
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: I | 20 + 2

SAVES: 14.15.16.17.17

3. ORC (Bodyguard or Chief)
ARMOR CLASS: 4
HIT DICE: 13-16 hp <(2 HD, or 3 HD if 16 HP)>
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 ~ 16
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-8 or by weapon
INTELLIGENCE: High-average
SIZE: M
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: I | 20 + 2

SAVES, 2 HD: 14.15.16.17.17
SAVES, 3 HD: 13.14.15.16.16

4. ORC (Tribal Spell Caster)

Tribal Spell Casters : Shamen (C5 maximum) OR witch doctors (C5 / MU4 maximum). Not recommended for random encounters.

Orc tribes are fiercely competitive, and when they meet it is 75% likely that
they will fight each other unless a strong leader (such as a wizard, evil
<high> priest, evil lord) with sufficient force behind him is on hand to control the
orcs. Being bullies, the stronger will always intimidate && dominate the
weaker. (If goblins are near, for example, and the orcs are strong enough,
they will happily bully them.)

Orcs dwell in places where sunlight is dim or
non-existent, for they hate the light.
In full daylight they must deduct 1 from their dice rolls to hit opponents, but they see well even in total darkness (infravision).

Known orc tribes include the following: Vile Rune, Bloody Head, Death
Moon, Broken Bone, Evil Eye, Leprous Hand, Rotting Eye, Dripping Blade. If
orcs from one of those tribes are encountered in an AREA, it is likely that all
other orcs nearby will also be from this tribe.

For every 30 orcs encountered there will be a leader and 3 assistants.
These orcs will have 8 HP each (being the biggest/strongest/meanest in their group).
If 150 or more orcs are encountered there will be the following additional figures with the band:
a subchief and 3-18 guards, each having AC 4, 11 HP, and fighting as monsters with 2 HD (doing 2-7 HP damage). <(THACO 16)>

CARAVAN:
If the orcs are not in their lair there is a 20% chance they will be escorting a train of 1-6 carts and 10-60 slave bearers <(slaves)> bringing supplies and loot to their chief or to a stronger orc tribe.
The carts will hold goods worth from 10 to 1,000 gp, and each slave will bear goods worth from 5 to 30 gp.
If such a train is indicated,
    double the number of leaders and assistants,
    add 10 normal orcs for each cart in the train,
    and a subchief with 5-30 guards will always be in charge.

The weaponry of orcs is shown typically below:
 

5%	sword & flail	01-05
10%	sword & spear	06-15
10%	axe & spear	16-25
10%	axe & pole arm	26-35
10%	axe & crossbow	36-45
10%	axe & bow	46-55
5%	sword & battleaxe  (E)	56-60
10%	spear	61-70
10%	axe (C)	71-80
20%	polearm	81-00

<footmans flail, horseman's flail>
<50% handaxe, 50% battleaxe>
<70% of swords are longswords (1-8), 20% are broadswords (2-8), 5% are short (small) swords (1-6), 4% are bastard swords (2-8), 1% are two-handed swords (1-10)>
<25% of broadswords are falchions>

<100 orcs>
<leader w/ sword & flail><assistant w/ sword & spear><assistant w/ sword & spear><assistant w/ axe & spear>
<leader w/ axe & spear><assistant w/ axe & pole arm><assistant w/ axe & pole arm><assistant w/ axe & crossbow>
<leader w/ axe & crossbow><assistant w/ axe & bow><assistant w/ axe & bow><assistant w/ sword & battleax>
[use this pattern again at 180 orcs, and again at 270 : sword & battleax could be moved to the 3rd leader]

Ral Partha

Leaders and above will always have two weapons.
If a subchief is with a group the tribal standard will be present 40% of the time.
The standard is always present when the tribal chief is.
The standard will cause all orcs within 6" to fight more fiercely (+ 1 on hit dice and <+05% on> morale check dice).

Orcs are cruel and hate living things in general, <apply Antipathy modifier to TALK attempts>
but they particularly hate elves and will always attack them in preference to other creatures.
They take slaves for work, food, and entertainment (torture, etc.) but not elves whom they kill immediately.

Orcs are accomplished tunnelers and miners.
They note new or unusual constructions underground 35% of the time and spot sloping passages 25% of the time.

The majority of orcs speak goblin, hobgoblin, and ogre in addition to the languages of orcs and lawful evil.

Description: 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, sometimes with
tan patches. Even their armor tends to be unattractive -- dirty and often a
bit rusty. Orcs favor unpleasant colors in general. Their garments are in
tribal colors, as are shield devices or trim. Typical colors are blood red, rust
red, mustard yellow, yellow green, moss green, greenish purple, and
blackish brown. They live for 40 years. (images)

LAIR:

Orc lairs are underground 75% of the time, in an above ground village 25% of the time.
There will always be the following additional orcs when the encounter is in the creatures' lair:
a chief and 5-30 bodyguards (AC 4, 13-16 HP, attack as monsters with 3 hit dice and do 2-8 hit points damage),
females equal to 50% of the number of males,
young equal to 100% of the number of males.
If the lair is underground, there is a 50% chance that there will be from 2-5 ogres living with the orcs.
If the lair is above ground it will be a rude village of wooden huts protected by a ditch, rampart, and log palisade.
The village will have from 1-4 watch towers and single gate.
There will be 1 catapult and 1 ballista for each 100 male orcs (round to the nearest hundred).
<>

<note: orcs are not green!>

Question: A couple of friends and I are planning on taking
over our DM’s island. So far our plan is working. Unfortunately,
we have encountered some problems. What we want to know
is how to spawn orcs? We need an army at the moment.

Answer: Orcs are mammals and therefore do not spawn.
You will have to find some other way to raise your army.

FREQUENCY: Common

FREQUENCY: Common ([Dungeon Level I])

FREQUENCY: Common ([Cold Wilderness Mountains], [Cold Wilderness Hills], [Cold Wilderness Forest], [Cold Wilderness Swamp]) <(not found on Krynn)>
FREQUENCY: Rare ([Cold Wilderness Plains], [Cold Wilderness Desert])

FREQUENCY: Common ([Temperate Wilderness Mountains], [Temperate Wilderness Hills], [Temperate Wilderness Forest], [Temperate Wilderness Swamp])
FREQUENCY: Rare ([Temperate Wilderness Plains], [Temperate Wilderness Desert])

FREQUENCY: Common ([Tropical Wilderness Mountains], [Tropical Wilderness Forest], [Tropical Wilderness Swamp], [Tropical Wilderness Plains])
FREQUENCY: Rare ([Tropical Wilderness Desert])

Half-Orcs: As orcs will breed with anything, there are any number of
unsavory mongrels with orcish blood, particularly orc-goblins, orc-
hobgoblins, <orc-ogres (ogrillons)>, and orc-humans. Orcs cannot cross-breed with elves. Half-orcs
tend to favor the orcish strain heavily, so such sorts are basically orcs
although they can sometimes (10%) pass themselves off as true creatures
of their other stock (goblins, hobgoblins, humans, etc.).

My vision of orc ears is a somewhat lop-eared look as was the case in the LotR films. - Gary

As for the ears of an orc, i envisiage them as being rather loped, but that's another DM call.
they might be large, rounded, and look like a chimp's to some GMs :lol:

Cheers,
Gary

by Otherworld Minis

If these orcs are all from the same tribe, it would be the Dripping Blade ...

<Dilemma: Dragon #129 suggests the existence of 1st level orcs, not 1 HD orcs?>

<Dilemma: White Dwarf suggests that orcs should have 2 to 5 HD!>

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

1. Sword && Flail	2. Sword && Spear	3. Axe && Spear	4. Axe && Pole Arm	5. Axe && Crossbow
6. Axe && Bow	7. Sword && Battleaxe	8. Spear	9. Axe	10. Pole Arm

9. Army Roster Sheet: Axe

PLAYER NAME:
ARMY:
BRIGADE:

UNIT NAME: Sword & light crossbow
UNIT TYPE:
AC:
#FIG:
UNIT COMMANDER/DEPUTY:
HD/fig:
RATIO:
LEVEL/RACE/CLASS:
MV:
SIZE:
MR%:
PPD:
P/P:
RSW:
BW:
SP
AR:
    AR Modifiers:
ML:
    ML Modifiers:
DL:
    Wpn/Dmg:
SPECIAL ABILITIES AND LIMITATIONS:

Quote:
Originally posted by Clangador

I always thought that idea came for the black speech of the orcs in Middle Earth.

Noppers. That's merely justification for a separate orcish language.
Gary

Quote:
Originally Posted by ScottGLXIX
Gary, I have a question about orc tribes in your campaign. Were the orcs encountered in the Greyhawk dungeon supposed to be part of one or more of the orc tribes listed in the original MM? As the published version of the Greyhawk setting was detailed the Vile Rune and Death Moon tribes were placed in the Bone March, and the Rotting Eye tribe was set in the Yatils, but I've always wondered about the orcs in and around the Greyhawk dungeons.
Scott

They orcs in the dungeon were of two separate tribes, but I have forgotten the names I gave them.
As near as I can recollect, one was the Grinning Skull and the other was the Bloody Axe.
they were all cut down or made into vassals by Robilar and Terik, with a good deal of assistance from Tenser.

Cheers,
Gary

Quote:
Originally Posted by dcas
Yes. "Orc" sounds much more serious than "goblin," don't you think? He even created a phony etymology for "orc." 

Absolutely!
The dictionary has an orc defined as a kind of ogre, and ogre is a seriously menacing word.
In all events, gamers have taken to "orc" like ducks to water <EEK!>

Cheers,
Gary

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gray Mouser
Gary,

Speaking of hobbits, hobgoblins, etc.
I was wondering how Orcs made it into the D&D family of games (and every other fantasy RPG I can think of off hand).
After all, the Tolkien estate didn't want you to use the term "hobbit" (although JRRT used "halfling" as well, although to a lesser extent).
Any idea why "orc" made the cut but "hobbit" did not?

Gray Mouser

Heh, Gray Mouser

That's an easy one.
Saul Zaents division of Elan Merchandising, representing the Tokien Estate, didn't want TSR to use dwarf, elf, goblin, orc, troll, or wraith, etc.
besides objecting to our use of balrog, ent, and hobbit.
Because all the rest were in the dictionary (orc as "an ogre"), and the D&D depiction of those creatures was not the same as JRRT's they were happy to settle for TSR dropping balrog, ent, and hobbit.

FWIW, balrog was the only name of the whole bunch unique to Tolkien; "ent" is an old Anglo-Saxon word meaning "giant."
JRRT's depiction of them as tree-like was very unique and most compelling IMO.

Cheers,
Gary

Quote:
Originally Posted by John Drake
Interesting, I wondered about that too. A related question: is that how you personally imagined orcs etc, to look like or did you have a completely different conception of how such creatures were to look? Myself, I guess being influenced by LOTR the book saw them appearing very much as they did in the film. Thanks Gary!

Actually I envisioned the D&D game orcs ase porcine in appearancem but not actually pig faced--more like largfe, upturned noses and small tushes jutting from their mouths, heavy bodies and small, pig-live eyes. Hobgoblins I saw as apish in visage and build.

Cheers,
Gary
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesM
Gary,

Two somewhat related questions, if I may:

1. Early portrayals of orcs in AD&D gave them decidedly porcine physical attributes. Was this done intentionally or was it simply the whim of the illustrators?

2. In Greyhawk, you often used alternate names for the various humanoid races, such as Euroz for orcs and Jebli for goblins. What was the origin of this practice? I always liked it and felt it contributed just enough flavor to the setting without becoming obsessive, so I'd be curious as to your rationale for having introduced these terms.

Thanks.
 

Heh...

I mentioned "pig-like faces" to Dave Sutherland, and he took me far too literally as far as I was concerned.

I created the names you mention for humanoids so as to make those of the Oerth setting more distinct and unique to the world.
less folklorish if you will.

Cheers,
Gary