Slightly bigger than you or I, and definitely nastier, the orc is a common fantasy foe. Able to organize and plot they run amok menacing the good people of narrative worlds. Let’s kill some orcs!
Orcs are a staple of fantasy because they are just nasty evilness, big enough to be scary but not so big that a determined adventurer can’t take a bunch of them down in a fight. They are as varied as the human species in their demeanor and physicality, with the one common trait being their penchant for destruction and hate. They are more formidable for the fact that they have the intelligence to organize in a hierarchical, military manner and can strategize and follow orders. Because of this, they often serve as minions for other, more powerful creatures. Populate your world with them and when in doubt… just throw a couple orc scouts at your characters!
Note: The varied spelling of orc and ork throughout this article is on purpose. This is a fictional creature so you can spell it however you like, Tolkien purist arguments aside: ork, orc, oruk, oerk, orch, yrch, or jourk. Have fun with names!
Descriptions for Orcs
- in bands, tribes, family groups, clans, squads, or “lone wolf”,
- largish, 5-7 feet tall, big, 200+ pounds, hulking, solid, thick, broad,
- bipedal, hunched, lumbering, loping, marching, thundering,
- muscular fighting machines, virile raping and pillaging beasts, bloodthirsty, berserking, battlelustful, gritty, determined, tenacious, unmerciful, nasty, evil, malevolent, carnivorous and not above scavenging carrion
- varied visage, snouts, beaks, pointed faces, large rounded faces, square jaws, heavy jawed, wide nose, pointed nose, deep dark eyes, snarling, frowning, furrowing,
- claws, long fingers, sharp nails,
- teeth like canine, feline, or boar, in bad shape (no notion of dental hygiene), cracked, split, manually sharpened,
- dirty, unkempt, filthy, fetid, stinky, smelly,
- hides may be skin, hairy, furry, matted, shaved,
- may be bearded, heavily eyebrowed, coarse haired,
- many piercings, body paintings (like henna but not pretty), tattoos, scarring, self-branding and self-cutting from ritual or through tests of toughness and pain tolerance,
- sometimes fight with erections to scare the enemy
- ornery, surly, impulsive, violent, aggressive, rude, obstinate, cantankerous, malevolent, mean, evil, nasty, bold, fearsome,
Stuff for Orcs
- piecemeal armour: plates, chain, banded, scale, metal mostly with a little padding or leather (leather may be redundant due to thick hides)
- weapons: clubs, axes, falchions (heavy, cleaving, hacking swords), spears, polearms, scimitars,
- bits of metal, wire, poles, bolts, nails, pipes,
- dead animal parts (voracious carnivores), piles of junky “treasure”, hoard of gold, oddball collections
- garbage, detritus, muck, goop, slime, sludge,
- rotted fabric, hides, wood, bark,
- rocks, stones, concrete,
- traps
- spikes, spears, iron bars, gates, portcullis, wrought fence,
- skulls, bones, carved bone,
- glass, beads, anything shiny, coins, gems,
- will do almost anything to get hands on advanced weapon technology (based on your narrative world this could be better metals, gunpowders, firearms, vehicles, nuclear weaponry, starships, etc.)
- tend to disdain most magic, especially anything “cute” or “kind”, but will embrace deadly magic
Orc Environments
Orks are opportunistic and will occupy any place where they can squat, taking over abandoned ruins and lairs of other species. Wherever they are, they are sure to improve their living area by making it a disgusting mess. Scouting, ambush, and raiding parties can be found (or they’ll find you), within 100 miles of an orc hideout; think of them as coyotes, but bigger and meaner.
- hills, ravines, low mountains, crevasse, rift, gully, defile, woods,
- bluffs, cliffs,
- mountain passes, wooded trails, roads through hills, any good ambush site, branches off of main roads, crossroads, bridges, choke points,
- keeps, manors, towers, forts, walls, fortifications, earthworks,
- dungeons, castles (often in league with more powerful evil overlords)
- small villages, hamlets, towns, city outskirts,
- evil castles, realms, kingdoms, empires, and within the ranks of the armies of evil,
- sewers, tunnels,
- caves, caverns, hideouts, abandoned lairs or dens, holes, and throughout the underground world,
Actions
- fight, tussle, rumble, skirmish, melee,
- ambush, sneak, trick, trap, backstab
- steal, thieve, take, abscond,
- in combat (see Attacks for more fun ideas):
- hack, slash, chop, cut, sever, cleave, club, bonk, hit,
- throw, heave, push, pummel, grapple, crush,
- stomp, kick, boot, punch, elbow, headbutt, choke, pull hair, (generally dirty fighters)
- shoot (bow or crossbow), sling (rocks), chuck (spears, javelins)
- threaten, intimidate, harass, hassle, pester, bother,
Orc Story Developments
- An ork with a conscience attempts to break free from the aggressive and violent society into which they were born.
- Characters are abducted by a band of orks and will be eaten as a prize at a great ork tournament.
- Having depleted the forest of all large game, a band of orcs has begun taking children, the elderly, and the weak from nearby farms and villages. It’s time for the characters to drive them out or otherwise eliminate this evil threat.
- A case of rabies is running through an orc population near a major urban center causing deep concern as the deranged creatures lust after flesh.
- A tenuous truce with an orc band had made a road through the foothills passable once again, though recent in-fighting amongst the orcs has renewed the call for escorts through dangerous territory.
Notes (some ideas for your narrative consideration)
- Ork communities may follow a hierarchy of strength, where the toughest victors rise to the top. Almost all questions come down to answers through combat. Any meetings held to make decisions may include several deaths as issues are “discussed.”
- Orks often will serve other more powerful species, bowing to strength and evil that exceeds their own.
- Orks love to set up ambushes so spring an “Orkbush” (ork ambush) on your characters along a country road.