D&D 5E What Makes an Orc an Orc?

[Crimson Longinus]

How much of the difference is cultural and how much is biological? How do you tell? How would you enforce roleplaying a race “correctly”?

Why do fantasy races need to be more different than human races? The overwhelming majority of authors can’t pull off genuinely alien psychology, and most players won’t care to roleplay it anyway.

It’s impossible to write a fantasy race that isn’t just a funny looking human culture, except with a species-wide monolithic culture.

Then why have these races? Why not just have humans if it is literally the same?

 

[Remathilis]

I honestly do not know.

A few months ago, I'd have said: "Orcs are primitive, savage, violent raiders who take what they want by force and destroy what they can't have." But none of those tropes are going to survive 2020. The question becomes "what replaces them" and to that I don't have a satisfactory answer. I guess they can be made into Klingons; a warrior race about battle and honor and weaponry, but it already feels like that is the shtick of the dwarves. (This literally the tact Elder Scrolls took; orcs are the replacement for traditional dwarves). And I feel the "druidic mystical" orcs of Eberron is too specific to be replicated outside Eberron, no more so that dino-riding halflings or necromancer-elves. So where does that orcs?

WotC is going to have to re-invent the wheel. Multiple times for each humanoid race. I wish them luck.

 

[Remathilis]

Then why have these races? Why not just have humans if it is literally the same?

Alternatively, race is just a "skin" to change the appearance of your PC but doesn't change how you role-play them.

 

[Haldrik]

I have employed different concepts for Orc.

One concept is, Orc are a species of genus Homo, comparable Neanderthal, Denisovan. Likewise, Halfling is comparable Homo floresiensis. In this case, their being nonmagical and naturalistic is important. There are different kinds of Orc, including hunter-gatherer roaming flatlands. The Halfling is mainly a 4e medieval river nomad.

An other concept is, the Orc belong to the creature type Giant, speak Giant, and are one of the many species of Giant. In this case, they are Elemental creatures.

I never employed the old-school piggish Orc. But I am aware of this concept.

I also never employed the Tolkien fallen Elf concept. That would make the Orc fey, which for me, for D&D, feels off.



If I use Orc again, I am interested in diversifying them, so there are different kinds of Orc cultures.

 

[Micah Sweet]

World of Warcraft was released in 2004. There have been orc PCs in D&D at least as far back as the Complete Book of Humanoids in 1993.

EDIT: The Orcs of Thar (1988) has rules for many monstrous humanoids as PCs including orcs. Hey, Wanna Be A Kobold in Dragon #141 (cover date Jan 1989) details orc, goblin, kobold, and xvart PCs in AD&D.

Just thinking of old Dragon magazine articles makes me smile.

 

[Oofta]

World of Warcraft was released in 2004. There have been orc PCs in D&D at least as far back as the Complete Book of Humanoids in 1993.

EDIT: The Orcs of Thar (1988) has rules for many monstrous humanoids as PCs including orcs. Hey, Wanna Be A Kobold in Dragon #141 (cover date Jan 1989) details orc, goblin, kobold, and xvart PCs in AD&D.

Not in mainstream books.

I just see races becoming more and more generic. Whatever turns your crank and all, it won't matter to my campaign.

I just don't see a niche being filled that was not already handled. YMMV.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

To be honest, this is probably the easiest way to handle all races. As shown by the fact that this is how all races are already played.

I mean, not really.

Why do fantasy races need to be more different than human races? The overwhelming majority of authors can’t pull off genuinely alien psychology, and most players won’t care to roleplay it anyway.

A lot of folks have a lot more fun playing elves under the challenge of making them think differently from a human.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I just don't see a niche being filled that was not already handled.

You don't see the difference in niche between "incredibly strong primal people" and their mixed offspring with humans? Really?

 

[Micah Sweet]

It seems the difficulty is how to make something that looks like an orc to your core audience, without using any languages that might be too offensive (I submit that some offense is all but inevitable). I agree that concepts like the Eberron orc, while interesting and useful on their own, probably can't stand in for "the orc" in the PH, or probably the MM for that matter.

 

[Micah Sweet]

You don't see the difference in niche between "incredibly strong primal people" and their mixed offspring with humans? Really?

How are orcs "incredibly strong" without getting a bonus to Strength? Powerful Build always seemed like a sop to avoid making creatures large to me.