D&D (2024) Orogs in the 2025 Monster Manual?

TravDoc42

Getting a hang of this! (he/him)
I recall reading that every monster in the 2014 Monster Manual will have a counterpart in the 2025 book, which got me to wondering, what form will orogs take? The 2014 Orog fits the niche of "an orc, but smarter", which I can't imagine will continue with the new books, but how else will they be depicted? What do you all think?
 

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Their original lore seemed to paint them as Orcs of the underdark, the 5e lore keeps part of that by making them hang out the most in caves, and largely devoted to Luthic the Orc Mother Goddess and Deity of Caves.
 



And here I thought orogs were half-orcs-half-ogres. Or, at least, descended from mixed orc/ogre ancestry, if not necessarily half-and-half
Yep on the last bit.

AD&D 2E Monster Manual Volume 1 (1989) and the reprint in 1993, under Orcs:

Elite orcs, or orogs, are a race of great orcs, possibly mixed with ogre blood.

Intelligence was "High" (10-12) versus the typical Orc of 8-9, and they tended bigger, stronger and better armed. They are not to be confused with "half-ogres" (human + ogre) or "ogrillon" (orc + ogre). The "ogrillion" is definitely ogre-blood whereas the Orog is a maybe.

Of course, the monster manual designers would have fallen short of their "create a monster" quota if they simply went with "some orcs have more hit points and better gear than other orcs."
 
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Yep on the last bit.

AD&D 2E Monster Manual Volume 1 (1989) and the reprint in 1993, under Orcs:

Elite orcs, or orogs, are a race of great orcs, possibly mixed with ogre blood.

Intelligence was "High" (10-12) versus the typical Orc of 8-9, and they tended bigger, stronger and better armed. They are not to be confused with "half-ogres" (human + ogre) or "ogrillon" (orc + ogre). The "ogrillion" is definitely ogre-blood whereas the Orog is a maybe.

Of course, the monster manual designers would have fallen short of their "create a monster" quota if they simply went with "some orcs have more hit points and better gear than other ogres."
This may have been true in 2e canon, but the 5e canon makes no mention of it. (Unlike ogrillons, which are still described as half-ogres in 5e.)
 

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