Orc

Volo's Guide to Monsters

Savage and fearless, orc tribes are ever in search of elves, dwarves, and humans to destroy. Motivated by their hatred of the civilized races of the world and their need to satisfy the demands of their deities, the orcs know that if they fight well and bring glory to their tribe, Gruumsh will call them home.

  • Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2 and your Constitution score increases by 1.
  • Age. Orcs reach adulthood at age 12 and live up to 50 years.
  • Alignment. Orcs are vicious raiders, who believe that the world should be theirs. They also respect strength above all else and believe the strong must bully the weak to ensure that weakness does not spread like a disease. They are usually chaotic evil.
  • Size. Orcs are usually over 6 feet tall and weigh between 230 and 280 pounds. Your size is Medium.
  • Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
  • Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
  • Aggressive. As a bonus action, you can move up to your speed toward an enemy of your choice that you can see or hear. You must end this move closer to the enemy than you started.
  • Primal Intuition. You have proficiency in two of the following skills of your choice: Animal Handling, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Nature, Perception, and Survival.
  • Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
  • Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Orc.

Mordenkainen's Monsters of the Multiverse

Orcs trace their creation to the one-eyed god Gruumsh, an unstoppable warrior and powerful leader. The divine qualities of Gruumsh resonate within orcs, granting them a reflection of his toughness and tenacity that can’t be matched, and the god equipped his children to be able to live above or below ground.

On some worlds, such as Eberron, orcs were among the first defenders of the natural order from the encroachments of Fiends and other extraplanar threats. Gruumsh’s blessings have made orcs tireless guardians and mighty allies wherever they are found, even when they turn their devotion to other gods.

  • Ability Score Increase. When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. You can't raise any of your scores above 20.
  • Creature Type. You are a Humanoid.
  • Size. You are Medium.
  • Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet.
  • Adrenaline Rush. You can take the Dash action as a bonus action. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
    • Whenever you use this trait, you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your proficiency bonus.
  • Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You discern colors in that darkness only as shades of gray.
  • Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
  • Relentless Endurance. When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. Once you use this trait, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.
  • Languages. Your character can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character. The Player’s Handbook offers a list of languages to choose from. The DM is free to modify that list for a campaign.

Eberron - Rising from the Last War

  • Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.
  • Age. Orcs reach adulthood at age 12 and live up to 50 years.
  • Alignment. The orcs of Eberron are a passionate people, given to powerful emotion and deep faith. They are generally chaotic, but can be any alignment.
  • Size. Orcs are usually over 6 feet tall and weigh between 230 and 280 pounds. Your size is Medium. To set your height and weight randomly, start with rolling a size modifier.
    • Size modifier = 2d8
    • Height = 5 feet + 4 inches + your size modifier in inches
    • Weight in pounds = 175 + (2d6 x your size modifier)
  • Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
  • Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
  • Aggressive. As a bonus action, you can move up to your speed toward an enemy of your choice that you can see or hear. You must end this move closer to the enemy than you started.
  • Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
  • Primal Intuition. You have proficiency in two of the following skills of your choice: Animal Handling, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Nature, Perception, and Survival.
  • Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Orc.

Explorer's Guide to Wildemount

Orcs are one of Exandria's youngest races, and are said to have been born from elves seared by the blood of Gruumsh, the Ruiner, when Corellon pierced the orc god's eye on the field of battle. For long years, orcs were feared as mindless abominations, drawn to slaughter like moths to flame.

Stories tell of how the blood of the Ruiner flows in the veins of all orcs, driving them to commit acts of terrible violence and anger. Orcs call this fury hgar'Gruum, or the curse of ruin, and use it to refer to everything from battle rage to a bad temper. Half-orcs are said to have inherited the blood of the Ruiner, and to carry the same bloodlust and fury that orcs do.

Orcs and half-orcs do feel a certain pull toward violence and anger. But the simple truth is that there is no curse of ruin. No supernatural power drives orcs to kill. Rather, they are simply victims of the same selfish, violent impulses that corrupt all mortal beings.

  • Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2 and your Constitution score increases by 1.
  • Age. Orcs reach adulthood at age 16 and live up to 80 years.
  • Alignment. Orcs fear the curse of ruin that is said to plague their race, and tend strongly toward either chaos (accepting their fate), or toward law (rejecting it).
  • Size. Orcs stand easily 8 feet tall and corded with powerful muscles, weighing up to 280 pounds. Your size is Medium.
  • Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
  • Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
  • Aggressive. As a bonus action, you can move up to your speed toward an enemy of your choice that you can see or hear. You must end this move closer to the enemy than you started.
  • Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
  • Primal Intuition. You have proficiency in two of the following skills of your choice: Animal Handling, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Nature, Perception, and Survival.
  • Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Orc.

Plane Shift - Ixalan

Orcs originally came from the same mountainous region where the kingdom of Torrezon was born, and they have been enemies of the Legion of Dusk since it was originally formed. The entire race has been declared anathema by the Church of Torrezon, and after centuries of fighting the Legion, the orcs have dwindled to only a few hundred in number. Some still live on remote islands near Torrezon, but many have joined the Brazen Coalition to serve on pirate ships — taking on any role that calls for an abundance of sheer muscle.

Orcs are tall, standing head and shoulders above most humans, and are generally twice as broad. They often accentuate their bulging muscles by wearing tight-fitting bands and accessories around the thickest parts of their arms and necks. Their skin color ranges from light brown through gray to almost jet-black.

  • Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2 and your Constitution score increases by 1.
  • Age. Orcs mature a little faster than humans, reaching adulthood around age 14. They age noticeably faster and rarely live longer than 75 years.
  • Alignment. Most orcs lean toward chaotic alignments, and many serve on pirate ships that encourage an inclination toward evil.
  • Size. Orcs average over 6 feet in height, and they have strong, stocky builds. Your size is Medium.
  • Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
  • Darkvision. You have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
  • Menacing. You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill.
  • Relentless Endurance. When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
  • Savage Attacks. When you score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, you can roll one of the weapon’s damage dice one additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.
  • Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common (if it exists in your campaign) and Orc.