How to be a Great Game Master hey I just joined the discord, my Orcs were a prosperous city state with a Monarchy, until a volcanic eruption rendered their homeland uninhabitable. They invaded the capital of the bordering human nation and have been at war with this nation for 100 years now. My Orcs have ended up adopting a more tribal attitude since they’re unable to settle peacefully as of yet. They are as intelligent as standard humans or elves, but have increased physical prowess, many of them are travelers, adventurers, and bounty hunters that left the war to travel to other parts of the world independently. They want peace but also need to survive.
Orcs in my setting are split into two types: Northern and Southern. The Northern orcs are ex-humans cursed by Gruumsh to be as ugly as him, with their minds dulled and tempers flared. They have made a fourth of the northern continent uninhabitable by most races except a race of insect folk called the Shonah-Te that are the result of the evil in the original One god after he split into the current pantheon, though the two avoid each other. The Southern orcs have regained some degree of humanity, because a war between the Driders (cursed humans in my setting rather than dark elves that are mutated and mindless) and another race of Psionically-capable Humanoids called the Pandorians (as in the box) set off essenitally a magical nuke that turned a forest on the southern continent into a blasted-out magical wasteland full of undead and severed the orcs on the Southern Continent's connection to gruumsh as well as the connection the driders had to the goddess of war (in my setting anyway), Lolth, which restored a degree of their humanity as well. The Southern Orcs have small cities and are quite tradition oriented, known for their courage, honor, and strong teas which other races can't really handle well.
@@blackwoodknight4913 - depends on what era of Persia you're talking about. In ancient times, during the height of the Persian Empire, under leaders such as Darius The Great, Persia would have been an extremely civilized nation and very highly advanced. Their engineering and military tactics were the Equal of Rome back then, and one thing Darius was famous for is outlawing slavery in ancient Persia. In later times, after that Persia got broken up by several conquests, starting with the Macedonians under Alexander the Great, and then a series of back and forth wars with the Byzantine Empire (eastern Rome), and finally the Turkish conquest, the Persians were definitely reduced. An Asian culture I'd find particularly suited to Orcs would be the Mongols, when they were tribal and ruled by Khans, even up to their empire under the rule of Ghangis Khan and his heir Kublia Khan. That would create an orcish culture of nomadic and militaristic horsemen, which could be very interesting portrayal of them. I do like applying culture to orcs a ton, as it shows them as being intelligent people with free will, rather then just mindless monsters who only exist to pillage and loot and be the driving force for the adventurers to kill them off. Then later on, devolving into random encounter fodder to pad out a story. IMO if anything is portrayed as having intelligence and reasoning capabilities, they'll also have a degree of free will and that means a different upbringing or certain individuals just choosing not to be like the others will mean the race will branch off into different religions, cultures and behavior patterns, and you'll inevitably arrive at the some will be good, some will be bad, and most will fall somewhere in between.
You should stop talking about rape as an element of TTRPG narrative or character building. It should only be used if it is to show the drama of the victims. It's a way too sensitive issue, with lots of trauma going about and it's rarely tackled in a responsible manner.
I got an idea for something similar for another species: gnolls. IRL female hyenas are bigger than male hyenas, and a male hyenas life is, to put it mildly, shit. Hyenas are born in two, and if there's a second male one of them will almost certainly die from the abuse of the other. If they have a sister then as soon as they reach adulthood that sister will drive them away from the pack, and so the male hyena has to find a new pack. If he's accepted he goes through a brutal hazing routine of starvation and getting beat up. Convert hyena social behavior to D&D and you've got one hell of an experience. I mean tell me this doesn't sound intriguing: A gnoll, skinny, beaten, covered in ticks and flees, walks up to your party. He asks to join you. He's serious. If a douchey PC abuses him he doesn't fight back, especially if said PC is a female. After a battle he does a good job, but you notice he takes less than he deserves if anything at all. If asked why he explains gnoll culture and how he doesn't want to be beaten for stepping out of line alongside starving.
I really like that gnoll npc idea. In one world I designed orcs, ogres, goblins and hobgoblins are the same race/species. They are sexually dimorphic. Goblins are the child form and then females become hobgoblins and males become orcs/ogres. They were a matriarchal society led by a republic and elected based on a battle of wits.
It's worth pointing out, that just about any "reasonably intelligent" monster-species in any compendium or manual for gaming is easily suited to whatever "cultural resource" you presume to "tap" for inspiration. Whether you turn gnolls into a cultural splintering from a hyena documentary turned into a cultural basis... OR you dubiously decide to make the Drow essentially French... The function of 'reskinning' any monstrosity from a fantasy realm into whatever derivative culturally is a simple means to "make them your own" without having to press for ingenious efforts that only manifest on uncommon occasions. Being able to cultivate some weird hybridization from the animal kingdom (say termite colonials or supra-hive-mind) and plop it into the societal engineering of an otherwise diminutive monster (like kobolds) can not only enrich your game as you proceed to serve up the utilitarian "NPC menace"... BUT keep your Players guessing since suddenly, they can no longer default to "that standard monster they saw in the books". Of course, fair warning as usual... Antics are BOUND to ensue when you make the Drow French. ;o)
@@Capt.Thunder I know there are a lot of myths but male hyenas are smaller, weaker and less dominant than female hyenas. Their lives are, as I said, remarkably shit. They are constantly abused from birth, driven off by their own sisters, brutally hazed if they survive and starved until deemed a proper member of the pack.
The two videos are actually very different. Colville's was more about the benefits that having a random bunch of Orcs attack your PCs can bring to your game. This one is much more focused upon how to make Orcs a believable part of your campaign. Which of course is exactly how they _would_ do it if they _were_ in cahoots!
In a setting I've worked on for a bit, I've effectively grouped Orcs together with Goblinoids and the both of them with Fey creatures. Basically, the fey in general are effectively living expressions of one of the god's emotions and understanding of concepts, the feywild itself being a contortion of reality as seen through the eyes of this god. So while elves, drow, pixies. satyr are all living expressions of intelligence, beauty, curiosity and gayety respectively, orcs and the goblinoids are among expressions of what the god perceived as ugly emotions and concepts. Goblins are expressions of greed, bugbears are of fear, hobgoblins are of pride and orcs are of violence. Due to the nature of their very existence, the fey are forever spiritually tied to the emotions and ideas that originally created them. Orcs therefore are forever cursed to the prone to violence, even sometimes developing as sort of uncontrollable compulsions against their will. Self-aware of this, they shunned their fey origins in anger over the nature of their existence and lived among humans as marauding conquerors, originally fueled by insecurity and envy over their elven brethren. Through this, the goblinoids became humanity first exposure to not just beings of the feywild, but of supernatural creatures in general, which began a long and troubled history, humans portraying the goblinoids as dark reflections of themselves through stories, fables and aesops. Alot of the fluff in orcs is based on the heirarchy of goblinoid-culture. Orcs and hobgoblins perpetually rivaling for leadership over goblinoid pacts. with bugbears below them. in command of the runty goblins. While physically built stronger than the hobgoblins, they are outmatched in two areas. Firstly, orcs are prone to be dumber than hobgoblins, simply because their violent natures makes them less patient to learn. Second is that most orcs are unified by what they call "The peace", a psuedo-philosophical desire to reject the emotions that made their existence possible. They yearn for tranquility and serenity, finding it entoxicating and partially addicting, a desire the hobgoblins do not share. The Orcs that live outside of goblinoid society can be brought quite close towards the peace. Some become guards or hunters, giving an outlet to their violent urges and there is a high density of Orcish monks, attempting and sometimes succeeding in finding inner peace, overcoming their upbringings. Even among civilized areas, however, some orcs find themselves back in their roots, establishing street-gangs among goblinoids and humans alike.
I made my main civilization of orcs in my dnd campaign heavily based on the Ottoman Turks. They had a grand desert empire, fought in golden scalemail, and had a hierarchy based on both bloodlines as well as capability
@@PhyreI3ird yeah they were pretty awesome. They were on good terms with most human-centric nations, but were in almost ceaseless wars with most elves cus elves in my setting are dicks (except drow suprisingly). They also used halberds, and rode on the backs of aurochs and elephants.
Another culture you can look at build use a template for Orcs can be the Picts, which were one of the native Celtic cultures of Scotland. The stereotypical Barbarian class, which orcs are usually placed in, actually has one of its archetypes pull from the Picts quite a bit, along with a few of the Barbarian's core mechanics. Speaking of Scandinavian cultures, which is often shorthanded to Viking culture despite it being a bit more diverse than that, a few Barbarian mechanics pull on that culture as well. The Part about Barbarians preferring to go without armor, and often getting a bonus because of this, actually pulls from a practice employed by the Pict warriors, while the mechanic of going into a "Berserker Rage" comes from the elite "Viking" warriors known as the Berserkers, who were known to willingly drive themselves is a maddened and frenzied rage which is known as a "Berserk Rage" and point of fact, we get the words Berserk and Berserker from these original terms. If you look in the right places you can find the historical, and cultural, origins of almost anything in games like D&D. Point of fact: the Banshee, Fomorian, and Firbolg all come from Irish culture but each in different ways. The Fomorians are ancient malicious creatures, often described as twisted and/or distorted giants that will sometimes have tremendously dangerous powers, and are referenced/mentioned quite a few times in The Book of Invasions, Ireland's lore about who came to settle the land. The Firbolg, also written Fir Bolg, are also mentioned in The Book of Invasions as one of the people's that settled Ireland, and their name means "men of the bag" or "people of the bag" depending on which translation you're going with but doesn't explain just how they got their name but it is believed that the name comes from either their time carrying heavy bags in the Mediterranian as slaves or because they returned to Ireland with bags of fertile soil which they then spread about the rocky and craggy grounds of Ireland. While the Banshee is engrained with Ireland's lore in a different way; in Irish lore, the Banshees are tied to specific noble houses, anywhere between 17 and 32 or some other seemingly odd number depending on which source you go with, and will only wail for the death of someone of that lineage, with only those of that bloodline having the ability to hear the wail of the banshee, with the added bonus of you hearing a banshee's wail and not dying by sunrise meaning that you will be the next fated to die within the week. There is so much history and culture to be found in Races, Classes, Backgrounds, and Monsters.
Orcs doing the haka. Needs to happen. A horde of barbarian/bards doing that would scare the shit out of anyone. Dragons would soil their scales and flee.
4:40 I know it’s been done but what about Mongols? Tribalism and War culture. Living by the horse(or dire boar), seeing the animal as a symbol of freedom (or strength) and the nomadic lifestyle of their ancestors. I like imagining Orcs on the backs of direboars with halberds and huge 180 pound drawstrength hunting bows (the highest estimated for actual English long bows) but composite.
If you want to base your Orcs on Mongols, one could do far worse than to listen to Dan "Hardcore History" Carlin's take on the Mongols' explosion onto the world stage. It's called "Wrath of the Khans".
Jayden Harrold, Ordinarily, I avoid "pointing out" discrepancies... BUT ordinarily, those discrepancies are so easily understood by those who "have a lick of d*** sense"... SO here I am. (sorry?) I think you intended the term "Composite" in regard to the Mongolian Bow of Choice. The terms are easy to casually swap-out, and it's most likely a "spell checker issue"... BUT the Compound Bow is a system of high-tension springs, cables, and pulleys that the Mongols didn't have access to. The Composite Bow, was so titled for being a composite material between thin layers of wood, oxen or other horn (mostly rendered to sinew) and primitive glue and lacquer for construction... which the Mongols made famous for it's clearly superior performance considering it's diminutive size... which allowed their archers to shoot actively while riding on horseback. In any case (and for those who might come after my posting) it's just a tough call as to whether archery is avidly kept "alive" enough for more people to get the appropriate understanding rather than wondering how Mongols fashioned compound bows before they had proper ball-bearings (or rigidly suitable friction bushings?) for those pulleys. (lolz) ;o)
I immediately fell in love with the concept of the Maori Orc. It fits my world perfectly because my orcs split into a more warlike tribe and peaceful tribe. Thank you so much for the idea.
I found myself to redo Orcs for my campaign too :D I think they are closest compared to Prussia Germany combined with the Charr from Guild Wars 2. Additionally they are the first race to forge firearms in my campaignworld, I didnt flesh them out alot but those are the base ideas for them :D
In a home brew setting I used to run there was a country called Spenaro. A collection of city states in which gnomes and orcs allied in the past. Now they hold equal standing to the point that many important positions are performed by a pair (one orc, one gnome). They have a symbiotic relationship with one another. One example that the players came across was the military. The gnomes typically took the more covert rolls, while the orcs the more direct. A musket line of gnomes can be shielded by a line of heavily armoured and shielded orcs while they reload. Similarly the players dealt with some ambassadors on a diplomatic mission. The gnome was a fast talker, doing all the wheeling and dealing. While the orc sat back stoically, watching and listening. In game I gave the orc bonuses to perception based checks during interactions. Catching out players as they performed their ruses. This came as a surprise to players who assumed he was just a body guard.
I wasn't considering orcs as major players in my campaign world, however Japanese/samurai orcs are quite likely to make things very interesting. My world has evolved and become more interesting, all due to watching a 15 min video. 😊 Thank you
I'm doing this with my campaign as well. The orcs are very civilised and are heavily based on the Japanese feudal system. Honor and purity is key, to the point that half-orcs are considered automatically dishonorable. Half-orcs that don't serve a prominent Master are another step down the chain, "Ronin" types.
This is the kind of stuff I love to see in my campaigns. I feel too often we get entrenched in stereotypical mindsets of what fantasy elements are like. There are so, so many ways that we can make these elements stand out, while keeping what makes them cool intact.
I love orcs! Orcs in a world I ran were survivalists, eeking out a living from the harshest lands. They were sought after by other races as slaves, but their independent spirits were very hard to break and they would rise up at any opportunity. Also, in Blizzard's MOBA Heros of the Storm a prominent orc character named Thrall does a haka as his dance emote.
I love orcs or orks, and blending socities in one game i ran the orcs had an empire modeled after rome, with a viking twist, were raiding and trading was just as important as having a standing army. Like Rome
The German pen&paper system _Das Schwarze Auge_ - known in the US as _The Dark Eye_ - actually has a somewhat large Ork kingdom in its world. The Orks actually used to be tribal, but moved away from pure tribalism by installing a kind of absolute theocracy on top of the traditional tribal structures in order to be able to maintain a larger empire. The tribes still exist, they just bow to a God-King who has proven himself by gathering them and leading them in a fairly successful holy war (called Orkensturm in-universe) against several human nations (although they ultimately only managed to fully conquer and hold one of them). One of the leader's first political moves after the war actually consisted of turning part of the Ork levies that were already raised for the war into a standing army fanatically loyal to him. So I think this is how an Ork empire could work. It has to evolve out of tribalism by gradually introducing more centralization, and having a leader who is a capable warlord, politically ambitious, and fanatically worshipped for religious reasons is a good way of doing that.
In our current round I'm playing a young half-orc barbarian who spent most of his life among an alternative type of Orc culture I brought to the round, the Naklah-Oruka. (Literally: Wild Orcs) Unlike the commonly known Orcs that form warbands and terrorize the civilization, these ones largely stuck to the deep lands, lived a nomadic lifestyle (until the world became too small) and had strong ties to nature and the spirit world and practicing ancestral worship. The GM and group seem to be into it.... It's a shame I didn't consider talking the GM into letting me play an actually neutral good orc. Uk-Oruka Shah!
Funny enough, when decided to write a new standard for all of my core races a few years back, I actually wrote the Orcs in as a combination of the Aztecs, Vikings, and Maori. The blend is quite amazing! I highly recommend you all trying it. Cool that Guy and myself had such similar taste on this subject!
Another amazing video. I've been asked by my group to use Celestials as antagonists for a good aligned campaign. A video on ways to use Celestials would be fantastic!
My twist on orcs in my homebrew world? They're mutated goblins. Seriously. :) Goblins in my world come in 2 main types: Treedwellers ("Greenskins") and Cavedwellers ("Grayskins"). Generally, goblins are tribal and more neutral-aligned in my world, preferring to be left alone, even though they are excellent craftsmen and would benefit from open trade/alliances with the "good" races. However, they can be coerced/forced into serving a great evil. One of those evils comes in the form of the orcs. About one in every 10-15 goblins grows up into being an orc, which are effectively bigger, stronger, and meaner than their cousins, always ambitious for power, money, and/or violence (not necessarily in that order). Unfortunately for the goblins, they can't tell a particular young goblin is actually an orc until they are nearly adults, by which point it's too late. The reason for these mutated goblins' existence has been lost to the Chaos Years, a largely-undocumented era that came before the current one (which is close to hitting the first millenium). I actually ran a story arc years ago when the PCs met a particular cavedweller clan run by its shaman (an old, wise goblin who also sported some Druidic abilities and had a Displacer Beast pet) ever since the old chief died. A particular orc in the clan was gaining popularity due to his strength and ferocity, and although the shaman suspected that the orc was the reason the old chief died, he couldn't make any obvious moves against the orc since it would decimate the clan, both those that supported him and those that didn't. The PCs were asked to help when his protégé - an adopted and skilled forestdweller who was quite intelligent and made for a good leader - discovered that the orc had begun negotiations with a nearby pack of Krilloths (essentially gnolls, but with more of a cruel cunning) to aid in making the shaman give up the mantle of leadership to the orc. The ensuing events led to an all-out war, where the PCs led the vanguard against the orc and the krilloths, ultimately winning out and giving the orc a proper death by duel with their strongest warrior. It was quite fun to run, and the PCs had to flee the area when they found out that one of the krilloths in charge of the pack escaped and mounted an assassination attempt on them. That led to a whole chase sequence that ended up introducing them to a local ranger, who later turned out to be corrupted by evil and was the final boss of the story arc.
Weapon descriptions as well... Weapons made from obsidian vs iron or stone can add a personality to the culture itself. The orc may perform the axe challenge with an obsidian weapon and call it the "the gift of the volcano". The reasoning can be as simple as when embraced... fire and death follows.
Can also be a natural sort of logical limiter/explanation of why the orcs aren't more of a threat. They're powerful fighters, but mostly fight with non-metallic weapons.
@@cattrucker8257, not so sure about that point... Particularly when equipping them with obsidian, you're equipping them with blades that can be sharpened to a function considerably more acute than steel. *minor side point, current surgical companies put out obsidian-based scalpels which are sought-after for cosmetic surgeries BECAUSE they're so sharp and smooth that the scarring is considerably less than conventional steel utensils. SO, the only "drawback" would be the requirement to make those obsidian blades as quickly and simply replaceable as possible, since the other drawback is that obsidian tends to break with the abuses of battle, so even the heavier weapons will wear down quickly... and splinters and fragments left behind in "hits" would cause further ailment and agonizing pain until a proper surgeon could extract it, posing threat to himself/herself in the process. No, I'm gonna stand by the "you probably don't want to mess with a thousand or so of those guys", myself... keeping in mind the "IRL" rarity and price of plate armor. ;o)
@@gnarthdarkanen7464 That drawback is sufficient to render them "limited". Likewise, hypersharpness doesn't do much against any armor that is built to deflect slashing attacks - which is most of it, and brittleness ensures their blades would break on any surface harder than skin or leather and suffer significant damage on impact in general where metals would only dull. You don't want to mess with a thousand of anyone, be it rats, orcs or level 1 commoners.
@@cattrucker8257(note... with tongue firmly in cheek) "Limited" is an endearing term of a dubiously relative nature... Such was my point. Having some experience in primitive weapons (design, build, test... occasionally sales) a bit of "jointery" applied, and at least in terms of leather or leather-related "hybrids" of armor would still give cause to be hesitant in the scale of a noble or captain(s) at arms... AND it's worth note, obsidian is still geological, meaning the impurities of volcanic glass can give it impressive weight... so sharp or shards, being hit is still a b***h. ...and never forget the LOLZ. ;o)
@@gnarthdarkanen7464 Considering it's being wielded by a huge orc, anything in this case should give pause to anyone who isn't riding a dragon flying overhead or similar. Not saying it to denigrate your area of preference at all, just pointing out that it doesn't truly break my point. Different kinds of stone and other natural materials are still a "best they can find" situation compared to full-blown craftsmanship industries.
I had a campaign running around a huge Orcinvasion, where every tribe has other background, some was Irokesian, Mongolien and Viking like. It was really nice, because the players (Paladin and priests) has to chose a site, and becom more in contact to the cultures.. It was also a fun to mastering...
I like to think orcs as ancient grecs like culture organised in tribes (like cities) that often challenge each other (military or via Shaman trials for exemple). I often paint them as defender of the natural order so they are the first to move at the first sight of a demon lord/ lich king.
I once did a mix of all 3 before. Sea fearing, honor bound, and they did the dance before the fight. They also would wear skins on them of their best hunt. One could wear a troll head helmet. While another one is wearing a bear pelt. One was also using a mammoth tibia as a club. I found it gave them a lot of flavor and my players greatly enjoyed all the different, and often silly things they would wear.
I'm a bit surprised you didn't include the Mongolian's, a Golden Horde influenced tribal group of Orcs is appealing to me. Possibly including the Goblinoid races as a massive Horde (I naturally think toward the Red Hand of Doom for inspiration). I've really been trying to draw inspiration from existing cultures into my fantasy races, such as Goblins speaking Afrikaans, and Welsh Elves.
The Mongols tended to conquer and absorb countries, so it's only fair that Orc-Mongols would amass armies of every race. A few legions of Goblinoids here, and few battalions of Humans there. Even companies of Halflings or Wood Elf archers. Then again, so did the Romans. Hmm...
In spite of their reputation, vikings were also prolific traders. I could see a ship full of Orc warrior-merchants landing with exotic goods. Good luck to any pirate that wish to plunder their treasure.
In my most recent Campaign, I adapted Orcs into a sort of nomadic Samurai-esque culture of renowned warrior-scholars, Orcs being the original Knights of the empire that my Campaign is set in. When people think of orcs in my setting they are poets, learned men, monks, and protectors of the people. They are seen as insurmountable warriors for whom children of many races look up to and aspire to be like. And unlike most tropes, the Orcs of my setting hate Goblins, are considered the closest allies of the dwarves, and are seen as well as skilled traders, musicians, and diplomats.
Other considerations to consider are environment and whether differences exist between orcish groups. Environments can effect greatly a culture's outlook. A harsh, bleak mountainous landscape will ingrain a certain necessary toughness and pessimism while lush fertile lands will bolster a hardy, optimistic folk. If resources are scarce, then a people might be more prone to raiding or use what they have wisely and frugelly or a mix of both (side note: Japan and Scandinavian countries are known for having very poor iron deposits). Where as if an orcish tribe sits along vital trade route, they could be keen on raiding caravans or demand tribute from the passing merchants. And depending on their means of lively hood, orcs will either stay put (farmers/landowners) or be nomadic (herdsmen). Another thing you can is make each orcish group a little different. A good example would be the first nations of North America. While there are vague similarities (counting coup, stealth and guerrilla tactics, an almost religious respect for elders, Custer jokes, and drum music being "chief" among them (gotta have some pun in life)). There are, however, radical differences within each tribe, sometimes within the same geographic region. Tribes of the North West region are skilled fishermen while tribes of the Great Plains are skilled horsemen. And this just the tip of the iceberg.
I've been working on my own Orcish twist in my world - I based them loosely on the nomadic steppe tribes of Central Asia, a la the Mongols. It gives them a bit of a more lawful edge I suppose, and are more capable of trade than just a raving band of berserkers. I also repurposed a myth where the orcs worship centaurs and believe they're descended from evil centaurs that began to follow Gruumsh instead of Pelor. As punishment, Pelor cut the evil centaurs in two, transforming them into orcs and normal horses. Because of this, orcs believe that they are most powerful on horseback as one cohesive unit.
In my world goblinoids and orks all originate from a form of hobgoblin. This original form was in fact quite civilised and were the most talented builders in the world (somewhat inspired by the ogier) until when magic entered the world most of their species died, went mad, or were corrupted splitting into goblins, bugbears, and orks. Few hobgoblins remained and they had become lesser than they once were and so they retreated into a small area of their land leaving the rest to be destroyed by their mad and twisted kin. Those who were twisted became some degree of feral, with bugbears becoming much more animalistic, orks becoming vengeful and obsessed with destruction, and goblins becoming spiteful, cowardly and stunted creatures. Over time other races began to colonise former hobgoblin land and drove the goblinoids back, unknowingly pushing them into the remaining hobgoblins. This forced the hobgoblins to adopt a more harsh martial lifestyle and also gave the twisted ones an enemy to turn their anger on. Slowly over time the twisted are regaining their intelligence (for better or for worse) leading to a sort of lost culture of the orks etc mostly forgotten or abandoned. On top of this, the campaign generally starts about 100-200 years after the last holds of the goblinoids have been destroyed by humans forcing all the goblinoids together into one loosely cohesive band that seeks to reclaim their lost homeland in a desperate bid to avoid extinction
Many years ago our campaign setting was invaded by Roman Orcs for a year or two. Units of Roman Orc legionnaires. Without any special rules they were shockingly effective but, as soon as the gm gave them one or two special rules to reinforce their fearsome reputation they fell into ineptitude.
A kind of 'orc' (haven't thought up a proper name for them yet) I thought up was a kind that didn't just enjoy fighting and being warriors, but conflict in general. The idea was inspired by the orc/orks from Warhammer, and a desire to diversify their potential goals/characters from always being barbarian pillagers, though there's other ideas in there as well. TL:DR: they are immortal 'orcs' who have respawn points (that can be cleared out) who love conflicts in all it's forms, both subtle and overt - they can be your typical orcish nuisance, forming raiding gangs that are a constant nuisance and in large numbers, a huge threat, to someone who will always try to debate politics, morals and religion with everyone they meet; and will keep trying to do it no matter how many times you shoot them, and will actively enjoy figuring out how to get past your immense retinue of guards to ask 'to be or not to be, that is the question.' And some can be particularly harsh (or gentle) critics who enjoy when they are challenged. Anyway, they were created after the god of conflict, Ectnokzamge (I forget if there was any meaning to the name), shattered themselves as essentially no one wanted to fight them one day; they were bored, so started fighting themself, resulting in purposefully or accidentally fracturing the soul stuff that made them up. Each bit formed their own different consciousness that shared their originators love of conflict. Not just the violent kind, any kind - as an example, I wrote a little scene that include three characters that were these shards. They were all mercenaries, but had interests beyond fighting - one always kept a keen eye out for where the markets were to engage in haggling and bartering. Another is a craftsmen, and enjoys seeing, criticizing and attempting to compose stage plays. The third takes an interest in logistical concerns and tackling the issue of keeping all of their affairs in order and seeing they are on the desired track. Eventually, they figured out they were capable of entering the physical world by possessing parts of a certain type of aggressive weed (typically refereed to as 'War-Weed') associated with Ectnokzamge, which they create bodies out of and go and have a jolly old time. When physically manifested as such, their bodies take on gorilla or boar-like features as hold overs from the god that spawned them, and a symbol of what they are, though they can pretty much be anything as long as it doesn't collapse in on itself and can sort of function. If their manifested body fails them, they can just make a new one at the closest patch of war-weed, making them essentially respawn points for them. This renders them immortal, and a potentially eternal nuisance/threat.
My plan for Orcs, and many other monster species is to associate them with one of the mortal sins, being originally other creatures (humans, dwarfs elves etc.) who've gone off the deep end. Much like the Dragon Fafnir in the Nibelungen Saga who used to be a Dwarf who succumbed to overwhelming greed and avarice. Orcs would be creatures born of wrath (wroth): marauding deserters and the most brutal of brigands driven mad by an inhuman acceptance of anger and conflict, so much so that only destruction and violence is on their mind. Imagine the Night's Watch deserters at Craster's Keep in Game of Thrones but way, way worse. Those guys were basically Orcs, especially their leader. Any half-Orc would be an Orc-in-the-making who is still somewhat redeemable or has even managed to pause/halt their descent into complete and utter murderous ever-rage (or an Orc who somehow managed to "snap out of it"). On the mend? maybe, but their path is precarious and a lingering bloodlust is always right under the surface with these creatures. The association with sin can be just an in-universe thing that human (religious/scientific) authorities have thought up as explanation though. In any case, it beats the "fungus-people" explanation, draws from Tolkien's view but also represents the Enemy Within Mankind's Psyche, for any person in that world has the potential to become an Orc (wroth), Dragon (greed), Chimera (lust), Goblin (envy), Flailsnail (sloth) or Ogre (Gluttony) if they give in to the most extreme of excesses too often, too much.
Your Te-Reo pronunciation was great , although one minor error, the Moriori are still alive today, they were integrated into the invading tribe, Maori integrated when possible, much like the Vikings
Oh my god. Guy. The orcs I have started creating for my world, inspired by your campaign creator videos, we’re going to be a mix between Vikings and the Maori warriors. Did I preemptively read your mind or was it just kind of obvious? Who knows.
Once had a Canadian Orc for a campaign, (totally friendly and pacifist) the PC’s were tricked into stealing a magic item being kept in a vault the Orc was guarding (and was on his last shift before retirement). He left behind his wife and two kids, Giblets Jr. and Jiblets Goonyer
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think some D&D settings also had orcs as grey-skinned - I've seen some die-hard "purists" of that. Me, I'm omnivorous - I'm used to orcs being all sorts of shades, but greens, greys and browns are the most common. Personally, I'd love to see more settings with non-tribal orcs. Still, well, orc-y, but happening to possess a much more "refined" culture.
I've seen descriptions with all those colors. Also 1e and 2e they actually had pig heads. Check out spelljammer's scro. They are orc's that are very disciplined. Spelljammer.org has a good database.
@@DMXXCorps Literally "orcs" but backwards, kek. But yes, at the very least some people go forward with implementing that, and that's good. More variance is sweet.
Orcs seem like they would be based off gladiators, Vikings and a blend of other cultures. Maybe even modern American culture to a degree in terms of military pride and given that the divisiveness of modern culture brings out a penchant for violence. Not trying to bring up politics, but given how certain groups are proned to group think would be a good way to adapt modern culture to a degree when it comes to orcs.
In my primary world Orc society is not based on combat but more accurately confrontation. Now often this boils over into combat, but more often things are decided by trial by contest, an "apprentice" Orc smithy must prove themselves in contest vs. other "apprentices" within the tribe before advancing to "journeyman" and to achieve the rights of a smith must better a full smith in contest. To take a mate an Orc male must prove himself in contest vs. the female, or her holder (father, owner, uncle, etc.), this may be in a fight, sport, raiding party, or any contest specified by the holder. Over time this has led other societies to believe that the Orcs are brutal and combative by others when their lives are determined by having to prove themselves in everything their entire lives.
Well, what I am currently working on is that Orks are just half goblins (human mother?). Goblins are childish in intelligence, so I let that carry over, and added a slow ability to learn new things, leaving with a very intelligent dog like creature that, due to a dramatically increased strength due to mix of goblinoid and human heritage. I also made it so that the “domesticated” ones were used like wardogs, with them being sent in as shock troops to drain enemy moral. The feral ones were just like stereotypical wild men. And Ogres were just Orks with a genetic defect that made them taller and more aggressive, and, when they eat meat for the first time, will only eat meat from then on.
Sweet Haka, Guy! Brilliant! :) I find out of your three culture choices, Maori would probably fit Orcs the best. Aztec Warriors used speed and stealth to "kill like eagles and jaguars". I'm not saying Orcs aren't capable of such, but their large, muscular forms seem less agile then let's say Elves, which would fit Aztec well. Vikings is a good pick, but again, Maori just trumps the other two choices. Just my opinion. Love your content, dude. Speaking of Elves, let's see some ways you can spice them up and pull them out of their stereotype. Aztec Elves? Japanese Elves? Apache Elves? I'm sure the possibilities are endless. :)
We just made orcs hyper optimised for long journeys with an overarching themes of bearing burdens together, so while yes there are some raider tribes most are merchant nomads that cause most of the cross pollination between cultures and who's own tribe thrives on helping one another, be it with lifting a load, hunting a meal or raising a child.
I've actually thought about the Maori theme for orcs. How cool would it be if you began an encounter with an orc war-drummer (bard/paladin) leading a war band in a haka to honor their god(s). I think it would make for some really cool large scale encounters.
In Khans of Tarkir, a Magic the Gathering expansion, Orcs came from a heavily Mongol-inspired culture, and some defectors fled to a more Ottoman-inspired one.
My orcs are always nomadic, it is buried deep in their instinct. This does not mean they are monocultured by any means however. Plains/steppe orcs are horse nomads similar to north/central Asian cultures. Hill orcs are foot based pastoral nomads, similar to many ‘hill peoples’ found around the world. Sea orcs live almost exclusively on boats, based on groups like sea gypsies, and are known as traders as much as pirates/raiders.
In the world I'm currently working on, my orcs take much inspiration from the Roman Empire and the Covenant from Halo. In terms of culture, architecture, and military appearance/tactics, they reassemble the Roman's. But their history mirrors the Covenant's Elites in the sense that they were a once a proud and honorable people who gave into the will of self proclaimed gods, thus deforming them into the tusked brutes we normally know them as. To the outside world, the orcs are ravenous monsters who fell from the path of righteousness. Of course, to the Orcs, they are still the pinochle of civilization.
Can you do one on Elves? I feel like it's a lot easier to fall into the run of the mill "Elves are superhuman Adonises or Aphrodites that are just better at everything and love trees" kind of characterization.
You should do 40k Orcs, where they believe that different colors give different abilities. -red: add 10' to their base speed -yellow: increases pyromancy spells/effects -blue: +2 on saving throws -white: immune to fear spells -black: +2 to AC -purple: +2 to stealth checks -black/white checker board pattern: +2 to strength Now, to make sure the powers work, at least 50% of the Orc has to be that color; of course that means colors can be mixed and matched, depending on the individual Orc.
A handshake actually symbolises peaceful intent by showing that your hand holds no weapon. Originally you shouldn't even shake anyone's hand unless you're unarmed. Shaking someones hand with even a sheathed sword wasn't something you should do. Though I believe you could still shake hands whilst carrying a dagger (but not holding one). As daggers weren't thought of in the same way we do today. It was a common day to day tool for pretty much everyone back then. Even children carried them.
As a westerner, I can understand the viking perspective. I've read a bit about the Maori and got a general understanding... But the Chinese! Would you mind elaborating please! :D
@@Hablagrabla it's a bit more aesthetic if given the time to build larger buildings it's the curved roof and. Also death before betrayal/ dishonor. So I guess feudal China. I could also be thinking japan I failed social studies.
Some thoughts Just like the Orcs are a (particularly altered) interpretation of the goblins and similar creatures of European mythology, different interpretations of Orcs could be influenced by the different bestial ogresque figures of other mythologies? I've been toying with this idea of orcs co-evolving alongside humans, in their own migration patterns, and they have their own different cultures that interact with humans. Eg the orcs in the fantasy world's east asia have these bony ridges in their skulls and have their skins dyed blue by the textiles they work with, so they resemble oni of Japanese mythology; the orcs of fantasy Africa ritually embellish their teeth with wrought-iron and their skin is leathery and red, making them resemble the Asasabonsam of Akan folklore. I think most cultures have at least a few myths of their own that could stretch to cover the broadest versions of your Big Fantasy Races, so you could do this most anywhere I imagine. Another angle I've been toying with is: not a lot of people use the Tolkien interpretation of Orcs as augmented, warped elves, and I think there's a lot of potential there. Imagine if eons ago, there was some civil war between elves that would go on to divide High Elf from Wood Elf from Drow, and the Orcs were basically a failed supersoldier program, the orcs wandering the world now the result of basically "High Fantasy Jacob's Ladder", cursed to a life of agony as a living weapon without a wielder, mindlessly destroying as the mutations and alchemical augments continue to strip away their humanity (elf...manity)
I'm making a setting where titanic dragons sponsor noble houses and one is a house of orcs and goblins. This noble house is best described as Aztec meets Bayo Businessmen. Why, they're proper polite, until you're rude. Then come the not so subtle threats with not so little axes while a not so subtle smell of acid starts poking it's way in. An apology gets all these put away, continuing rudeness gets these things used until an apology or restitution is made. They're proper insular and never leave their swamp homelands... but the orcs and goblins that do are considered heretic and they've got a bounty of their own on these bastards. They need a proper ceremony to leave the swamp without loosing their noble nature, of course a successful return of such a scion is welcomed with a feast where a quick hunt has the heart of the prey burned on the alter of the dragon before the true feast can begin.
I kind have setting/nation similarly a-typical I want to use for a campaign, six generations ago there were a lot of tribes that were stereotypical orcs, Mercenary Commander returns to his lands with his band unites and civilizes his lands even killing their old gods who were pissed that they weren't getting their usual "Tribute" Klingon Style. Now it's small empire expanding with trade and unification of straggling tribes on their borders, run by a meritocratic royal family and the regional religion is that their ancestors who slew their former gods split the power to all attain godhood upon death. The character in question for said setting the 3rd Heir to the throne, extremely principled, mathematically and trade minded, combat/field engineer in charge of his branch the engineers guild. Basically very reasonable, but in no way above throwing down if he has to.
" the summoner" series used Aztec like orcs very well, they had obsidian swords, death whistles , and there demons were somewhat inspired by Aztec culture
in my game, I made Orcs more similar to Mongols as how they lived but I added some traits.. tribal, religion based on the cult of ancestors, honor based society, and mostly they were not the main enemy
What about of Fuedal Japan? The samurai and their shogunate just fought for hundreds of years where they just kept killing eachother in one little island.
Hm, frankly, I was somewhat irritated when I encountered my first Orcs because the Orks in the system I started playing are humanoids of stocky build with dense black medium length fur and a rich culture to them. Even if they are a bit brutal but that is a cultural thing. The only thing in common was the dental setup, meaning the elongated and prominent fangs. A friend once said our orks are just another form of a human, a much more open one, using fewer masks and accepting of what they are. Well, that friend was an Elf and to them, the difference between a human and an ork is not that much. Barbarians, all of them. (yes, I'm an Elf but what makes you think that mattes ;-))
What would be good for urban orcs? I'm prepping a campaign that takes place in a large city (by medieval standards. About average by modern standards) and orcs seem like they'd be good grunts for a crime syndicate or even strong cannon fodder for the empires military if they could recruit them, but the typical nomadic raider culture doesn't really fit a city setting.
Great video and some interesting discussion!!! eh... FOR whatever it's worth... I have an RPG world big enough for a primitive sort of "Dark Sun"-esque territory. It's not quite as dour as the "conventional" Dark Sun campaign settings... more like a hybridized version for those not quite yet familiar with "the real deal" because it's a pretty crude and rude awakening to take noob's into Dark Sun straight off... (lolz) SO... At least a few tribes of my Orcs are desert nomads, complete with the durability to survive the kinds of mistakes it takes to LEARN the deserts and sandy terrain like no other beings on two feet. They're culturally based on Romani, only a somewhat dubiously "more rough hewn" or "primitive" in their stylings... They're among the most highly sought-after and highest prized among "guides", though they're capacity to thrive where NOBODY else manages much more than struggling survival makes them less trusted and often misunderstood. ;o)
im currently trying to create a tribe of orcs who follow a great demonic being who wants to become a god, the orcs are less brutish warriors and range from berserker wizards to cleric druids (the lands have also become twisted, thus even druids who worship the land are under the demonic being) i think a lovecraftian orc civilization might be very interesting. i'm keeping the british accent though, because lovecraft always sounds better in British to me, and they seek to capture rather than kill, because their demonic god needs a host whos body doesnt deteriorate quickly.
I would add to this list the chinese and japanese culture for interesting ways to portrait the orc. In both you have this focus on culture and society. To be a samurai you had to be as good in fighting than in art and inteligence otherwise you were called a barbarian. So it could be interesting to play for example an orc barbarian who has to perform rituals to show that you are not a beserk. Or you look at the chinese novels about the three kingdoms where you have the emotion-driven characters...
I'm working on incorporating a hobgoblin empire that is very much a clone of the roman empire, called the Rowan empire (my players like humor like that). I wanted to make the orcs in the world like the Britannia tribes. The major thing this does is it lets me make the orcs the underdogs; they are trying desperately to combat a greater, more threatening force. It has already been established in the world that the orcs are known as roaming barbarians who have settled in lands to the northeast, where my players are heading. I'll try to make the Orcs more traditional, revering their ancestors kinda like the orcs in World of Warcraft. Rather than the cliched hide and war paints, I was also going to make a point that they all wear rough spun cloth clothing and only the religious leaders wear the pelts. Rather than the war loving barbarians the players believe them to be, they are a simple people looking for a home in a world that has no love for them. Not sure how they'll react to the players (especially with one of them being a former rowan centurion), but I think it will be an interesting deviation while still feeling familiar.
Orcs in Warcraft are greenskinned because they're corrupted by demon blood (not fungi, but still corrupted). Later on there's some addition to the lore that they're actually originally reddish-brown skinned, those are the noble warriors and tender ones. I dunno if this dichotomy works in favor of the depiction of a orc race with depth though,... Interestingly I have never thought about the possibility of Viking orcs...or maybe Mongol orcs? I feel like the whole wild pillaging thing orcs do is more or less modeled after the Mongol. But then we rarely see orcs being truly nomadic, like, does anyone ever depict orcs keeping herds of sheeps and cattles?... Need to explore that!
To paraphrase GURPS Fantasy Folk: Orcs have long been the cannon fodder of fantasy gaming. Well, it's a dirty job, but somebody has to do it. I've tried to create a campaign world that treats the major "monster" humanoid races as fully fledged societies of their own. Generally enemies of the typical humans, dwarves, elves, etc yes, but also actual players in history, culture, and politics. Part of this is that among the orcs there are four major cultures/nations on the main continent as well as numerous smaller populations. The eastern orcs are religious fanatics awaiting the return of their Chosen One. The northern are like the Cimerians of Conan stories. The western are the most typical as badlands raiders, but with the dial turned up to 11. And the southern are now one full generation into building a proper kingdom with laws, infrastructure, trade, diplomacy, et all.
Aren't Orc's based off of the ancient Mongols? I looked up Mongolia & came up with some fun ideas for Orc characters: Orc Monks, Shamans & Horseback riding Archers. Orcs who are Buddhist & know many different fighting styles including Mixed Martial arts & Wrestling. Orc Hockey Players (Bandy). Orc Eagle Humters Nomadic Orcs who eat Steamed Dumplings full of Meat & some veggies / spices (sparse) & lots of Dairy What do you guys think?
In a world I'm creating, I'm mixing the orc societies a bit by making them a mix of viking and roman cultures. In fights and wars orc in my world they have the tenacity of vikings, but the sophistication and tactical might of roman Spartans.
I can't contribute anything quite as creative as what others have said, but my bf (who I run for) is very opinionated on the fact that orc/ork *must* be spelt with a K, and since i'm actually kinda fond of spelling it Orc (looks less try-hardy in my opinion) I made it so that two large, nation-sized tribes of them met and got along great (even wanting to join one another and intermarry and everything) until they discovered how the other tribe spelled ork/orc and have been 'at war' over it since. (Can't decide what kind of war though.)
I watched this while preparing my Posh Orc that doesn't speak Orcish, refuses to eat with his hands and only uses the finest silver, and liked to knit.
Not fair, I had just the same idea to use the Maori tribe culture for the orcs in my new campain (starting soon, hope they like it, build the entire land the size of europe myself). Hope my players don't think I got the orc idea from here ...
I think it would be cool if my Orcs encounter an enemy (one-on-one or so - not an army), they throw down a dagger for the enemy to use so there is no reason not to attack as their enemy is armed.
How about organized Spartan-like orcs and Viking-like orcs? Now there is an army and gathering of orcs that could be feared and admired. All these new fantasy stories like to have humans and elves be so brutal and mean. Might as well have them be the invading villains for once.
Discuss how you have used Orcs in your Game on our discord here: discord.gg/Znwtkd2
How to be a Great Game Master hey I just joined the discord, my Orcs were a prosperous city state with a Monarchy, until a volcanic eruption rendered their homeland uninhabitable. They invaded the capital of the bordering human nation and have been at war with this nation for 100 years now. My Orcs have ended up adopting a more tribal attitude since they’re unable to settle peacefully as of yet. They are as intelligent as standard humans or elves, but have increased physical prowess, many of them are travelers, adventurers, and bounty hunters that left the war to travel to other parts of the world independently. They want peace but also need to survive.
Orcs in my setting are split into two types: Northern and Southern. The Northern orcs are ex-humans cursed by Gruumsh to be as ugly as him, with their minds dulled and tempers flared. They have made a fourth of the northern continent uninhabitable by most races except a race of insect folk called the Shonah-Te that are the result of the evil in the original One god after he split into the current pantheon, though the two avoid each other. The Southern orcs have regained some degree of humanity, because a war between the Driders (cursed humans in my setting rather than dark elves that are mutated and mindless) and another race of Psionically-capable Humanoids called the Pandorians (as in the box) set off essenitally a magical nuke that turned a forest on the southern continent into a blasted-out magical wasteland full of undead and severed the orcs on the Southern Continent's connection to gruumsh as well as the connection the driders had to the goddess of war (in my setting anyway), Lolth, which restored a degree of their humanity as well. The Southern Orcs have small cities and are quite tradition oriented, known for their courage, honor, and strong teas which other races can't really handle well.
French Condescending voice, Persian culture dress styled, nomadic sheep herding, mounted archer orcs. Thoughts?
@@blackwoodknight4913 - depends on what era of Persia you're talking about. In ancient times, during the height of the Persian Empire, under leaders such as Darius The Great, Persia would have been an extremely civilized nation and very highly advanced. Their engineering and military tactics were the Equal of Rome back then, and one thing Darius was famous for is outlawing slavery in ancient Persia. In later times, after that Persia got broken up by several conquests, starting with the Macedonians under Alexander the Great, and then a series of back and forth wars with the Byzantine Empire (eastern Rome), and finally the Turkish conquest, the Persians were definitely reduced.
An Asian culture I'd find particularly suited to Orcs would be the Mongols, when they were tribal and ruled by Khans, even up to their empire under the rule of Ghangis Khan and his heir Kublia Khan. That would create an orcish culture of nomadic and militaristic horsemen, which could be very interesting portrayal of them.
I do like applying culture to orcs a ton, as it shows them as being intelligent people with free will, rather then just mindless monsters who only exist to pillage and loot and be the driving force for the adventurers to kill them off. Then later on, devolving into random encounter fodder to pad out a story. IMO if anything is portrayed as having intelligence and reasoning capabilities, they'll also have a degree of free will and that means a different upbringing or certain individuals just choosing not to be like the others will mean the race will branch off into different religions, cultures and behavior patterns, and you'll inevitably arrive at the some will be good, some will be bad, and most will fall somewhere in between.
You should stop talking about rape as an element of TTRPG narrative or character building. It should only be used if it is to show the drama of the victims. It's a way too sensitive issue, with lots of trauma going about and it's rarely tackled in a responsible manner.
I got an idea for something similar for another species: gnolls. IRL female hyenas are bigger than male hyenas, and a male hyenas life is, to put it mildly, shit. Hyenas are born in two, and if there's a second male one of them will almost certainly die from the abuse of the other. If they have a sister then as soon as they reach adulthood that sister will drive them away from the pack, and so the male hyena has to find a new pack. If he's accepted he goes through a brutal hazing routine of starvation and getting beat up. Convert hyena social behavior to D&D and you've got one hell of an experience. I mean tell me this doesn't sound intriguing: A gnoll, skinny, beaten, covered in ticks and flees, walks up to your party. He asks to join you. He's serious. If a douchey PC abuses him he doesn't fight back, especially if said PC is a female. After a battle he does a good job, but you notice he takes less than he deserves if anything at all. If asked why he explains gnoll culture and how he doesn't want to be beaten for stepping out of line alongside starving.
I really like that gnoll npc idea.
In one world I designed orcs, ogres, goblins and hobgoblins are the same race/species. They are sexually dimorphic. Goblins are the child form and then females become hobgoblins and males become orcs/ogres. They were a matriarchal society led by a republic and elected based on a battle of wits.
I'm just gonna "barrow" this idea
It's worth pointing out, that just about any "reasonably intelligent" monster-species in any compendium or manual for gaming is easily suited to whatever "cultural resource" you presume to "tap" for inspiration.
Whether you turn gnolls into a cultural splintering from a hyena documentary turned into a cultural basis... OR you dubiously decide to make the Drow essentially French... The function of 'reskinning' any monstrosity from a fantasy realm into whatever derivative culturally is a simple means to "make them your own" without having to press for ingenious efforts that only manifest on uncommon occasions. Being able to cultivate some weird hybridization from the animal kingdom (say termite colonials or supra-hive-mind) and plop it into the societal engineering of an otherwise diminutive monster (like kobolds) can not only enrich your game as you proceed to serve up the utilitarian "NPC menace"... BUT keep your Players guessing since suddenly, they can no longer default to "that standard monster they saw in the books".
Of course, fair warning as usual... Antics are BOUND to ensue when you make the Drow French. ;o)
There are a lot of myths surrounding hyenas, you should be careful about which sources you trust.
@@Capt.Thunder I know there are a lot of myths but male hyenas are smaller, weaker and less dominant than female hyenas. Their lives are, as I said, remarkably shit. They are constantly abused from birth, driven off by their own sisters, brutally hazed if they survive and starved until deemed a proper member of the pack.
Guy and Colville both posting Orc videos on the same day?! *smells conspiracy*
It's only when non-bearded GM's post the same content you should get worried...
I saw that shit too lol
The two videos are actually very different. Colville's was more about the benefits that having a random bunch of Orcs attack your PCs can bring to your game. This one is much more focused upon how to make Orcs a believable part of your campaign.
Which of course is exactly how they _would_ do it if they _were_ in cahoots!
_Bearded southafrican in Japan, makes terrifying faces and screams into camera, colourized_ - 2019
Wait...Guy lives in Japan??
Or are you referring to the backround?
@@ryanrizzo4869 Yes he does, he's mentioned it several times.
Doing a Maori haka war dance!
In a setting I've worked on for a bit, I've effectively grouped Orcs together with Goblinoids and the both of them with Fey creatures. Basically, the fey in general are effectively living expressions of one of the god's emotions and understanding of concepts, the feywild itself being a contortion of reality as seen through the eyes of this god.
So while elves, drow, pixies. satyr are all living expressions of intelligence, beauty, curiosity and gayety respectively, orcs and the goblinoids are among expressions of what the god perceived as ugly emotions and concepts. Goblins are expressions of greed, bugbears are of fear, hobgoblins are of pride and orcs are of violence.
Due to the nature of their very existence, the fey are forever spiritually tied to the emotions and ideas that originally created them. Orcs therefore are forever cursed to the prone to violence, even sometimes developing as sort of uncontrollable compulsions against their will. Self-aware of this, they shunned their fey origins in anger over the nature of their existence and lived among humans as marauding conquerors, originally fueled by insecurity and envy over their elven brethren. Through this, the goblinoids became humanity first exposure to not just beings of the feywild, but of supernatural creatures in general, which began a long and troubled history, humans portraying the goblinoids as dark reflections of themselves through stories, fables and aesops.
Alot of the fluff in orcs is based on the heirarchy of goblinoid-culture. Orcs and hobgoblins perpetually rivaling for leadership over goblinoid pacts. with bugbears below them. in command of the runty goblins. While physically built stronger than the hobgoblins, they are outmatched in two areas. Firstly, orcs are prone to be dumber than hobgoblins, simply because their violent natures makes them less patient to learn. Second is that most orcs are unified by what they call "The peace", a psuedo-philosophical desire to reject the emotions that made their existence possible. They yearn for tranquility and serenity, finding it entoxicating and partially addicting, a desire the hobgoblins do not share.
The Orcs that live outside of goblinoid society can be brought quite close towards the peace. Some become guards or hunters, giving an outlet to their violent urges and there is a high density of Orcish monks, attempting and sometimes succeeding in finding inner peace, overcoming their upbringings. Even among civilized areas, however, some orcs find themselves back in their roots, establishing street-gangs among goblinoids and humans alike.
I made my main civilization of orcs in my dnd campaign heavily based on the Ottoman Turks. They had a grand desert empire, fought in golden scalemail, and had a hierarchy based on both bloodlines as well as capability
You dirty mind-reading bastard xP
@@PhyreI3ird yeah they were pretty awesome. They were on good terms with most human-centric nations, but were in almost ceaseless wars with most elves cus elves in my setting are dicks (except drow suprisingly). They also used halberds, and rode on the backs of aurochs and elephants.
I'm personally basing the continentally based Orcs in my world on the Pashtun culture largely due to the Pashtunwali, their code of conduct.
Another culture you can look at build use a template for Orcs can be the Picts, which were one of the native Celtic cultures of Scotland. The stereotypical Barbarian class, which orcs are usually placed in, actually has one of its archetypes pull from the Picts quite a bit, along with a few of the Barbarian's core mechanics. Speaking of Scandinavian cultures, which is often shorthanded to Viking culture despite it being a bit more diverse than that, a few Barbarian mechanics pull on that culture as well. The Part about Barbarians preferring to go without armor, and often getting a bonus because of this, actually pulls from a practice employed by the Pict warriors, while the mechanic of going into a "Berserker Rage" comes from the elite "Viking" warriors known as the Berserkers, who were known to willingly drive themselves is a maddened and frenzied rage which is known as a "Berserk Rage" and point of fact, we get the words Berserk and Berserker from these original terms.
If you look in the right places you can find the historical, and cultural, origins of almost anything in games like D&D.
Point of fact: the Banshee, Fomorian, and Firbolg all come from Irish culture but each in different ways. The Fomorians are ancient malicious creatures, often described as twisted and/or distorted giants that will sometimes have tremendously dangerous powers, and are referenced/mentioned quite a few times in The Book of Invasions, Ireland's lore about who came to settle the land. The Firbolg, also written Fir Bolg, are also mentioned in The Book of Invasions as one of the people's that settled Ireland, and their name means "men of the bag" or "people of the bag" depending on which translation you're going with but doesn't explain just how they got their name but it is believed that the name comes from either their time carrying heavy bags in the Mediterranian as slaves or because they returned to Ireland with bags of fertile soil which they then spread about the rocky and craggy grounds of Ireland. While the Banshee is engrained with Ireland's lore in a different way; in Irish lore, the Banshees are tied to specific noble houses, anywhere between 17 and 32 or some other seemingly odd number depending on which source you go with, and will only wail for the death of someone of that lineage, with only those of that bloodline having the ability to hear the wail of the banshee, with the added bonus of you hearing a banshee's wail and not dying by sunrise meaning that you will be the next fated to die within the week.
There is so much history and culture to be found in Races, Classes, Backgrounds, and Monsters.
Orcs doing the haka. Needs to happen. A horde of barbarian/bards doing that would scare the shit out of anyone. Dragons would soil their scales and flee.
Ork watches video intro: Oy Boss! this git here is mockin' us he is! // WarBoss: He wot?! Time for a Wagh me Boyz! Waaaagh!
4:40 I know it’s been done but what about Mongols? Tribalism and War culture. Living by the horse(or dire boar), seeing the animal as a symbol of freedom (or strength) and the nomadic lifestyle of their ancestors. I like imagining Orcs on the backs of direboars with halberds and huge 180 pound drawstrength hunting bows (the highest estimated for actual English long bows) but composite.
If you want to base your Orcs on Mongols, one could do far worse than to listen to Dan "Hardcore History" Carlin's take on the Mongols' explosion onto the world stage.
It's called "Wrath of the Khans".
Jayden Harrold,
Ordinarily, I avoid "pointing out" discrepancies... BUT ordinarily, those discrepancies are so easily understood by those who "have a lick of d*** sense"... SO here I am. (sorry?)
I think you intended the term "Composite" in regard to the Mongolian Bow of Choice. The terms are easy to casually swap-out, and it's most likely a "spell checker issue"... BUT the Compound Bow is a system of high-tension springs, cables, and pulleys that the Mongols didn't have access to. The Composite Bow, was so titled for being a composite material between thin layers of wood, oxen or other horn (mostly rendered to sinew) and primitive glue and lacquer for construction... which the Mongols made famous for it's clearly superior performance considering it's diminutive size... which allowed their archers to shoot actively while riding on horseback.
In any case (and for those who might come after my posting) it's just a tough call as to whether archery is avidly kept "alive" enough for more people to get the appropriate understanding rather than wondering how Mongols fashioned compound bows before they had proper ball-bearings (or rigidly suitable friction bushings?) for those pulleys. (lolz) ;o)
gnarth d'arkanen yes, I intended to say composite, I went back and fixed it. Thanks for pointing that out for me.
@@NamelessKing1597, lolz... Damn "spelling correct" anyways.
...oh yeah... ALWAYS welcome. ;o)
gnarth d'arkanen I’m gonna be honest with you, It wasn’t spellcheck, I just got the two mixed up.😂
I immediately fell in love with the concept of the Maori Orc. It fits my world perfectly because my orcs split into a more warlike tribe and peaceful tribe. Thank you so much for the idea.
Guy's sweet orcish haka definitely earned my like. I wish he was my GM IRL.
I found myself to redo Orcs for my campaign too :D
I think they are closest compared to Prussia Germany combined with the Charr from Guild Wars 2.
Additionally they are the first race to forge firearms in my campaignworld, I didnt flesh them out alot but those are the base ideas for them :D
In a home brew setting I used to run there was a country called Spenaro. A collection of city states in which gnomes and orcs allied in the past. Now they hold equal standing to the point that many important positions are performed by a pair (one orc, one gnome). They have a symbiotic relationship with one another.
One example that the players came across was the military. The gnomes typically took the more covert rolls, while the orcs the more direct. A musket line of gnomes can be shielded by a line of heavily armoured and shielded orcs while they reload.
Similarly the players dealt with some ambassadors on a diplomatic mission. The gnome was a fast talker, doing all the wheeling and dealing. While the orc sat back stoically, watching and listening. In game I gave the orc bonuses to perception based checks during interactions. Catching out players as they performed their ruses. This came as a surprise to players who assumed he was just a body guard.
I wasn't considering orcs as major players in my campaign world, however Japanese/samurai orcs are quite likely to make things very interesting.
My world has evolved and become more interesting, all due to watching a 15 min video.
😊 Thank you
I'm doing this with my campaign as well. The orcs are very civilised and are heavily based on the Japanese feudal system.
Honor and purity is key, to the point that half-orcs are considered automatically dishonorable. Half-orcs that don't serve a prominent Master are another step down the chain, "Ronin" types.
This is the kind of stuff I love to see in my campaigns. I feel too often we get entrenched in stereotypical mindsets of what fantasy elements are like. There are so, so many ways that we can make these elements stand out, while keeping what makes them cool intact.
I love orcs! Orcs in a world I ran were survivalists, eeking out a living from the harshest lands. They were sought after by other races as slaves, but their independent spirits were very hard to break and they would rise up at any opportunity.
Also, in Blizzard's MOBA Heros of the Storm a prominent orc character named Thrall does a haka as his dance emote.
French Condescending voice, Persian culture dress styled, nomadic sheep herding, mounted archer orcs. Thoughts?
I love orcs or orks, and blending socities in one game i ran the orcs had an empire modeled after rome, with a viking twist, were raiding and trading was just as important as having a standing army. Like Rome
The German pen&paper system _Das Schwarze Auge_ - known in the US as _The Dark Eye_ - actually has a somewhat large Ork kingdom in its world. The Orks actually used to be tribal, but moved away from pure tribalism by installing a kind of absolute theocracy on top of the traditional tribal structures in order to be able to maintain a larger empire. The tribes still exist, they just bow to a God-King who has proven himself by gathering them and leading them in a fairly successful holy war (called Orkensturm in-universe) against several human nations (although they ultimately only managed to fully conquer and hold one of them). One of the leader's first political moves after the war actually consisted of turning part of the Ork levies that were already raised for the war into a standing army fanatically loyal to him. So I think this is how an Ork empire could work. It has to evolve out of tribalism by gradually introducing more centralization, and having a leader who is a capable warlord, politically ambitious, and fanatically worshipped for religious reasons is a good way of doing that.
Seriously. Somebody introduce this man to shadiversity so that i can be positive which they are be it twins, clones, or brothers
I like the idea of Highland orcs. Get a group to take of their kilts and charge half naked down a hill at the players.
In our current round I'm playing a young half-orc barbarian who spent most of his life among an alternative type of Orc culture I brought to the round, the Naklah-Oruka. (Literally: Wild Orcs) Unlike the commonly known Orcs that form warbands and terrorize the civilization, these ones largely stuck to the deep lands, lived a nomadic lifestyle (until the world became too small) and had strong ties to nature and the spirit world and practicing ancestral worship. The GM and group seem to be into it.... It's a shame I didn't consider talking the GM into letting me play an actually neutral good orc. Uk-Oruka Shah!
Funny enough, when decided to write a new standard for all of my core races a few years back, I actually wrote the Orcs in as a combination of the Aztecs, Vikings, and Maori. The blend is quite amazing! I highly recommend you all trying it. Cool that Guy and myself had such similar taste on this subject!
Another amazing video. I've been asked by my group to use Celestials as antagonists for a good aligned campaign. A video on ways to use Celestials would be fantastic!
My twist on orcs in my homebrew world? They're mutated goblins.
Seriously. :)
Goblins in my world come in 2 main types: Treedwellers ("Greenskins") and Cavedwellers ("Grayskins"). Generally, goblins are tribal and more neutral-aligned in my world, preferring to be left alone, even though they are excellent craftsmen and would benefit from open trade/alliances with the "good" races. However, they can be coerced/forced into serving a great evil. One of those evils comes in the form of the orcs. About one in every 10-15 goblins grows up into being an orc, which are effectively bigger, stronger, and meaner than their cousins, always ambitious for power, money, and/or violence (not necessarily in that order). Unfortunately for the goblins, they can't tell a particular young goblin is actually an orc until they are nearly adults, by which point it's too late. The reason for these mutated goblins' existence has been lost to the Chaos Years, a largely-undocumented era that came before the current one (which is close to hitting the first millenium).
I actually ran a story arc years ago when the PCs met a particular cavedweller clan run by its shaman (an old, wise goblin who also sported some Druidic abilities and had a Displacer Beast pet) ever since the old chief died. A particular orc in the clan was gaining popularity due to his strength and ferocity, and although the shaman suspected that the orc was the reason the old chief died, he couldn't make any obvious moves against the orc since it would decimate the clan, both those that supported him and those that didn't. The PCs were asked to help when his protégé - an adopted and skilled forestdweller who was quite intelligent and made for a good leader - discovered that the orc had begun negotiations with a nearby pack of Krilloths (essentially gnolls, but with more of a cruel cunning) to aid in making the shaman give up the mantle of leadership to the orc. The ensuing events led to an all-out war, where the PCs led the vanguard against the orc and the krilloths, ultimately winning out and giving the orc a proper death by duel with their strongest warrior. It was quite fun to run, and the PCs had to flee the area when they found out that one of the krilloths in charge of the pack escaped and mounted an assassination attempt on them. That led to a whole chase sequence that ended up introducing them to a local ranger, who later turned out to be corrupted by evil and was the final boss of the story arc.
Weapon descriptions as well...
Weapons made from obsidian vs iron or stone can add a personality to the culture itself. The orc may perform the axe challenge with an obsidian weapon and call it the "the gift of the volcano". The reasoning can be as simple as when embraced... fire and death follows.
Can also be a natural sort of logical limiter/explanation of why the orcs aren't more of a threat. They're powerful fighters, but mostly fight with non-metallic weapons.
@@cattrucker8257, not so sure about that point... Particularly when equipping them with obsidian, you're equipping them with blades that can be sharpened to a function considerably more acute than steel.
*minor side point, current surgical companies put out obsidian-based scalpels which are sought-after for cosmetic surgeries BECAUSE they're so sharp and smooth that the scarring is considerably less than conventional steel utensils.
SO, the only "drawback" would be the requirement to make those obsidian blades as quickly and simply replaceable as possible, since the other drawback is that obsidian tends to break with the abuses of battle, so even the heavier weapons will wear down quickly... and splinters and fragments left behind in "hits" would cause further ailment and agonizing pain until a proper surgeon could extract it, posing threat to himself/herself in the process.
No, I'm gonna stand by the "you probably don't want to mess with a thousand or so of those guys", myself... keeping in mind the "IRL" rarity and price of plate armor. ;o)
@@gnarthdarkanen7464 That drawback is sufficient to render them "limited". Likewise, hypersharpness doesn't do much against any armor that is built to deflect slashing attacks - which is most of it, and brittleness ensures their blades would break on any surface harder than skin or leather and suffer significant damage on impact in general where metals would only dull.
You don't want to mess with a thousand of anyone, be it rats, orcs or level 1 commoners.
@@cattrucker8257(note... with tongue firmly in cheek)
"Limited" is an endearing term of a dubiously relative nature... Such was my point.
Having some experience in primitive weapons (design, build, test... occasionally sales) a bit of "jointery" applied, and at least in terms of leather or leather-related "hybrids" of armor would still give cause to be hesitant in the scale of a noble or captain(s) at arms...
AND it's worth note, obsidian is still geological, meaning the impurities of volcanic glass can give it impressive weight... so sharp or shards, being hit is still a b***h.
...and never forget the LOLZ. ;o)
@@gnarthdarkanen7464 Considering it's being wielded by a huge orc, anything in this case should give pause to anyone who isn't riding a dragon flying overhead or similar. Not saying it to denigrate your area of preference at all, just pointing out that it doesn't truly break my point. Different kinds of stone and other natural materials are still a "best they can find" situation compared to full-blown craftsmanship industries.
I had a campaign running around a huge Orcinvasion, where every tribe has other background, some was Irokesian, Mongolien and Viking like. It was really nice, because the players (Paladin and priests) has to chose a site, and becom more in contact to the cultures.. It was also a fun to mastering...
I like to think orcs as ancient grecs like culture organised in tribes (like cities) that often challenge each other (military or via Shaman trials for exemple). I often paint them as defender of the natural order so they are the first to move at the first sight of a demon lord/ lich king.
I once did a mix of all 3 before. Sea fearing, honor bound, and they did the dance before the fight. They also would wear skins on them of their best hunt. One could wear a troll head helmet. While another one is wearing a bear pelt. One was also using a mammoth tibia as a club. I found it gave them a lot of flavor and my players greatly enjoyed all the different, and often silly things they would wear.
I'm a bit surprised you didn't include the Mongolian's, a Golden Horde influenced tribal group of Orcs is appealing to me. Possibly including the Goblinoid races as a massive Horde (I naturally think toward the Red Hand of Doom for inspiration). I've really been trying to draw inspiration from existing cultures into my fantasy races, such as Goblins speaking Afrikaans, and Welsh Elves.
The Mongols tended to conquer and absorb countries, so it's only fair that Orc-Mongols would amass armies of every race. A few legions of Goblinoids here, and few battalions of Humans there. Even companies of Halflings or Wood Elf archers.
Then again, so did the Romans. Hmm...
In spite of their reputation, vikings were also prolific traders. I could see a ship full of Orc warrior-merchants landing with exotic goods. Good luck to any pirate that wish to plunder their treasure.
In my most recent Campaign, I adapted Orcs into a sort of nomadic Samurai-esque culture of renowned warrior-scholars, Orcs being the original Knights of the empire that my Campaign is set in. When people think of orcs in my setting they are poets, learned men, monks, and protectors of the people. They are seen as insurmountable warriors for whom children of many races look up to and aspire to be like. And unlike most tropes, the Orcs of my setting hate Goblins, are considered the closest allies of the dwarves, and are seen as well as skilled traders, musicians, and diplomats.
How about Fair Orcs/ Less Monstrous Orcs with a culture and language similar to the Gauls?
Other considerations to consider are environment and whether differences exist between orcish groups.
Environments can effect greatly a culture's outlook. A harsh, bleak mountainous landscape will ingrain a certain necessary toughness and pessimism while lush fertile lands will bolster a hardy, optimistic folk. If resources are scarce, then a people might be more prone to raiding or use what they have wisely and frugelly or a mix of both (side note: Japan and Scandinavian countries are known for having very poor iron deposits). Where as if an orcish tribe sits along vital trade route, they could be keen on raiding caravans or demand tribute from the passing merchants. And depending on their means of lively hood, orcs will either stay put (farmers/landowners) or be nomadic (herdsmen).
Another thing you can is make each orcish group a little different. A good example would be the first nations of North America. While there are vague similarities (counting coup, stealth and guerrilla tactics, an almost religious respect for elders, Custer jokes, and drum music being "chief" among them (gotta have some pun in life)). There are, however, radical differences within each tribe, sometimes within the same geographic region. Tribes of the North West region are skilled fishermen while tribes of the Great Plains are skilled horsemen. And this just the tip of the iceberg.
I've been working on my own Orcish twist in my world - I based them loosely on the nomadic steppe tribes of Central Asia, a la the Mongols. It gives them a bit of a more lawful edge I suppose, and are more capable of trade than just a raving band of berserkers. I also repurposed a myth where the orcs worship centaurs and believe they're descended from evil centaurs that began to follow Gruumsh instead of Pelor. As punishment, Pelor cut the evil centaurs in two, transforming them into orcs and normal horses. Because of this, orcs believe that they are most powerful on horseback as one cohesive unit.
Thats dope as hell
In my world goblinoids and orks all originate from a form of hobgoblin. This original form was in fact quite civilised and were the most talented builders in the world (somewhat inspired by the ogier) until when magic entered the world most of their species died, went mad, or were corrupted splitting into goblins, bugbears, and orks. Few hobgoblins remained and they had become lesser than they once were and so they retreated into a small area of their land leaving the rest to be destroyed by their mad and twisted kin. Those who were twisted became some degree of feral, with bugbears becoming much more animalistic, orks becoming vengeful and obsessed with destruction, and goblins becoming spiteful, cowardly and stunted creatures. Over time other races began to colonise former hobgoblin land and drove the goblinoids back, unknowingly pushing them into the remaining hobgoblins. This forced the hobgoblins to adopt a more harsh martial lifestyle and also gave the twisted ones an enemy to turn their anger on.
Slowly over time the twisted are regaining their intelligence (for better or for worse) leading to a sort of lost culture of the orks etc mostly forgotten or abandoned. On top of this, the campaign generally starts about 100-200 years after the last holds of the goblinoids have been destroyed by humans forcing all the goblinoids together into one loosely cohesive band that seeks to reclaim their lost homeland in a desperate bid to avoid extinction
Many years ago our campaign setting was invaded by Roman Orcs for a year or two. Units of Roman Orc legionnaires. Without any special rules they were shockingly effective but, as soon as the gm gave them one or two special rules to reinforce their fearsome reputation they fell into ineptitude.
A kind of 'orc' (haven't thought up a proper name for them yet) I thought up was a kind that didn't just enjoy fighting and being warriors, but conflict in general. The idea was inspired by the orc/orks from Warhammer, and a desire to diversify their potential goals/characters from always being barbarian pillagers, though there's other ideas in there as well.
TL:DR: they are immortal 'orcs' who have respawn points (that can be cleared out) who love conflicts in all it's forms, both subtle and overt - they can be your typical orcish nuisance, forming raiding gangs that are a constant nuisance and in large numbers, a huge threat, to someone who will always try to debate politics, morals and religion with everyone they meet; and will keep trying to do it no matter how many times you shoot them, and will actively enjoy figuring out how to get past your immense retinue of guards to ask 'to be or not to be, that is the question.' And some can be particularly harsh (or gentle) critics who enjoy when they are challenged.
Anyway, they were created after the god of conflict, Ectnokzamge (I forget if there was any meaning to the name), shattered themselves as essentially no one wanted to fight them one day; they were bored, so started fighting themself, resulting in purposefully or accidentally fracturing the soul stuff that made them up. Each bit formed their own different consciousness that shared their originators love of conflict. Not just the violent kind, any kind - as an example, I wrote a little scene that include three characters that were these shards. They were all mercenaries, but had interests beyond fighting - one always kept a keen eye out for where the markets were to engage in haggling and bartering. Another is a craftsmen, and enjoys seeing, criticizing and attempting to compose stage plays. The third takes an interest in logistical concerns and tackling the issue of keeping all of their affairs in order and seeing they are on the desired track.
Eventually, they figured out they were capable of entering the physical world by possessing parts of a certain type of aggressive weed (typically refereed to as 'War-Weed') associated with Ectnokzamge, which they create bodies out of and go and have a jolly old time. When physically manifested as such, their bodies take on gorilla or boar-like features as hold overs from the god that spawned them, and a symbol of what they are, though they can pretty much be anything as long as it doesn't collapse in on itself and can sort of function. If their manifested body fails them, they can just make a new one at the closest patch of war-weed, making them essentially respawn points for them. This renders them immortal, and a potentially eternal nuisance/threat.
A few cultures I've used in combination with orcs are Hunnic steppe empire and a heavily romantecized feudel japan warrior culture.
My plan for Orcs, and many other monster species is to associate them with one of the mortal sins, being originally other creatures (humans, dwarfs elves etc.) who've gone off the deep end. Much like the Dragon Fafnir in the Nibelungen Saga who used to be a Dwarf who succumbed to overwhelming greed and avarice.
Orcs would be creatures born of wrath (wroth): marauding deserters and the most brutal of brigands driven mad by an inhuman acceptance of anger and conflict, so much so that only destruction and violence is on their mind. Imagine the Night's Watch deserters at Craster's Keep in Game of Thrones but way, way worse. Those guys were basically Orcs, especially their leader.
Any half-Orc would be an Orc-in-the-making who is still somewhat redeemable or has even managed to pause/halt their descent into complete and utter murderous ever-rage (or an Orc who somehow managed to "snap out of it"). On the mend? maybe, but their path is precarious and a lingering bloodlust is always right under the surface with these creatures.
The association with sin can be just an in-universe thing that human (religious/scientific) authorities have thought up as explanation though. In any case, it beats the "fungus-people" explanation, draws from Tolkien's view but also represents the Enemy Within Mankind's Psyche, for any person in that world has the potential to become an Orc (wroth), Dragon (greed), Chimera (lust), Goblin (envy), Flailsnail (sloth) or Ogre (Gluttony) if they give in to the most extreme of excesses too often, too much.
Your Te-Reo pronunciation was great , although one minor error, the Moriori are still alive today, they were integrated into the invading tribe, Maori integrated when possible, much like the Vikings
Oh my god. Guy. The orcs I have started creating for my world, inspired by your campaign creator videos, we’re going to be a mix between Vikings and the Maori warriors. Did I preemptively read your mind or was it just kind of obvious? Who knows.
Once had a Canadian Orc for a campaign, (totally friendly and pacifist) the PC’s were tricked into stealing a magic item being kept in a vault the Orc was guarding (and was on his last shift before retirement). He left behind his wife and two kids, Giblets Jr. and Jiblets Goonyer
Lol
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think some D&D settings also had orcs as grey-skinned - I've seen some die-hard "purists" of that. Me, I'm omnivorous - I'm used to orcs being all sorts of shades, but greens, greys and browns are the most common.
Personally, I'd love to see more settings with non-tribal orcs. Still, well, orc-y, but happening to possess a much more "refined" culture.
I've seen descriptions with all those colors. Also 1e and 2e they actually had pig heads.
Check out spelljammer's scro. They are orc's that are very disciplined.
Spelljammer.org has a good database.
@@DMXXCorps Literally "orcs" but backwards, kek. But yes, at the very least some people go forward with implementing that, and that's good. More variance is sweet.
Orcs seem like they would be based off gladiators, Vikings and a blend of other cultures. Maybe even modern American culture to a degree in terms of military pride and given that the divisiveness of modern culture brings out a penchant for violence.
Not trying to bring up politics, but given how certain groups are proned to group think would be a good way to adapt modern culture to a degree when it comes to orcs.
In my primary world Orc society is not based on combat but more accurately confrontation. Now often this boils over into combat, but more often things are decided by trial by contest, an "apprentice" Orc smithy must prove themselves in contest vs. other "apprentices" within the tribe before advancing to "journeyman" and to achieve the rights of a smith must better a full smith in contest. To take a mate an Orc male must prove himself in contest vs. the female, or her holder (father, owner, uncle, etc.), this may be in a fight, sport, raiding party, or any contest specified by the holder. Over time this has led other societies to believe that the Orcs are brutal and combative by others when their lives are determined by having to prove themselves in everything their entire lives.
Well, what I am currently working on is that Orks are just half goblins (human mother?). Goblins are childish in intelligence, so I let that carry over, and added a slow ability to learn new things, leaving with a very intelligent dog like creature that, due to a dramatically increased strength due to mix of goblinoid and human heritage. I also made it so that the “domesticated” ones were used like wardogs, with them being sent in as shock troops to drain enemy moral. The feral ones were just like stereotypical wild men. And Ogres were just Orks with a genetic defect that made them taller and more aggressive, and, when they eat meat for the first time, will only eat meat from then on.
Sweet Haka, Guy! Brilliant! :)
I find out of your three culture choices, Maori would probably fit Orcs the best. Aztec Warriors used speed and stealth to "kill like eagles and jaguars". I'm not saying Orcs aren't capable of such, but their large, muscular forms seem less agile then let's say Elves, which would fit Aztec well. Vikings is a good pick, but again, Maori just trumps the other two choices. Just my opinion.
Love your content, dude. Speaking of Elves, let's see some ways you can spice them up and pull them out of their stereotype. Aztec Elves? Japanese Elves? Apache Elves? I'm sure the possibilities are endless. :)
We just made orcs hyper optimised for long journeys with an overarching themes of bearing burdens together, so while yes there are some raider tribes most are merchant nomads that cause most of the cross pollination between cultures and who's own tribe thrives on helping one another, be it with lifting a load, hunting a meal or raising a child.
I've actually thought about the Maori theme for orcs. How cool would it be if you began an encounter with an orc war-drummer (bard/paladin) leading a war band in a haka to honor their god(s). I think it would make for some really cool large scale encounters.
In Khans of Tarkir, a Magic the Gathering expansion, Orcs came from a heavily Mongol-inspired culture, and some defectors fled to a more Ottoman-inspired one.
My orcs are always nomadic, it is buried deep in their instinct. This does not mean they are monocultured by any means however. Plains/steppe orcs are horse nomads similar to north/central Asian cultures. Hill orcs are foot based pastoral nomads, similar to many ‘hill peoples’ found around the world. Sea orcs live almost exclusively on boats, based on groups like sea gypsies, and are known as traders as much as pirates/raiders.
In the world I'm currently working on, my orcs take much inspiration from the Roman Empire and the Covenant from Halo. In terms of culture, architecture, and military appearance/tactics, they reassemble the Roman's. But their history mirrors the Covenant's Elites in the sense that they were a once a proud and honorable people who gave into the will of self proclaimed gods, thus deforming them into the tusked brutes we normally know them as. To the outside world, the orcs are ravenous monsters who fell from the path of righteousness. Of course, to the Orcs, they are still the pinochle of civilization.
In one of my old campaigns I made an Orc body-art tribe! the party didn't expect that :P
I'm glad that someone else thinks that Orcs would have great Viking based cultures!
Great intro to another great video Guy!! And I say a thousand thanks to your patreons for this video idea!
Can you do one on Elves? I feel like it's a lot easier to fall into the run of the mill "Elves are superhuman Adonises or Aphrodites that are just better at everything and love trees" kind of characterization.
You should do 40k Orcs, where they believe that different colors give different abilities.
-red: add 10' to their base speed
-yellow: increases pyromancy spells/effects
-blue: +2 on saving throws
-white: immune to fear spells
-black: +2 to AC
-purple: +2 to stealth checks
-black/white checker board pattern: +2 to strength
Now, to make sure the powers work, at least 50% of the Orc has to be that color; of course that means colors can be mixed and matched, depending on the individual Orc.
Red means i go fasta
A handshake actually symbolises peaceful intent by showing that your hand holds no weapon. Originally you shouldn't even shake anyone's hand unless you're unarmed. Shaking someones hand with even a sheathed sword wasn't something you should do.
Though I believe you could still shake hands whilst carrying a dagger (but not holding one). As daggers weren't thought of in the same way we do today. It was a common day to day tool for pretty much everyone back then. Even children carried them.
Oddly enough my orcs (well the greatest tribe) is a mash of Maori, Viking, and Chinese.
As a westerner, I can understand the viking perspective. I've read a bit about the Maori and got a general understanding... But the Chinese! Would you mind elaborating please! :D
@@Hablagrabla it's a bit more aesthetic if given the time to build larger buildings it's the curved roof and. Also death before betrayal/ dishonor. So I guess feudal China. I could also be thinking japan I failed social studies.
@@allycard No worries! Ideas before Ideologies! I like it! I'll consider it for my next character! I love orcs and also to develop them!
Some thoughts
Just like the Orcs are a (particularly altered) interpretation of the goblins and similar creatures of European mythology, different interpretations of Orcs could be influenced by the different bestial ogresque figures of other mythologies? I've been toying with this idea of orcs co-evolving alongside humans, in their own migration patterns, and they have their own different cultures that interact with humans. Eg the orcs in the fantasy world's east asia have these bony ridges in their skulls and have their skins dyed blue by the textiles they work with, so they resemble oni of Japanese mythology; the orcs of fantasy Africa ritually embellish their teeth with wrought-iron and their skin is leathery and red, making them resemble the Asasabonsam of Akan folklore. I think most cultures have at least a few myths of their own that could stretch to cover the broadest versions of your Big Fantasy Races, so you could do this most anywhere I imagine.
Another angle I've been toying with is: not a lot of people use the Tolkien interpretation of Orcs as augmented, warped elves, and I think there's a lot of potential there. Imagine if eons ago, there was some civil war between elves that would go on to divide High Elf from Wood Elf from Drow, and the Orcs were basically a failed supersoldier program, the orcs wandering the world now the result of basically "High Fantasy Jacob's Ladder", cursed to a life of agony as a living weapon without a wielder, mindlessly destroying as the mutations and alchemical augments continue to strip away their humanity (elf...manity)
I'm making a setting where titanic dragons sponsor noble houses and one is a house of orcs and goblins. This noble house is best described as Aztec meets Bayo Businessmen. Why, they're proper polite, until you're rude. Then come the not so subtle threats with not so little axes while a not so subtle smell of acid starts poking it's way in. An apology gets all these put away, continuing rudeness gets these things used until an apology or restitution is made. They're proper insular and never leave their swamp homelands... but the orcs and goblins that do are considered heretic and they've got a bounty of their own on these bastards. They need a proper ceremony to leave the swamp without loosing their noble nature, of course a successful return of such a scion is welcomed with a feast where a quick hunt has the heart of the prey burned on the alter of the dragon before the true feast can begin.
I Wonce had an Orc Race based on Feudal era Japan Had a lot of fun with that one
I kind have setting/nation similarly a-typical I want to use for a campaign, six generations ago there were a lot of tribes that were stereotypical orcs, Mercenary Commander returns to his lands with his band unites and civilizes his lands even killing their old gods who were pissed that they weren't getting their usual "Tribute" Klingon Style. Now it's small empire expanding with trade and unification of straggling tribes on their borders, run by a meritocratic royal family and the regional religion is that their ancestors who slew their former gods split the power to all attain godhood upon death. The character in question for said setting the 3rd Heir to the throne, extremely principled, mathematically and trade minded, combat/field engineer in charge of his branch the engineers guild. Basically very reasonable, but in no way above throwing down if he has to.
Love this my next game with orcs was going to do Maori. Then I saw this- thumbs up.
" the summoner" series used Aztec like orcs very well, they had obsidian swords, death whistles , and there demons were somewhat inspired by Aztec culture
in my game, I made Orcs more similar to Mongols as how they lived but I added some traits.. tribal, religion based on the cult of ancestors, honor based society, and mostly they were not the main enemy
So many good ideas! Thanks!
Shadow of mordor/war made orcs super interesting by giving them different tribes,titles,hierarchy,and unique personalities
Best intro ever!!
I know the picture you used in the background. It’s an Australian re-enactment group. They are great
My players have just come into a huge orc metropolis. Exited about this video.
Great ideas! I love them all!
What about of Fuedal Japan? The samurai and their shogunate just fought for hundreds of years where they just kept killing eachother in one little island.
Hm, frankly, I was somewhat irritated when I encountered my first Orcs because the Orks in the system I started playing are humanoids of stocky build with dense black medium length fur and a rich culture to them. Even if they are a bit brutal but that is a cultural thing. The only thing in common was the dental setup, meaning the elongated and prominent fangs.
A friend once said our orks are just another form of a human, a much more open one, using fewer masks and accepting of what they are.
Well, that friend was an Elf and to them, the difference between a human and an ork is not that much. Barbarians, all of them. (yes, I'm an Elf but what makes you think that mattes ;-))
Totally stealing that axe idea!
This reminds me of the Urguls from the Inheritance book series who explore this kindof warrior culture and the problems with it.
I'd forgotten about that arc
What would be good for urban orcs? I'm prepping a campaign that takes place in a large city (by medieval standards. About average by modern standards) and orcs seem like they'd be good grunts for a crime syndicate or even strong cannon fodder for the empires military if they could recruit them, but the typical nomadic raider culture doesn't really fit a city setting.
Great video and some interesting discussion!!!
eh... FOR whatever it's worth...
I have an RPG world big enough for a primitive sort of "Dark Sun"-esque territory. It's not quite as dour as the "conventional" Dark Sun campaign settings... more like a hybridized version for those not quite yet familiar with "the real deal" because it's a pretty crude and rude awakening to take noob's into Dark Sun straight off... (lolz)
SO... At least a few tribes of my Orcs are desert nomads, complete with the durability to survive the kinds of mistakes it takes to LEARN the deserts and sandy terrain like no other beings on two feet. They're culturally based on Romani, only a somewhat dubiously "more rough hewn" or "primitive" in their stylings...
They're among the most highly sought-after and highest prized among "guides", though they're capacity to thrive where NOBODY else manages much more than struggling survival makes them less trusted and often misunderstood. ;o)
im currently trying to create a tribe of orcs who follow a great demonic being who wants to become a god, the orcs are less brutish warriors and range from berserker wizards to cleric druids (the lands have also become twisted, thus even druids who worship the land are under the demonic being) i think a lovecraftian orc civilization might be very interesting. i'm keeping the british accent though, because lovecraft always sounds better in British to me, and they seek to capture rather than kill, because their demonic god needs a host whos body doesnt deteriorate quickly.
I would add to this list the chinese and japanese culture for interesting ways to portrait the orc. In both you have this focus on culture and society. To be a samurai you had to be as good in fighting than in art and inteligence otherwise you were called a barbarian. So it could be interesting to play for example an orc barbarian who has to perform rituals to show that you are not a beserk. Or you look at the chinese novels about the three kingdoms where you have the emotion-driven characters...
This man's intro nearly scared me into building a human fighter 0_0
I'm working on incorporating a hobgoblin empire that is very much a clone of the roman empire, called the Rowan empire (my players like humor like that). I wanted to make the orcs in the world like the Britannia tribes. The major thing this does is it lets me make the orcs the underdogs; they are trying desperately to combat a greater, more threatening force. It has already been established in the world that the orcs are known as roaming barbarians who have settled in lands to the northeast, where my players are heading. I'll try to make the Orcs more traditional, revering their ancestors kinda like the orcs in World of Warcraft. Rather than the cliched hide and war paints, I was also going to make a point that they all wear rough spun cloth clothing and only the religious leaders wear the pelts. Rather than the war loving barbarians the players believe them to be, they are a simple people looking for a home in a world that has no love for them. Not sure how they'll react to the players (especially with one of them being a former rowan centurion), but I think it will be an interesting deviation while still feeling familiar.
Really interesting video, Id love to hear your take on a few other less common races like Tieflings,
Orkz! Orkz! Orkz!
HAHAHAHAH that intro 😍😍😍
personally, i've always been partial to having the orcs being culturally similar to the mongols.
Orcs in Warcraft are greenskinned because they're corrupted by demon blood (not fungi, but still corrupted). Later on there's some addition to the lore that they're actually originally reddish-brown skinned, those are the noble warriors and tender ones. I dunno if this dichotomy works in favor of the depiction of a orc race with depth though,...
Interestingly I have never thought about the possibility of Viking orcs...or maybe Mongol orcs? I feel like the whole wild pillaging thing orcs do is more or less modeled after the Mongol. But then we rarely see orcs being truly nomadic, like, does anyone ever depict orcs keeping herds of sheeps and cattles?... Need to explore that!
To paraphrase GURPS Fantasy Folk: Orcs have long been the cannon fodder of fantasy gaming. Well, it's a dirty job, but somebody has to do it.
I've tried to create a campaign world that treats the major "monster" humanoid races as fully fledged societies of their own. Generally enemies of the typical humans, dwarves, elves, etc yes, but also actual players in history, culture, and politics.
Part of this is that among the orcs there are four major cultures/nations on the main continent as well as numerous smaller populations. The eastern orcs are religious fanatics awaiting the return of their Chosen One. The northern are like the Cimerians of Conan stories. The western are the most typical as badlands raiders, but with the dial turned up to 11. And the southern are now one full generation into building a proper kingdom with laws, infrastructure, trade, diplomacy, et all.
Aren't Orc's based off of the ancient Mongols?
I looked up Mongolia & came up with some fun ideas for Orc characters: Orc Monks, Shamans & Horseback riding Archers.
Orcs who are Buddhist & know many different fighting styles including Mixed Martial arts & Wrestling.
Orc Hockey Players (Bandy).
Orc Eagle Humters
Nomadic Orcs who eat Steamed Dumplings full of Meat & some veggies / spices (sparse) & lots of Dairy
What do you guys think?
Guy, you may enjoy the warcraft book lord of the clan. It shows an interesting take on the warcraft orc's tribal culture and religion.
In a world I'm creating, I'm mixing the orc societies a bit by making them a mix of viking and roman cultures. In fights and wars orc in my world they have the tenacity of vikings, but the sophistication and tactical might of roman Spartans.
I can't contribute anything quite as creative as what others have said, but my bf (who I run for) is very opinionated on the fact that orc/ork *must* be spelt with a K, and since i'm actually kinda fond of spelling it Orc (looks less try-hardy in my opinion) I made it so that two large, nation-sized tribes of them met and got along great (even wanting to join one another and intermarry and everything) until they discovered how the other tribe spelled ork/orc and have been 'at war' over it since. (Can't decide what kind of war though.)
Nice Haka dance.
I like the idea of boat based orks
I watched this while preparing my Posh Orc that doesn't speak Orcish, refuses to eat with his hands and only uses the finest silver, and liked to knit.
Interestingly enough, the Orcs in the LotR movies were mostly played by Maori.
Not fair, I had just the same idea to use the Maori tribe culture for the orcs in my new campain (starting soon, hope they like it, build the entire land the size of europe myself). Hope my players don't think I got the orc idea from here ...
I think it would be cool if my Orcs encounter an enemy (one-on-one or so - not an army), they throw down a dagger for the enemy to use so there is no reason not to attack as their enemy is armed.
How about organized Spartan-like orcs and Viking-like orcs? Now there is an army and gathering of orcs that could be feared and admired. All these new fantasy stories like to have humans and elves be so brutal and mean. Might as well have them be the invading villains for once.