The compleat Orc

Orcs are a staple of fantasy rather like Pizza and Coke are for players. That said they are much maligned and misunderstood mainly due to the influence of the 'Other Game'.

What are orcs?

Anyways Orcs are perverted Elves. Well, what does that mean?

Orcs get to be everything elves are not. Where an elf lives in harmony with nature the orc sees it as a set of resources to be exploited. An elf is almost immortal while the orc's few decades give it a sort of frenzied desperation. In short, an orc is a quantity over quality species.

Orc culture is just like them, nasty, brutish and short. Their rapid reproductive cycle means an area with orcs will rapidly overpopulate and need to expand elsewhere. They are master industrialists, an orc encampment will feature mines, smithies, logging operations, furnaces and tanneries dedicated to churning out material for their next up-coming conquest.

This industry makes orcs naturals for skills like mechanician, weaponsmith and armourer. However exceptional weapons are very rare birds indeed, Why muck about for weeks producing a single master weapon when you could make a score of simpler, yet still functional ones in the same time.

The same goes for mages. Orcs like direct results over subtlety. Colleges with blast spells are preferred to those without. Orcs have an affinity for the Fire and Necromantic colleges with Witchcraft running a close third.

The orcoids

There are many other strange creatures living on the fringes of orc society. Gnolls, goblins, hobgoblins are mainly results of the orcish ability to breed with anything. These creatures share many of the tendencies of their parent culture, that is to say orcish. Unsurprisingly hybrids found in other societies are quickly euthanised.

Orc Archetypes

Note that the value in NA includes any armour listed as worn.

Scout/Irregular

Often found at the periphery of an advancing horde, scouts are trained to seek out the lay of the land and any potential resources. A scout group will not be larger than 10. Scouts are often young, weaker or otherwise unproven members of orc society.

PS:	15	MD:	17	AG:	12/9	MA:	10	EN:	12	FT:	19
WP:	10	PC:	8	PB:	yuk!	TMR:	4	NA:	5

MR 30

Equipment & Skills

Short Bow (Rk 2), Hard leather, Short sword (Rk 2)

Ranger U-1

Crossbowman

The crossbow and in particular, the arbalest is a weapon one could say was designed for the orc psyche. It is a weapon suited to mass production and quick training. Orc shooters are too be feared. They are particularly adept at finding the gaps in even the heaviest of armours.

PS:	20	MD:	18	AG:	12/7	MA:	10	EN:	15	FT:	21
WP:	10	PC:	10	PB:	yuk!	TMR:	3	NA:	7

MR 30

Equipment & Skills

Heavy X Bow (Rk 3), Battle axe (Rk 2), Chain armour

Heavy Infantry

The backbone of any orc force is their seemingly limitless numbers of heavy infantry. This is where the orc obsession with industry shows fruit. While other races may look down on orc arms and armour they are nevertheless very effective.

PS:	22	MD:	18	AG:	14/8	MA:	10	EN:	18	FT:	22
WP:	10	PC:	12	PB:	yuk!	TMR:	3	NA:	9

MR 30

Equipment & Skills

Pike or Glaive (Rk 3), Short sword (Rk 2), Full plate armour

Medium Infantry

Not every orc is a massive monster able to carry a giant pole arm into battle. Such lighter orcs are pressed into service as medium infantry.

PS:	16	MD:	18/15	AG:	12/7	MA:	10	EN:	15	FT:	21
WP:	10	PC:	12	PB:	yuk!	TMR:	3	NA:	7

MR 30

Equipment & Skills

LR Shield (Rk3), Spear or Broadsword (Rk3), Partial plate armour

Riders

Using small horses or giant wolves orcish riders are feared skirmishing elements. They are popular for the 'orcish shot', where the rider fires backwards off their mount while seeming to flee. Orcish mounts are also rugged beasts selected for endurance. If human or elven cavalry are unable to catch orcish riders then eventually the beasts run rings round the exhausted opponents.

PS:	16	MD:	21	AG:	14	MA:	10	EN:	15	FT:	21
WP:	12	PC:	10	PB:	yuk!	TMR:	12	NA:	7

MR 32

Equipment & Skills

Comp Bow (Rk 3), Lance (Rk 2), Sabre (Rk 2), Chain armour

Dark Guard

Orcs often find themselves in the service of charismatic leaders with delusions of grandeur. The Dark Guard are elite bodyguards who exist to protect their charges. Dark Guardsmen are also often assigned to mages or used as enforcer units to keep the auxiliaries in line.

PS:	24	MD:	20	AG:	15/10	MA:	10	EN:	21	FT:	23
WP:	14	PC:	12	PB:	yuk!	TMR:	4	NA:	10

MR 34

Equipment & Skills

Great axe (Rk 4), Heavy plate armour

Dragoons

Many orcs capture and raise wyverns for use as fighting steeds. So successful has the breeding program been that orcish wyverns are much bigger and more dangerous than those found in the wild. Still, they are dangerous and temperamental beasts.

PS:	20	MD:	20	AG:	18	MA:	10	EN:	21	FT:	22
WP:	14	PC:	15	PB:	yuk!	TMR:	10/20F	NA:	10

MR 34

Equipment & Skills

Lance (Rk 5), B.Axe (Rk 4), X-Bow (Rk 3), Heavy plate armour

Orc wyvern (2 hex)

PS:	50	MD:	12	AG:	15	MA:	-	EN:	30	FT:	35
WP:	12	PC:	20	PB:	6	TMR:	10/20F	NA:	8

MR 12

Weapons

Bite Rk 2 BC 70 D+6 A war wyvern may bite as an extended range attack or into it's flank hexes.

Claw Rk 1 BC 66 D+4 Melee and close

Tail Rk 4 BC 90 D+2 Poison does D-2 EN damage for EN check pulses. The tail strikes into rear hexes as an extended weapon or the flank hexes.

When stunned/feared the tail will attempt to strike a random target.

Goblin Skirmishers

Cowardly, weak and none too bright, goblins can nevertheless be easily raised in massive numbers. Oft times goblins will have 'enforcers' with them who have orders to slay any retreating gobbo. Fear of enforcers, numbers and a frenzied determination can make goblins a potent force.

PS:	10	MD:	15	AG:	10	MA:	13	EN:	10	FT:	15
WP:	9	PC:	12	PB:	yuk!	TMR:	3	NA:	2

MR 29

Equipment & Skills

Sling (R2), Daggers (R1), cloth armour

Gnoll Archers

Occasionally philosophers have pondered what orcs breed with to make gnolls. Most give up as the answers uncovered are too disgusting to contemplate, let alone write down. A gnoll is however of perfect height and build to use massive war bows. A squad of gnolls is a menace to even the most heavily armed opponent.

PS:	21	MD:	18	AG:	13	MA:	2	EN:	15	FT:	22
WP:	11	PC:	15	PB:	7	TMR:	4	NA:	7/2

MR 31

Equipment & Skills

Longbow (Rk 3), Falchion (Rk 3), War club (Rk 2), Scale armour or Brigadine

For the curious: A Gnoll is a big dog-faced orc. Orcs keep wolves. Wolves are furry, and warm, and like to lick most things. Wolves are loyal and hardy.