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Orcs

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Orcs are creatures of destruction. They live to break things down, and so it is with great difficulty that a master of Orcs must gather the tribes together and form a city. They care little for magic, but prefer to trust in the power of cruelty and strength. Orcs hate things of beauty, unless that thing is cruel. When bored, they will just as readily destroy themselves as any particular race, but as a result, they are efficient workers when organized by powerful leaders, and they are accustomed to working under duress of harsh taskmasters.
OrcIcon
--The Tome of Wonders

Summary[]

Orcs favor the direct approach: They are stronger in Physical Damage melee than other races, have more Hit Points hit points, and enjoy fighting such that the sheer thrill of victory can cause them to regenerate health. In fact, some of their melee units enjoy fighting so much that they are able to tirelessly strike back at all comers without forfeiting the ability to press their own attack. On the other hand, they field poor archers (the razorbow is only remarkable for a chance to inflict additional damage over time), and are more vulnerable than most to magic – particularly their elite Shock Troopers, which are otherwise probably the toughest of the racial special units in a straight-up fight. Their Black Knight cavalry is infamous for their skill at dispatching enemy cavalry, and their Spearmen irregulars more than make up for their lack of ranged accuracy through their mobility and the greater durability granted to them through their shields. Their Priests provide little direct support to their allies, but are masters of dark magic, able to curse their foes from a considerable distance. They prefer barren tropical and subterranean regions, but are noteworthy as being able to survive in blighted regions better than most, although they are still not entirely at home there.

Class Synergies[]

Orcs, surprisingly, make excellent Theocrats – tireless orc Crusaders can make some of the toughest troops around, and the Theocrat can grant orcs a resistance to non-physical attacks they otherwise lack. They can also serve well for Dreadnoughts – many of their troops are armored, and the reduced accuracy of orcs matters little with massed volleys of musket fire or the larger dreadnought war machines. Orc Warlords can reinforce many of the traditional strengths of the orcs, but can lack flexibility when brute force isn’t the answer.

Tactics[]

Orcs are the melee powerhouses of the game with higher health and melee damage. They do suffer from a weaker ranged attack penalty and lower resistance than other races, but this is allowed for in their troops with the archer units being used to inflict bleeding wounds so that the melee units can clear them up faster.

Orcs are mostly generalists besides their preference for melee combat, with competent ability to use both overground and underground expansion strategies without much worry. Their higher health means that they are much more resistant to damage over time effects and this should be accounted for when fighting them, but if you manage to slow their powerful melee units you can be sure of victory without much issue.

Inherent Traits[]

Units[]

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Orc Spearman

'The Orc Spearman said he could not return to his clan a man until he had proven himself a mighty hunter. He clutched a javelin and a simple spear, yet he looked fiercely determined to kill. In our hamlet, there's not much danger. So I led him to the most dangerous animal I knew: My mother-in-law. I admit it was a cruel thing to do. My mother-in-law was a widow of three husbands already. The orc was made a man that night and compelled to marry her. Poor simple brute. Never stood a chance. Still, of the eight husbands she had, he was my favorite and lived the longest.'

--Maneater, by Nadalee Sunnybrook
  

Unit: Orc Spearman Recruit Origin: Orcs
Tier I: 38 Hit Points 28 Movement 8 Defense 7 Resistance Cost: 40 Gold Upkeep: 4 Gold/Turn
Abilities:
  • The most in-elegant way to force a line break.
  • The most in-elegant way to force a line break.


Experience Ranks:
  • Trooper +1 Physical Damage Melee +2 Hit Points
  • Veteran +1 Physical Damage Ranged +2 Hit Points +1 Defense
  • Expert +1 Physical Damage Melee +2 Hit Points +1 Resistance
  • Elite +1 Physical Damage Ranged +4 Hit Points +1 Defense Armor Piercing

Orc Greatsword

'The Greatswords broke our ranks, wielding jagged shards of steel taller than themselves. With a roar that made me dive headlong into a barrel of pickled fish, they hacked fearlessly at anything that could be killed. The crude leather armor they wore kept the Orcs safe from our arrows until my archers were cut down. As quickly as they arrived, the Orcs overwhelmed every one of my defenders. Until finally I was left alone. Luckily, none of the Orcs favored pickled or I would have never lived to write this account.'

--Return to Rocky Hollow, by Ham the Wanderer
  

Unit: Orc Greatsword Recruit Origin: Orcs Requires: Barracks
Tier I: 50 Hit Points 28 Movement 10 Defense 8 Resistance Cost: 50 Gold Upkeep: 4 Gold/Turn
Abilities:
  • The most in-elegant way to force a line break.
  • The most in-elegant way to force a line break.


Experience Ranks:

Orc Razorbow

'My enemy took the bait as I expected, and I was ready with my razorbows. Their aim isn't like an elf's, but with enough of them firing into enemy ranks with bows made for their brute strength, their clumsy arrows hit with lethal efficiency. A few of the faster horseman reached our ranks, but Razorbows are strong and used to the taskmaster's whip, so they stood well against the charge--and an arrow from one of their bows at point blank range is lethal. A few fast shots and even the cavalry was scattered in chaos--and the rest of them we left as detritus on the battlefield.'

--Killing the Enemy, by Lady Loki
  

Unit: Orc Razorbow Recruit Origin: Orcs Requires: Barracks
Tier I: 37 Hit Points 28 Movement 8 Defense 7 Resistance Cost: 70 Gold Upkeep: 4 Gold/Turn
Abilities:
  • The most in-elegant way to force a line break.
  • The most in-elegant way to force a line break.
Experience Ranks:
  • Trooper +1 Physical Damage Ranged +2 Hit Points
  • Veteran +1 Physical Damage Ranged +2 Hit Points +1 Defense
  • Expert +1 Physical Damage Ranged +2 Hit Points +1 Resistance
  • Elite +1 Physical Damage Ranged +4 Hit Points +1 Defense, First Strike

Orc Impaler

'We stab things. I live for the stabbing. I stab them first, cuz I have a big stick. This end is sharp. It's for stabbing. Stabbing is what I'm good at. When I was gruntling, me momma would say: 'That boy's good at stabbing. He'll make a good Impaler.' Made my Momma proud, stabbing stuff. I say, if it moves, stab it good. Make it nice and dead--stab the life out of it.'

--Battlefield Intervieuws:Conversations with an Orc Impaler, by Vaulter Cronk
  

Unit: Orc Impaler Recruit Origin: Orcs Requires: War Hall
Tier I: 50 Hit Points 28 Movement 10 Defense 8 Resistance Cost: 50 Gold Upkeep: 4 Gold/Turn
Abilities:
  • The most in-elegant way to force a line break.
  • The most in-elegant way to force a line break.



Experience Ranks:
  • Trooper +1 Physical Damage Melee +2 Hit Points
  • Veteran +1 Physical Damage Ranged +2 Hit Points +1 Defense
  • Expert +1 Physical Damage Melee +2 Hit Points +1 Resistance
  • Elite +1 Physical Damage Ranged +4 Hit Points +1 Defense, Armor Piercing

Orc Priest

'I felt him coming. My throat caught, the hairs on the top of my feet stood on end. This orc radiated a terror that held me like a hook through my ribs. He drove the horde with a headdress of bloody feathers and the skulls of his victims. The men in my company fled. Some of the soldiers tried to organize, only to be cursed. Experienced swordsman fumbled and flailed about the Orc Priest as though they'd never fought before. He lifted a bone staff and struck down the nearest soldier. I readied my sling, but my foot slipped on a root. I tumbled backwards down a hillock into briars and passed out. I suppose it saved me, for had I not fallen unconscious in the thicket of thorns, I would not have lived to tell the tale.'

--Return to Rocky Hollow, by Ham the Wanderer
  

Unit: Orc PriestRecruitOrigin: Orcs Requires: Temple
Tier II: 41 Hit Points 28 Movement 9 Defense 10 Resistance Cost: 70 Gold 20 Mana Upkeep: 8 Gold/Turn
Abilities:
  • The most in-elegant way to force a line break.
  • The most in-elegant way to force a line break.


Experience Ranks:

Orc Black Knight

'A great orc sat astride his monstrous steed clad in black armor. The horses in our caravan wickered with hysterical fear. Our wagon master cursed. With a snort, the black knight charged. Lifting his lance, he struck the captain squarly in the chest, knocking him to the ground. The wagon shook violently and the horse team took off like a pair of comets. I was flung into the back of the caravan, tangled in a rope. I could do nothing to help the poor wagon master as the orc finished him with a single chop of his wicked glaive. Then I saw it. That massive horse bent down to feed on the hapless wagon master. Never did I know a horse to eat meat, yet this one did. I let the team keep running far beyond the reach of the Black Knight.'

--Commonwealth Causeways, by Ham the Wanderer
  

Unit: Orc Black KnightRecruitOrigin: Orcs Requires: War Hall
Tier II: 60 Hit Points 36 Movement 12 Defense 8 Resistance Cost: 100 Gold Upkeep: 8 Gold/Turn
Abilities:
  • The most in-elegant way to force a line break.
  • The most in-elegant way to force a line break.

Experience Ranks:

Orc Shock Trooper

'The fearsome shock troopers leapt into the battle, carving large swathes of carnage with relentless bloodlust. The battlefield was slippery with blood. They shared nothing of the slow clumsiness of their muscle-bound kin. These elite fighting orcs chopped down every foe with their huge axes, striking with savage brutality until surrender was the only logical option. I managed to negotiate surrender, though it cost me a small fortune. Those without means to buy their freedom were enslaved or slain. I regret to say I lost many friends to the shock troopers.'

--Fall of Hempshire, by Lord Mandler the Negotiator
  

Unit: Orc Shock TrooperRecruitOrigin: Orcs Requires: Dark Citadel
Tier III: 75 Hit Points 32 Movement 13 Defense 9 Resistance Cost: 160 Gold 20 Mana Upkeep: 16 Gold/Turn
Abilities:
  • The most in-elegant way to force a line break.
  • The most in-elegant way to force a line break.


Experience Ranks:

Racial Governance[]

Racial Governance is part of the Eternal Lords expansion.
Note that only Orc units are affected

Switch to Living Classes
Switch to Necromancer
Racial Governance Military Economic
Patron Orc Greatsword and Orc Impaler get +1 Physical Damage Physical melee damage War Halls cost 50 Gold less to build
Protector Orc Razorbows get +5 Hit Points and +3 Physical Damage Physical melee damage Arena's provide +5 Gold Gold and +50 Happiness HappinessArena's provide +5 Gold Gold and +50 Dead Population Undead Population
Champion Orc Black Knight gets +1 Physical Damage Physical melee damage and Guard Breaker Siege Workshop provides +20 Production Production
Prophet Orc Shocktroopers gain Fearsome The Dark Citadel:
  • Is 100 Gold cheaper
  • Generates +10 Gold Gold and +10 Mana Mana
Deity Orc Infantry, Pikeman and Irregular units gain +1 Resistance and 20%Physical Damage Protection Masters Guilds produce +30 Production and +20 Gold

Gallery[]

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