Black Orc
Encyclopedia
Black Orcs are a fictional race, a sub-breed
of Orc
appearing in Warhammer Fantasy Battle
& Warhammer Fantasy
, created by Games Workshop
's .
Black Orcs are the biggest, meanest and strongest of the Orc & Goblin race. Willful and independent-minded, Black Orcs get their name from having darker skin than regular orcs; commonly black or very dark green. Being more intelligent and disciplined than normal Orcs, Black Orcs do not suffer from the races rule of animosity.
Created by Rick Priestly in 1987, Black Orcs first appeared in the third edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battles, and have been updated over several editions of Warhammer, by several different writers, with the current incarnation of Warhammer 8th Edition being written by Jeremy Vetock. Black Orcs have also been placed into the Warhammer Fantasy Role-play game currently produced by Fantasy Flight Games.
8th Edition of Warhammer sees the Black Orcs return with the Immune to Psychology special rule to give them immunity to animosity in the current rules.
a superior slave
(chaos dwarf generals were allowed to field many orc and goblin units in their armies). The Black Orcs were too strong-willed
, and after an inevitable revolt, many escaped from the lands of the Chaos Dwarfs. They can now be found among orc societies across the Old World gravitating to command positions because of their size and ability.
for 3rd edition Warhammer Fantasy Battle
, Black Orc skin colour was actually black and they were not that much taller than orcs. Since then they have been shown with very dark green skin and are taller than a man when stood straight with a penchant for metal plate armour and horned helmets.
The recent Black Orc models released were the Metal Black Orcs which were released in 2000 and designed by Brian Nelson, with plastic miniatures and metal war boss where released in 2007.
Breed
A breed is a group of domestic animals or plants with a homogeneous appearance, behavior, and other characteristics that distinguish it from other animals or plants of the same species. Despite the centrality of the idea of "breeds" to animal husbandry, there is no scientifically accepted...
of Orc
Orc (Warhammer)
Orcs are one of the races in Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy universe, and are related to goblins. The brutish orcs, though less intelligent, tend to dominate the meeker goblins...
appearing in Warhammer Fantasy Battle
Warhammer Fantasy Battle
Warhammer: The Game of Fantasy Battles is a tabletop wargame created by Games Workshop. It is the origin of the Warhammer Fantasy setting....
& Warhammer Fantasy
Warhammer Fantasy (setting)
Warhammer Fantasy is a fantasy setting, created by Games Workshop, which is used by many of the company's games. Some of the best-known games set in this world are: the table top wargame Warhammer Fantasy Battle, the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay pen-and-paper role-playing game, and the MMORPG...
, created by Games Workshop
Games Workshop
Games Workshop Group plc is a British game production and retailing company. Games Workshop has published the tabletop wargames Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000...
's .
Black Orcs are the biggest, meanest and strongest of the Orc & Goblin race. Willful and independent-minded, Black Orcs get their name from having darker skin than regular orcs; commonly black or very dark green. Being more intelligent and disciplined than normal Orcs, Black Orcs do not suffer from the races rule of animosity.
Created by Rick Priestly in 1987, Black Orcs first appeared in the third edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battles, and have been updated over several editions of Warhammer, by several different writers, with the current incarnation of Warhammer 8th Edition being written by Jeremy Vetock. Black Orcs have also been placed into the Warhammer Fantasy Role-play game currently produced by Fantasy Flight Games.
Creation History
First appearing in Warhammer 3rd Edition Black Orcs where an expansion to the Orc & Goblin race adding an elite unit to the army. The unit has been kept within the editions of Warhammer with its army books the first army book being with Warhammer 4th Edition entitled Orcs and Goblins.8th Edition of Warhammer sees the Black Orcs return with the Immune to Psychology special rule to give them immunity to animosity in the current rules.
Origin
Within the history of the game, the black orcs were created magically from the ordinary orc by Chaos Dwarf sorcerers in an attempt to engineerEngineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
a superior slave
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
(chaos dwarf generals were allowed to field many orc and goblin units in their armies). The Black Orcs were too strong-willed
Willpower
Willpower may refer to:*Self discipline, training and control of oneself and one's conduct, usually for personal improvement*Self control, the ability of a person to exert his/her will over the inhibitions of their body or self...
, and after an inevitable revolt, many escaped from the lands of the Chaos Dwarfs. They can now be found among orc societies across the Old World gravitating to command positions because of their size and ability.
Notable characters
- The Warboss Grimgor IronhideGrimgor IronhideGrimgor Ironhide is a fictional character in the Warhammer Fantasy universe. He is an Orcish "Warboss", who controls various factions of Black Orcs.- The Beginning :No one knows of Grimgor’s early history...
, led numerous campaigns against SkavenSkavenSkaven are a race of man-sized anthropomorphic rat-creatures in Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy setting. They were officially introduced as a new Chaos race in 1986 by Jes Goodwin....
and DwarfDwarf (Warhammer)In Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy fictional universe, The Dwarfs are a race of short, stout humanoids very similar to the dwarves of Middle-Earth and the roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons. Dwarfs in the Warhammer setting are proud warriors highly driven by honor.-Homeland:Dwarfs reside mainly...
s, and more notably, the failed attack on KislevKislev (Warhammer)In the Warhammer Fantasy setting, Kislev is the name of a Slavic/Kievan Rus'-themed fictional country that sits northeast of The Empire, between it and the Realm of Chaos. Between Kislev and Norsca lies Troll Country, while beyond that lie the magic-tainted Chaos Wastes...
. He was a key figure in the Storm of Chaos Online CampaignStorm of Chaos Online CampaignThe Storm of Chaos was a massive narrative campaign created by Games Workshop for their Warhammer Fantasy setting, played in the northern hemisphere summer of 2004...
where he knocked the Chaos Champion Archaon to the ground.
- Morglum Necksnapper is a noted black Orc who beat a Bretonnian army at the Battle of Black Fire Pass
Versions
In early depictions of Black Orcs, such as in Warhammer ArmiesWarhammer Armies
Warhammer Armies was a supplement published by Games Workshop in 1988 for the 3rd Edition of their Warhammer Fantasy Battle table top game....
for 3rd edition Warhammer Fantasy Battle
Warhammer Fantasy Battle
Warhammer: The Game of Fantasy Battles is a tabletop wargame created by Games Workshop. It is the origin of the Warhammer Fantasy setting....
, Black Orc skin colour was actually black and they were not that much taller than orcs. Since then they have been shown with very dark green skin and are taller than a man when stood straight with a penchant for metal plate armour and horned helmets.
The recent Black Orc models released were the Metal Black Orcs which were released in 2000 and designed by Brian Nelson, with plastic miniatures and metal war boss where released in 2007.