The New DnD Orcs (2024 Species Guide)
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Orcs have been a mainstay in Dungeons & Dragons for as long as the game has existed. For much of that time, however, they were relegated to the role of dungeon-crawling cannon fodder and, with the exception of the playable half-orc species, were more or less considered savage, chaotic evil monsters.
In more recent DnD 5e books, however, the orc has been approached in a more thoughtful and nuanced manner and was introduced as a playable species in Volo’s Guide to Monsters in 2016 and again in Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse in 2022.
It’s a trend that’s continued in the pages of the new 2024 Player’s Handbook, which has done away with the half-orc entirely and instead introduced full-blooded orcs as one of several core DnD species.
So are the new DnD orcs worth rolling up? Below, we charge into all the Gruumsh-granted goodness.
What are Orcs in DnD 2024?
In the DnD 2024 Player’s Handbook, orcs are described as tracing their creation to Gruumsh, a powerful god who roamed the wide open spaces of the Material Plane. Gruumsh equipped his children with gifts to help them wander great plains, vast caverns and churning seas and to face the monsters that lurk there. Even when they turn their devotion to other gods, orcs retain Gruumsh’s gifts: endurance, determination and the ability to see in darkness.
Orcs are, on average, tall and broad. They typically have gray skin, ears that are sharply pointed, and prominent lower canines that resemble small tusks. Orc youths on some worlds are told about their ancestors’ great travels and travails. Inspired by those tales, many of those orcs wonder when Gruumsh will call on them to match the heroic deeds of old and wonder if they will prove worthy of his favor. Other orcs are happy to leave old tales in the past and find their own way as adventurers.
What’s changed with the new 2024 DnD Orcs?
While orcs have been around as long as DnD has existed, the 2024 Player’s Handbook does introduce a number of very minor changes from the previous 2022 Orc iteration that appeared as a playable race in Monsters of the Multiverse.
| Orc Species Trait | Level | Changed from Monsters of the Multiverse? | Changes to the 2024 Orc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ability Score Improvements | 1 | Yes | Races/species no longer provide ability score improvements. Instead, character nows receive these bonuses from the new DnD backgrounds. |
| Adrenaline Rush | 1 | Yes | This functions exactly the same as the 2022 version, with the exception that you can no recover it on both a Short and Long Rest (in the previous version you only recovered it on a Long Rest) |
| Darkvision | 1 | Yes | In the 2024 DnD rules, orcs now have Darkvision to a range of 120 feet. Previously it was just 60 feet. |
| Base Speed | 1 | No | N/A |
| Relentless Endurance | 1 | No | N/A |
| Powerful Build | 1 | Yes | This featured has been removed from 2024 orcs. (In the 2022 version, you count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.) |
How are the new 2024 Orcs different from the 2014 Half-Orc?
As noted above, the half-orc has been removed from the 2024 DnD rules as a playable species and there are no “half” option for characters. Below are the key changes to the new 2024 orc versus the 2014 half-orc.
| Half-Orc Species Trait | Level | Changed from 2014 Player’s Handbook | Changes to the 2024 Orc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ability Score Improvements | 1 | Yes | Races/species no longer provide ability score improvements. Instead, character nows receive these bonuses from the new DnD backgrounds. |
| Darkvision | 1 | Yes | 2014 Half-orcs had a Darkvision range of 60 feet. In the new 2024 DnD rules, orcs now have Darkvision to a range of 120 feet. |
| Base Speed | 1 | No | N/A |
| Menacing | 1 | No | This 2014 feature of the half-orc has not carried over to the 2024 orc. (In the old rules it granted you proficiency in the Intimidation skill). |
| Relentless Endurance | 1 | No | N/A |
| Savage Attacks | 1 | Yes | This 2014 half-orc feature has not carried over to the 2024 orc (In the old rules, when you scored a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, you could roll one of the weapon’s damage dice one additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.) |
What are the new Orc species traits in DnD 2024?
Below are the full list of all the Orc traits using the new 2024 core rules.
- Creature Type: Humanoid
- Size: Medium (about 6–7 feet tall)
- Speed: 30 feet
As an Orc, you have the following species traits.
- Adrenaline Rush: You can take the Dash action as a Bonus Action. When you do so, you gain a number of Temporary Hit Points equal to your Proficiency Bonus. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Short or Long Rest.
- Darkvision. You have Darkvision with a range of 120 feet.
- Relentless Endurance. When you are reduced to 0 Hit Points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 Hit Point instead. Once you use this trait, you can’t do so again until you finish a Long Rest.
Are the new DnD Orcs worth playing?
Orcs have had a long and sometimes complicated history with Dungeons & Dragons, starting out as mindless monsters and becoming a more nuanced playable species. The new DnD orcs featured in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, reflects this larger tonal shift, with Wizards of the Present now presenting them as a distinct culture with gradations of morality on the DnD alignment chart, rather than simply being chaotic evil monsters.
Mechanically, the new 2024 orcs are a solid option for players and none of the changes or new features deviate significantly from the 2014 half-orc or previous 2022 full orc featured in Monsters of the Multiverse. In other words, they’re a solid options for anyone looking to play one of DnD’s oldest and most misunderstood species.
You can find the complete rules for the new DnD orcs in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, which is available now on D&D Beyond and Amazon.
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Cameron Nichols is a Senior Editor who lives in Boston, Massechustes, and has been playing D&D since the early 90s, when he was introduced by his older brother and cut his teeth on AD&D 2nd Edition. Since then he’s played virtually every RPG he could get his nerdy little mitts on (including a weird Goth phase in the early 2000s when he rocked Vampire: The Masquerade pretty hard). His favorite D&D campaign setting is the Forgotten Realms and his favorite character to play was a Half-Orc Barbarian named Grug (who was unfortunately devoured by a gelatinous cube).
