Orc skin color

[CleaveOfCleaves]

Not to sound stupid, but exactly what colors can orcs naturally be generally?

[Tiri]

According to the Monster Manual, they have grey skin.

[Zombimode]

According to the Monster Manual, they have grey skin.

But the picture picture (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/MM35_gallery/MM35_PG203.jpg) shows green skin...

[CleaveOfCleaves]

Is that all? I've always thought orcs had green skin but also ive seen them with grey and in some cases orange or red (though not in relation to d&d....WoW i think?) Are those plausible?

[weckar]

Maybe it's written from a personal perspective? Can orcs see color?

[Pugwampy]

According to the Monster Manual, they have grey skin.

3rd edition rules came out during the Lord of the Rings Movie Trilogy excitement . Minis and Monster manual are "Lord of the Rings" ORCs

My old ADND monsterous manual has a Greenish Grey coloured troll mongrel looking thing labled an orc .

Lets not forget Warcraft , Warhammer and Pathfinder Orcs are bright green .

You cannot go wrong with grey , green or even brown .



Are those plausible?

Yes in some animals its camo . A grey LOTR orc comes from a volcanic ash wasteland , underground caves or mountains .

A green orc would live in a rain forest / jungle .

Brown orcs live in..... your sewers :smallbiggrin:

[CleaveOfCleaves]

Yes in some animals its camo . A grey LOTR orc comes from a volcanic ash wasteland , underground caves or mountains .
Fair enough i like that logic. My DM has orcs mostly come from a desert like areaso brown will work....though not how you wish :smallbiggrin:
Brown orcs live in..... your sewers
And with that my noobiness shows with how i cannot properly quote...

[Evolved Shrimp]

Not to sound stupid, but exactly what colors can orcs naturally be generally?

Not documented, AFAIK.

They are commonly depicted in grayish and greenish tones of skin, but can be more or less anything you want. Like humans, orcs are found in many different areas and environments and so can conceivably vary at least as much in physical appearance.

Put another way, if you want your orcs to follow the most common image, give them some muddy shade that consists of a mix of gray, dark green, and brown. If you want them to have another color, go ahead. If somebody brings it up, tell them that your orcs come from <insert area> and have an uncommon skin tone because <insert reason>.

[CleaveOfCleaves]

Thanks everyone

[Coidzor]

Maybe it's written from a personal perspective? Can orcs see color?

Yes (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/orc.htm), they're noted as liking very vivid colors. Except when using Darkvision, of course.

[Mutazoia]

The answer is: What ever color you like.

The Orcs as we know them are all based on Tolkien's orcs (Who in turn took inspiration from Old English "Orcas". In Tolkien's writings, Orcs are of human shape, of varying size but always smaller than Men. They are depicted as ugly and filthy, with a taste for human flesh. They are fanged, bow-legged and long-armed and some have dark skin as if burned. In a private letter, Tolkien describes them as "squat, broad, flat-nosed, sallow-skinned, with wide mouths and slant eyes. They are portrayed as miserable, crafty, and vicious beings.

They have been co-opted by others since then, and each author has a slightly different description of them.

[Psyren]

If you want the PF / Golarion perspective, Advanced Race Guide says they "typically have dull green skin." From the artwork, it looks mostly gray with a green tinge.

[ShurikVch]

Not to sound stupid, but exactly what colors can orcs naturally be generally?According to Monstrous Manual (published in January of 1994):
Orcs vary widely in appearance, as they frequently crossbreed with other species. In general, they resemble primitive humans with grey-green skin covered with coarse hair. Orcs have a slightly stooped posture, a low jutting forehead, and a snout instead of a nose, though comparisons between this facial feature and those of pigs are exaggerated and perhaps unfair. Orcs have well developed canine teeth for eating meat and short pointed ears that resemble those of a wolf. Orcish snouts and ears have a slightly pink tinge. Their eyes are human, with a reddish tint that sometimes makes them appear to glow red when they reflect dim light sources in near darkness.But in 3E, their description is:
This creature looks like a primitive human with gray skin and coarse hair.Gray Orcs are, apparently, even more gray then regular orcs
Also, Fury in the Wastelands: The Orcs of Tellene - supplement for Kingdoms of Kalamar - have Black, Brown, and White Orcs


Lets not forget Warcraft , Warhammer and Pathfinder Orcs are bright green .Games Workshop - creators of Warhammer - are also invented green-skinned Orcs; Blizzard ripped them off; Paizo followed the bad example


But the picture picture (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/MM35_gallery/MM35_PG203.jpg) shows green skin...Green-skinned Orcs from Warhammer are become so wildly popular so artists paint them green(ish) color even when they shouldn't; actually, Warhammer-style Orcs become so mainstream designers even changed per-existing images just to "fit in": how many people actually remember Tolkien's orcs were smaller and weaker than humans?
Or let's see changes in Heroes of Might and Magic series
https://pp.vk.me/c4385/u18782065/153971370/m_07d57e02.jpg
http://www.heroesofmightandmagic.es/portal/h/heroes/h3/criaturas/19.gif



Who in turn took inspiration from Old English "Orcas"Or "Orcus"

[Afgncaap5]

Complicating matters further is the Orc/Goblin relationship in Tolkien's writings, but that's another topic entirely.

[KillianHawkeye]

But the picture picture (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/MM35_gallery/MM35_PG203.jpg) shows green skin...

I would call that a greenish gray.

Fun fact about gray colors (and even whites and blacks) is that they're frequently impure, with low amounts of other colors. Ever heard of off-white? That's any color that's practically white but just a little bit not. How about blue black or blue gray? Same concept. It works for other colors, too (red brown, blue green, yellow orange, et cetera).

[Talakeal]

Orcs have always been green in my mind, a combination of the green skinned pig faced orcs in the D&D cartoon and the gammoran pig guards in Return of the Jedi.

[Dragonexx]

Humans come in different skin colors. Why can't orcs?

[Tiri]

Humans come in different skin colors. Why can't orcs?

They could, but according to the flavour text of D&D 3.5, they don't.

[Grytorm]

Humans come in different skin colors. Why can't orcs?

Makes sense and explains much of the variety in commonly seen Orcish skin tone. The real question is if polar Orcs are green or grey.

[Mutazoia]

Makes sense and explains much of the variety in commonly seen Orcish skin tone. The real question is if polar Orcs are green or grey.

Are Bi-polar Orcs green AND grey?

[Coidzor]

Makes sense and explains much of the variety in commonly seen Orcish skin tone. The real question is if polar Orcs are green or grey.

I think those are frost orcs which are probably blue or white like most frost creatures.

[Mordaedil]

NWN has blueberry blue orcs.

[ShurikVch]

The real question is if polar Orcs are green or grey.According to "Arctic Races" from Unearthed Arcana
His skin can be any shade from pale white to light blue, and his hair and eyes can be of any color found among members of his standard race.
About the same thing says Arctic template in Dragon #306:
His skin can be any shade from pale white to light blue, and his hair and eyes can be of any color found in members of his ancestral race.Frostblood Orcs (Dragon Magic):
They have pale white skin and catlike eyes, with stringy white or gray hair that grows quickly.(But it may be more from their draconic ancestry)