Black Orc
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Black Orcs are a sub-breed of Orc appearing in Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy setting.
Black Orcs are bigger, stronger and cleverer and, as such, more dangerous than normal Orcs. This puts them at the top of the heap of Orc & Goblin society. Being more organized and generally smarter than regular Orcs, Black Orcs can settle all their differences the night before the battle though head-butting duels and goblin-tossing contests. As such in a battle Black Orcs are not subject to the same animosity as other goblinoids. In battle, Black Orc leaders of units continually watch out for in-fighting within their unit. Should their menacing presence fail to keep the lesser greenskins in line, the Black Orc character will start smashing some heads together and order is quickly restored at the minimal cost of a few greenskin lives.
Due to their size and status, Black Orcs get the best weaponry and armour and are effective hand-to-hand fighters.
Black Orcs are likely based in large part on the Uruk-hai from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. In early depictions of Black Orcs, such as in Warhammer Armies 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.
Within the game they are of particular use to Orc& goblin players due to their immunity to orc animosity.In previous editions of the game Black Orcs could also be fielded in the Chaos Dwarf army.
[edit] Origin
The black orcs were created magically from the ordinary orc by Chaos Dwarf sorcerers in an attempt to engineer a superior slave: an even bigger, stronger and tougher Orc who was not subject to the petty fighting and bickering of a normal Orc. They succeeded, but the Black Orcs were too strong-willed, so they led a revolt and many of them escaped from the lands of the Chaos Dwarfs and can now be found among orc societies across the Old World.
Again, the origin of black orcs mirrors the creation of the "uruk hai" by Saruman in Tolkiens Lord Of The Rings.
[edit] Notable characters
- The Warboss Grimgor Ironhide, led numerous campaigns against Skaven and Dwarfs, and more notably, the failed attack on Kislev. He was a key figure in the Storm of Chaos Online Campaign 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
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| Major Games: | Warhammer Fantasy Battle • Warmaster • Mordheim • Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay • Man O' War • Warhammer Ancient Battles |
| Nations and races: | Bretonnia • Chaos • Chaos Dwarfs • Dark Elves • Dogs of War • Dwarfs • The Empire • High Elves • Kislev • Lizardmen • Ogres • Orcs & Goblins • Skaven • Undead (Tomb Kings & Vampire Counts) • Wood Elves |
| Places: | The Old World • Araby • Cathay • Lustria • Ulthuan • Southlands • Naggaroth • Dark Lands • Albion • |
| People: | List of major characters |
| More: | List of creatures in Warhammer Fantasy • Warhammer Fantasy deities • Lores of Magic |
