Orc Faction Template¶

Alignment: Chaotic Evil FR Range: 2–5

Faction Ratings¶

Faction Rating	Leader Formations	Core Formations	Support Formations*	Lair Areas*	Lair Features	Treasure
2	—	1d2	—	4	2	1 hoard (CR 0–4)
3	—	1d4+2	1	8	4	3 hoards (CR 0–4)
4	1	1d4+4	2	10	6	1 hoard (CR 5–10)
5	1	1d4+6	3	12	8	2 hoards (CR 5–10)

* Baseline counts. The chosen theme adds more support formations and more lair areas; some lair features in Step 5 also add lair areas (those tagged (new Lair Area)).

Step 1 — Choose Theme¶

Choose one theme at creation. Record it on the record sheet.

Wolf Riders — mounted orcs with worgs and dire wolves.
Ogre Brutes — orcs partnered with ogres and half-ogres.
Goblin Lords — orcs dominating goblin scouts, laborers, and goblins mounted on giant spiders as shock troops.

Step 2 — Determine Formations¶

Use the Faction Ratings table for counts. Each formation type below occupies one row of the record sheet's Formations table.

Core Formations¶

Orc Warband FR 2 — base

Orc Warrior Formation (OWF): 5 Orcs. Roll the number of OWFs per the Faction Ratings table.

Support Formations¶

Eyes of Gruumsh FR 3 — base

Eye of Gruumsh Formation (EGF): 1 Orc Eye of Gruumsh plus an OWF. Gain 1 EGF at FR 3, 2 at FR 4, 3 at FR 5.

Wolf Pack FR 3 — Wolf Riders theme

Gain 1 support formation pick from the Wolf Riders options below. Each pick adds one new formation row.

Second Pack FR 5 — Wolf Riders theme

Gain 1 additional Wolf Riders pick (2 total). The additional pick may select an option already chosen.

Wolf Riders Support Formation Options:

Mounted Outrider (MOR): 3 Orcs riding 3 Dire Wolves
Dire Wolf Pack (DWP): 6 Dire Wolves
Wolf Scout (WSF): 1 Orc and 2 Wolves

Ogre Pact FR 3 — Ogre Brutes theme

Gain 1 support formation pick from the Ogre Brutes options below. Each pick adds one new formation row.

Brute Squad FR 5 — Ogre Brutes theme

Gain 1 additional Ogre Brutes pick (2 total). The additional pick may select an option already chosen.

Ogre Brutes Support Formation Options:

Ogre Pair (OGP): 2 Ogres
Half-Ogre Patrol (HOP): 1 Half-Ogre and 4 Orcs
War Ogre (WOG): 1 Ogre with siege gear (advantage on attacks against structures, barricades, and doors)

Slave Drivers FR 3 — Goblin Lords theme

Gain 1 support formation pick from the Goblin Lords options below. Each pick adds one new formation row.

Second Drove FR 5 — Goblin Lords theme

Gain 1 additional Goblin Lords pick (2 total). The additional pick may select an option already chosen.

Goblin Lords Support Formation Options:

Goblin Mob (GMF): 1 Orc Driver and 10 Goblins
Goblin Scout Pack (GSP): 6 Goblins (woodland skirmishers; hit-and-run tactics)
Spider Rider Pack (SRP): 4 Goblins mounted on 4 Giant Wolf Spiders

Leader Formation¶

War Chief FR 4 — base (all themes)

War Chief Formation (WCF): 1 Orc War Chief plus 2 Orogs (elite bodyguard), 1 EGF, and 1 of your support formations. The War Chief carries +1 greataxe, plate armor, and a war banner of Gruumsh (+2 to morale checks for creatures in the faction).

Step 3 — Record Treasure¶

Use the Faction Ratings table for the number and CR of hoards. Roll each on the DMG hoard tables and assign a roman numeral.

Leader Gear FR 4 — base

The War Chief (in WCF1) carries +1 greataxe, plate armor, and the war banner of Gruumsh.

Enhanced Armaments FR 5 — base

Gain 1 item from Magic Item Table B and 2 items from Magic Item Table C.

(There are no theme-specific treasures.)

STOPPING POINT — If no lair is needed, the faction is ready for play.

Step 4 — Determine Lair Areas¶

Higher FRs include all lower-FR areas. Use the base areas plus your chosen theme's areas; ignore the other themes' entries. Areas tagged (may be duplicated) can appear more than once if you want a larger lair.

Main Gate FR 2 — base The fortified main entrance: a wide gateway in the timber palisade or rock face, hung with skull trophies and tied banners; the most visible (and most defended) point of approach.

Watch Post 1 FR 2 — base A raised outpost overlooking the approach with a hide roof and decorated with bones; a keen orc on watch with a horn and a spear.

Common Yard FR 2 — base (may be duplicated) The open ground where warriors loaf, drink, and brawl off duty: ringed with crude posts, scorched circles where bonfires burned, sand darkened with blood from the last brawl.

Warrior Den FR 2 — base (may be duplicated) Communal sleeping space for orc warriors: floor strewn with sleeping furs and rotted hides, the air thick with sweat and rancid grease.

Wolf Kennels FR 2 — Wolf Riders Pens and stalls for the warband's worgs and dire wolves: thick timber bars gnawed and scarred from generations of restless beasts; the air heavy with wet fur and old kills. Pre-loaded: contains Feature G (Kennel — see Step 5).

Ogre Pen FR 2 — Ogre Brutes (limit one per lair) A widened enclosure built to hold the warband's ogre allies: oversized chains, troughs of half-eaten meat, the floor stained with grease and the walls scratched by huge fingers. Pre-loaded: contains Feature J (Ogre — see Step 5).

Goblin Pens FR 2 — Goblin Lords Cramped warrens with low ceilings where the warband's goblin servants sleep, scurry, and squabble: piled rags and mismatched bedding; the constant chitter of small voices. Pre-loaded: contains Feature H (Goblin Watchers — see Step 5).

Hidden Postern FR 3 — base A concealed back way out of the lair: usually camouflaged with brush, hides, or false rubble; known only to the warband.

War Pit FR 3 — base A sunken ring where the warband settles disputes and trains for combat: earth packed hard and darkened with blood; bone shards crunching underfoot from old fights.

Watch Post 2 FR 3 — base A second guard outpost deeper in the lair: more fortified than Watch Post 1, manned by a warrior the chief trusts further.

Mess Pit FR 3 — base (may be duplicated) A central eating area: a large stone or iron cauldron over a fire pit, partially charred meat and gnawed bones scattered around it.

War Chief's Hall FR 4 — base The chief's personal quarters and audience hall: stacked with looted hides, weapons, and treasures; a heavy chair on a raised platform; banners of Gruumsh on the walls.

Armory FR 4 — base The warband's weapon and armor store: spears bundled along walls, shields stacked, scraps of mismatched mail and looted plate piled in corners.

Pack Master's Den FR 4 — Wolf Riders (limit one per lair) The lair of the warband's master beast handler: pelts and trophy skulls on the walls; the master's own dire wolf companion at his side. Pre-loaded: contains Feature J (Dire Wolf — see Step 5).

Pit Fight Arena FR 4 — Ogre Brutes A sandy arena ringed by tiered seating where the warband entertains itself with combat: bloodstained sand, hooks for hanging the dead, braziers blazing around the rim. Pre-loaded: contains Feature G (Pit Fight Arena — see Step 5).

Spider Pit FR 4 — Goblin Lords (limit one per lair) A webbed side chamber housing the warband's spider mounts and breeding pairs: silk strung across every corner, dry husks of prey hanging from the ceiling. Pre-loaded: contains Feature J (Spider Pit — see Step 5).

Shrine to Gruumsh FR 5 — base A roughly hewn sanctum to the One-Eyed god of war: a crude single eye carved or painted on the back wall, offerings of broken weapons and severed enemy hands heaped at the base.

War Hoard FR 5 — base The warband's accumulated loot and trophy treasury: heavy chests of stolen coin, looted armor and weapons stacked, banners and pelts of defeated enemies hung as marks of victory.

(Optional) Add one or two Exotic Areas from the Underground Lair: Exotic Areas table (see Random Tables document).

Lair Environment¶

Fill the Lair / Terrain / Walls & Ceilings / Senses / Lighting row on the record sheet using the block for your chosen theme.

Wolf Riders

Fortified hill camps and hillside cave systems, packs of worgs and dire wolves denning beside the orcs.

Lair: fortified hill camp or hillside cave system
Terrain: open hills, scrubland, rocky outcrops, with trails into nearby forest
Walls & Ceilings: timber palisade lashed with rawhide, hide lean-tos, mossy rock walls in the deeper areas
Senses: wet fur, urine markers, woodsmoke, the snarl and pant of wolves
Lighting: dim — campfires and torches; pitch dark in the kennels at night

Ogre Brutes

Reinforced stockades or ruined keeps widened to fit ogres twice an orc's size.

Lair: fortified stockade with widened halls or a reinforced ruin
Terrain: broken hills, ruined keep, or a defensible bluff
Walls & Ceilings: reinforced timber doubled with stone bracing, ceilings raised or knocked through to fit ogres, trophies nailed high
Senses: unwashed ogre stink, woodsmoke, charred meat, the dull thud of heavy footfalls
Lighting: dim — bonfires and crude torches; the pit arena is bright with surrounding braziers

Goblin Lords

Fortified camps or captured ruins riddled with goblin side tunnels and spider webs.

Lair: fortified camp or captured ruin riddled with goblin side tunnels
Terrain: forest edge or hill country with abundant cover
Walls & Ceilings: main halls of timber and stone with narrow passages built for goblins branching off; webs in the corners
Senses: goblin chatter and shrieks, woodsmoke, rotting refuse, the dry rustle of spiders
Lighting: dim — campfires in the main halls; pitch dark in the goblin warrens and spider pit

Step 5 — Determine Lair Features¶

Pick 2 features per FR from the Base Lair Features below. You may choose the same feature more than once. Then read your chosen theme's Additional Lair Features (G–J) — some theme areas come pre-loaded with one of these, noted at the end of each theme list. Pre-loaded features do not count against the Lair Features count in the Faction Ratings table.

Base Lair Features (all themes)¶

A — Spike Pit [Trap] ×2 Detect: Perception DC 13. Effect: 1d6 bludgeoning + 1d6 piercing (stakes).

B — War Drum [Alarm] ×2 Effect: a giant vertical drum; when beaten, alerts the whole lair.

C — Hidden Cache [Secret] Find: Investigation DC 16. Effect: contains stolen goods or an escape tunnel.

D — Palisade Wall [Defense] Effect: timber wall ringing the camp; ¾ cover for defenders; DC 16 Athletics to climb.

E — Watchtower [Defense] (new Lair Area) Effect: raised platform with a +15 ft elevation, ¾ cover for defenders, and +2 to passive Perception.

F — Bonfire [Hazard] Effect: large open flames; 2d6 fire damage to anyone entering for the first time on a turn; faction creatures within 100 ft gain +2 to morale checks.

Wolf Riders — Additional Lair Features¶

G — Kennel [Defense] (new Lair Area) Attack: Bite +4, reach 5 ft. Effect: penned wolves/worgs lunge at any intruder within reach; 2d4+2 piercing.

H — Howling Wolves [Alarm] Detect: Perception DC 14. Effect: wolves bark and howl when intruders approach; alerts every formation in the lair.

I — Snare Trap [Trap] Detect: Perception DC 13. Effect: triggered creature is restrained and suspended 1 ft off the ground; 1d4 piercing as the snare bites.

J — Dire Wolf [Guardian] Effect: alert via passive Perception 16 (by smell). Reference: MM, Dire Wolf (CR 1).

Pre-loaded: Wolf Kennels contain Feature G. Pack Master's Den contains Feature J.

Ogre Brutes — Additional Lair Features¶

G — Pit Fight Arena [Hazard] (new Lair Area) Effect: a sand pit ringed by spectators; combatants in the pit are flanked by jeering orcs blocking exit.

H — Boulder Drop [Trap] Detect: Perception DC 14. Save: DEX DC 15 for half. Effect: 4d6 bludgeoning; a rigged stone dropped by an ogre on tripwire.

I — Battering Door [Defense] Save: STR DC 22 to force. Effect: reinforced door of timber and iron, AC 18, HP 50.

J — Ogre [Guardian] (new Lair Area) Effect: alert via passive Perception 8. Reference: MM, Ogre (CR 2).

Pre-loaded: Ogre Pen contains Feature J. Pit Fight Arena contains Feature G (the arena itself).

Goblin Lords — Additional Lair Features¶

G — Goblin Warren [Hazard] (new Lair Area) Effect: cramped side tunnels; Small creatures move normally, Medium creatures squeeze; goblins gain advantage on attacks within.

H — Goblin Watchers [Alarm] Detect: Perception DC 16. Effect: 1d4 Goblins hidden in side tunnels sound the alarm at the first sign of intrusion. Reference: MM, Goblin (CR 1/4).

I — Net Trap [Trap] Save: DEX DC 12. Effect: restrained and lifted 1 ft off the ground; DC 13 STR or slashing damage to escape.

J — Spider Pit [Guardian] (new Lair Area) ×2 Effect: 2 Giant Spiders in a webbed alcove; alert via web sense. Reference: MM, Giant Spider (CR 1).

Pre-loaded: Goblin Pens contain Feature H. Spider Pit contains Feature J (the pit itself).

Step 6 — Generate the Map¶

Roll or choose a faction history and a faction goal from the Tribal Faction History and Tribal Faction Goals tables (see Random Tables document). Note both on the record sheet.
Drop 4d6 on the map sheet. Assign the die with the highest result to the Main Gate. Assign Watch Post 1, Common Yard, and Warrior Den to the remaining three dice in any order. Write each area name next to its die.
(FR 3+) Drop 4 more d6. Assign the die with the highest result to the Hidden Postern. Assign War Pit, Watch Post 2, and Mess Pit to the remaining three dice in any order. Write each area name next to its die.
If any lair areas remain — theme areas from Step 4 and new areas created by lair features in Step 5 — drop a number of d6 equal to the remaining areas and assign them in any order.
Connect all areas with paths or corridors. Watch Posts are likely adjacent to entrances. The War Chief's Hall, Shrine to Gruumsh, and War Hoard tend to be deeper inside the lair, behind walls or chokepoints.
Assign Treasure to lair areas on the map.
Assign Lair Features to lair areas on the map (mark each with its letter). Pre-loaded theme features go in their pre-loaded areas automatically.
Assign Formations so that about half of lair areas have a Formation. Any remaining Formations are assumed to be away from the lair, raiding or hunting.