Exciting transformations are on the horizon for Dungeons & Dragons, particularly for the portrayal of orcs. These shifts, while being reiterated now, have been gradually developing over the past few years. Initially introduced with “Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything” in 2020, and reinforced by updates to the Player’s Handbook in 2024, these changes will be solidified when the newest edition of the Monster Manual is released this coming February.
Historically, Dungeons & Dragons has included races that were traditionally categorized as evil or good. Orcs, inspired by Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings,” were depicted as inherently evil. In Tolkien’s narrative, orcs are portrayed as corrupted elves, a detail that Dungeons & Dragons omitted, instead establishing them as a separate race with similar behaviors. This exclusive portrayal sparked a divide among players and Dungeon Masters, some of whom imagined alternative, non-evil storylines for orcs, even creating custom, benevolent characters and welcoming half-orcs as a playable core race.
The evolving cultural landscape, particularly the global Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, prompted those at the helm of Dungeons & Dragons to reassess how race was portrayed within the game. A significant factor in this reconsideration was the growing community of progressive gamers who supported redefining these concepts. In response, the developers replaced “race” with the term “species,” and “Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything” challenged the idea that different species were innately bound to certain moral alignments. Further changes in the Player’s Handbook allowed orcs to become fully playable characters. The forthcoming Monster Manual will further advance these reforms by abolishing the notion of orcs as mere monsters.
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