[Need some ideas] Orc Evolution Tree

[Arta]

So I’m thinking of writing an orc protagonist in a world that has monster evolution, but I’m struggling with evolution paths.

I want to separate goblins and orcs, rather than make them have similar evolution lines, but I’d also rather not deal with a generic evolution tree like: [Orc] > [Orc Warrior] > [Orc Boss] > [Orc Warlord] > [Orc Champion] > [Orc Hero]. Feels a tad too job class-like for my tastes.

So, I’m open to different ideas.

 

[Cipiteca396]

As a baseline, you can look at the other thread's list of goblin evolutions by clicking this link:

I also have 'Kabloomie Goblins' as the typical artificer type that appears in warcraft.

Gremlins might also be a goblin subrace in some stories.

Maybe typical templates as well, so demonic, angelic, draconic, undead, ghostly, ethereal, astral, psionic, aberrant, Dire(like a goblin Neanderthal?), skinchanger-therianthrope, vampiric, druidic, divine, constructed-animated, elemental, climate-terrain, mutant-servants of *insert monster*, and Monstrous HumanGoblinoid(Harpy, Centaur, Lamia, Mergoblin).

As far as therian/beastkin/whatever goes, I think a hivemind type of bug or whatever might fit very well. Ant Goblins, Bee Goblins, so on.

It'll always be easiest to have evolutions based on what they stand to gain from evolving. Fire Orcs have fire affinities, Vampiric Orcs have lifesteal skills, Jumpy Orcs get real high, so on and so forth.

Anyways... How do you want to distinguish goblins from orcs (and other races as well)? That might help you figure out the right evolutions for them. For example, in my story, goblins are all-rounders, and orcs are Body specialized.

Alternatively, you can forgo giving them named evolutions at all. An orc evolves into a 2nd tier orc with access to a range of different skills and abilities. Then, those abilities are inherited in their next evolution. Like in Chrysalis.

 

[Astrolust]

Have you considered looking at Digimon for inspiration? Your Orc could be become a big goth mommy at the snap of a finger.

 

[PancakesWitch]

Have you considered looking at Digimon for inspiration? Your Orc could be become a big goth mommy at the snap of a finger.

like in re:monster?
orcs by themselves are boring, even more if you want to keep them being orcs forever as they evolve. re:monster is fun because they stop being goblins and become stranger and stranger beings over time.
however, the only thing you could really do to keep them being "orcs" is giving them special traits added to them like scales, wings, elemental affinities that change their skin color, horns, and so on, they'll literally be anything but orcs by then but you can keep the humanoid frame and orc-like face so they're still orcs somewhat.
I would say that you should incorporate the evolutions to the world building, they could be related to gods blessings, spirits, and other things, natural concepts of that world instead of them happening because yes.

 

[Jemini]

orcs by themselves are boring

Unless you're talking about Warhammer 40K Orcs. Those guys are freaking hilarious. I don't even play Warhammer, I only know about them through lore summaries, but oh god I just had a smile on my face the entire time I was learning about how gloriously simple yet messed up their culture is!

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Unless you're talking about Warhammer 40K Orcs. Those guys are freaking hilarious. I don't even play Warhammer, I only know about them through lore summaries, but oh god I just had a smile on my face the entire time I was learning about how gloriously simple yet messed up their culture is!

The Orks and Gobbos (goblins) of that system both evolved (devolved?) from the creatures called "Squigs," who were tiny, dumb creatures until they find fungi that made them super geniuses. They bred for goblin (small, fast, agile, very dexterous) and ork lines (dumb, big, tough, strong, tough - yeah, it does belong there twice), built most of their technology... and then the Orks discovered their fungal gardens, and, in the space of two or three days, ate ALL of it to extinction. The effect on them was much weaker than it was on the Squigs (called Snotlings in Warhammer Fantasy Battles), just making them realize what they had done and not much else...

 

[RepresentingWrath]

The Orks and Gobbos (goblins) of that system both evolved (devolved?) from the creatures called "Squigs," who were tiny, dumb creatures until they find fungi that made them super geniuses. They bred for goblin (small, fast, agile, very dexterous) and ork lines (dumb, big, tough, strong, tough - yeah, it does belong there twice), built most of their technology... and then the Orks discovered their fungal gardens, and, in the space of two or three days, ate ALL of it to extinction. The effect on them was much weaker than it was on the Squigs (called Snotlings in Warhammer Fantasy Battles), just making them realize what they had done and not much else...

Wait, they were made from squigs? I thought squigs and orks are separate. I guess it depends on the edition of a rulebook. GW loves to retcon stuff, re-retcon and so on.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Wait, they were made from squigs? I thought squigs and orks are separate. I guess it depends on the edition of a rulebook. GW loves to retcon stuff, re-retcon and so on.

I think so, Had a roommate read the section that went over it out loud, after he stopped laughing the first time, so I may have missed something (this was a fairly early edition of the rules and may have been changed later, or they may all have a single, different, common ancestor but now be very different)

 

[nii07]

I have a question. Do you want it to strictly stay within orcs or do you want to be able to evolve into higher and different species? Like Trolls, Oni, or Cyclopes.

 

[Arch9CivilReactor]

Focus more on race than sophisticated Class specifications. Words like ‘Red’, ‘Horned’, ‘Predator’, ‘Gluttony’. More describing what they specialise in physically rather than skilfully.

 

[Jocelyn_Uasal]

How about mineral types! Like a ruby orc, emerald orc, stone orc, etc! The final evolution could be like a Stellar Dimond Orc or something

 

[Arch9CivilReactor]

I know this is my second comment but I just wanted to specify what I meant. Mother Nature is a cruel beast and the law of the jungle can be described more as insanity than cruelty. There are insects that eat, rip each other apart, control parasitically, camouflage or simply design themselves to be a predator to a specific type of prey.

And not just insects. All animals grow not solely by their environment, but what they interact with in their ecosystem. If you apply this to monsters, it becomes less about their name and more about their ‘character’. What existence they are.

That’s the gist of it anyway.

Whether this is helpful or not is up to you.

 

[RepresentingPride]

I'm more for species evolution, too. You should try to read "Green Skin," the characters evolve into other species, including orc.
If you want to stay with the orc species, then it's just the adjective that changes, and it could be anything.

Grunt, Berserker, Variant, Chieftain, Warchief, Warlock, Overlord, Gladiator, Godking, Ancient, Hidden, Cursed, Dark, etc.......