Orc (starting race)

This page refers to the starting race. For the orc monsters read orc.

You can play NetHack as an Orc: o. You will see yourself as @ (unless you have showrace turned on), but you are actually considered to be letter o for other purposes.

Racial benefits and restrictions

Orcs have intrinsic infravision and poison resistance. Like a Caveman, they suffer no penalty for cannibalism, nor for eating cats and dogs. As an orc, you will also find many more peaceful inhabitants in the early and middle dungeon levels.

Orcs are always Chaotic. They can be Barbarians, Rogues, Rangers or Wizards. From an attribute perspective, at their maximum they can have moderately high strength, average dexterity and constitution but suffer for all other aspects - intelligence, wisdom and charisma. The following table outlines their maximum (unaided) attribute levels.

Character Race	Strength	Dexterity	Constitution	Intelligence	Wisdom	Charisma
Orc	18/50	18	18	16	16	16

Orcish items

The starting equipment of an orc character is inferior to that of other characters, because all weapons or armors (except the ranger's cloak of displacement) are substituted with Orcish equivalents where possible. However Orcish arrows from an orcish bow receive a +1 multishot bonus.

Strategy

• All chaotic players can automatically convert cross-aligned altars by sacrificing their own race on them. This is an easier task for the orc player on early levels.
  • subsequent orc sacrificing will summon major demons out of Gehennom as peaceful, which is a good way to avoid fighting them later. Further sacrifices will summon peaceful Foocubus, giving orcs an easy way to power up in the mid/late game.
• The Gnomish mines are not a light choice for the orc- as 90% of everything will hate you.