I hate comparisons which make orcs bigger than humans. Orcs in Lord of the Rings are really clearly shorter than humans. The "huge" Uruk-Hai are described as "nearly as tall as a man" with "straight legs".

Yet games keep making them taller than us. I'd say there is a decent argument for making D&D hobgoblins and gnolls bigger than humans, since their base hit dice are 1+1 and 2 respectively, while humans are just 1.

But there is exactly one source for canonical orcs and it says they're short, and crouched, with bandy legs. Peter Jackson got it right, which I love.

Discuss