Well, now, here’s a rough topic. In my google searches, I can only seem to find three famous orcs for D&D but they’re all older editions. Obould Many-Arrows is the most famous example. The other two are Shield of Innocence and Vraak ir Vrakk. Shield was an orc paladin of Torm, while Vraak was a general. I was also informed about Dorn Il-Khan, who was a half-orc blackguard in the Baldur’s Gate games. Below is a list of notable orcs and half-orcs played in some of the various, high profile D&D campaigns in podcast and video form.

Critical Role
Given I haven’t actually watched/listened to much Critical Role, I can’t say much about these characters. I did, however, dig up wiki articles on them.

Lionel Gayheart is a bardbarian played by Jon Heder (best known as Napoleon Dynamite). His most notable traits seem to be his “happy rage” and his unquestioning nature, taking things at face value.

Garthok is a half-orc rogue played by Jason Charles Miller of the band Godhead, who also made the theme song for the show. As of writing, he’s had two appearances.

Cordell was an NPC portrayed by GM Matt Mercer. He was a guard of Greyskull Keep and as of writing died during the events surrounding the Chroma Conclave.

Yogscast
Likewise, I haven’t really watched Yogscat. All I could really find was the character Falk, a half-orc/elf fighter. I might have to dig up episodes starring him. An orc/elf child has the potential to be pretty interesting.

The Adventure Zone
I am a HUGE fan of The Adventure Zone. There are two especially notable orcs

Killian is a full orc and one of the earliest NPCs that Tres Horny Boys encounters. She is big, strong, and very good at her job. It’s later revealed that she and Carey Fangbattle are in a relationship, and, along with the NO-3113, make up the squad affectionately known as Team Sweet Flips.

Later on, during The 11th Hour, the Boys meet Cassidy. Cassidy is a half-orc and a full on redneck, fond of calling anyone she doesn’t know “gerblins!” The boys meet her in jail, where she eventually escapes after an earthquake.

Both Cassidy and Killian make heroic appearances in the campaign finale, Story And Song. I will refrain from spoilers. If you haven’t experienced TAZ yet, I really must encourage you to do so.

The Unexpectables
The Unexpectables is a campaign currently being played by Curtis “Takahata101” Arnott, along with several other folks affiliated with Team Four Star, with Taka’s sister serving as the DM. You can find episodes on Taka’s youtube channel or watch live on Wednesday night Twitch streams.

Borky is a full orc barbarian played by Taka. He’s big, he’s strong, thinks quite highly of himself, and is occasionally on the dumber side. He can be quite charming at times while infuriating in others, especially during his morning ritual where he chants, “It’s time to get orky! It’s time to get Borky!” and then lets out a savage scream.

Helga is the team’s tavern manager, retired Shieldmaiden, and 9th level monk. She is about the same size as Borky and speaks in pseudo-Russian accent. She dislikes Borky a great deal, while Borky finds her incredibly ugly despite being described as relatively attractive. She takes her work very seriously.

Finally, there’s Brorc Bronze-Fang. On his first encounter, he is described as looking odd for an orc, which the party later finds is due to his Aasimar heritage. Brorc is a high paladin of Avan, captain of the Alavast guard, and a member of the Alavast Council. He has had relatively pleasant encounters with the group thus far, being a mostly jovial and friendly person.

As far as major games goes, I’m sure I’m probably missing some here or there. Feel free to share them in the comments below, and feel free to share your own characters!