Quote Originally Posted by AgentPaper View Post
Ok, this part I can buy. However, I don't think anything in the current description contradicts this line of play. The Orc description details what motivates an orc, specifically expansion of territory, and acquisition of females. Nowhere does it say that orcs will kill everything on sight and can't be negotiated with. Orcs and such are only always-evil if you interpret them to be.
My point is not that the Orc fluff, as written, prevents these types of stories. I agree with you that they certainly don't stop you, but that's not what makes me concerned. You're thinking of the DM who already has a story in their mind and is checking the book to see if it's "allowed", i.e., consistent with what the books describe. I'm thinking of the DM who doesn't know what they want to do yet and is flipping through the books to get ideas.

"Crap, my players want to go investigate the Orc camp. Guess I'd better plan what the orcs will do when the PCs arrive, let's see what the monster manual has to say about them... Orcs love to fight and steal things, and often attack groups of other races on sight. Okay, so when the PCs arrive, they're immediately ambushed and mugged by 4 orc archers in the trees and 2 orc barbarians hiding in the brush..."

This is why it bothers me that their fluff only talks about that they fight, how they like to fight, and the reasons that they might be fighting things.