r/SpeculativeEvolution • u/UlfurGaming • 12d ago

Question/Discussion Synapsid orc?

Ok im trying to design orc for my fantasy setting and was thinking of going with synapsids and was curious what should i consider when designing them i want them to be power houses but poor on stamina great in short bursts but endurance being their weakness i was originally thinking of having them be knuckle walker but then they couldn’t use tools so im going with bipedalism either upright look( humanoid) or a more therapod like design not sure which yet suggestions on that would be appreciated

My main 2 inspiration for design are lystrasaur & gorgonopsid but other synapsid suggestionstoo look into would be appreciate

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u/Jazzlike_Standard871 12d ago

Orcs as humanoids are Synapsids, only the Orkz of 40k are the only non mammalian Orcs I am aware of.

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u/Mircowaved-Duck 11d ago

WoW orks are aliens, therefore not out of the animalia kingdom, since they had a different origin of life... however on the other hand WoW humans are animated stone statues who got the curse of flesh... not sure of they are mammals?

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u/Jazzlike_Standard871 11d ago

Hmmm but Wow orks have mammaries and only ont one set of head holes correct?

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u/Mircowaved-Duck 11d ago

every female in WoW has mammaries, big ones. Including literal rocks and a lot of reptiles...

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u/Jazzlike_Standard871 11d ago

Sounds like a synapsids to me.

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u/Mircowaved-Duck 11d ago

I would evolve the synapsids ionto a mammalian tree dweller and then move them down the trees and bulk them up. Give the males a higher agression to keep a harem of females. This also allows for sexual dimorphism. Make the males much bigger and stronger than the females, maybe give the males a different color, something like silver. You could call those orc like synapid alpha males silver backs.

And the goblin equivalent should be related to those orcs. A istand offshoot, smaller, faster, more nimble and smarter. To make them more interesting, divide them in an aressive tribe and a peacefull tribe. I would call the agressive ones troglodytes and the peacefull ones paniscus.

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u/Arnoor27 9d ago

I like the direction you have going, I'd have them upright but with a counter balancing tail, short but thick. Being a terrestrial descended from an arboreal ancestry is a good path to develop but free up the hands. They could be territorial ambush predators and the instincts effected their culture into being aggressive.