100 Orc Pranks That Went Terribly Wrong + Random Tables

Orcs are known for their boisterous nature and love of rowdy pranks that often lead to hilarity rather than havoc. Their sense of humor is rough and risky, frequently bordering on the outrageous. Whether it’s a classic trick or an elaborate prank, every plan carries the potential for spectacular failure. The orcish tendency toward risk-filled jests can lead to messy consequences, but it also creates moments of comedic relief that can be both entertaining and memorable in any campaign.

As unpredictable creatures that thrive on chaos, orcs excel at pulling off pranks with the kind of reckless abandon that others might shy away from. Their humor, much like their personalities, is bold and irreverent, often resulting in more than a little collateral damage. The line between a practical joke and an all-out debacle is razor-thin: what starts as a simple jest can swiftly spiral into an uproarious disaster.

Incorporating such orcish pranks into a campaign can add a distinct flavor of humor and depth to a story. For Dungeon Masters (DMs), these antics are an excellent way to inject orcish culture and personality into interactions with players or orc NPCs. The following lists of orc pranks, gone comically awry, offer plenty of ways to let the spirit of orcish mischief run wild.

The pranks are broken down into five themed lists, each highlighting different staple elements of orcish pranksterism and the various ways they can backfire. From physical mishaps and food-related fiascos to misguided magical attempts and psychological tricks, each list showcases unique ways pranks can go wrong in the world of orcs. These examples provide DMs with versatile narrative tools that can be used to enrich backstory, serve as flavor text, or create in-the-moment events that bring orcish antics to life, enhancing the comedic chaos of any encounter.

d20 Physical Pranks Gone Wrong

Physical pranks are straightforward and hands-on, with physical snares often leading to embarrassing or messy calamities. These bungled attempts provide hilarious outcomes that showcase the orcs’ lack of finesse in prank execution.

1. Orc covered their own weapon handle with glue, resulting in it sticking to their hand indefinitely.
2. Dug a pitfall trap but forgot its location, making the prankster the victim of a dislocated ankle.
3. Swapped out armor pieces for mismatched chaos, leading to an awkward display of twisted fashion.
4. Rigged a bucket of water only to have a gust of wind splash it back onto the prankster.
5. Tried sneaking behind someone for a scare but tripped and revealed their hiding spot.
6. Released a swarm of bees for a scare, accidentally provoking their own allergic reaction.
7. Pulled the chair out from another orc, only for it to crash noisily and alert guards.
8. Tied shoelaces together, but ended up paying the toe stubbing price.
9. Tried bouncing an orc off a makeshift spring trap, launching their own buddy into a thorn bush.
10. Planted a mustache on a sleeping orc, but that orc retaliated with a wedgie.
11. Hid inside a barrel only to be rolled downhill by an unsuspecting friend.
12. Swung from a vine to startle an orc only to crash ungracefully into the camp latrine.
13. Set up a fake bear trap that got caught around their own ankle chain.
14. Painted a face on the back of their head to confuse, but spooked themselves at the river’s reflection.
15. Laid out marbles to slip others up but ended up skidding right into the campfire.
16. Pushed another into water but they’re dragged in by their own raft captain.
17. Hopped behind a tree to startle others but held it so fiercely it uprooted, pinning them down.
18. Hung up a hammock low, aiming for collapse, but took a nap and rolled into a mudpit themselves.
19. Repurposed a horn to blast an alarming sound, but did not realize it was an insect hive.
20. Built a snowball giant but it fell apart, burying them beneath it come thawing.

d20 Food and Drink Pranks That Backfired

Orcs delight in tampering with meals and drinks for pranks, but these antics can often lead to stomach-turning, surprising, or outright disgusting results.

1. Spiked a drink with hot pepper, only to mistakenly consume it themselves and spew flames.
2. Replaced salt with sugar, spoiling the feast and earning their clan’s ire.
3. Added spice to the clan chief’s meal, resulting instead in universal disdain.
4. Secretly watered down the ale, discovering too late they watered down their own cask.
5. Tried faking a ghost using mashed potatoes, but smeared it across their own face after a stumble.
6. Served spoiled fish hidden in broth, inciting mass puking—including their own troop.
7. Cook spread a laxative herb in the stew only to suffer their own dire stomach cramps.
8. Slipped an exploding seed into bread, unaware they baked it in their own loaf.
9. Delivered meals with extra garlic, scaring away everyone’s appetite yet drawing flocks of savaging wolves.
10. Exchanged pies with mud ones, but pies were taken first by hungry adventurers foraged.
11. Cut holes into many waterskins, thinking it a clever delay tactic, only they all ended delayed.
12. Frog stew stepped over the salt cue, leading to endless croaking complaints when served.
13. Soup tasted odd, few realized an orc had mistaken it for their chamber pot.
14. Planning against a rival, orc put mollusks in stew, only to be attacked by sludge worms instead.
15. Hiding pickled goblin toes for a laugh, ending with scurrying rodents.
16. De-pranked ale barrel with stuck honeycomb lid, overtaken by sticky devastation.
17. Slipped in biting spice, taken to be the cause of a vision storm that everyone feared.
18. Sponged on a prank pie crust, which resulted only in soggy humiliation for them.
19. Created decoy candy chest, that lured actual ants and then a bear into camp.
20. Haphazard switcharoo with stew cauldron mistakenly simmered their own boot leather.

d20 Magical Pranks That Spiraled Out of Control

Orcs using minor magical pranks often encounter disasters due to their lack of finesse with magical energies. These mishaps result in a comedic escalation of unexpected effects.

1. Cast a minor illusion that took permanent hold, rendering an accomplice invisible for days.
2. Tried enchanting boots for squeaky noise, but cast it too widely affecting every shoe at camp.
3. Made a glow centering rock overwhelming, blinding half the camp at night.
4. Attempted to push mirage lighting further igniting the camp in astral fire illusions.
5. Cast alteration on a borrowed walking staff, leading to a runaway broomstick.
6. Attempted to shimmer up a swordboat, ending in trapped sparkling, slippery annoyance.
7. Fumbled energy form, tangled with fireworks explosion, carried far and wide by wild wind spirits.
8. Made tent invisible at sunset, forgetting where it was but discovering animals had nosed it down.
9. Used an enlarge spell on an opponent’s gear, finding that it locked them immobile instead.
10. Attempted concoction of pointy elixir, became an overnight pincushion challenge for themselves.
11. Propelled a talking object to disrupt sleep, attacked in retribution by angry spirits.
12. Blundered through polymorph to switch own shape with toad-tooth; camp becomes obsessed with catching “the biggest ever.”
13. Olfactory distort through minor transmutation, all typically slam with their noses eyed shut.
14. Abused mirror image spell resulting in exaggerated scatter around camp.
15. Flung as mimicry wand—poor usage to replicate captain, taking on their colossal migraines instead.
16. Whispered covert charm luring a helpful small water elemental into the chief’s keg.
17. Reflection swap spell-use brought a table to life rather than shattering illusions.
18. Tried spectral visage, revealing intrusions around the gate sparking widespread panic.
19. Necromantic lasagna’s untimely appearance yielded every fruit’s name calling evil reversal.
20. Attemped evasive trace, lure ended culminating in intense barge of sounds from local miner’s crew.

d20 Pranks on Adventurers That Went Awry

Pranks targeting unwelcome adventurers often fail spectacularly, turning intended mockery into unexpected encounters.

1. Planned to jump-scare adventurers but pranked each other and revealed locations instead.
2. Made fake danger signs, inadvertently scaring away their own sentries.
3. Set off a decoy trap, alarming the adventurers and chasing everyone into the same corner.
4. Broke arrows onto the path hopelessly attracting attention from a roaming manticore.
5. Tipped boulders down a hill only to grow a wary agitated rockslide.
6. Pitched tents mysteriously skyward, cause was abrupt adventurer magic-user devastation.
7. Attempted noisemaker to detect adventurers, only creating loud commotion among themselves.
8. Painted faces on decoys meant to mislead, backfiring when they followed the wrong shadow.
9. Set up a ruse campfire then forgot firespread are feared by local dryads.
10. Linked chains together anticipating hobbling, instead snared their chief against a tree.
11. Hid among statues, only to remain absolutely unseen then left stranded for hours.
12. Planted fake navigational clues, but inadvertently led adventurers to prized location.
13. Launched a shrieker mushroom hoping to direct adversaries; it extended to ensnare them all.
14. Crafted intimidating signs of aggressive beasts, vice versa haunting ongoing members’ dreams.
15. Smoked hallowed utopia onto manuals, adventurers concluded hidden likelihood—it matched the ORC guides.
16. Predated orcs own history of attack, got themselves tangled up while demanding introductions.
17. Failed emulation by cropscene, plainly mistaking ramps for well-trodden by its vines failry.
18. Enticed westerners closer with alluring scents- unfortunately lay unresolved rubbish nearby.
19. Set extra heavy boulder traps for… strange a mine-spearman than for storage aid.
20. Tied a knot effortlessly but whistled fates nightfall of Banshees awoke its grimland’s wall.

d20 Psychological Pranks That Got Out of Hand

Psychological pranks aim to spook or confuse, but often result in misunderstanding and panic cascading through the camp, inducing fright even among the orchestrators.

1. Planted a creepy note, but gave themselves such a fright they ran off screaming.
2. Crafted strange symbols across camp, leading to mass confusion over curses.
3. Staged a haunting, accidentally convincing everyone their abode was spirit-touched.
4. Disguised as shadowy figure in fake mirrors, petrifying themselves continuously.
5. Dumped icy material in river, disturbing both aquatic residents and prank squad members.
6. Created lifelike illusions mistaken for threatening animals, resultant random fleeing.
7. Set up unease-inducing talismans thought tipping off realm’s banishment.
8. Inserted distorted films within day holds; sinister enough to disrupt quarry prospects.
9. Cast soundless chants into deep geysers meant to rise, but surprised by untimely return by a chorus of amphibians.
10. Harried as visions concerned orphans dooming the immediate plan pull their own garb.
11. Animated raven’s feathers to play scaring, only no one noticed dastardly hope crumble whilst pinpointed.
12. Leading lost travelers beyond a wailing current, oscillated to snag patrolling rescue vessels.
13. Marking a chromatic stone left exposing intrinsic sparkly lights; anyone absorbed disfranchise into glaring adversary lanes.
14. Muted under phantasmal fog, returned with howling or blitz grapples snaps.
15. Gory etchings not outlasted undulated camp strategies, repositioned a few within.
16. Evoked possibly supernatural by odd trinkets, recalling far-reaching enthralled alliances.
17. Dropped eerie sounds onto spy piles, promptly deterring with entirety invite lynches.
18. Voicing murmurs accentuating phantom trauma echoes mistaken startled great color sifting dreams.
19. Eerie deception counteractively roamed rustling framework perdita, away upon glimpsing them.
20. Enacting wall projections revealing unguarded telling – evidence shadows yet prevails.

Orc Prank Creation Tables

For DMs inspired to create even more orc-induced chaos, these tables provide a structured way to concoct pranks, from initial targets to their hilariously unintended outcomes.

Table 1: Prank Targets

These are the victims of orcish pranks, adding variety to whom the joke ends up affecting.

1. Clan chief
2. Fellow prankster
3. Shamans
4. Roving adventurers
5. Rival clan
6. Village shopper
7. Elven spies
8. Trader associates
9. Drummers or songsters
10. Night watch
11. Senior hunter
12. Understudy
13. Underground dweller
14. Abandoned friend
15. Beast companion
16. Traveling merchants
17. Miner renegade
18. River racer
19. Boating minions
20. Camp’s own captain

Table 2: Prank Setups

These set the stage for the mischief, from classic traps to magically enchanted oddities.

1. Hidden pit
2. Greased slope
3. Rigged item
4. Meal sabotage
5. Mysterious orb
6. Illusionary display
7. Exploding potion
8. Mimicked voices
9. Stealth insertion
10. Frolicsome wildlife
11. Rotating stage
12. Flickering flame
13. Binding charm
14. Camouflaged outfit
15. Clustered assembly
16. Musical note ambush
17. Hovering finale
18. Escalating stunt
19. Disappearing relic
20. Buried traps

Table 3: Prank Backfires

Here, the fallout from when things don’t go as planned becomes all the more entertaining.

1. The prank targets the prankster.
2. Smells linger overlong
3. Creates mass confusion
4. Incites crop failure
5. Causes parade of animals
6. Results in compromised location
7. Leaves lasting scar
8. Unleashes snarling inhabitants
9. Engages unpleasant legacy
10. Attracts unexplained magic
11. Mutates an artifact
12. Stirs hidden lares
13. Achieves oratory hilarity
14. Attracts hostile vermin
15. Awakened mingling
16. Shuffles quarantine
17. Territorial assertion
18. Forestalls harmony
19. Backlash of influence
20. Overcasts weather

Table 4: Magical Mishap Effects

Magic doesn’t always play by the rules, and here’s a list of what might go wrong when orcs dance upon it.

1. Stuck illusion lasts too long
2. Sparks fly beyond control
3. Unintended flares invoke stories
4. Hypnotic effects stun
5. Displaced shadow selves multiply
6. Attention shifts unexpectedly
7. Energizes an unassuming object
8. Feign-haunted lingering impact
9. Vanishing echoes shuffle open arms
10. Perceptive shift causes insomnia
11. Element fluxes unearthed widely
12. Arcane reverberations hum immensely
13. Tides ripple with symbols drawn
14. Temple distort rues reward
15. Automaton echoes snap unease
16. Giant surreal expansion trick
17. Crossing fates assimilates mirth
18. Unforeseen evocation-unease
19. Dreamy immersion surpasses likeness
20. evoked paradox portal welcomes

Table 5: Reactions from Orcs and Victims

Every prank gone awry triggers a range of reactions both from the pranksters and victims.

1. Explosive laughter
2. Rapid retaliation
3. Cowardly retreat
4. Bewildered shock
5. Ritualistic dynamic
6. Disastrous dismantling
7. Incomprehensible grunts
8. Stoic silence
9. Chaotic series of falls
10. Misunderstanding of intentions
11. Extended pentahanway
12. Enraging insult
13. Narrative unfolding bafflement
14. Culturous camaraderie
15. Muddled understanding
16. Unexpected union
17. Disarming disclosure
18. Surprising ingenuity
19. Common commotion
20. Expressive mimicry

Orcish Humor and the Spirit of Chaos

Reflecting on the chaotic nature of orcish humor, it becomes evident that these pranks, even when well laid, are prone to backfire spectacularly. Orcs’ boisterous sense of fun, riddled with mishaps, captures a spirit of exuberance that is infectious. As pranks unfold, the uproarious outcomes inject humor and folly, lightening the atmosphere of any campaign and showcasing the cultural richness of orcs.

Integrating these pranks into a story doesn’t just add laughs but offers a deeper glimpse into the orcish way of life. Their humor, uninhibited and full-bodied in its carefree absurdity, introduces levity to storytelling while emphasizing the ethos of their community. These pranks add dimension to orc NPCs, allowing players to engage with their mischievous side and explore the lighter nuances of orc culture where laughter, chaos, and camaraderie are never far apart.