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I was wondering this the other day, there is no mention anywhere of orks aging. Do they? Or as a rule, do they just die before you would notice? This is assuming you don't count growing larger in combat as a type of aging. The same goes for tau and tyranids; anyone have any idea about life span?

They've got a life span. It's not defined much though.
I know that the Oldest Grot made 10 Years old.

In Ork Society they mostly if not all die in battle rather than Old age.

Nothing really fixed. They're kinda like trees, unless they get killed they'll just keep getting older and stronger.

They're more like a tropical Mushroom being a fungi and all that. The one that smells of decaying plant/flesh/muck springs to mind.

Considering their weird biology (and the way the fungus/algae part of them seems to be able to digest and regrow new tissue.. eg their magical regenerative abilities) they are, I suspect, functionally immortal so long as a.) the regenerative capability lasts and b.) they have access to something they can draw sustenance from.

Yes, Orks age.

They just don't grow weaker with age.

They grow stronger instead (more accurately, Orks grow stronger with each battle they partake in, the bigger and longer the battle the better; since Orks constantly seek battle, this means older Orks tend to be bigger, badder, and stronger than younger Orks, though it's not always the case).

Their nervous systems are also superior to an Eldar. I've read someplace (can't remember though) that Orks can have arms or even heads transplanted without dying.

Dunno about superior, but it's certainly more robust and durable. They are also much more compatible with cybernetics.

Most likely the painboy entry.
It depends on the world born on also. And the concetration of Ork spores.

No kidding. Even if Imperial weapon bionics are suprisingly inferior compared to bionics meant to replace organs, Orks can take more bionic augmentations that even a Tech Priest or a tech guard could handle.

Tadashi wrote:No kidding. Even if Imperial weapon bionics are suprisingly inferior compared to bionics meant to replace organs, Orks can take more bionic augmentations that even a Tech Priest or a tech guard could handle.

Cause a Tech Priest is human, and thus inherently inferior for possessing bodies too squishy to handle bionics like a real ork could.
Being an algae helps sometimes.

The amount of tech gubbins an ork could have is less unique in the current codex than in the old days.

I remember some truly awesome cybernetic augments, like the gyrostabilized monowheel, the magnrt arm that let you hitch a ride behind a vehicle, rokkit legs, squig inna box, grapple arms, hover or track unit replacements for legs... all sorts of awesome gubbins.

There was even an upgrade that added an extra head and set of arms, so the ork could fire two heavy weapons at once

Orks are ridiculously durable. fluffwise they all have FNP, though in game i can see why they don't for gameplay reasons, even if other races get it handed out like candy

Orks get bigger and darker(skin color) as they age. Tau are described as short-lived; Farsight I think is described as very old and is like 70 or something. Tyranids I'm not sure; they only exist during battle, as they are created on demand and are dissolved once the battle's over.

True humans are physically weaker than most species out there. And Farsight is rather controversial. Some people say he's been possessed by a daemon or is controlled by the C'tan, or that the original Farsight is dead, and the name is just passed down his successors. After all, the average Tau lifespan is around forty human years.

Tadashi wrote:Nothing really fixed. They're kinda like trees, unless they get killed they'll just keep getting older and stronger.

So what your saying is that trees get stronger as they age? Got to destroy nature before it destroys us!

on topic, orks would have to age or old zogwort wouldn't make sense. whether or not "old" means the same thing to them as us is up to debate.

Re trees- yes.

Oak, for example, gets tougher with age.

Orks tend to die before age is a problem, but i would imagine they have a maximum shelf life They just tend to die long before their best-before date

I think Ghaz is mentioned as being old (though far from past his prime ) in one story.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Re zoggy - it could also mean 'ol' zoggy there.. he's a right powerful wierdboy, he is..'

Not necessarily a statement of age, though i'm inclined to believe that it is.

All I know is that as long as they don't get killed, Orks will just keep on living...somewhat justifying mankind and the eldar's view of the Orks being vermin.

Well given the plant like nature of an Ork, I don't see them really having a maximum shelf life. In nature we have trees that live for many centuries already. I would say that an Ork can equal that at least. Of course the trees that live that long are the lucky ones, most die to rot or any other millions of things that can kill them.

I read it in one of the current codex entries that orks mature faster than humans, 1 year from spore to adult hood, I believe. Therefore orks do age, but as many have pointed out they live to fight and most die in battle so not many would make it far in life.

Tadashi wrote:All I know is that as long as they don't get killed, Orks will just keep on living...somewhat justifying mankind and the eldar's view of the Orks being vermin.

What do you mean "somewhat justifying that Ork are vermin"? Orks are vermin and they wouldn't have it any other way .

You also have to remember that many times in the 40K canon people are a lot older due to the time-dilation of warp travel. I think the fluff for Colonel Schaffer states that despite looking ~50, he's actually over 100 due to hopping around the galaxy in the warp all the time.

So probably Ghazzy is a lot older than he looks, what with him stomping around on a spacehulk in the warp and whatnot

I think Orks and their phisique are much more closely related to their environment than their actual age - Orks constantly fighting as we all know get stronger and tougher - an older Ork that is not fighting won't be as big and strong as same age ork in a proper warzone.

Corporal_Reznov wrote:

Tadashi wrote:All I know is that as long as they don't get killed, Orks will just keep on living...somewhat justifying mankind and the eldar's view of the Orks being vermin.

What do you mean "somewhat justifying that Ork are vermin"? Orks are vermin and they wouldn't have it any other way .

Err, yeah they would.

Hrud are vermin. Orks are insanely durable, impossibly strong technobarbarians with a culture and biology focused on making the biggest, best war possible and enjoying it thoroughly.

Also without war / Combat to fuel their adaptive nature the Ork is likely to degrade - depending on how you view Xenology - this describes the Ork degrading in captivity.

But outside of captivity, Orks just make their own war so that's not a problem.

True - but I assume its possible for a resource / backwater world to have a limited popultation and hence limited opportunities for a good scrap. Or maybe when trapped in a Space Hulk etc.

As people suggest its likely Orks just age well - alot better if they are getting plenty of "proper" fighting and then get killed in combat.

There is likely a point when their system begins to degrade over time but its probably almost never reached.

Mr Morden wrote:True - but I assume its possible for a resource / backwater world to have a limited popultation and hence limited opportunities for a good scrap.

Just like in Gorkamorka, nice quiet, peace loving Orks.

just limited in how much good scrapping they can enjoy - the odd fight with other orks and Diggers is ok but its not like living on Armageddon or other places that the Orks thrive as total war continues

Orks aren't vermin. People just think they are in-universe. They have "ork kulture" after all. Hrud are vermin. They rot everything wherever they go. Orks just make them "orky".

Orks aren't even thought of as vermin by most beings in 40k... they're thought of as brutal alien fiends who want to destroy everything.

Which is only partly true! They just want war in all its forms.