Ogryns are the biggest and strongest abhumans in the Imperium, and the ones you’ll run into most often. They’re recruited as close assault shock troops, and they’re terrifying when pointed at something that needs breaking.
What ogryns actually are
Ogryns (Homo sapiens gigantus) evolved on harsh, high-gravity worlds that humanity had mostly written off, many of them ancient prison planets. They stand roughly 2.5 to 3 metres tall, and their build varies by home world: some are heavy with muscle, others run to grotesque obesity. All of them are tough.
They’re not clever. They’re also famously filthy, which is where nicknames like Fats, Slabs, Brutes and Stenches come from. Ogryn populations throw up mutants at roughly the same rate as baseline humans do.
One quirk matters more than any other: ogryns have a genetic horror of cramped, enclosed spaces. Lock one up long enough and it goes from distressed to maddened to a full-blown escape attempt, with no regard for anyone in the way. Some learn to suppress it. Most just endure.
How the Imperium classifies them
Ogryn taxonomy is one of the messier arguments inside the Administratum’s abhuman department. The strain is currently split into seven types (Alpha, Theta, Type IV, Type VIIa, H.S. gigantus gigantus, H.S. gigantus Cranopus, and the mysterious Grey Ogryns).
Plenty of clerks think several of those are really separate strains and that the whole list needs revising. Vat-grown ogryns exist too, and sometimes get shipped to sectors with no native population.
Ogryns in the Astra Militarum
Imperial Guard regiments use ogryns as close assault shock troops. Their job is to close the distance and tear things apart, and they’re very good at it. A bone’ead is an ogryn who’s been surgically and chemically uplifted to something close to a sergeant’s level of thinking, which is how ogryns usually get orders.
Bullgryns are the armoured variant, carrying slabshields and mauls, and ogryn bodyguards protect officers who want a wall of muscle between themselves and bad news. Charonites are a darker strain, used as expendable assault troops.
There are also gun luggers hauling heavy weapons, ogryn rough riders, and feral ogryns who never left their home worlds. Ogryn mercenaries turn up outside the Guard too.
- Bone’ead: uplifted ogryn used as a leader or NCO
- Bullgryn: shielded, armoured assault ogryn
- Charonite: expendable assault strain
- Gun lugger: ogryn carrying heavy weaponry
- Feral ogryn: never recruited, still tribal
Other ogryn strains
Ogryns turn up in plenty of places beyond the Guard. Ogryn slaves are common enough. Ogryn psykers are rare and deeply unlucky. Awakened ogryns and ogryn monstrosities are the results of things going badly wrong.
Chaos ogryns exist too, because brute strength is useful to anyone. Servitor-ogryns get wired into machinery. And the O’grinn are a separate, distinct variation worth knowing about if you’re deep in the lore.
Ogryn worlds
Most ogryn home worlds started life as penal colonies from before the Imperium existed. Tribes on those worlds are territorial and superstitious, and it’s unusual for an ogryn to show real interest in the Imperial Cult, though missionaries sometimes get through with stories they like.
Key facts
- Ogryns are abhumans, Homo sapiens gigantus, standing about 2.5 to 3 metres tall.
- They evolved on harsh, high-gravity worlds, many of them ancient prison planets.
- The Astra Militarum uses them as close assault shock troops.
- They have a genetic aversion to confined spaces that can drive them berserk.
- The Administratum currently lists seven distinct ogryn strains, and the classification is disputed.
- Bone’eads are uplifted ogryns who serve as leaders and NCOs.
FAQ
What is an ogryn in Warhammer 40k?
An ogryn is a large abhuman (Homo sapiens gigantus) native to high-gravity worlds, used by the Astra Militarum as close assault shock troops. They’re the most commonly seen abhuman in the Imperium.
Why do ogryns hate small spaces?
It’s genetic. Ogryns have an innate aversion to cramped, enclosed spaces, and prolonged confinement drives them from distress to madness to a violent escape attempt.
What’s a bone’ead ogryn?
A bone’ead is an ogryn who’s been surgically and chemically uplifted to roughly sergeant-level intelligence. They’re how ogryn units usually receive and pass on orders.
How tall are ogryns?
Roughly 2.5 to 3 metres tall. Build varies by home world, from heavy muscle to grotesque obesity.