Ogre

Ogres are huge, hideous, greedy brutes who live by ambush, raiding and theft, often hiring out to orc tribes, gnolls or evil priests and mixing easily with trolls and giants. Adults reach 9 to 10 feet and 300 to 350 pounds. Hides run from dead yellow to dull black-brown, rarely a sickly violet, with darker warts. Their eyes are purple around white pupils, their teeth and claws black or orange, and their long, oily hair blue-black or murky green. They smell like soured milk, wear badly cured furs, keep their gear in fair shape, and often speak gnoll, orc, troll and stone giant besides their own grunting tongue. They live about 90 years.

Small groups brawl as individuals. Eleven or more have a leader; sixteen or more usually add a second leader and a chieftain. Armed ogres gain +2 to hit from Strength, leaders +3, chieftains +4. A leader has 7 Hit Dice, 30-33 hp and AC 3, dealing 2d6+3 (+6 with a weapon). The chieftain, normally the tribe's biggest and smartest, has 7 Hit Dice, 34-37 hp and AC 4, dealing 2d6+6 (+6 with a weapon). Females fight like males but deal 2d4 and cap at 6 hp per Hit Die; young fight as goblins.

A tribe, found anywhere from caverns to peaks, counts 2-8 young, 2-12 females and 16-20 males. A shaman, if any, is 3rd level with the combat, divination, healing and protection spheres and the darkness portion of sun. Lairs have a 30% chance of 2-8 slaves, but since ogres relish elves, dwarves and halflings, only 10% of those are such captives. Prisoners become slaves 25% of the time and meals 75%. Ogres squabble endlessly over loot and trust no one, even each other.

They plague humankind, lusting for gems, gold, jewelry and human meat. Evil to the core, they join other monsters to bully the helpless, prefer lopsided fights, and never craft or work.

Taller and smarter than ogres, eastern ogre magi have pale blue, pale green or light tan skin with ivory horns. Hair is a darker contrasting shade (green on blue, blue on green), or yellow on tan-skinned ones. Nails are black, eyes dark with white pupils, tusks bright white. They dress in eastern clothing and armor and speak common, ogre and their own tongue.

At will they fly (12 turns), go invisible, create darkness 10 feet across in radius, and polymorph into a human or similar biped 4 to 12 feet tall, and they regenerate 1 hp per round (severed parts must be held on). Once a day each: charm person, sleep, gaseous form, and a cone of cold reaching 60 feet and widening to 20 for 8d8 (save vs. spell halves). Magic comes first, melee only if needed; morale is +1. Three in four favor the naginata, the rest scimitar and whip, and 25% in eastern lands know ki or martial arts. Facing hopeless odds, they flee to regroup or hide.

They lair in caves or strongholds and raid for food, slaves and treasure. Priests to 7th level are known. A tribe's 1-3 children and 2-5 females never fight; they escape as gas. Adults fight savagely for their young and pay a rich ransom for a kidnapped child, then take revenge and never forget. At home, a mighty chief leads (+2 hp per Hit Die, fights and saves as 9 Hit Dice), splits the loot and keeps the best. A clan emblem decorates banners, armor and headgear and is often tattooed on the chief. Their magical armor is too big for humans.

Freshwater merrow are faster and fiercer than land ogres: green, scaled, web-footed, with a long thick neck, sloping shoulders and a huge underslung jaw. Teeth and nails are black, eyes deep green with white centers, hair like slimy weed, and some 10%, mostly strong males, have ivory horns. They love tattoos; high-status females may be covered in scenes of carnage. They speak a dialect of their own as well as the ogre tongue.

Depending on terrain, green coloring hides them so well that they are effectively unseen 10-80% of the time, and ambushes impose -5 on foes' surprise. They open with a swimming spear charge at +1 for 2d6, then use claws and teeth.

Their caves lie under 50 to 250 feet of fresh water, frequently shared with scrags, and they can last two hours ashore to forage. A tribe controls 10-15 miles around. Hunger or greed sends war parties against lakeside villages; they crave gold and gems and often ignore dull-looking magic. Power-hungry chieftains claim their waters as kingdoms and attack intruding ships. Ignorant, superstitious and good only at murder and plunder, these carnivores can empty a lake of life, and fishermen shun their territory.