Stonecrown Ogre

Constant eating keeps these mountain ogres fat. Crude, powerful and simple-minded, they delight in killing and smashing things, and their stench of grease, filthy clothes and unwashed hide resembles strong sour milk. Bored ones pierce their ears, noses and more, finding it handsome, and may compliment other creatures with similar tastes. They speak their own tongue; mercenaries and leaders often know common, goblin or orog.

In mass battle they form brute-force units with axes, clubs or maces, and their immense strength adds +7 damage to any weapon. Hard drilling grants surprising discipline until first blood: being wounded triggers a battle-rage that grants two attacks per round. Companies with long service together learn to rage only on command, and watching a whole company erupt at once has routed several armies.

Alone in the wild they are ravenous, undisciplined hunters without much cunning, though sheer willpower carries them up bare cliffs, often to arrive with bleeding hands. Leaders always have maximum hit points and good armor, usually chain. Mercenary captains also wear superior armor and often carry the mountain arbalest, a heavy crossbow lobbing 10-pound stones: range 30/60/120, damage 1d10/2d6, and any armor or shield struck must pass an item save vs. crushing blow.

Their most famous mercenary company, the Ironmire Guard, was nearly a roving kingdom. A disciplined, ambitious warlord founded it and made its reputation during an invasion of a neighboring human realm, and his demands for real armor, polearms and missile weapons let it survive his death. Feuds between his sons and sergeants later split it into rival bands calling themselves the True Ironmire Guard, the Black Drake Company, the Dark Gryphon Riders and the like. Each has grown, and if they ever unite, these ogres might win a domain of their own.