D&D 5E Help me create the next stage of Ogre!

[Syndrome]

Class levels would work great too.

I had an Ogre Mage Sorcerer as a major villain and he was an utter badass. Gave him the feats Karmic Strike and Combat Reflexes too. He was rude, cast Stoneskin on himself, then waded into melee.

 

[Cyberzombie]

I would merge/develop an ogre/troll mix. That seem a nice direction to take.

In a very old 1e gamer mag -- White Dwarf, I think, back when they covered D&D -- they had an article on converting Tolkien-stylez humanoids into D&D. I think the olog hai were ogre/troll breeds. In any case, olog hai makes a darn cool name for a race.

If you're continuing the trend from ogre to ogre mage to "X", ogre mages are smarter and have magic. To continue that, more intelligence and more magic would seem appropriate to me. If you have Complete Arcane, you could have them have the powers of a warlock with as many HD as they have. The eldritch blast, plus other powers, could really make them a formidable enemy. And different, since CArcana hasn't been around long enough for people to be familiar with warlocks and their powers.

 

[Tonguez]

One of the BBEGs imc was a magma paraelemental Ogre scorcerer (template/class). One of his unique abilities was a pyroclastic breath weapon (ie he spewed lava), he lived in a volcano and was worshipped by the local Goblin and Ogre populations as a war god.

Talking about war gods - the Tekken computer game series offers the figures of Ogre and True Ogre. True Ogre could probably be modeled as a half-dragon Ogre (and Ogre as an Ogre Magi).

For a variation there is also Goro from the Mortal Kombat series who is a four-armed ogre

 

[Andre]

Here's something from a campaign I ran a while back. Fair warning: if the grendels get the drop on a party, they're much tougher than their CR would suggest.

Grendel Troll
Large Giant
Hit Dice 6d8+18 (45 hp)
Initiative +1 (Dex)
Speed 40', swim 30'
AC 19 (-1 Size, +1 Dex, +5 natural, +4 mage armor)
Touch AC 10
Flat-footed AC 18
BAB +4
Grapple +13
Attack Greatsword +9 melee (2d6+5), Longspear +5 ranged (1d8+5)
Full Attack Greatsword +9 melee (2d6+5), Longspear +5 ranged (1d8+5)
Space/Reach 5'/10' (20' with longspear)
Special Attacks Spell-like abilities
Special Qualities None
Fort +7
Ref +6
Will +8
Str 21
Dex 13
Con 16
Int 16
Wis 13
Cha 15
Skills: Climb +2, Concentration +10, Hide +5, Listen +2, Move Silently +5, Spellcraft +5, Spot +2, Survival +5
Feats: Great Fortitude, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes
Environment Any land and underground
Organization Solitary, Pair, Coven (3-6)
CR 7
Treasure Double standard

Grendel trolls are similar to ogres, but much more intelligent, possessing powerful innate magical abilities. Adult grendels stand 9 to 10 feet tall and weigh 300 pounds or more. Their skin color is always gray or black. Their smooth, thick hides are typically covered with a stiff fur, gray or black (the opposite of their skin color). Grendels usually wear normal clothing, well kept and clean.

Grendels speak Common, Giant, and at least one other language.

COMBAT
Grendels rely on their spell-like abilities, resorting to physical combat only when necessary. Grendels prefer ambush to fair fights, and will not hesitate to retreat before superior forces. Grendels despise ogre mages and will often fight one to the death.

Spell-like abilities: These abilities are as spells cast by a 10th-level sorcerer, save DC 12 + spell level.
At will - Blur, Color Spray, Mage Armor, Ray of Enfeeblement, See Invisible
3/day - Cure Serious Wounds, Entangle, Melf's Acid Arrow
1/day - Bull's Strength, Cat's Grace, Ice Storm, Improved Invisibility, Slow, Stoneskin

Blur: 10 minutes, 20% miss chance
Bull's Strength: 10 minutes, 1d4+1 Strength
Cat's Grace: 10 minutes, 1d4+1 Dexterity
Color Spray: Range 50' (DC 13)
Cure Serious Wounds: 3d8+10
Entangle: 10 minutes, 40' radius spread (DC 13)
Greater Invisibility: 10 rounds
Mage Armor: 10 hours
Melf's Acid Arrow: 4 rounds, 2d4 (DC 14)
Ray of Enfeeblement: 1d6+5 Strength
See Invisibility: Range 200', 100 minutes
Slow: Range 50', 10 rounds, 10 creatures w/in 30' (DC 15)
Stoneskin: 100 points, 100 minutes

A grendel troll's favored class is sorcerer.

Edited to be 3.5 compatible.

 

[evolved]

Monster Manuel 3 has the skullcrusher ogres
skull crusher ogres can tear ogres and with the proper gear ogre magi into pieces so tiny ants would need electron microscopes

also in the age of mortals book for dragon lance the ogre titan template is introduced think giant blue ogres with better stats and a dash of extra magic

 

[Wolf72]

I vote class levels ... and use either the NPC stat block or the PC stat block ... throw a decent score into int and you'll be good to go

 

[Roman]

Great advice all around guys and gals! I simply love these boards. I will most likely be able to use all the ideas presented, since the party is probably going to stay in ogre lands for quite a while, so there will be opportunities to introduce interesting and diverse ogre types.

 

[Aust Diamondew]

Just give ogres character levels. There are few things scarier than a Barbarian/Frenzied beserker ogre were bear

 

[Sigurd]

Clean Sweep Ogre

This terrifying creature of the wilderness is made twice as affective by reducing his clutter, selling old treasures and investing in new traps and redecoration ideas for his lair.

In the first phase he removes all the old bones, dead and uneaten creatures and separates all his hostages and possessions into 'keep' 'toss' 'sell' and 'ransome'. This effectively reduces his treasue rating to 0 in this first phase.

In the second phase he arranges his 'toss' pile to affectively repell invaders. At any time it is only a DC 10 challenge for this ogre to have 3D4 objects on hand from bones to boulders.

The Sell pile is similarly used to gather all his more stupid giant kin. In return for trinkets, cheap armor from underage adventurers, and various clubs of the day this ogre wins the leadership and lasting respect from his bumpkin neighbors and other dim witted giants. The Sell pile distributes his wealth such that all his allies receive no minuses for inferior equipment (some may even receive pluses). Defenders who receive this bounty get a +1 morale bonus for knowing that someone finally did something. A +2 if they actually inherited a shiney new to them club. It also garners 2D6 messangers that the ogre may use for his further operations.

The Ransome pile is the biggest tactical change for this advanced ogre. Knowing you don't have to hang onto your captives liberates the Ogre to make some real wealth. Captives are taken from the countryside and kept for a time, until their ransome is paid or the ogre gets too hungry. Messengers gatherred from the dispursement of his sell pile are sent to demand the things the ogre really wants. Money, magic, marinated Steer whatever.

An ogre who reaches this second level of organization acquires twice his standard treasure allowance because although he may have fewer possessions in total, what he has, he really likes. The ogre begins to learn that it is quality as well as quantity.

Some of this newfound wealth is spent on tasteful decorations - a built in Gaol to keep his captives, perhaps a new, larger cauldron, and shiny gold teeth. In his decorating the Ogre learns to emulate more powerful monsters, perhaps the local necromancer, and he learns that if he is careful there are many things that he can receive from these new aquaintances. Oversize swords, shields, even armor become standard. As do trips to the seaside to smash trading ships and collect wreakage.

Fee Fi Fo Fum becomes:

Pay me my Fee!
Fighter level Feats!
Foes must be anticipated!
Fumbling can get me killed!

All of these revelations bring powerful organization to the Ogre, making him prosperous and terrifying!


S

 

[Sejs]

Axiomatic Ogre Magi.