Amechra
2015-09-23, 09:58 PM
Ogres
The story of the Ogre race is a long and sad one. Thousands of years ago, back when the kingdoms of men were just a group of squabbling tribes, Ogres had carved out a vast empire, using the strength of their arms and the powers of their primordial sorcerers to establish and keep their might. Blessed with a form of natural magic that allowed them to gain stature and strength far beyond that of their ancestors, the Ogre people developed a vast number of spells to warp both flesh and steel, building vast fortresses with walls of iron and cultivating suites of spells of self-augmentation that beggared belief.
Alas, the Ogres were proud - they strove too far, and lost control. While the events that followed were foggy, the ultimate effects were not - Ogres are nothing but brutes, their citadels rusted to nothing, the stores of their knowledge lost to the world. However, there are some "clean" Ogres left - small bands of men and women attempting to raise children free of the taint their ancestors so cavalierly placed upon them.
For if they fail, then a once-proud and once-mighty race will pass into the mists of time, and will be forgotten.
Personality: Ogres are a proud and tempestuous race, given over to emotion and argument. While they are not an evil race, they are fiercely individualistic - as they seem to find many laws to be polite suggestions more than hard rules, there ultimately isn't a distinction as far as many races are concerned. Within their tight-knit family groups, however, Ogres work well together. If one Ogre declares that you are their ally, their entire family is likely to treat you well for as long as the original ogre decides you are still their friend (which can be quite a long time).
Physical Description: Ogres are a slight and slender race - most of them are less than 5ft tall, and the vast majority weigh less than 100lbs. Their small size, however, belies their built-in strength and endurance; it is far from uncommon for an Ogre to carry more than their own body weight without complaint. Their skin tone varies from a dull yellow to a dull brown, with small black eyes glaring out of faces fringed with dark hair, which varies from browns and blacks to dull ochres and jades.
Relations: Due to the actions of their fallen kin, Ogres tend to be considered undesirables amongst other races. While they do not have enough unity to build great kingdoms, small villages of Ogres are often harassed by other, nearby towns - no one wants to leave prime farmland to Ogres. Or let their sheep graze too closely, either. Or let their children play near Ogre lands.
Alignment: Ogres have a strong natural tendency towards Chaos, though sane ones have no real tendency towards Good or Evil. Years of being treated as an outcast tend to beat the tendency for goodness out of you, while evil is viewed (with good reason) as a sign that the Ogre in question is going mad.
Lands: Ogres do not own land - instead, they squat on whatever land other races will let them keep. As such, any territory that Ogre hold tends to be less than desirable.
Religion: Ogres will pray to any deity that will accept their prayers, with a strong tendency towards gods of Travel and Weather. They often carry small carved shrines with them, dedicated to whatever god fits their own personal beliefs best.
Language: Ogres mostly speak an old dialect of Giant amongst themselves, though they learn (oftentimes broken) Common for the purposes of interacting with other races.
Names: Ogre names tend towards being short and descriptive - they see no need for names that mean nothing. A common trend is naming them after the place where they were born, or giving their children names commemorating allies or deities (the number of Ogres named Blessed-of-Fharlangh is simply staggering.)
Adventurers: To many Ogres, adventuring parties lend them a feel of solidarity that they might not be receiving otherwise in their lives. As such, most Ogre adventurers have been deprived of their families in some way, either through being exiled or through the deaths of their parents.
• +2 Str, +2 Con, -2 Int, -2 Cha; Ogres have strong backs and strong arms, but tend to have their minds elsewhere. Their stubbornness, however, is a well known trait.
• Size and Type: Ogres are Medium Giants, with no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Base Land Speed: Ogres possess a Base Land Speed of 30ft.
• Low-Light Vision: Ogres can see twice as far in conditions of poor lighting.
• Darkvision 60ft: Ogres can see clearly in non-magical darkness out to 60ft.
• Natural Armor: An Ogre receives a +1 Natural Armor bonus to their AC.
• Ogre Secrets (Ex): Whenever an Ogre is under the effect of a spell or effect that provides a bonus to one of their physical ability scores, they also gain a +10ft bonus to their Base Land Speed, as well as a +1 bonus to their Natural Armor bonus. This effect does not stack with itself, and class features that permanently increases their physical ability scores do not trigger the effects of Ogre Secrets.
• Cursed Nature (Ex): If an Ogre consumes the flesh of another creature that possesses an Intelligence score greater than 3, they immediately gain one Giant HD and improve the effects of Ogre Secrets (see the Warped Secrets sidebar below.) This only occurs the first time they do so - the curse in their blood only surfaces once, after all.
• Favored Classes: Barbarian, Warlock
Warped Knowledge
Whenever an Ogre's Cursed nature comes to the fore, they gain the following additional benefits and drawbacks when receiving the benefits of Ogre Secrets:
• The bonus to natural armor from Ogre Secrets increases by one.
• The Ogre gains an additional +2 bonus to their Strength and their Constitution.
• The Ogre increases their racial penalties to Intelligence and Charisma by two.
• The Ogre's alignment temporarily shifts one step towards Evil; this shift lasts until the effects of Ogre Secrets end.
Additionally, the Ogre becomes mildly addicted to the benefits of Ogre Secrets; they may not voluntarily dismiss or end any effect that supplies the benefits of Ogre Secrets.
The story of the Ogre race is a long and sad one. Thousands of years ago, back when the kingdoms of men were just a group of squabbling tribes, Ogres had carved out a vast empire, using the strength of their arms and the powers of their primordial sorcerers to establish and keep their might. Blessed with a form of natural magic that allowed them to gain stature and strength far beyond that of their ancestors, the Ogre people developed a vast number of spells to warp both flesh and steel, building vast fortresses with walls of iron and cultivating suites of spells of self-augmentation that beggared belief.
Alas, the Ogres were proud - they strove too far, and lost control. While the events that followed were foggy, the ultimate effects were not - Ogres are nothing but brutes, their citadels rusted to nothing, the stores of their knowledge lost to the world. However, there are some "clean" Ogres left - small bands of men and women attempting to raise children free of the taint their ancestors so cavalierly placed upon them.
For if they fail, then a once-proud and once-mighty race will pass into the mists of time, and will be forgotten.
Personality: Ogres are a proud and tempestuous race, given over to emotion and argument. While they are not an evil race, they are fiercely individualistic - as they seem to find many laws to be polite suggestions more than hard rules, there ultimately isn't a distinction as far as many races are concerned. Within their tight-knit family groups, however, Ogres work well together. If one Ogre declares that you are their ally, their entire family is likely to treat you well for as long as the original ogre decides you are still their friend (which can be quite a long time).
Physical Description: Ogres are a slight and slender race - most of them are less than 5ft tall, and the vast majority weigh less than 100lbs. Their small size, however, belies their built-in strength and endurance; it is far from uncommon for an Ogre to carry more than their own body weight without complaint. Their skin tone varies from a dull yellow to a dull brown, with small black eyes glaring out of faces fringed with dark hair, which varies from browns and blacks to dull ochres and jades.
Relations: Due to the actions of their fallen kin, Ogres tend to be considered undesirables amongst other races. While they do not have enough unity to build great kingdoms, small villages of Ogres are often harassed by other, nearby towns - no one wants to leave prime farmland to Ogres. Or let their sheep graze too closely, either. Or let their children play near Ogre lands.
Alignment: Ogres have a strong natural tendency towards Chaos, though sane ones have no real tendency towards Good or Evil. Years of being treated as an outcast tend to beat the tendency for goodness out of you, while evil is viewed (with good reason) as a sign that the Ogre in question is going mad.
Lands: Ogres do not own land - instead, they squat on whatever land other races will let them keep. As such, any territory that Ogre hold tends to be less than desirable.
Religion: Ogres will pray to any deity that will accept their prayers, with a strong tendency towards gods of Travel and Weather. They often carry small carved shrines with them, dedicated to whatever god fits their own personal beliefs best.
Language: Ogres mostly speak an old dialect of Giant amongst themselves, though they learn (oftentimes broken) Common for the purposes of interacting with other races.
Names: Ogre names tend towards being short and descriptive - they see no need for names that mean nothing. A common trend is naming them after the place where they were born, or giving their children names commemorating allies or deities (the number of Ogres named Blessed-of-Fharlangh is simply staggering.)
Adventurers: To many Ogres, adventuring parties lend them a feel of solidarity that they might not be receiving otherwise in their lives. As such, most Ogre adventurers have been deprived of their families in some way, either through being exiled or through the deaths of their parents.
• +2 Str, +2 Con, -2 Int, -2 Cha; Ogres have strong backs and strong arms, but tend to have their minds elsewhere. Their stubbornness, however, is a well known trait.
• Size and Type: Ogres are Medium Giants, with no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Base Land Speed: Ogres possess a Base Land Speed of 30ft.
• Low-Light Vision: Ogres can see twice as far in conditions of poor lighting.
• Darkvision 60ft: Ogres can see clearly in non-magical darkness out to 60ft.
• Natural Armor: An Ogre receives a +1 Natural Armor bonus to their AC.
• Ogre Secrets (Ex): Whenever an Ogre is under the effect of a spell or effect that provides a bonus to one of their physical ability scores, they also gain a +10ft bonus to their Base Land Speed, as well as a +1 bonus to their Natural Armor bonus. This effect does not stack with itself, and class features that permanently increases their physical ability scores do not trigger the effects of Ogre Secrets.
• Cursed Nature (Ex): If an Ogre consumes the flesh of another creature that possesses an Intelligence score greater than 3, they immediately gain one Giant HD and improve the effects of Ogre Secrets (see the Warped Secrets sidebar below.) This only occurs the first time they do so - the curse in their blood only surfaces once, after all.
• Favored Classes: Barbarian, Warlock
Warped Knowledge
Whenever an Ogre's Cursed nature comes to the fore, they gain the following additional benefits and drawbacks when receiving the benefits of Ogre Secrets:
• The bonus to natural armor from Ogre Secrets increases by one.
• The Ogre gains an additional +2 bonus to their Strength and their Constitution.
• The Ogre increases their racial penalties to Intelligence and Charisma by two.
• The Ogre's alignment temporarily shifts one step towards Evil; this shift lasts until the effects of Ogre Secrets end.
Additionally, the Ogre becomes mildly addicted to the benefits of Ogre Secrets; they may not voluntarily dismiss or end any effect that supplies the benefits of Ogre Secrets.