Half Ogre

Half Ogre


History

Throughout the world bands and tribes of ferocious and barbaric ogres wander about, typically living as primitive hunter/gatherers—as well as savage, unrelenting marauders. While ogres justly enjoy such a fierce reputation—there is another side to ogres that is not so widely known, or even often believed. Ogres are tall, huge, brutish humanoids, typically fierce, greedy, rapacious and barbaric—and while strong and fearless, ogres are not very bright creatures. In fact, they are more typically quite simple-minded, ruled by very basic needs, simple emotions and simple relationships. However, ogres do have some measure of reasoning, and some bright individuals are even self-consciously aware of their reputation, and seek to purposely maintain it in a deliberate manner. What is less well-known and incredible to believe by many—is that while ogres are brutal, simple creatures, they are more capable than their fierce reputation and common knowledge suggests.

More than a few tribes of ogres engage in trade with many human communities, and there are several bands of ogre mercenaries that serve many human kingdoms, city-states, and noble lords. There have even been instances of human communities hiring bands of ogres—with gratuitous amounts of ale, a herd or two of cattle or sheep, besides a sack of gold—to help in mining operations, or perform work on heavy labor projects, hauling lumber, digging vast trenches, clear-cutting forest for roads, and carrying great sacks of gravel, sand, as well as hauling rough stone.

Evidently, these friendly ogres often do not want others to learn of their friendly relationships with humans, or their less-than-fierce demeanor in such circumstances. Ogres seem to be self-consciously aware of their reputations amongst humans and other typical “enemies”—but also other tribes and bands of ogres. Ogre tribes, as well as ogre mercenary bands are typically very competitive concerning their own reputation for ferocity, individual and tribal glory, and prestige. These things are often interpreted somewhat differently within ogre communities—but whatever the truth of the matter, the ogres often demonstrate a capacity for more intellectual curiosity and more nuanced social relationships with non-ogres than their reputations typically portray.

These curious realities of ogre natures have given rise to occasional breeding between various members of local human communities, beyond the often more typical result of ogres marauding a hapless human community or caravan, and either ravaging women found on the spot, or often such women are carried off into the wilderness and taken back to the rough, fortified encampments or crude castles that ogres often favour as homes. In such places, these human women are kept as breeding slaves, and while many of them die through the process of giving birth—some of them survive, and are capable of repeating the experience. Meanwhile, the half-ogre children often do survive, and proceed to grow and prosper. Over time, some small bands and loose inter-tribal communities of half-ogres have developed, and are a fairly common feature of many ogre tribes. In addition, within human communities there are typically some women—as well as men—who are curious, eager, and willing to breed with ogres.

The less-talked about truth is that there are more than a few half-ogres that have been bred to a large, powerful ogre female, and her male human slave she keeps as her playmate. Ogre females of especially fierce nature and prowess also join their male brethren in going on raids—and the female ogres enjoy doing so for the same reasons that the male ogres like to raid human communities. Ogre warriors—whether male or female—gain status, glory, and prestige from reputations for courage and ferocity, as well as successfully leading and participating in such raids. In such raids, besides gaining glory and demonstrating prowess and courage, the ogres gain food, in the form of humans as well as captured animals, in addition to other treasure and booty in armour, weapons, ale and beer, and other goods, including slaves. During such raids, male and female ogres alike, besides taking captured slaves, are also fond of ravishing appealing or attractive-looking humans they encounter on the spot in a spontaneous fashion. Thus, half-ogres have come about through a variety of social relationships between ogres and humans—some such relationships are relatively positive and consensual—while others are far more forceful, as well as often brutal and terrifying.

In a final note on the origin of half-ogres, there have also been instances of state-sponsored breeding and social programs between various groups of humans and selected groups, bands or tribes of ogres. For example, there have been several barbarian human tribes that have willingly organized breeding between themselves and ogres—or the barbarian humans have also used human slaves as surrogates for their interbreeding with ogres. Through such methods, larger numbers of half-ogres have been bred, which have then proceeded to interbreed with each other, and create more half-ogres.

In addition, the Vallorean Empire several centuries ago established special farms—enormous, agricultural estates where the Valloreans maintained several tribes of friendly ogres, that had been relatively civilized, and interbred them on a mass scale with large groups of slaves, condemned criminals, gladiators, as well as captured barbarian tribes—in addition to tens of thousands of citizens that volunteered. Such citizens were deported for rioting and such from the vast cities, and as they were desperately impoverished and oppressed by misfortune, were eager to earn coin paid by the owners of the vast agricultural estates.

Most of these programs were relatively benign, supervised appropriately, and induced by payments of food, coin, or privileges, and thus gained the eager and willing cooperation of large numbers of humans—both male and female. The ogres were far easier to entice into the project—throwing them a great feast of roasted cattle and offering them several wagon-loads of their favourite ale was plenty inducement to gain their enthusiastic support. Through such efforts, over a period of several years, the Vallorean owners of the enormous agricultural estates bred enough half-ogres to begin entirely new and eventually self-sufficient breeding programs for the half-ogres. The half-ogre children were raised by various temples, orphanages, as well as the agricultural estates. Over several decades, the Vallorean agricultural estates have grown and developed large, self-contained and self-sufficient populations of half-ogres that serve the Vallorean Empire as farm labourers, miners, as well as other kinds of labourers and workers. Eventually, programs were developed to raise, train, and support various units of half-ogres serving in the Vallorean legions.

Physical Appearance

Half-ogres are very tall humanoids, with massive, powerful physiques. Half-ogres, whether male or female, are thickly built, and very muscular. Half-ogres typically have more or less a full range of human features, traits, and qualities, though with a somewhat more harsh and brutal look to them. Half-ogres have somewhat larger, broader mouths, heavier jaws, and larger, heavier brows for example. Half-ogres typically are what humans would consider “hairy”—as they have hairy arms, legs, and such—much the same as various human ethnic groups known to be hairy—just that all half ogres possess such characteristics, with males being more hairy than the females.

All half ogres enjoy treasure and jewelry of all kinds, and are typically eager to gain booty and loot in whatever form—from animals and clothing, to tools, armour, weapons, and coin and gems. Half ogres love to eat and drink, and are often curious and inquisitive about trying to eat new things, or try new drinks. Female half ogres enjoy perfumes, oils, cosmetics, and finer clothes, as they enjoy such feminine aspects as much as human females do. Most half ogres greatly enjoy bright, vibrant colours of anything, and also anything that is shiny or glitters. While half ogres love great wealth of all kinds—their interpretation and value of such is somewhat different from humans, for example. Great shiny stones that have a deep shimmer, or are otherwise quite beautiful—are seen as great treasures to a half-ogre, even though humans might typically regard such a stone as being pretty, but largely worthless.

Half Ogre Height and Weight Tables

Base Male Half Ogre Height: 6’10”-8’0”; (6’8”+2d8”);
Average Height: 7’4”
Base Male Half Ogre Weight: 396-540 lbs; (380+16d10);
Average Weight: 460-lbs.

Base Female Half Ogre Height: 6’6”-7’8”; (6’4”+2d8”);
Average Height: 7’0”
Base Female Half Ogre Weight: 356-500 lbs; (340+16d10);
Average Weight: 420-lbs.

Half Ogre Character Tables

Half-Ogre Abilities and Characteristics
Strength: 14-19 (13+1d6)
Dexterity: 3-12
Constitution: 14-19 (13+1d6)
Intelligence: 3-12
Wisdom: 3-12
Charisma: 3-12
Comeliness: 3-12

Half Ogre Characters begin the game with double the class Hit Dice of whatever class they select; and gain hit dice as normal for the selected class beginning at 2nd level.

Classes Available to Half Ogres
Fighter--Unlimited
Cleric--4th level
Fighter/Cleric

Starting Languages

Half Ogre characters begin the game with the knowledge of Ogre, Troll and Minotaur languages, their selected alignment language, and one human language appropriate to their heritage and human parent. Half Ogre characters may learn additional languages as appropriate.

Half Ogre characters must spend x4 amounts on all food and drinks per day, in addition to x2 costs for all armour and weapon purchases.

Half Ogre Character Table: Skin Tone
Dice Roll/Skin Tone
01-15%: Pale White
16-30%: Pale Grey
31-40%: Pale Greyish-Blue
41-50%: Ebony Black
51-00%: Roll on an appropriate Human heritage table for skin tone

Half Ogre Character Table: Hair Colour
Dice Roll/Hair Colour
01-25%: Coal Black
26-75%: Ebony Black
76-90%: Dull Black
91-00%: Roll on an appropriate Human heritage table for hair colour

Half Ogre Character Table: Eye Colour
Dice Roll/Eye Colour
01-15%: Black
16-30%: Dark Brown
31-45%: Golden Amber
46-50%: Iron Grey
51-65%: Pale Grey
66-00%: Roll on an appropriate Human heritage table for eye colour

Politics

Half ogres tend to embrace whatever the dominant political ideology, structures, and organization common to the culture of where they were raised. Half ogres, much like most other creatures of mixed race, do not have distinct and unique political ideology or organization.

Culture

Half ogres, much like most other creatures of mixed race, do not possess a distinct or unique culture to half ogres. Half ogres generally embrace the dominant culture of the region where they were raised. Half ogres do, however, have some distinct traits and behavior common to them. Half ogres are generally simplistic, honest, and sincere creatures. Half ogres are naturally harsh, brutal and violent, and comprehend “laws” only in a very basic form. Half ogres are typically morally simple, viewing and comprehending things as being good or evil, or good and bad. Half ogres can, however, also be gentle and nice as well as sincerely protective of smaller, furry, cute creatures, or animals or people they view as nice and good to them. Half ogres have generally the same emotions and feelings common to humans—though typically interpreted and expressed in simple, aggressive, straight-forward manner by the half ogre.

Religion

Half ogres do not have a distinct and unique religion, but much like most other creatures of mixed race, they embrace the dominant religion that prevails in the culture in which they were raised. However, half ogres do generally have some differences. Half ogres are generally superstitious, and interpret religion in a sincere and simplistic manner. Half ogres are seldom capable of comprehending sophisticated theology, nor do they favour such ethereal, complex deities. Half ogres tend to gravitate to and favour gods and goddesses that are simple, earthy, and basic. Deities of the natural elements, love, sex, war, food, drink, animals, stone, light, moon, sun and such like are typical.

Warfare

Half ogres do not have armour, weapons, tactics and organization unique to half ogres, but rather, they embrace whatever weapons, armour and tactics are common to the culture where they were raised.