Rather the Exception (More Ogres)

    An ogre expansion pack for Spiceomancy’s excellent Ten Ogres post. Always remember, the world is too vast and too terrible for one law to rule over all.

Necromancer

An ogre who is not giant.

    It is said that Necromancer cheated his way into the underworld and stole the Necronomicon from Hades, and from its pages gleaned how to control the dead. Because of his size, he can blend in with the crowds of humans that now rule the earth and influence them. Going by names such as Vecna, Nyarlathotep, and Bony Bob, Necromancer spreads lesser, incomplete copies of the Necronomicon throughout the world so that his patented craft can be practiced by mortals.

    Only he among the ogres on this list actually wants to return to the age of the giants. Necromancer seeks the ruin of the human species so that the gigantocene era may once again grace Earth. He thinks he’s a lot smarter than he actually is, however, and every one of his dozens of intricate plots have been stopped so far by the Church’s super-secret arcane fire teams.

    A few of those fire teams have even managed to kill Necromancer, but he always returns a few years later sporting a new stitched-up scar. Necromancer can currently be found in Chicago, where he is attempting to start another necromancy pyramid scheme.

HD 5* (supernatural); armor as unarmored; 4 MD necromancer

Cityback

An ogre who is not human.

    There is a rumor that in the elder days, when the Kinslayer was hunting her brothers, one of the more cunning Giants ripped his soul out of his body and stuck it in the heart of a town. This town — the first town, really — later grew to become a city, and then a metropolis. In this way, Cityback was reborn as an ogre.

    Cityback invented all the bad things about cities: pollution, crime, getting stuck in traffic, etc. He gleefully inflicts these woes upon the cities he is a part of, which is to say, all of them. The body of Cityback is not an ogre’s body, but the totality of all urban settlements across time and space. It is Cityback’s metaphysical connection with cities that allows wizards and other nasty creatures to travel between metropolises across spacetime in just a few hours.

    Of course, passage through the Cityback requires tribute…

HD ??? (how the hell are you going to fight a city?); armor as fuck you

Erelim

An ogre who is not a monster.

    Erelim is an ogre who, after going through a midlife crisis for a couple centuries, decided to repent for his and his kin’s evil. After completing the seven trials given to him by the Superpope, Erelim was ceremonially locked into a suit of deformed golden armor and designated a high-ranking paladin.

    Now, he fights for the Good. He kills with a prayer for the victim’s soul on his lips. He fights demons, undead, and unspeakable horrors all in the name of protecting the weak. He is feared and respected by his fellows in equal measure, but never loved. He does not ask them for their love. He does not need it. He will continue his killing-work in the name of his brother-ogres, to redeem them all.

HD 5*; armor as warded plate; holy gigasword 1d12+1/1d12+1

Warforged

An ogre who is not a man.

    The first autonomous warforged, properly named Warforged Unit 0001, was a humanoid robotic killing machine animated by a trapped ogre soul. Released onto numerous radiation-stained battlefields in WWIII, Warforged proved to be equivalent to a whole contingent worth of soldiers. That was until the ogre soul took real control over the automaton and started murdering friendlies.

    It was with a heavy heart that 0001’s creators activated its failsafe protocol and teleported it to Mars. After a little bit (216 years) of service to the local Martians, they decided to grant its request and teleported Warforged back to Earth so that it could take its revenge.

    Now, Warforged wanders the planet, the last knight of a long-forgotten war.

HD 5*; armor as plate; chainsaw sword 2d6, fist 1d12/1d12

Sahuagin

An ogre who lives in the seawater.

    Not a true dragon, despite what he’ll try and tell you. Shark-like in body and temperament, Sahuagin can only infrequently go upon land to eat people. When he’s not Jaws-ing beachgoers, he’s vacationing in the arctic regions of the world, resting, and admiring the northern lights.

    The lights! Sahuagin has always been fascinated by those shimmering celestial ribbons and, when not hunting, has dedicated his life to finding out their secrets. So far he has discovered that they are a form of communication, although with what he does not yet know. Sometimes, he hires low-level mercenaries to acquire things for him in the human world. Then, of course, he eats them, but he likes to think of it as their final contribution to his science.

    All in all, he’s just your average obsessive ogre-shark scientist.

HD 5*; armor as chain; stats otherwise as giant shark

Live By Them, Die By Them

MyCKs

    The tengu is a wild spirit of violence and death, preferring isolation and hermitage in hidden mountaintop monasteries and secluded, mist-covered valleys. Their appearance varies: most of the time they are flightless bird-like humanoids, but they also come in dog-like and flighted bird-like variants. They are universally master swordsmen, able to perform supernatural feats of blade work, and are thus regarded as some of the best teachers of the fighting disciplines.

    Those who would seek one out should be wary, however. It is known that if you fail a tengu’s test of strength (usually made up on the spot), you shall be forever turned away, or, more likely, sliced into teeny, tiny pieces.

TENGU

HD: 4 (22 HP)

AC: 14 (warrior reflex)

Attacks: two +3 sword attacks OR 2x +1 unarmed attack 1d4

Move: 40' normal, 35% chance of having a flying speed of 20'

Inventory: 1d4 swords of varying make (see below), fearsome battle mask.

Mien: vain, viciously cunning, wise.

Goal: to kill the weak and train the strong, to be alone.

Parry: A tengu may parry an incoming melee attack as a reaction once per round, reducing incoming damage by 3.

Killer of Cowards: Tengus disdain the use of magic and refuse to use it. They have a +2 on Saves versus Magic, and have an additional +1 to hit full casters.

Kensei: Once per day, a tengu may turn swords. Treat the HD of the wielder as the HD of the sword for purposes of the turning attempt. Magic swords may have bonus HD. Swords with HD fewer than 3 are turned, while swords with HD fewer than 1 are destroyed.

cobaltplasma

On a Tengu's Tools

    Tengus love swords. They like to meticulously explain every single detail of a particular blade right before killing someone with it. They are collectors and connoisseurs, snatching them from the corpses of prospective students.  Folklore also mentions that a few tengu (maybe a 10% chance) will trade a free apprenticeship for a particularly rare sword, though mentioning this upfront to a tengu is likely to get you screeched at and stabbed.

    A tengu starts with 1d4 swords. For each sword, roll type and material.

1d6 Sword Types

1. Katana. A medium blade that lets you add your initiative bonus to your first attack's to-hit and damage.
2. Wakizashi. A small blade typically used by a samurai as a secondary weapon or status symbol.
3. Nodachi. A heavy blade.
4. Naginata. A medium blade that has the properties of a spear, if that matters in your system.
5. Longsword. A medium blade from a faraway land.
6. THREE WORD SWORD. A sentient blade with varying properties.

1d10 Sword Materials

1. Steel. Functions as normal.
2. Bronze. Easy to repair when broken.
3. Silver. Can hurt ethereal creatures and reverts shapeshifters to their true forms.
4. Obsidian. Breaks on a roll of minimum or maximum damage.
5. Chardun. Described here.
6. Meteoric Iron. If broken, randomly teleports the user 60'.
7. Ossgold. Described here.
8. Titanium. A purified version of iron. Destroys the souls of its victims.
9. Adamant. Described here.
10. Roll twice and combine the two.

Anato Finnstark

On a Tengu's Students

    If you can get past all its trials and challenges, a tengu is a valuable teacher. If you train with a tengu for a season, you may choose one of the following: gain +1 to-hit with swords, or, if you have enough XP, gain a template in your local Fighter class. Regardless of what you pick, you also gain a cool scar (describe its location and the story behind it) and now know 1d4-1 fellow students of the tengu. Use this generator to ascertain their details.

The Sea Hag

    A patron for your necromancer character, a local source of dead or lost knowledge, a creepy encounter, etc.

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SunderedWorldDM

    She lives on a small rocky islet off the eastern coast. There, in a half-ruined tower of shattered glass and rusted steel, she practices some of the last remaining magic in the world. The journey is difficult, but you manage to finally reach her wretched abode.

Who are you?

1. A Zouave with a haunted, bloody past. You seek the shade of your murdered loved one, to learn who killed them so that you may enact vengeance.
2. A Hedge-Knight desperate for wealth and glory. You seek a legendary magic sword said to be hidden in the witch's lair.
3. An ambitious, arrogant Sword King. You seek a dead king's crown to cement your rule.
4. A Divided who seeks to learn the dread art of raising the dead. Army of zombies, anyone?

Silviu Sadoschi

    You trudge through the murky, knee-high water within the witch’s tower. Various corpses, all without arms, are strewn about the muck. You had heard from the townspeople of the neighboring village that she wears masks to commune with the shades of the dead, and to let them communicate through her.

    It isn’t until you see her, shrieking to herself on her throne of dead, waterlogged hands, that you truly believe them.

What mask is the witch wearing when you meet her?

1. The white mask of the child. While wearing this mask, she is eager and curious about the outside world and will not initiate violence.
2. The black mask of the skull. While wearing this mask, she speaks in an aggressive, guttural voice. She really wants to kill you.
3. The purple mask of the elder. While wearing this mask, she speaks in an old woman’s voice, and is far more willing to talk and negotiate.
4. The yellow mask of the serpent. While wearing this mask, she hisses wordlessly like a snake. She is hungry, so hungry.

Wizards of the Coast, idk

    You ask the masked witch to give you what you seek. The hag is not known for giving out things for free, however.

What does she want?

1. The skull of another witch. You don't want to know.
2. Your voice in a jar. Lose your ability to vocalize and 1 point of CHA.
3. A hulking creature of bone and muscle is lurking in the wilderness on the island. Destroy it.
4. A rare book or text in a dead language.

---

    Wait, you want to fight her? Well, in that case, she has 4 HD, natural armor as leather, claw attacks twice, each as a dagger. She also has 2 points of damage reduction against spells, 3 MD, and access to any necromancy spell you deem necessary. The goal of killing her is made harder by the fact that she has hundreds of undead hands in her tower that she can animate with a thought.

    Perhaps you'd like to hire some strangers to help you with the task?

What a Wonderful Day

    This idea was taken and modified from a slushpost by Cosmic Orrery.

 

Damien Mammoliti

The Story

    He appears to you as man. His face is like a ruinous ink stain and his conspicuously elegant suit exudes gloom and shadow. His words, unfailingly polite, are always accompanied by a faint ringing in your head. After bread is broken and pleasantries are exchanged, he informs you of his quest to reunite with his siblings Saturday and Wednesday. He thinks Saturday lives near your camp, maybe in a perilous tower of some kind.

    Why can't he go? There is an enchantment preventing him from rescuing his sister, placed by a wicked wizard who desires to marry Saturday. He promises to let the adventurers keep anything they find in the tower, as long as they bring him his sibling.

    If you deny his plea for help, he will give his farewell, bow to you, and leave. The gentleman will disappear in a puff of lavender and brimstone.

    If you accept his quest, he keeps his promise; all of the wizard's treasures are yours. Except, maybe, the wizard wasn't evil? Why does Saturday try to run when she sees the man? What is happening, were you lied to? Should you fight him?

The Stats

• Health as a giant. The weakest kind of giant, if your system has multiple giants.
• He is unarmored except for a fancy suit.
• Only suitably magical weapons may harm him.
• The gentleman's trump card is the Shadowtime. It is activated as an action by opening the door in the man's chest. He may transport anybody he can see into the Shadowtime: a place without death. Without hope. Without light. The door can only remain open for three rounds, as it heavily taxes the man's energy. He can get his vitality back by basking in the darkness for a few hours.
• Despite his claims, he isn't particularly smart, fast, or strong. Also, he's a megalomaniac.

The Truth

    The man's name is Tuesday, and he is an escaped spell. The witch who created him also made six other spells. Most of them are dead now. Saturday remains alive, living in a warded tower of her own making. She has taken a wizard lover, but he isn't enough to fix her broken heart. With his miraculous regenerative ability, Wednesday is the only spell to have escaped the Shadowtime. He poses as a mendicant priest, wandering from world to world.

    Tuesday's goal is to absorb the last two spells and become a god.

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    This is an experiment in a system-agnostic bestiary. Let me know if its terrible and needs changing, or if it's good the way it is.