Role Playing Tips - By Johnn Four
10 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR OGRES MORE INTIMIDATING
1 Make them cunning
* Help the players make overconfident mistakes by playing
up ogres as dumb and slow
* Attacking ogres focus on spell casters first--with
ogre-size rocks hurled at them if needed
* Employ pits and traps to defend lairs
- pile rocks on high ground and trigger them to fall
- create a fake lair entrance beside the covered,
real one
* Create ogre ambushes
2 They Go For The Small Guys First
Hey, they've heard about that stupid Goliath guy and
learned his lesson: attack the little guys first. Is
this fair? Good! It's not supposed to be and it will
help scare the little guys quite a bit the next time
ogres are around.
3 Fool The Characters In Their Own Language
Step One: have the ogres speak in loud, slow, stupid
grunting noises before anything happens
Step Two: give them really stupid, puzzled expressions on
their faces when the characters speak
Step Three: sit back and let the ogres listen, understand
and react to the plans and commands the characters make
out loud in front of "those stupid ogres"
4 Give Them Nasty Minions
* How about some goblin slaves who help build tricky and
deadly traps which only goblins know how to build so well
* Or some pet dogs who are vicious and can track down even
the most well-hidden PC
5 Grant Them A Highly Intelligent Leader
* Make them better organized
* Give them better tactics
* Build them better defenses
* Give them better equipment, arms and armour
6 Give Them A Very Strong Sense Of Smell
This goes both ways: make them hard to surprise by giving
them powerful noses, and give them a heady stink to tip
the characters off and make them nervous.
7 Make Them Faster
* Allow them to easily catch fleeing characters
* Give them more attacks in combat
* Let them retreat quickly and outpace pursuing
characters, and then attack again from behind or with
missile weapons
8 Give Them Religion
* Allow them shamans with spells: offensive and defensive
* Give them mystical ceremonies which inspire a frenzied state
of blood lust
9 Replace Their Club
* Give them a nice double-bladed, two-handed axe
* Give them shields
* Let them use their magic plunder: potions, dust, weapons...
* Give them the secret of greek fire!
10 Give Them Lots To Throw
* Sharp rocks about the size of your head
* Nasty ice balls
* A thousand stones in hand-packed dirt balls
* Did someone already mention greek fire?
* What would a huge rock landing in the lake just in
front of the characters do?
Have more fun at every game!
Johnn Four