Ogres (Action)

Heroic Action Role-Play

Attributes and Schticks

Body: 9-12
Mind: 4-6
Reflexes: 2-6
Move: 6

• Fortitude
• Might
• Rage

Description

Threading the middle ground between giant and man, ogres are large humanoids of frightening demeanor.

Appearance

Adult ogres stand as tall as two and a half meters and weigh about 250 kilos. Their build is somewhat childish but wrinkled, as if they still had baby fat or their hide is too large for them. Their skin colors tend to be on the yellowish side, ranging from light ocher over dull orange to dark brick. Their eyes have intense colors like purple, red, or yellow; hair, claws, and teeth are pale variants of their skin color. Hair color ranges from blackish-blue to dark green, and the hair is carefully tended and often braided. Male ogres rarely have beards and tend to be bald or sport only a ponytail, topknot, or single braid of hair. An unwashed or sweaty ogre smells of curdled milk, and ogres hygiene is often poor.

Role

Ogres are slow and driven by habits. Most are brutes by custom, living by intimidating smaller creatures. Some are feral beasts, a very few are idyllic creatures living in harmony with nature. Ogres can become reasonably civilized, tough rarely in the first generation. All ogres are competitive and willing to accept any challenge, physical or mental. They fall easily into a social pecking order.

Politics

Ogre tribes are usually seen as a menace by neighbors. The tribe has no real leadership, almost a group of strangers huddling together for protection. Any ogre with a project can try to enthuse other ogres, the worst that can happen is a communal beating. Ogre tribes are often recruited by strong individuals of other races to serve as shock troops.

Integration

Most ogres are brought into civilizations as slaves or punitive labor; civilized ogres are often second generation slaves. It can be painful for the few civilized ogres to see how their feral brethren behave - and are treated.

Family

Ogres are matriarchal; the female is slightly larger, stronger, and more dominant than the male. Females do not appreciate competition with one another, and young females are often killed by an older matriarch. Marriage is unusual and most relationships casual, a single female living with a group of males. Female ogres with weaned children pick male ogres act as foster fathers, a burden they tend to skimp on. As a result, ogres grow up without strong family ties, loyal to nothing or to the group rather than to any individual or family.