The Ogres
by Morgane

Class: Any
Tag: OGRE

Introduction

This is a description of 4 classes built around a common theme. The Ogre Warrior (Warrior) is a high strength fighter. The Ogre Barbarian is a no-magic version of the same. The Ogre Forester is an axe and bow Rogue that has a more free interpretation of the Ogre theme. And the Ogre Mage is the Sorcerer of the bunch.

Background

The Ogres are physically large humanoids loosely ordered into tribes and clans. About a thousand years ago some of these tribes began to settle and learn writing and grow crops in the hilly regions of Khanduras. This settled lifestyle proved to be their undoing when the Overlords arrived prior to Diablo's awakening. Overlord armies had no trouble locating all the Ogres and forcing or enticing them into a life of servitude underground. Ogres were forced into heavy labour in manufacturing and agriculture. Over time this life of slavery became increasingly cruel and demented, to the point where the Ogres themselves were thought of as livestock by their keepers. Ogrekind was subjected to a variety of experiments concerned with making them a more docile and able workforce. Grafting with Humans, Horned Demons, Goatmen, and any other creature the Overlords thought would serve their purposes produced some of what are called Ogres today.

Ironically, the written language that allowed the settled Ogre civilization ultimately set them free. Inspired by tales of their homeland, the Ogres rose up and turned their hammers against their masters. Of course some of the Hybrids were too far gone to be reached by the message of freedom, but the bulk of the population escaped into the hills carrying a grudge, with the tools and techniques for setting it in motion.

Although most consider Ogrekind to be evil, this is not the truth. A more accurate descriptive would be harsh. Used to overcoming obstacles with their immense talent for direct effort, Ogres generally have no patience for complex spellcraft or subtle arts. This does not mean they are stupid, but simply impatient. As a society, Ogres are obsessed with reclaiming their strength, endurance, and vigour from centuries of abuse.

Rules

Upon levelling up, put a maximum of one point into Magic and a minimum of 3 into strength. Magic may be developed freely when the physical stats are maxed.

The arch enemy of all Ogres are the Overlords and their leaders. The Butcher is hated above all for his role in the 'experiments'. The Drow, for whatever reason, do not despise the Ogres as they do all other surface dwellers, instead treating them with condescension. For their part, Ogres are indifferent to the Drow. Orcs and Ogres work closely together since the Orcs originally helped the Ogres learn to live on the surface.

Items

Armor & Jewelry
Ogres have no regard for soft clothing such as capes and robes. Rags are the sole exception and are worn for a variety of reasons, e.g. to commemorate the years of slavery on special occasions. Ogres wear leather, metal mesh, or plate at all other times.

Quirks
With the exception of rags, Ogres hold clothing with no strength requirement in contempt. No Ogre would willingly choose to wear Naj's Light Plate, the Thinking Cap, a Royal Circlet or any other fancy crown. The unique Mage staves such as Gleamsong and Naj's Puzzler are also ignored. The unique maces Dreamflange and Civerb's Cudgel are not popular with Ogres; Dreamflange because it is the tool of a Wizard and not effective in battle, and Civerb's Cudgel because most Ogres would prefer to strike an opponent with their own might.

Shields
Ogres prefer the offensive advantages of two-handed weaponry and use shields rarely. If only a one-handed weapon is available, they may use a shield. They may also use one in bashing attacks. Faced with zero resistances, an Ogre will cunningly block spells with a shield. To employ a shield, follow the rules for Armour as above. Unique shields: Blackoak, Dragon's Breach, Split Skull Shield.

Weapons
Ogres use blunt weapons nearly exclusively. See their individual class rules for exceptions. Unique blunt weapons such as Baranar's Star, Cranium Basher, Hammer of Jholm, Schaefer's Hammer, and Thunderclap are all prized. The Grizzly, although not blunt, is also highly sought after for its high durability and knockback.

Enchantments
Items with large pluses to AC, Strength, hit points, resistance, damage alteration, and increased durability are preferred in that order. An item with another suffix such as +Mana, +Magic, or +Dex is useable only if it also provides one of the preferred virtues (such as a Drakes/Tiger ring or a Obsidian/Stars Amulet). A damage alteration item is one that changes the amount of damage to the character or opponent, such as Tears, Absorption, or Thorns.

The wearing of -Damage from Enemies items to thwart an enemy's attack, and uncomfortable +Damage from Enemies items as a show of force is highly regarded by all Ogres. Likewise the wearing of thorny Spiked armaments, as they are used in the combative sports of Ogrekind.

Uniques
A Ring of Engagement is a treasured find - they are very similar to the spiked knuckles worn by Ogre pit fighters that were later used against the Overlords. An Overlord's Helm is quite a trophy, especially if it still contains the head of one. An Ogre who finds an Overlord's Helm will most likely wear it for life and forever mock his despised foe.

Ogres are fascinated by Uniques like the Protector, Holy Defender, Stormshield, Optic Amulet, Ring Of Truth (single player item), Wicked Axe, Fool's Crest, Gotterdamerung, Harlequin Crest, Demonspike Coat, Gladiator's Bane, Torn Flesh Of Souls, Wisdom's Wrap, and Scavenger's Carapace.

Spells

All spells are allowed provided they are not restricted by the Ogre's class. The exceptions to this rule are Mana Shield and Stone Curse. Mana Shield would shame any Ogre who summoned it because it is an artificial damage absorber and false source of hit points. Stone curse is hated to a lesser extent because it causes helplessness. Ogres have vowed never to be and never to take a captive, and so would only use this spell as a means of poetic justice to a very deserving foe (eg. the Butcher).

The Classes

Ogre Warriors
These are the leaders of the Ogre army, with minds as sharp as spikes (at least, compared to the dungeon monsters). They compete in tests of strength among themselves, so a Warrior will have the awesome power to crush rock, metal and bone with equal ease. They prefer Full Plate and two-handed blunt weapons to maximize offence. It's not uncommon to see an experienced Warrior wielding a Two-Handed sword that's painted in his tribal colours. Great swords are not used because they have sharp edges that require a lot of effort to polish and maintain. Warriors may elect to use a Club, Spiked Club, Morning star, or Hammer and a suitable Shield. Very rarely a Warrior will use a War Bow. Usually a Warrior is a full-blooded Ogre, much like those who lived prior to enslavement.

Ogre Barbarians
These are often Ogres who are Hybridized with vicious animals and Demons. They can not or will not understand/take the time to learn magic. In fact they mistrust all but the most obvious enchantments and shun practitioners of magic. They will trust a fellow Ogre to cast spells for them, but it is all too easy to anger a Barbarian with a careless cast. They will accept a Healing or Town Portal but resent too much interference.

A Barbarian will equip +Str items or the following uniques...

- Armor: Demonspike Coat, Gladiator's Bane
- Blunts/Staves: Cranium Basher, Gnarled Root, Hammer of Jholm, the Protector
- Jewelry: Ring of Engagement
- Shields: Split Skull Shield, Dragon's Breach
- Overlord's Helm

Barbarians use the same weapons as Warriors but do not use swords. Only non-prefixed +Str items (not +all) harmonize with the metabolism of the Barbarian by focusing his natural strength in battle. Only one set of this sacred gear is maintained at any time. As newer and better items are found and earned, they replace the items used currently. As an unlucky Barbarian recovers his talismans and magic armour after a spill, his concentration returns to him with his gear.

As with other Ogres, at least +3 to Str till maxed, but no additions to Dex may ever be made at level up.

Ogre Barbarians may attempt glory with the regular Barbarian quests by making sure: +str may be worn, 1 pt for each point his Dex is below max; plain shield, armour, hat and weapon, remembering the days of captivity Barbarians of the Ogre Tribes who complete the Barbarian quests may proudly wear...

Overlord's Helm - if BAR King
Demonspike Coat - if BAR Lord
Dragon's Breach - if BAR Conqueror
allowed Unique Weapons - if BAR Defiler

Ogre Foresters
These are almost exclusively Ogre and Half-Ogre females. They are the eyes and ears of Ogre society because they scout the forests and deserts that surround the villages. Possessing keen eyes and minds, they are most willing to accept new ideas. As a result they cast spells almost as well as Mages and can use armour-piercing bows of Puncturing and Piercing or Knockback bows of the Bear (but prefer Windforce).

A Forester is skilled with any axe or maul and will prefer a unique axe in Melee. Just like any Ogre, they strongly prefer heavy plate armour, but the use of +Dex and +all suffixes are a hallmark of the Foresters, as is the free use of Stone curse.

They will use no shield other than the Split Skull Shield, often in conjunction with a club or Morning star. The Split Skull was made and used by the originator of the Foresters and is a badge of respect.

Although they are skilled in woodcraft and magic, the Foresters are foremost the defenders of their tribes, so they adhere to a Warrior Code. They will defeat ranged foes with their bows, and defeat melee opponents with clubs and axes. They strive to equal the Warriors and Barbarians at combat skills and shun demon-slaying weapons save for the Bloodslayer. Strict rules govern their use of magical bows. Bows with no suffix or ones with the suffixes of Plenty, Many, Piercing, Puncturing, Swiftness and of the Bear are fit to use.

Ogre Mages
Ogre Mages are most often Ogres or Half-Ogres patient enough to preserve their native tongue through a disastrous millennium. What this cost them in physical strength has been rewarded in magical understanding and power. The sometimes overwhelming rages of a Sorcerer have caused many to seek the ways of Earth Wizards for solace.

In battle the Ogre Mage does not fear running out of Mana as they also have the weapons and armour of a Warrior, backed by the might of an Ogre. Mages prefer to wear full plate and can wield a club, morning star and shield, or maul. On rare occasions a mage will use a blunt staff but only one with battle enchantments, never spell-charged, level-enhancing, or +magic.

Asian Ogre Mages and Ogres who have been studying magic in the east behave similarly but use splint mail, great swords, composite and war staves instead of full plates and blunts. Mastering ideogram calligraphy has allowed them to unlock the command words for all spell-charged and magical staves.

Regardless of where they hail from, Ogre Mages never use Mana shield, even from a staff, scroll or shrine.

Quests

The Vengeance Quest
The Butcher must never be permitted to survive a game that the Ogre participates in. Note - this does not include games shopped in and chatted in. At the option of the questor, this quest can be extended to include all unique Overlords and not just this one criminal. These include Bilefroth on level 6, Baron Sludge on level 8, and Oozedrool on level 9. The extended quest should be done at least once in the life of an Ogre.

The Death Hand Quest
The Death Hand is the goal of all Warriors, Foresters, and Barbarians because it represents the epitome of dedication and skill. The fulfillment of this quest is simple; all the Ogre must do is kill the Butcher with a single blow. No Devastation or Demonslayer may be used (Rogue may use Bloodslayer). When this is done, the Death Hand meta-clan welcomes the questor and he may change his surname to DeathHand or use the D tag.

The Glorious Treasure Raid
To perform this quest the Ogre empties his backpack of all but as many Identification scrolls as he wishes. Then the highest difficulty setting and location he can tolerate is entered. Nightmare/Catacombs may be suitable for a 35th level Ogre, as an example. The object of the raid is to live off the land and gather as much valuables and cash before exiting the dungeon for whatever reason. The Gp amount of your loot is your score. Once you leave the dungeon you may no longer score, but you can kill bosses or retrieve gear. This can be combined with the Vengeance Quest, and can result in finding an Overlord's Helm.

Multiclassing

The possibilities are nearly unlimited when combining variants. I ask you to respect both Variants when doing so, and to ask the creator or senior players before tagging an altered Variant. That serious note aside, I can't see any problem combining with Vikings (use Maul and Hammer), BNM (use +DFE and no MS), MM (no change), Body Builder (no MS, maybe no SC), Geezer (use Rags), and so on.

Notes and Acknowledgement

Remember, your Blunt is doing just half damage to animals including 'Dogs', so you may wish to kick, punch, or bash them instead. Don't let the No MS thing intimidate you; it affects mostly Rogues and Sorcerers and it's countered by hotkeying Heal and dodging. The No SC thing is even more trivial, just plan ahead and go for a corner. My main Ogre is 38 and he last cast SC at 32, buying time to switch out his Maul for a Useless dagger to poke the Butcher to death with. Some of my item exclusion wording may read strangely, this is because I wanted to leave the player free to choose to mix game class with variant class. An example would be an Ogre Warrior that uses the Rogue as a base, or a Forester using a Warrior as a base.

All of this is based on Charis's Ogre and Friends variants. I've expanded on his ideas, and this would not have been possible without his continuing help throughout write and rewrite. I hope this expansion makes the Ogre a more enticing variant. This new material has been playtested extensively with several dotted characters.