Ogre

Ogres are notorious for their quick tempers, which flare at the smallest perceived offense. Insults and name-calling can rouse an ogre's wrath in an instant - as can stealing from it, bumping, jabbing, or prodding it, laughing, making faces, or simply looking at the wrong way. When its rage is incited, an ogre lashes out in a frustrated tantrum until it runs out of objects or creatures to smash.

Ogres eat almost anything, but they especially enjoy the taste of dwarves, halflings, and elves. When they can, they combine dinner with pleasure chasing scurrying victims around before eating them raw. If enough of its victim remains after the ogre has gorged itself, it might make a loincloth from its quarry's skin and a necklace from its leftover bones. This macabre crafting is the height of ogre culture.

An ogre's eyes glitter with avarice when it sees the possessions of others. Ogres carry rough sacks on their raids, which fill with fabulous "treasure" taken from their victims. This might include a collection of battered helmets, a moldy wheel of cheese, a rough patch of animal fur fastened like a cloak, or a squealing mud-splattered pig. Ogres also delight in the gleam of gold and silver, and they will fight one another over small handfuls of coins. Smarter creatures can earn an ogre's trust by offering it gold or a weapon forged for a creature of its size.

Few ogres can count to ten, even with their fingers in front of them. Most speak only a rudimentary form of Giant and know a smattering of Common words. Ogres believe what they are told and are easy to fool or confuse, but they break things they don't understand. Silver-tongued tricksters who test their talents on these savages typically end up eating their eloquent words - and then being eaten in turn.

Ogres clothe themselves in animal pelts and uproot trees for use as crude tools and weapons. They create stone-tipped javelins for hunting. When they establish lairs, they settle near the rural edges of civilized lands, taking advantage of poorly protected livestock, undefended larders, and unwary farmers.

An ogre sleeps in caves, animal dens, or under trees until it finds a cabin or isolated farmhouse, whereupon it kills the inhabitants and lairs there. Whenever it is bored or hungry, an ogre ventures out from its lair, attacking anything that crosses its path. Only after an ogre has depleted an area of food does it move on.

Ogre sometimes band together in small, nomadic groups, but they lack a true sense of tribalism. When bands of ogres meet, one might attempt to capture the members of the other group to increase its numbers. However, ogre bands are just as likely to trade members freely, especially if the welcoming band is temporarily flush with food and weapons.

Whenever possible, ogres gang up with other monsters to bully or prey on creatures weaker than themselves. They associate freely with goblinoids, orcs, and trolls, and practically worship giants. In the giants' complex social structure (known as the ordning), ogres rank beneath the lowest giants in status. As a result an ogre will do nearly anything a giants asks.