Ogre (Dungeons & Dragons)
Encyclopedia
In the Dungeons & Dragons
role-playing game
, ogres are a lesser race of giants
, rather being simply large brutes with clubs. An aquatic subrace of ogres is known as "merrow." D&D ogres are also closely related to the race of ogre magi, a smarter race with blue skin and great magical abilities. It is unclear if ogres and ogre magi are actually the same race, or if ogre magi simply find lesser ogres easy to boss around. Typically Ogres stand between nine and ten feet tall and can weigh up to 650 lbs. Ogres are closely related to trolls
, and are distantly related to the various races of giants.
(1974). They are described simply as large and fearsome monsters.
The ogre mage (also known as the Japanese ogre) was introduced to the game in its first supplement, Greyhawk
(1975). They are described as being far more powerful than their Western cousins.
Ogre variants appeared in Supplement IV: Gods, Demigods, Heroes (1976).
The ogrillon, a crossbreed between ogres and orcs
, was introduced in the Fiend Folio
(1981).
The aquatic ogre (or, merrow), is introduced in Monster Manual II (1983).
The half-ogre first appears as a player character race for AD&D in Dragon
#73 (May 1983).
(1977, 1981 & 1983). The ogre was featured as a player character race in the gazetteer The Orcs of Thar
(1989). Ogres were also later featured in the Dungeons & Dragons Game
set (1991), the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991), the Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1994), and the Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game set (1999).
The half-ogre appears as a player character race for this edition of the game in Dragon
#29 (September 1979).
Top Ballista
(1989) features the mutant ogre.
The half-ogre and the ogrillon are presented for the World of Greyhawk campaign setting in Greyhawk Ruins (1990), and then also appear in the Monstrous Manual.
Irda, relatives of ogres for the Dragonlance
campaign setting
, first appear in the game in Dragonlance Adventures (1987), as a player character race. The ogres of the world of Krynn
are featured in Monstrous Compendium Dragonlance Appendix (1990), and include the high ogre (irda), and the orughi. The Time of the Dragon set (1989), described the ogre as a player character race in the "Rulebook of Taladas". Taladas: The Minotaurs (1991) presents three types of the yrasda: the aphelka, the thanic, and the ushama.
The Zakharan ogre for the Al-Qadim
campaign setting, is introduced in City of Delights (1993).
The ogre, half-ogre, and ogre mage are detailed as playable character races in The Complete Book of Humanoids
(1993), and the ogre and half-ogre are later presented as playable character races again in Player's Option: Skills & Powers
(1995).
The ice spire ogre for the Forgotten Realms
campaign setting is introduced in Giantcraft (1995), and later appears in the Villains' Lorebook
(1998).
Two variations on the ogre, the shadowlands ogre and the shadowlands troll, were introduced in Oriental Adventures (2001).
Dragon #304 (February 2003) presented the ogre as a player character race, and Savage Species (2003) presented the ogre and ogre mage as both races and playable classes, and the merrow and half-ogre as player character races.
The half-ogre is presented as a template in Dragon #313 (November 2003).
The skullcrusher ogre (along with the skullcrusher sergeant) is introduced in Monster Manual III (2004), and the ogre guard thrall, the ogre scout and the ogre tempest appear in Monster Manual IV (2006).
The ogre mage is further detailed in Dragon
#349 (November 2006), in "The Ecology of the Ogre Mage," which also introduced the cereborg, the ogre umbramage, and the unique advanced ogre mage Muaj-Ruhlor.
, including appearances in Baldur's Gate
, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
and Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2.
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
, ogres are a lesser race of giants
Giant (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, giant is a type of creature, or "creature type." Giants are humanoid-shaped creatures of great strength and size.-Dungeons & Dragons :...
, rather being simply large brutes with clubs. An aquatic subrace of ogres is known as "merrow." D&D ogres are also closely related to the race of ogre magi, a smarter race with blue skin and great magical abilities. It is unclear if ogres and ogre magi are actually the same race, or if ogre magi simply find lesser ogres easy to boss around. Typically Ogres stand between nine and ten feet tall and can weigh up to 650 lbs. Ogres are closely related to trolls
Troll (Dungeons & Dragons)
Trolls are fictional monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Dungeon Masters can use them as enemies or allies of the player characters.-Publication history:...
, and are distantly related to the various races of giants.
Dungeons & Dragons (1974-1976)
The ogre was one of the first monsters introduced in the earliest edition of the game, in the Dungeons & Dragons "white box" setDungeons & Dragons (1974)
The original Dungeons & Dragons boxed set by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson was published by TSR, Inc. in 1974. It initially included the original edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game...
(1974). They are described simply as large and fearsome monsters.
The ogre mage (also known as the Japanese ogre) was introduced to the game in its first supplement, Greyhawk
Greyhawk (supplement)
Greyhawk is a supplementary rulebook written by Gary Gygax and Robert J. Kuntz for the original edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game...
(1975). They are described as being far more powerful than their Western cousins.
Ogre variants appeared in Supplement IV: Gods, Demigods, Heroes (1976).
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)
The ogre appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977), where they are described as ugly-tempered and voracious creatures sometimes found as mercenaries. The ogre mage is also featured in this book.The ogrillon, a crossbreed between ogres and orcs
Orc (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, orcs are a primitive race of savage, bestial, barbaric humanoid.-Publication history:The orc was one of the earliest creatures introduced in the D&D game. The D&D orc is largely based upon the orcs appearing in the works of J.R.R...
, was introduced in the Fiend Folio
Fiend Folio
Fiend Folio is the title shared by three products published for successive editions of the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons...
(1981).
The aquatic ogre (or, merrow), is introduced in Monster Manual II (1983).
The half-ogre first appears as a player character race for AD&D in Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#73 (May 1983).
Dungeons & Dragons (1977-1999)
This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the ogre, in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic SetDungeons & Dragons Basic Set
The original Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set boxed set was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1977, and comprised a separate edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, distinct from the first edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game, which was initially published in the same...
(1977, 1981 & 1983). The ogre was featured as a player character race in the gazetteer The Orcs of Thar
The Orcs of Thar
The Orcs of Thar is an accessory for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:This book covers the Broken Lands that are inhabited by humanoids such as orcs, goblins, and bugbears...
(1989). Ogres were also later featured in the Dungeons & Dragons Game
Dungeons & Dragons Game (1991 boxed set)
The New Easy to Master Dungeons & Dragons Game is an accessory for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, published in 1991....
set (1991), the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991), the Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1994), and the Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game set (1999).
The half-ogre appears as a player character race for this edition of the game in Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#29 (September 1979).
Top Ballista
Top Ballista
Top Ballista is an accessory for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:Top Ballista is a "Creature Crucible" supplement and campaign setting that describes Serraine, the city of the skygnomes - which fly magical biplanes...
(1989) features the mutant ogre.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)
The ogre, ogre mage, and merrow appear first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989), and are reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).The half-ogre and the ogrillon are presented for the World of Greyhawk campaign setting in Greyhawk Ruins (1990), and then also appear in the Monstrous Manual.
Irda, relatives of ogres for the Dragonlance
Dragonlance
Dragonlance is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc. into a series of popular fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived Dragonlance while driving in their car on the way to TSR for a job application...
campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
, first appear in the game in Dragonlance Adventures (1987), as a player character race. The ogres of the world of Krynn
Krynn
Krynn is the fictional world of the Dragonlance novels, co-written by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis. It has also been used in many other books, set in the Dragonlance universe. It is also used as the main setting in the Dragonlance campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing...
are featured in Monstrous Compendium Dragonlance Appendix (1990), and include the high ogre (irda), and the orughi. The Time of the Dragon set (1989), described the ogre as a player character race in the "Rulebook of Taladas". Taladas: The Minotaurs (1991) presents three types of the yrasda: the aphelka, the thanic, and the ushama.
The Zakharan ogre for the Al-Qadim
Al-Qadim
Al-Qadim is an Arabian Nights-themed campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The setting was developed by Jeff Grubb for TSR, Inc., and was first released in 1992. Al-Qadim is set in the land of Zakhara, called the Land of Fate...
campaign setting, is introduced in City of Delights (1993).
The ogre, half-ogre, and ogre mage are detailed as playable character races in The Complete Book of Humanoids
Complete Book of Humanoids
The Complete Book of Humanoids is a sourcebook for the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was written by Bill Slavicsek for TSR, in 1993....
(1993), and the ogre and half-ogre are later presented as playable character races again in Player's Option: Skills & Powers
Player's Option: Skills & Powers
Player's Option: Skills & Powers is a supplemental sourcebook to the core rules of the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. This 192-page book was published by TSR, Inc. in 1995. The book was designed by Douglas Niles and Dale Donovan...
(1995).
The ice spire ogre for the Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
campaign setting is introduced in Giantcraft (1995), and later appears in the Villains' Lorebook
Villains' Lorebook
Villains' Lorebook is an accessory for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game...
(1998).
Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)
The ogre appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000), which also included information on the merrow.Two variations on the ogre, the shadowlands ogre and the shadowlands troll, were introduced in Oriental Adventures (2001).
Dragon #304 (February 2003) presented the ogre as a player character race, and Savage Species (2003) presented the ogre and ogre mage as both races and playable classes, and the merrow and half-ogre as player character races.
Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003-2007)
The ogre appears in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003), which also included information on the merrow.The half-ogre is presented as a template in Dragon #313 (November 2003).
The skullcrusher ogre (along with the skullcrusher sergeant) is introduced in Monster Manual III (2004), and the ogre guard thrall, the ogre scout and the ogre tempest appear in Monster Manual IV (2006).
The ogre mage is further detailed in Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#349 (November 2006), in "The Ecology of the Ogre Mage," which also introduced the cereborg, the ogre umbramage, and the unique advanced ogre mage Muaj-Ruhlor.
Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-)
The ogre appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008).Half-Ogre
Occasionally allowed as a PC race, half-ogres are smarter but weaker than ogres. They can sometimes pass as unusually large, albeit ugly, humans.Merrow
These aquatic ogres are green and scaled with webbed hands and feet. They are faster and fiercer than their land-based kin, but are otherwise similar to normal ogres.Ogre Mage
These blue-skinned ogres are more intelligent than their mundane kin, and possess some innate magical abilities, such as invisibility and shapeshifting. They are a little taller than standard Ogres, averaging ten feet.http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/ogreMage.htm4th edition
In 4th Edition, ogre mages are actually members of a separate but similarly appearing race, the oni of Japanese folklore, who combine their own brute strength with wicked cunning and shapeshifting abilities. They possess the ability to disguise themselves as other humanoids. They are far more intelligent than ogres, and usually possess at least some magical skill.Critical reception
The ogre was ranked third among the ten best low-level monsters by the authors of Dungeons & Dragons For Dummies. They posit that the ogre "teaches players about fighting big, powerful, stupid monsters, which is an iconic D&D experience.Ogres in other media
Ogres were featured in the video game Baldur's Gate seriesBaldur's Gate (series)
Baldur's Gate is a franchise of action role-playing games released under the Dungeons & Dragons Video Game Licenses. It is set in the fictional campaign setting of Forgotten Realms and takes place in its fictional continent of Faerûn. It takes place mostly in the Western Heartlands, but has also...
, including appearances in Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate is a computer role-playing game developed by BioWare and released in 1998 by Interplay Entertainment. The game takes place in the Forgotten Realms, a high fantasy campaign setting, using modified Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition rules...
, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is an action role-playing game developed by Snowblind Studios for the PlayStation 2; later released for the Xbox, Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance. It was re-released on the PlayStation 2 as a Greatest Hits title...
and Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2.
Additional reading
- Bennie, Scott, Scott Haring, and John Terra. OtherlandsOtherlandsOtherlands is an accessory for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:Otherlands is a supplement for the Dragonlance campaign setting that describes three new lands between the continents of Ansalon and Taladas...
(TSR, 1990).