Fun Ogre Tactics

[Calinero]

So, I'm trying to come up with some nasty tactics for Ogres to use in an upcoming war with the Empire and halfling tribes represented by the PC's. The PC's have essentially wiped the floor with every group of Ogres they've come across, so I'd like to pull out some more interesting tactics.

One of my favorite, nastier ideas is the idea of using oozes as weapons. Essentially, I want the ogres to have catapults that launch sealed containers holding oozes inside. Upon impact, the oozes are released. Hilarity ensues. Not positive about how the weights would work in real life, but I am more than willing to ignore those physics in return for the terror of finding oozes dropping amongst your ranks.

Other ideas include cool lizard mounts, barbarian units, and so on. Anyone else have cool ideas?

[(Un)Inspired]

I was sure this post would be about this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tactics_Ogre:_Let_Us_Cling_Together)

[Tvtyrant]

If they have Ogre Mages the mages could act as an assassination group, flying invisibly into enemy camps and blasting them with cones of cold before retreating.

In my current campaign the Ogre's are big on taming dinosaurs and other giant animals, using their brute strength to force normally unstoppable creatures to heed them. The Ogre-WereTyrannosaurus would be an awesome leader of such a group.

[Grim Portent]

I propose that the ogres carefully disguise themselves as trolls... No one would ever suspect it...

Or alternatively ogres disguised as French Maids, or is psychological warfare not permitted?


On saner territory I like your ooze-a-pult idea.

I think the ogres could have some crude traps based on their brute strength, like using avalanches to block roads or trying to push large trees over on to the party, making local herds of animals stampede into their enemies might be fun as well.

[Psyren]

Seconding TVTyrant - taming large animals would be a credible and useful way to mix up an ogre encounter. Particularly if they have things like mammoths, saurians, rocs and dire tigers running around.

Swarms that live in their filthy furs (symbiotically) would be a nasty surprise as well. The ogres barely notice them due to their natural armor and such, but whacking one and having a beetle or ant swarm pour out of their loin cloth would be pretty nasty stuff. (In more ways than one.)

Finally, consider placing smaller humanoids or monstrous humanoids with them in a subservient role. I could see them befriending some goblins, troglodytes or rag men.

[Tvtyrant]

Seconding TVTyrant - taming large animals would be a credible and useful way to mix up an ogre encounter. Particularly if they have things like mammoths, saurians, rocs and dire tigers running around.

Swarms that live in their filthy furs (symbiotically) would be a nasty surprise as well. The ogres barely notice them due to their natural armor and such, but whacking one and having a beetle or ant swarm pour out of their loin cloth would be pretty nasty stuff. (In more ways than one.)

Finally, consider placing smaller humanoids or monstrous humanoids with them in a subservient role. I could see them befriending some goblins, troglodytes or rag men.

I LOVE the idea of having them have swarms of parasites that come off of their fur. OMG so good!

On another note, having a seismosaurus (MMII) and using it to literally walk over castles would be awesome.

[Curmudgeon]

Ogre Mages with their at-will SLAs can be very dangerous. For instance, they can fly at 40' while in Gaseous Form over their enemy's camp, and just keep plugging away with Sleep until all targets fails their saves. Even though the targets who do save will feel a tingle, how are they going to track down a mist, at night, at Medium range (190' in the air)? And the Ogre Mages can bring along all their Ogre buddies with Gaseous Form, too, dropping them on the ground when all targets are magically asleep and helpless. Readied simultaneous (well, same initiative count anyway) coup de grace attacks on every sleeping enemy would probably result in a slaughter.

[Ortesk]

Throw some very special ogres at them. Were Mammoth Ogres who specialize in trip/stand still, Primordial Ogre Mages swapping the spells so they compliment eachother, And for good measure 2 war hulks throwing rocks at the group. You can make the CR reasonable, but the tactics deadly

[nedz]

It's stretching the rules slightly but how about a Tauric Ogre-Elephant ?

Or some Half-Fey Ogres, melee brutes with lots of mind effecting SLAs and flight. The SLAs are HD based so those RHD are not wasted.

[Magesmiley]

Well... you could always do the obvious and have an elite unit of ogres with spiked chains who fight side-by-side. Just count the attacks of opportunity with me. (Do a search for half-ogre builds, I'm sure that you'll find that many of the same tactics work for ogres.)

Marbles. On flat surfaces. The kind of marbles that can't survive the weight of an ogre on them. But that cause the PCs constant Balance checks for walking on.

Terrain. Places where the ogres can make use of their superior size and strength. Bull Rush in particular. Maybe some high roads with nearby cliffs. Or bridges.

Grapple. grapple some more. Especially the casters. Another place to make use of their high strength and larger size.

Sunder is a mean tactic to use, but can be very effective for bigger opponents with a high strength.

Mix in a caster or two. Even a few low-level casters can greatly enhance a group of creatures. One that just sits in the back and uses counterspells against the Pcs can be particularly obnoxious.

Custom spells. Enlarge Person is a 1st-level spell that only works on humanoids. How about an 'Enlarge Giant' version that only works on giants. :smalleek:

Also, what level are the PCs?

[Tvtyrant]

Instead of a custom "enlarge giant" you could use the psywarrior's expansion power, which at low levels would make them huge and at mid levels gargantuan. A couple gargantuan psywarrior Ogres would be frightening to anyone, especially if still armed with spike chains for ALL the reach.

[Warlocknthewind]

What came to mind for me were the willing Tall & Tongue deformity feats (HoH). Maybe Imperious Command, if I'm correct it takes a sense motive check against and intimidation check, and I don't know too many players that find value in that skill.. So I'd exploit it.

WereT-Rex ogre sounds scary, but even if they kill that off somehow.. Meh, Deathknight it. (MMII)

Along the lines with the Ooz-a-pult, maybe a ball of enslaved goblins tied in a net wad. Some of 'em have to survive, and sneak their way about evading soldiers to be the wrench in the Emperial machine.

[Runestar]

Ogre Mages with their at-will SLAs can be very dangerous. For instance, they can fly at 40' while in Gaseous Form over their enemy's camp, and just keep plugging away with Sleep until all targets fails their saves. Even though the targets who do save will feel a tingle, how are they going to track down a mist, at night, at Medium range (190' in the air)? And the Ogre Mages can bring along all their Ogre buddies with Gaseous Form, too, dropping them on the ground when all targets are magically asleep and helpless. Readied simultaneous (well, same initiative count anyway) coup de grace attacks on every sleeping enemy would probably result in a slaughter.

Isn't sleep only useable 1/day? And with the low dc, I don't think it's going to have much effect...:smalltongue:

[Thurbane]

Spellwarped Primordial Ogre Wizards, Beguilers and Factotums?

Str +10, Con +6, Int +4

An Spellwarped Primordial Ogre Beguiler 4 is CR 6, using non-associated class levels. He can spam Glitterdust, Silence (against casters), Stay the Hand, Charm Person etc. as well as having SR 19 + spell absorption, natural AC +7, at will SLA (invisibility, invisibility purge or levitate).

[avr]

Fighting where the environment helps them, or at least hinders them less than the halflings, might do the job for at least one encounter.

3'-4' of water should do it; there are lakes which are more or less this deep over large areas. Halflings here are either in boats (possibly breakable or capsizable by angry ogres), buildings (which are immobile), swimming, or using magic. The last would at least reduce the number of halflings who could be involved in the battle.

Turning a battle into a three-cornered fight (as the ground collapses and a nest of ghouls/ghasts charges out at the invaders perhaps) lets you bring in monsters which aren't actually allied with the ogres. Just an idea.

[Winds of Nagual]

Tunneling ogres that erupt in the halfling village? Ogre with an alchemist suicide explosion? If you can get the ogres to intimidate the halflings, you might be able to split the party into ogre-killers and halfling squish preventers.

[Spuddles]

Ogres with spiked chains and the knockdown feat- brutality!

[Blackhawk748]

Along the lines with the Ooz-a-pult, maybe a ball of enslaved goblins tied in a net wad. Some of 'em have to survive, and sneak their way about evading soldiers to be the wrench in the Emperial machine.

This. If you are familiar at all with Warhammer Fantasy, this is a favorite Orc tactic, i recommend using it. I mean it kinda works lol

[FrznTear]

An ogre that picks up a PC and uses it as a weapon is frightening and hilarious.

Some combination of Warblade1/fighter6/feat rogue1/Hulking Hurler1/bloodstorm blade2
1 Imp unarmed strike
3 Power attack
6 Point Blank shot
9 Imp grapple
12 Scorpions Grasp


f1 Imp Bull Rush
f2 Dungeon Crasher
f4 Knockback
f6 Dungeon Crasher II
r1 Weapon focus(prereq for hulking hurler)

The ogre can now punch one PC into another PC, the second PC takes massive damage if it get's pushed into a wall.

Unarmed Strike>Grapple thanks to Scorpions Grasp>throw grabbed PC at another PC next to a wall with throw anything>make this ranged attack treated as a melee attack thanks to bloodstorm blade> second PC gets bullrushed by his thrown friend thanks to knockback> bullrushed PC gets squished from dungeoncrasher.

An encounter with Setting Sun maneuver ogres would be funny too, play catch with the PC's.