4d4 Ogre's Cave
Ogres are generally stupid and brutish creatures, but they desire the safety and protection of a home.
When encountered in their lairs, ogres react strongly to the intrusion. An ogre won’t invite PCs in for tea and most likely won’t stop to ask why they are in its home. An ogre’s only interaction with PCs may be to demand payment for the intrusion. Canny characters might pull the wool over the ogre’s eyes and escape if they wish to avoid a fight.
Use these four lists, to add depth and flavour to an ogre’s cave.
Art Bradley K. McDevitt
What’s Going On?
The ogre…
Is whittling a tree branch into a masterfully carved club and proudly appraising her progress.
Is cleaning his teeth with a sharpened bone; he jabs himself in the gum at the PCs’ interruption.
Is using a rusty sword to shave his face, leaving large patches of hair behind as he does.
Is drinking from a barrel she treats as a tankard. She produces a loud belch just as company arrives.
Notable Lair Features
An intact dragon skeleton fills the rear section of the cave. It’s likely the ogre didn’t kill the dragon.
The back of the lair feeds into a set of confusing and twisting passages. The ogre avoids the area.
The centre of the ogre’s lair features a 20-foot-wide pit that descends for at least 200 feet. Going by the smell, the ogre uses the pit as a rubbish dump.
Fissures honeycomb the ceiling. After rain, water drips through into the cave creating a small pool of fresh water.
Ogre’s Appearance
The ogre…
Wears several pieces of costume jewellery, including a matching set of 5 rings on his left hand.
Is covered in dried mud and wears live sprigs from trees (perhaps as forest camouflage) in its clothes. The disguise is ineffective in the ogre’s lair.
Has burns on the left side of his body. He winces for a moment when struck there, but this only serves to enrage him further.
Wears a contraption shaped like bat wings and stitched together from actual bat wings. It provides no flying capability, however.
Treasure
This iron-bound chest resisted the ogre’s attempts to open it. It holds 100 sp and a decades-old deed to a nearby plot of land.
What appear to be 312 gold coins are actually copper pieces painted (unconvincingly) to look like gold.
Hidden under lice-ridden bedding is a tarnished gold amulet inset with a tiny ruby.
A variety of paintings are carefully hung along one wall. Most hang in the correct orientation, but some are upside-down or sideways.
Want More?
This article is an extract from the Complete Monstrous Lair Collection which is available here for immediate download. Alternatively, check out the 4d4 Archive for more handy, flavoursome and time-saving 4d4 articles ready for immediate use in your campaign.
Design Mike Welham Art Bradley K. McDevitt
