In a fiendishly inspired choice, the ogres of RuneQuest tap into an altogether different, and maybe even more frightening source of inspiration than the dim, giant brutes of D&D and French folklore. Gloranthan ogres are the sociopath next door: appearing on the surface very much like perfectly normal, even downright charming and good-looking people. But beneath this semblance of civility, the ogres carefully hide their sharp teeth, wicked dispositions, and murderous taste for human flesh. These creatures infiltrate human settlements, posing as friendly merchants or the like, and all the while secretly spreading chaos and strife.
The old RuneQuest books described Gloranthan ogres as resembling "Cornish ogres," but rather than referring to actual Cornish legend, this allusion appears to be a sly nod to Oscar Wilde's short story,"The Selfish Giant." In keeping with this venerable joke, we have renamed our converted D&D monster an enkenethel, which is evidently a Cornish word for monster or freak. (We write "evidently" only as our access to a reliable Cornish dictionary is, admittedly, limited.)
Enkenethel warrior 1
Usually CE Medium giant
Init +3; Senses low-light vision; Listen -1, Spot -1
Languages Common, Giant
AC 12, touch 9, flat-footed 12
(-1 Dex,+3 studded leather armor)
hp 6 (1 HD)
Fort +4, Ref -1, Will -1
Spd 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee dagger +6 (1d4+5/19-20)
Ranged javelin +0 (1d6+5)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +1; Grp +6
Abilities Str 21, Dex 9, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 16
SQ innate deceiver
Feats Improved Initiative
Skills Bluff +7, Diplomacy +5, Disguise +5
Environment any
Organization solitary, pair, gang (3-4), or band (5-8)
Treasure standard
Advancement by character class; Favored Class rogue
Level Adjustment +2
Innate Deceiver (Ex) An enkenethel always treats Bluff, Diplomacy, and Disguise as class skills.
Enkenethels are a wicked race of man-eating giants, possibly related to ogres. They appear very much like humans—though they often have unnaturally sharp teeth and the females are fully as tall as the males. Enkenethels are often good-looking and almost always well-manned, allowing them to readily pass as normal humans and thus infiltrate unsuspecting human settlements. Once they have established themselves as upstanding members of the community, these cunning monsters wreck havoc, quietly sowing strife amongst their neighbors, committing anonymous acts of cruelty such as arson, and, at every opportunity, indulging their dark hunger for human flesh.
Enkenethels never use brute force, relying on stealth and treachery to catch their intended victims unaware and helpless.
The enkenethel warrior presented here had the following ability scores before racial adjustments: Str 13, Dex 9, Con 11, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 12.
Enkenethel characters possess the following racial traits.