D&D 5E What would an ogre mage’s journal sound like?

[trentonjoe]

What would an ogre mage’s journal sound like?

I want to write an oni’s journal for one of my games. What would be an ogre mage’s style? I was thinking haughty and arrogant.

 

[Oofta]

Well, what does the MM say about them?

• In nursery rhymes, oni are fearsome bogeymen that haunt the nightmares of children and adults alike, yet they are very real and always hungry. They find human babies especially delicious.
• By the light of day, an oni hides its true form with magic, gaining the trust of those it intends to betray when darkness descends.
• An oni serves a master if doing so proves lucrative or provides it with a luxurious, well-defended home. Oni covet magic, and they work for evil wizards and hags in exchange for useful magic items.

So there are a lot of options there that I see beyond just the typical "evil guy gloat". It could be full of depictions of their hunger, perhaps with recipes along with what kind of broth would go with the baker's wife. I'd also play up what gullible idiots those villagers are, and how he enjoys befriending people only to see that look of terror when he reveals his true form. I'd save the arrogance for the master, who obviously the Oni is only using because it's convenient.

So think about what the oni's motivations are. Insatiable hunger, greed or safety, the quest for magic. Then how do they achieve those goals, and what do they like or dislike about their methods? Do the villagers stink, or is it hard to stop drooling when a particularly juicy peasant is in the room?

 

[Ogre Mage]

The oni's relatively high intelligence (14) and its magical powers of invisibility, change shape, charm person and sleep make it a natural schemer. It is a monster which is good at deceit. I think it would spend a lot of time plotting various evil schemes to gain power, money and food. And when a scheme works successfully, I do think there would be some arrogant gloating as you suggest.

 

[Ancalagon]

So you use both the terms Oni and Ogre mage both in your post.

You first have to decides this - do you specifically mean an Oni, or an ogre mage? Because the latter is a more "flexible" concept, and gives you more room to maneuver, culturally speaking.

You then have to decides the Ogre Mage's goals, but also - "why does this being bother keeping a journal" - that will influence what the Ogre Mage puts down, and what they omit.

If you want a *wicked* take on the Ogre Mage culture, and what its goals may be, I recommend reading Yoon-Suin.

 

[MNblockhead]

How dark is your campaign?

Google Albert Fish. Read the letters he wrote to his victims' parents. Take out the sexual violence (even if your campaign is that dark, I don't think that's something the Oni would be into), and instead of a letter addressed to victims, make it a diary entry.

You wouldn't have to change a whole heck of a lot.

An example is below.

On [DATE], I called on [some NPC family] at [location] [in the guise of an elderly minor noble, looking to hire home servants] and brought them pot cheese and strawberries. We had lunch. [Their young daughter] Grace sat on my lap and kissed me. I made up my mind to eat her.

On the pretense of taking her to a party, [the parents] said yes, she could go [,] I took her to an empty house in [location] I had already picked out. When we got there, I told her to remain outside. She picked wildflowers. I went upstairs and [changed into my true form].

When all was ready, I went to the window and called her. Then I hid in the closet until she was in the room. When she saw me [in my true form] she began to cry and tried to run down the stairs. I grabbed her and she said she would tell her mamma.

.... How she did kick, bite, and scratch. I choked her to death, then cut her in small pieces so I could take the meat to my rooms, cook, and eat it. How sweet and tender her [flesh] was roasted in the oven. It took me 9 days to eat her entire body...."

That entry alone should give the party all the incentive they need to hunt down and kill this Oni.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

I don't like the idea of a journal as info dump because it's a bit too contrived. If you are such a sneaky bastard, Why would you write down all your plots?

When I have a character plotting lots of things, I'm often jotting down notes: people's names, connections, dates and reminders. I could see a journal be much more of a 'to do' list.

What do the names have in common? Suddenly, PCs realize it's all the people who have disappeared. There's more names on the list etc.. Maybe a scribble of a name of a location or co-ordinates jotted down in a corner somewhere.

Another interesting thing could be a book of poetry. Or a work of fiction based on the oni's exploits. That's a bit more difficult to do unless you like actually writing poetry...it could come off a bit cheesy.

That said, if the Oni is really arrogant it might just enjoy keeping a list of its exploits. But, seriously, I love the idea of an artistic Ogre.

 

[trentonjoe]

It's really a journal and a collection of letters. I did include some poems though, I liked that idea!

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

Kill that villager,
Kill that villager.
Slip in his window, break his neck.
Then in his house, I start to wreck.
Got no reason, what the heck!
Kill that villager,
Kill that villager.

Credit: Eddie Murphy, SNL

 

[trentonjoe]

i googled end of life poetry and took out all the happy parts...it's pretty bleak