Kadag Ogre

Family: Ogre

Large giant, neutral evil

Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 133 (14d10 + 56)
Speed 40 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
20 (+5)	8 (–1)	18 (+4)	10 (+0)	16 (+3)	5 (–3)

Skills Perception +6, Stealth +2, Survival +9
Damage Resistances necrotic; piercing from nonmagical attacks
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16
Languages Common, Giant
Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +3

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Scent of Death. Any creature that isn’t Undead and that starts its turn within 5 feet of the kadag ogre must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the start of its next turn. On a successful saving throw, the creature is immune to the kadag ogre’s Scent of Death for 1 hour.
• Undead Affinity. An Undead has disadvantage on attack rolls against the kadag ogre if the ogre hasn’t attacked that Undead within the past 24 hours. In addition, each skeleton and zombie within 30 feet of the kadag ogre that has no master follows the ogre’s verbal commands until a master asserts magical control over it.

ACTIONS

• Multiattack. The kadag ogre makes three Spear attacks.
• Spear. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) piercing damage, or 14 (2d8 + 5) piercing damage if used with two hands to make a melee attack.
• Master of Death (Recharge 5–6). The kadag ogre empowers up to three friendly Undead it can see within 30 feet of it. Each empowered Undead can use a reaction to move up to half its speed and make one melee weapon attack. In addition, an empowered Undead gains 5 (2d4) temporary hit points for 1 minute. The kadag ogre can’t empower Undead with an Intelligence score of 10 or higher.

ABOUT

This gray-skinned ogre is clad in worked leather and stands straighter than its brethren. The stench of rotting flesh radiates from the creature.

Occasionally, an ogre will seclude itself and master its hunger.

Claiming a cave atop a desolate mountainside or deep in the badlands, the ogre becomes a hermit and leaves its caves only to ritualistically murder whatever it finds. Ogres that stick through the process and resist the urge to feast eventually become kadag ogres, strengthened by murder and masters of their own urges. They are smarter and tougher than most of their kin but are much less sociable.

Masters of Death. While not true necromancers, the rites performed by kadag ogres make them kin to the undead. Their flesh is hardened against death magic, their mere presence sickens the living, and they can command lesser undead in their vicinity. These rites require sacrifices of intelligent creatures, and kadag ogres often prey upon travelers or nearby villagers for the materials they need. Some kadag ogres corral masterless undead, using them to guard territory, gather sacrifices, and protect the ogre’s isolation.

Cryptic Monsters. The secretive lives of these ogres means that most of their victims don’t know what they face. Villages tell tales of the Monster in the Wastes, or a petty necromancer with a hulking servant, or the giant that eats those who intrude upon its secret lair. Other ogres speak reverently of the wise death hermits, teaching that any ogre can become a kadag with enough dedication. Occasionally, some warlord or necromancer seeks out a kadag ogre and entreats it into service. Most fail, but some manage to bully, bribe, or trick the ogre into service, where they serve as surly lieutenants over undead and other ogres.

Mountain Ambushers. Kadag ogres prefer the narrow passes and limited sightlines of the high mountains, both for the isolation and the advantages it provides over their prey. They enjoy ambushing groups passing in front of their cave mouths and flinging those capable of fighting back off the side of the mountain.