Steely_Dan
First Post
Here, I'll do the math for you.
Ogre: AC 15, 32 HP, +4 to hit, 2d8+4 Bludgeoning Damage
5th-Level Fighter: AC 18 (Banded + Shield); 44 HP (+2 Con), +7 to hit (+4 Fighter, +3 Strength), 1d8+3 damage (Longsword, +3 Str), 2d8 Expertise Dice
Assuming the Fighter uses no combat maneuvers at all:
Ogre Damage per Round: Chance to Hit * Damage
(6/20) * 2d8+4 + (1/20) * 20
(6/20) * (13) + (1/20) * 20
=
4.9 damage per round
It takes him ~9 rounds to kill a single 5th-level fighter. Meanwhile, the 5th-level fighter is doing:
Fighter Damage per Round: Chance to Hit * Damage
(12/20) * 1d8+3 + (1/20) * 11
(12/20) * (7.5) + (1/20) * 11
=
5.1 damage per round
It takes the Fighter ~6.3 rounds to kill the Ogre. A 5th-level Fighter, on average, easily beats an ogre. Therefore, if a 5th-level Fighter, one-on-one, can easily handle an ogre, how is a single ogre supposed to be a threat to a 10th-level Fighter plus his 3-5 10th-level friends?
The easy answer is: It's not.
BUT WAIT! There's more!
The fighter actuall has 2d8 Expertise dice per round. Assuming he does nothing but Parry (which is probably suboptimal), that drops the ogre's damage:
Ogre Damage per Round: Chance to Hit * Damage
(6/20) * 2d8+4-2d8 + (1/20) * 20-2d8
(6/20) * (4) + (1/20) * 11
=
1.75 damage per round
Or, in other words, by making pretty suboptimal choices, the 5th-level Fighter increases his average survival time to 25 rounds.
Yeah, the standard ogre is not a meaningful threat to even a 5th-level fighter, let alone a 10th-level party.
+6 to hit for the Ogre (let alone the loose math).