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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Geron Raveneye" data-source="post: 2965690" data-attributes="member: 2268">It's definitely a step up from the Charm Person it is confined to at the moment..I'd actually love to see it being added to the current version, not just the remade one.I think I finally cornered what bothered me about the angle the ogre mage was tackled from for redesign...it was remade under the premises of how it will fare/behave in direct combat, and was compared  to it's fellow CR 8 monsters  in that light as well. In a nutshell, it was treated purely as a dungeon combat encounter. And I can't help it but think that this angle is not really the best one from where to look, at least not where D&D is concerned.The fact is that lots of the monsters that are in the game from day 1 were not meant as simple "dungeon fodder", even if they have been treated like that very often, but were/are supposed to be bigger challenges in the greater picture of a campaign, using their strengths in other fields than direct combat because that is where they lack, while they excel in manipulation, stealth and trickery.Looking at the ogre mage, that is one creature that is not just cut out for a certain cultural background (asian, as it was drawn from there), but also for a lot of careful investigation and intrigue. I see it infiltrating a rural court, charming its way into the heart of the nobles, or subjugating a few outlying villages. Nobody notices until a few adventurers either come along on their way elsewhere, or are sent because the tithes are dropping. Nothing seems amiss, and they have to a) find out who the culprit is and b) get through a heap of charmed nobles and villagers to get to their final confrontation with the Ogre Mage, who will do his outmost to thwart them, because if it comes to a direct combat, he will fare badly and will have to run. I understand that the R&D team of WotC has to look at some primary focus for the game to run towards, but I'd say it's a bit thoughtless of campaign worlds like Forgotten Realms and Eberron, both teeming with rich details and plenty of non-combat interactions, to go and judge a monster 90% by it's combat ability and behaviour. Some monsters are simply no dungeon fodder, and should be treated as greater background challenges instead. Vampires, dopplegangers, mind flayers, and yes, the ogre mage, are much more efficient when NOT facing a group of adventurers in direct combat only, but meet them on their own terms. Same reason why the CR rating is only of vague value...it also deals with direct combat, mostly. And I dare say getting at an ogre mage who has entrenched himself in a rural court and the adjacent village is a much bigger challenge than simply meeting one in a dungeon and hack it to pieces.In essence, please widen the focus of how you look at monsters a little...if the R&D policy of WotC allows it, of course. Reducing all to the dungeon is not a healthy direction for D&D, a game that has become known for colorful and rich campaign settings and adventures that also challenge a player's wit and guile, and not just his strategic talent, even if its roots were in tactical wargaming.</blockquote>

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