It's TL8. What is my ogre bodyguard packing?

[Kromm]

In a world that's mostly "real life, except ogres," I'd imagine bodyguards would deal mainly with paparazzi, crazy exes, stalkers, and the occasional mugger out to steal Martha Wayne's pearls. Matching weapons and tactics with professional kidnappers and hit squads wouldn't be a priority. (And if you're known to use an ogre for security, it'll be kind of obvious when your security isn't there . . . so people like that would just hit then, obviating the issue.)

Moreover, in such a world, bodyguards wouldn't be able to get away with using huge cannon just because they're ogres. The job description is deescalation, not escalating violence until you have Lebanon, Iraq, or whatever playing out in the city streets. In particular, weapons that would shoot through body armor would also shoot through people and kill bystanders. Those would be right out . . . the usual backdrop would be the theatre, the Rainbow Room, the Oscars, the fancy neighborhood around your big house (where there are likely children), etc., not a war zone.

So my suggestion would be twofold:

1. An ogre has SM +1. This very roughly cancels out an extra -1 in Bulk for concealment purposes. As the largest concealable handguns are Bulk -2, that means Bulk -3. I'd lean away from "hotter" guns that have the problems above, and toward just turning a Bulk -2 handgun into a Bulk -3 one. The obvious way to do that is with an extended magazine – a 20-round Colt Government or 31-round Glock 17 is quite menacing enough, as it means being able to lay down fire through multiple reloads for an enemy. Or just add a Bulk -1 accessory (brass catcher, pistol scope, pistol stock, suppressor, etc.) and leave it attached at all times, getting its advantages without looking bulky.

2. That SM would also justify carrying a spring baton of unusual size. The standard one is Holdout -1, 30" long, and reach 1. An ogre-sized one would be Holdout -2, 45" long, and reach 2. It could stay hidden most of the time. When it comes out, it could menace people from far enough away that they couldn't easily hit back. And for controlling paparazzi and crazy exes, note that it's longer than a standard door is wide (36"), and even long enough to block a hospital or commercial door (51"). With ST 20 behind it, nobody would even have to get hurt . . . Martial Arts has rules for shoves with long weapons.

This is the general route I'd take: Not deadlier, just bulkier but no harder to conceal.

In situations that are war zones, ordinary soldiers can already carry enough firepower. I'm not sure it would be really useful to have a huge target who can carry slightly better firepower. You have to feed, house, and transport the guy . . . why not just have two ordinary soldiers there?

There's this weird gray area of "we aren't in a war zone but we can have, and need, heavy weapons," where an ogre with a machine gun or antitank rifle would work, I guess. Or where walking around with an axe in public would be perfectly okay. At that point, minimum ST rather than Bulk is what matters. But I'm having a hard time thinking about where that would come up today. The term for people who do that is "hired killer" or "gang member," not "bodyguard."

[Black Leviathan]

He's going to face the same weapon laws as a human. But he has an advantage in handling and concealing heavy pistols. It would be easier to modify a revolver for his huge hands than an automatic, so .474 Casul or .475 Wildey HDR50, maybe something custom made for ogres. His gigantic suit would probable give him holdout bonuses for the big pistol.

I feel like 1000% he'd have a melee or brawling weapon, like brass knuckles or a real big collapsible baton.

He'd have body armor, again custom made or limited production for Ogres. Chances are it wouldn't be super heavy, just enough to let him shrug off small arms fire while you hide behind him but with his frame a class-4 vest would fit under clothing like concealed armor.

He'd have a bigass phone made to fit his big head so he can call the police or your driver or in general be useful in an emergency. Probably something like an Ipad with an Ogre-phone app.

He's going to still have some cargo space left over, he could have a "small" belt pouch that holds a crash kit if he's capable of first aid.

There's no reason he wouldn't use other technology that's useful. Chances are he's got a tracker on your body that he can follow with that bigass phone of his.

I think it goes without saying that he'd have Ogre-size sunglasses to be worn inside or at night so that there's no mistaking that he's a bodyguard.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by Black Leviathan

He's going to face the same weapon laws as a human. But he has an advantage in handling and concealing heavy pistols. It would be easier to modify a revolver for his huge hands than an automatic, so .474 Casul or .475 Wildey HDR50, maybe something custom made for ogres. His gigantic suit would probable give him holdout bonuses for the big pistol.

I like your other ideas, but I hesitate at this one.

The whole "shoots through schools" thing is going to be an issue. Anybody rich and important enough to need a status bodyguard like a specially equipped ogre is going to be law-savvy enough to know that super-hot rounds that can bore through a car and seriously injure someone a mile away are an unnecessary liability risk. In game terms, we're talking rounds that do 4d+2 to 5d-1 pi+, with 1/2D 210-280 and Max 2,300-3,000 . . . which amounts to "as dangerous as an assault carbine, minus the control and accuracy."

Originally Posted by Black Leviathan

He'd have a bigass phone made to fit his big head so he can call the police or your driver or in general be useful in an emergency. Probably something like an Ipad with an Ogre-phone app.

And there are ballistic phone and tablet cases that can stop bullets. One big enough for an ogre-sized phablet (call it a 10" diagonal) would provide significant cover for the ogre's human employer!

Originally Posted by Black Leviathan

There's no reason he wouldn't use other technology that's useful. Chances are he's got a tracker on your body that he can follow with that bigass phone of his.

Or on himself. A lot of tech wouldn't need to scale up to be useful. Most small wearable or implantable electronics that don't require a user interface are just as viable for an ogre as for a 50-kg girl. Except an ogre is a lot bigger and stronger, and could have 5-10 times as many such things on their person without noticing. Maybe not tracking devices, but stuff like cell-phone jammers.

[The Colonel]

Originally Posted by Kromm

There's this weird gray area of "we aren't in a war zone but we can have, and need, heavy weapons," where an ogre with a machine gun or antitank rifle would work, I guess. Or where walking around with an axe in public would be perfectly okay. At that point, minimum ST rather than Bulk is what matters. But I'm having a hard time thinking about where that would come up today. The term for people who do that is "hired killer" or "gang member," not "bodyguard."

I'm guessing there are places in sub Saharan Africa and South America where this might apply... otherwise it does require some Punkpunk assumptions...

[AlexanderHowl]

An interesting issue would be transportation, as most vehicles would have difficulty fitting/carrying an ogre. I could imagine a scenario where Hummer thrives as a luxury brand because it could carry ogre bodyguards with their principles. If the driver is an ogre, they would be quite difficult to take out, as an ogre could potentially survive a headshot from a pistol (a rifle if they have a helmet). With HP 22 (assuming average ST 22 for bodyguards), they could potential absorb up to 132 HP worth of damage before dying, meaning that you would need a round that could deal an average of 37 HP of damage for a guaranteed kill from a brain shot (11d+1 or higher).

Another possibility would be ogre nannies as bodyguards for the children of the wealthy (as long as they are not eating people anymore). Even without anything more than a staff, a ST 20 ogre nanny could deter most potential kidnappers. With concealed armor, they would also survive quite a few shots from determined kidnappers, perhaps holding out long enough to disable the kidnappers or to allow the police to arrive.

[The Colonel]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

An interesting issue would be transportation, as most vehicles would have difficulty fitting/carrying an ogre. I could imagine a scenario where Hummer thrives as a luxury brand because it could carry ogre bodyguards with their principles. If the driver is an ogre, they would be quite difficult to take out, as an ogre could potentially survive a headshot from a pistol (a rifle if they have a helmet). With HP 22 (assuming average ST 22 for bodyguards), they could potential absorb up to 132 HP worth of damage before dying, meaning that you would need a round that could deal an average of 37 HP of damage for a guaranteed kill from a brain shot (11d+1 or higher).

Another possibility would be ogre nannies as bodyguards for the children of the wealthy (as long as they are not eating people anymore). Even without anything more than a staff, a ST 20 ogre nanny could deter most potential kidnappers. With concealed armor, they would also survive quite a few shots from determined kidnappers, perhaps holding out long enough to disable the kidnappers or to allow the police to arrive.

Also, from the mother's point of view, much less of a risk of her husband having an affair with the child minder... probably.

[Anders]

Half-ogres have to come from somewhere.

[AlexanderHowl]

Half-ogres have to come from somewhere...

[copeab]

I'm now thinking of the voodoo zombie bodyguard from the movie "Cast A Deadly Spell". He didn't carry any weapons ...

[Kale]

Originally Posted by Kromm

An ogre has SM +1. This very roughly cancels out an extra -1 in Bulk for concealment purposes. As the largest concealable handguns are Bulk -2, that means Bulk -3.

Serbu Super Shorty shotgun pistols? I believe they're Bulk -3, and you get the damage of buckshot (better than a pistol at close range) with the reduced probability of overpenetration. Depending on the shot load they might be better indoors than a 9mm as the buckshot is less likely to make it through a wall and hit the wrong thing on the other side. Ammo capacity would be a problem (only 2+1), but that's why you could carry two of them; draw the second instead of reloading. Carry a few slugs in your pocket if things have to get really serious.