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Solaris
2009-10-29, 11:40 AM
Half-Giant
The children of giants and other, smaller races, half-giants typically occur when a heroic knight fails in his quest to rescue the damsel in distress from the clutches of the brutish giant. They're most common from the cruder giant races. Most half-giants have a giant father and a 'puny' mother, and few mothers survive childbirth. This leaves these ungainly half-breeds in an awkward position, and just as many half-giants turn into marauders like their fathers as do half-giants who try to make peace with their mixed blood.

Personality: A half-giant's personality often draws from its giant parent as much as its smaller parent, mixing traits of both. A half-giant who struggles to turn away from one parent or the other typically tries to cover up those traits he regards as originating from that parent's race. A cloud half-giant tends to be more arrogant, regarding himself as naturally superior to all around him. A fire half-giant is quick-tempered and prone to violence, but takes well to a disciplined, militant lifestyle. A frost half-giant, on the other hand, is just as quick-tempered and violent but is often even more brutal and wantonly destructive, rarely suited for anything but life as a thug. A hill half-giant is often selfish and slow but cunning, bullying others smaller but smarter than he but finding solace in the company of animals. A stone half-giant is a solitary creature, often shy. A storm half-giant is the most gentle of the half-giants, reclusive but tolerant of others. They tend to see themselves as gifted with a great strength and power, one they have a responsibility to use to help others weaker than they.

Physical Description: Though all half-giants are of prodigious strength and are larger than normal, their appearances otherwise differ quite a bit based on their parent races. A cloud giant produces a child that is muscular and handsome, with well-defined features, pale skin and paler hair. Many have blue eyes. A fire giant produces a child with black or ruddy skin, dwarf-like features and proportions, fiery red hair, and large, blunt teeth. A frost giant produces a child that is beefy and muscular, with pale skin and light blue hair and eyes. A hill giant produces a child that is crude and brutish-looking, with skin that is often a darker brown than the smaller parent's and hair of dark brown or black, with prodigious body hair covering it. A stone giant produces a child that is lean and muscular, with grey-tinged flesh, gaunt facial features, and sunken black eyes. Most male stone half-giants suffer from early male-pattern baldness. A storm giant produces a child that is well-formed, albeit of enormous proportion, with hair that is often dark green and emerald eyes.

Relations: Though often outcasts where they grew up, half-giants are respected - if not feared - for their superhuman strength and stamina. Most aren't bright enough to tell the difference. A half-giant born in the hinterlands tends to run into a lot of trouble in the cities, as he often lacks basic knowledge of customs, currency, and courtesy.

Alignment: As most half-giants are raised by their mother's relatives, they tend to follow her lead in terms of alignment. Hill and frost half-giants tend towards chaotic evil, storm half-giants towards chaotic good. Fire half-giants tend towards lawful evil, though many are lawful neutral or even lawful good.

Half-Giant Lands: Half-giants are an uncommon breed, though the bastard children of marauding hill giants are most common. They are found wherever their parent races live in close proximity, often living as outcasts from one society or another.

Religion: Half-giants are generally about as religious as the race who raised them. Many choose to revere the more martial patrons, such as Vantileer (LG god of paladins/nobility/justice/war) or one of the dark patrons of war.

Language: Half-giants speak the languages of race who raised them.

Names: A half-giant's name is a reflection of who he chooses to be. A half-giant who has chosen a giantish name strives to become like his giant father and often wants to intimidate the punies, while a half-giant who chooses a humanoid name strives to
Adventurers: As bastard half-breeds possessing great strength and size, half-giants take well to the adventuring lifestyle.

Half-Giant Racial Traits
'Half-Giant' is an inherited template that can be added to any humanoid, monstrous humanoid, or fey of Medium size or larger (referred to hereafter as the "base creature"). A half-giant uses all of the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Size and Type: The creature's type becomes giant. It gains the augmented subtype, and counts as a member of both its parent races for effects that deal with race. A cloud half-giant gains the Air subtype. A fire half-giant gains the Fire subtype. A frost half-giant gains the Cold subtype. A stone half-giant gains the Earth subtype. The creature retains all other subtypes. The base creature's size remains unchanged at 1-5 HD. At 6 HD the half-giant grows one size category, with all the appropriate ability modifications and reach. If the giant type is Huge, then the half-giant grows another size category at 10 HD (again with all appropriate ability modifications and reach).

Armor Class: A half-giant gains a +4 increase to the base creature's natural armor bonus. This increases as the half-giant increases in size. A stone half-giant increases this by his Constitution bonus (min +0), so a stone half-giant with a Constitution of 24 would have a +11 natural armor bonus.

Speed: A storm half-giant gains a swim speed equal to his base speed. All half-giants gain a +10 ft increase to their speed each time they increase in size.

Special Attacks: A half-giant has all the special attacks of the base creature, plus the following special attacks.
- Rock Throwing (Ex): Full-blooded giants are accomplished rock throwers, and their half-breed progeny are no different. Half-giants receive a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls with thrown weapons. A half-giant of at least Large size can hurl rocks weighing 40 to 50 pounds each (Small objects) up to five range increments one-handed. A Huge half-giant can hurl rocks of 60 to 80 pounds (Medium objects) one-handed, or a Large giant can throw the same rocks two-handed. A Huge half-giant can hurl rocks of 90 to 120 pounds (Large objects) two-handed. A Small rock deals 2d6 + 1.5x Str, a Medium rock deals 2d8 + 1.5x Str, while a Large rock deals 2d10 + 1.5x Str bludgeoning damage. Regardless of type, a half-giant hurls a rock with a 100-foot range increment.

- Spell-Like Abilities: Hill, fire, and frost half-giants gain no spell-like abilities. A cloud half-giant with a Charisma of 13 or better can use featherfall at will and obscuring mist 1/day so long as the half-giant has mana remaining. A stone half-giant with a Charisma of 15 or better can use stone shape, stone tell, and either transmute mud to rock or transmute rock to mud 1/day each so long as the half-giant has mana remaining. A storm half-giant with a Charisma of 17 or better with 8 HD or more gains the use of lightning bolt and control weather 1/day each so long as the half-giant has mana remaining. The save DCs for all are Charisma-based, and the caster level is equal to the half-giant's HD.

Special Qualities: A half-giant has all the special qualities of the base creature, plus the following special qualities.
- Cold Subtype: Frost half-giants are immune to cold, but take +50% damage from fire.
- Darkvision (Ex): Stone half-giants gain darkvision. (60 ft for those of you who think it ought to be limited)
- Electrical Immunity: Storm half-giants are immune to electrical damage.
- Fire Subtype: Fire half-giants are immune to fire, but take +50% damage from cold.
- Low-Light Vision (Ex): All half-giants save stone half-giants gain low-light vision.
- Rock Catching (Ex): A half-giant of at least Large size can catch Small, Medium, or Large rocks (or projectiles of roughly round shape). Once per round, a half-giant that would normally be hit by a rock can make a Reflex save to catch it as a free action. The DC is 15 for a Small rock, 20 for a Medium one, and 25 for a Large one. (If the projectile provides a magical bonus on attack rolls, the DC increases by that amount.) The giant must be ready for and away of the attack in order to make a rock catching attempt.
- Scent (Ex): Cloud half-giants can detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell. They can identify familiar odors just as humans do familiar sights.
- Water Breathing (Ex): Storm half-giants can breathe underwater indefinitely and can freely use their spell-like abilities while submerged.
Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows:
* Cloud Giant: +6 Strength, +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom.
* Fire Giant: +6 Strength, -2 Dexterity, +4 Constitution, +2 Wisdom.
* Frost Giant: +6 Strength, -2 Dexterity, +4 Constitution, +2 Wisdom.
* Hill Giant: +4 Strength, +4 Constitution, -4 Intelligence, -2 Charisma.
* Stone Giant: +4 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +4 Constitution.
* Storm Giant: +6 Strength, +4 Dexterity, +6 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, +4 Wisdom, +2 Charisma.

Feats: A half-giant gains 1 less feat at 1st level.

Skills: A half-giant gains 4 less skill points at 1st level and 1 less skill point every level after. Storm half-giants gain a +8 racial bonus on Swim checks and can take 10 on Swim checks even under stress. Storm half-giants can take the run action while swimming, provided they swim in a straight line.

Favored Class: The favored class for hill, stone, and frost half-giants is Barbarian. The favored class for cloud and storm half-giants is Sorcerer. The favored class for fire half-giants is Fighter.

Level Adjustment: Same as base creature +2 (hill half-giant), +3 (fire or frost half-giant), +4 (stone or cloud half-giants), +5 (storm half-giants).

I know the LAs look a little on the low side. I'm trying to do them honest, without WotC's inflation so that I'm not discouraging people from playing monsters with mechanical things.

Ralasha
2010-08-21, 09:36 PM
Hum. Storm Giants are Lightning Based... Cloud Giants are Water based. Frost Giants are Water Based. Fire Giants are Fire Based. Hill and Mountain Giants are Earth Based. Storm Giants shouldn't gain water breather. Cloud Giants should. etc.
Hill=Damage Reduction
Stone= Acid Immunity
Mountain= Spider Climb
Frost=Cold Immunity
Fire=Fire Immunity
Cloud=Water Breathing
Storm=Lightning Immunity
My 2 cents.:smallsigh:

AtlanteanTroll
2010-08-21, 09:48 PM
This should be (IMO) a race, and it IS already a race.

Ralasha
2010-08-21, 10:14 PM
He's changing it from a race, to a template.
http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn124/Bludra_kure/windmill_beard.jpg
Love that windmill.

StormRaven
2010-08-22, 01:41 PM
While I like this, the loss of a feat at first level regardless of base race results in no feats at first level in many cases. I get what you're going for (Removing the extra human feat to match the Half-giant race) but I think it would be better served by something like..

Feats A Half-giant loses any bonus feats from the base creature that are not a specific feat.
Not that I think you need the Feat or skill loss. If you keep both or just the feat loss of them I'd further reduce the LA.

Zaydos
2010-08-22, 02:01 PM
He's really scrapping the race (which fails to be an actual half-giant anyway, but instead a big guy with psionic powers) for a template.

Game mechanically we have at 6th level, without LA buy-off (so ECL 8) a character with +12 Str, -2 Dex, +8 Con, -4 Int, -2 Wis, 40-ft land speed, and large size. They are also lacking a feat, and due to their Int penalty likely lacking skill points (as the -1/level has no limitation to keep it above 0/level).

Also if this is a template why lose the feat and skill points anyway? I'd say Half-Hill Giant without those penalties looks like a decent +2 LA, although the Int penalty hurts especially since at low levels they don't gain anything worth those two LA (it takes the size increase to make them marginally worth it), and as written they really aren't worth playing till ECL 8.

The others... I'd have to see which giants make it to huge.