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View Full Version : 101 Ways to Kill a Frost Giant (and other things bigger than you)



Rasman
2009-12-05, 02:11 AM
A friend of mine and I were discussing a problem we are going to have to overcome in a game tomorrow. How to fight off an army of Frost Giants. Quite conventiantly, we rememebred that one of our rogues had his invisable servents chop down a bunch of trees before we ended our session. The first thing that came to mind was, "What happens when you shoot a frost giant with an arrow the size of a tree, ala Shrink?" Laughter ensued. What other ways have you dealt with "big" problems like this?

BobVosh
2009-12-05, 02:14 AM
Kill it with fire! Load all the trees somewhere, energy substitution cone of cold with fire, and burn those frozen big'uns.

Thrice Dead Cat
2009-12-05, 02:20 AM
If you want shrink item shenanigans, just get a caster to use reduce person holding onto as many boulders as possible before giving them flight. Move over said frost giant and drop said boulders for fun and profit.

Other than that, magic is generally the answer. Look no further than staples like grease and web to slow them down while someone pings at them from afar.

Grumman
2009-12-05, 02:25 AM
Cast Giant Size and give them a taste of their own medicine?

Rasman
2009-12-05, 02:27 AM
If you want shrink item shenanigans, just get a caster to use reduce person holding onto as many boulders as possible before giving them flight. Move over said frost giant and drop said boulders for fun and profit.

Other than that, magic is generally the answer. Look no further than staples like grease and web to slow them down while someone pings at them from afar.

well, we're not exclusively wanting to use shrink, but I'm mostly looking for "interesting" ideas as to how to tackle a lot of big enemies, quite literally since I'm a monk with a focus on grappling.

Sstoopidtallkid
2009-12-05, 02:33 AM
I'd recommend using a melee Killer Gnome build. There is little as awesome as a tiny-sized critter climbing onto a frost giant and stabbing him in the eye.

Keld Denar
2009-12-05, 03:28 AM
That or use the traditional Killer Gnome build. Hit him with an illusionary Meteor Swarm that is 150% real. You multiply your multipliers! Huzzah for Vulnerability!

Doomboy911
2009-12-09, 04:39 PM
Try talking one onto your side. I have a couple of points in diplomacy and when we took on a dragon I almost talked him out of trying to kill us.Still words first than fighting.Or get one to turn on the other.

Ravens_cry
2009-12-09, 05:01 PM
If it can swallow whole, and your high enough level, an adamantine immoveable rod is your friend. Plant, and then cut your way out.
A decanter of endless water will have a similar effect, eventually. Going with imperial gallons, a decanter on geyser adds 300 pounds of water per round. Flight and a clothed lake of lava is fun. A bright orange blanket comes wafting down, then. . . burning sploosh!

deuxhero
2009-12-09, 05:04 PM
(kill it with) Fire.

nepphi
2009-12-09, 05:05 PM
Quaal's Feather Token; Tree.

It can solve just about any tactical situation if applied correctly.

evil-frosty
2009-12-09, 05:09 PM
I have a druid whose favorite tactic is to change into a hawk then into a bear in the air and land on a giant and just do a lot of damage. Its a lot of fun.

jiriku
2009-12-09, 05:15 PM
Giants are much meaner within 10 feet. Look at attack options that don't require you to close to melee, or special attacks that reduce their mobility. Giants typically have poor Reflex and Will saves, so look for attacks that target those saves. Frost giants take a lot more damage from fire attacks, so that should be your preferred form of attack.

To be really impressive, concentrate on attacks that are double or triple threats, hitting them in more than one of these areas. Use wall of fire or barrels of alchemist's fire to deal them fire damage. Most AoE fire spells offer a Reflex save, which is their worst save. Even a simpel suggestion spell, which targets Will, can be devilishly effective ("This wizard is too dangerous to attack in melee. You'd better run through that wall of fire to a safe position back there where you can throw rocks at him.").

Be sure to focus the entire party's fire on one giant at a time; giants take a lot of killing, and if you are facing, say, three frost giants at once and can deal 150 hp of damage in the first round, you'd rather deal it all to one giant than deal 50hp to each of the three. The former leaves you with two healthy enemies and a corpse, while the latter leaves you three angry enemies who are only lightly wounded, each still fully capable of ruining your day. Use control magic like grease, entangle, soften earth of stone, and web to delay the others and keep them out of melee while you attack your chosen opponent.

Grumman
2009-12-09, 05:15 PM
If it can swallow whole, and your high enough level, an adamantine immoveable rod is your friend. Plant, and then cut your way out.
One of my halfling characters has an alternate last-ditch solution, consisting of multiple doses of dark reaver powder and five doses of roach paste in a glass flask. If a big nasty tries to eat you, you smash the flask and let them suffer the consequences. Not necessarily effective, but it fits the character.

bosssmiley
2009-12-10, 07:47 AM
Pikes, lances and ballistae
Snow Speeder + cable
Jack the Giant-Killer on speed-dial

Rasman
2009-12-10, 03:39 PM
I discovered that Monks don't do well against a group of 5 frost giants...

...until their caster/buff is dead and I can grab one by the balls and hold him down until the other 3 are dead

Xzeno
2009-12-10, 06:49 PM
I discovered that Monks don't do well against a group of 5 frost giants...

Wait, monks do well against anything? Hahahahaha! Seriously though:

The tree shrink arrow thing is great. I shall use it at the next available opportunity. My contribution/method is thus: Light the tree on fire before shrinking. Best of both worlds.

Lord Thurlvin
2009-12-10, 06:54 PM
This isn't nearly as creative as some of the other suggestions, but Fell the Greatest Foe from the SC gives bonus damage against creatures larger than the target.

JosephHeller
2009-12-10, 07:04 PM
Portable hole, used Belly Hill-style.

golentan
2009-12-10, 07:14 PM
Well, giants are tall enough (10-30 feet) that they trigger falling damage when toppled. So what we did one time was massive piles of leaves, with braced spears by our little allies below hidden below. The giants walk through the area, we trip them. Damage: 1d6. Plus (since a fall counts as a charge for most intents for damage increase) 7 spears/giant, 16 STR for the spear grippers... 1d6+4x14 damage. In exchange for 1d6 apiece (easily survived for third level fighter minions).

Krinton
2009-12-10, 07:21 PM
Posin it one promblem you need alot of posin and I mean ALOT:smallsmile:

Knaight
2009-12-10, 08:04 PM
D&D actually works on a size independant dose for poison, poisoned weapons need 1 dose, and work equally well against just about everyone. Convenient, that.

Innis Cabal
2009-12-10, 08:07 PM
Its a shame posion's suck more then just a little all across the board.

jmbrown
2009-12-10, 08:09 PM
D&D actually works on a size independant dose for poison, poisoned weapons need 1 dose, and work equally well against just about everyone. Convenient, that.

Any giant is pretty much going to save against every poison unless you have the Poisoncraft book and craft your own with higher DCs.

dsmiles
2009-12-10, 08:48 PM
I say sever their Achilles tendons with a Sword of Sharpness. Wait, do they even have rules for those anymore? :smallconfused:

Karoht
2009-12-10, 08:48 PM
A friend of mine and I were discussing a problem we are going to have to overcome in a game tomorrow. How to fight off an army of Frost Giants. Quite conventiantly, we rememebred that one of our rogues had his invisable servents chop down a bunch of trees before we ended our session. The first thing that came to mind was, "What happens when you shoot a frost giant with an arrow the size of a tree, ala Shrink?" Laughter ensued. What other ways have you dealt with "big" problems like this?
Catapult self onto Giant's head. Bladed chain around neck. Strangle/slit throat of Giant. When he starts swating at you, jump from his head to about his mid-back or the ground if you can make the DC, but let go of one end of the chain so that it still slides around his neck. You'll cause the bladed chain to work like one of those cord saws, and off goes his head, and that should slow your fall as well somewhat.

Done it. =D
Except in my case, I merely jumped to the next giant and repeated the same process.

Incidently, Giants have large amounts of mass. The effectiveness of caltrops is directly proportional to the downward force applied upon them. Sadly, the PhB doesn't really take this into account. Oh well. get a bucket of decent sized nails and two pairs of plyers. Start twisting them into a shape similar to jacks. Barb them, if you have time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_denial_weapon
Has a picture reference on the right hand side that is perfect.
Make them bigger if need be.

Lastly, never underestimate a few pulleys and 100 ft of rope.

set up the pulleys between two points. Thread the rope through the pulleys. Pull tight, then let it fall loosely to the ground. Cover rope and pulleys with sticks, leaves, other tree branches, whatever. Have about 4 people stay on the rope to pull when the time comes. They all have a readied action: Pull the rope once the giant is just about to step there, and if possible tie the rope off to a stationary rooted object like a tree stump.

Giant walks up, rope is pulled taught quickly, and the loop end of the rope is tossed over a tree stump or a heavy stone. When the giant hits it, he'll have to make a reflex save. Even if he hits that rope pretty hard, he has to beat two ROOTED trees, a ROOTED stump, and 4 people's strength check, and the mechanical advantage from the pulleys on all of the above, should he physically oppose the rope (IE-Hits it at full run or a charge).

Once he's down, have people jump on his back and start hacking with axes.
Hate to say it, but works on rhino's and elephants. Thank you national geographic's poaching special.
You can also soak the area where he's likely to fall (forward from the rope, a predictable spot) with pitch and tar and oil, and have someone light it up once he's down (Flaming arrow, thrown oil lantern, whatever, AC 10 to hit that particular 10 x 10 patch of land). He'll have to spend at minimum 1 round getting back up, so you should get 2 rounds worth of burn on the guy, not counting the burning tar/pitch/oil now all over the poor bugger which should burn for a round or more as well.

Done that also.

Jayngfet
2009-12-10, 09:14 PM
I have a druid whose favorite tactic is to change into a hawk then into a bear in the air and land on a giant and just do a lot of damage. Its a lot of fun.

So RAWRbomb? (http://www.wowwiki.com/RAWRbomb)

Karoht
2009-12-10, 09:16 PM
So RAWRbomb? (http://www.wowwiki.com/RAWRbomb)

AKA-The famous Druid Bear Torpedo.
Man, that was the best ever. Until they fixed it so you had to have your feet on the ground to charge.

evil-frosty
2009-12-10, 09:33 PM
Along those lines yes, though i havent been able to do it a lot because a bear has so much more mass then a hawk and were in high speed winds area(stupid arctic).