Giants

[J-H]

I haven't seen anyone play as a giant in a PBP game... probably due to the high LA/RHD. Has anyone ever tried it?

I'm reading Sagiro's Story hour (epic) http://stevenac.net/sagiro/StoryHour.htm and just got through a part where they were in an area populated entirely by giants who were puzzled by the little miniature magic-people who were using flashy lights.

Could be a fun campaign - be part of a village of giants in a land being invaded by a "smallfolk menace."

[MirddinEmris]

I saw it couple of times, though it was Fantasy Craft system and Giants there is a balanced player race)

It is a quite usual thing in pbp geshtalt games, where you can put LA + Racial HD to one side of geshtalt

[ArcturusV]

Eh. I personally never cared for high LA, RHD just makes it even worse. I mean I know players who have liked high LA stuff. Had a group who wanted a bunch of characters who were Half Dragons on top of higher LA races (Drow was popular, as was Half Ogre), on top of other templates like Feykissed, Demonblooded, etc.

If I remember, when they finished, I told everyone the level cap was the level of the highest LA plus 1 for a class. This ended up being level 12. No one in the party had more than 3 class levels. They walked around like they were hot stuff, trying to throw their weight around and bully NPCs and such because "Hell... I'm half dragon baby!" and what not.

I almost had a TPK when the villagers got fed up with them, and chased after them with rocks and a couple of thrown torches. Thrown rocks and torches, by commoners, almost killed them all because none of them had a decent amount of hit points and the Angry Mob was too big for them to kill incredibly quickly.

[J-H]

So, how could we make giants balanced for 3.5 play without doing gestalt?

Would it be balanced to just eliminate the RHD and keep the high LA? They will also have to pay more for weapons and equipment.

[limejuicepowder]

Especially on a melee-oriented race, LA is the real killer IMO. No hit points, no saves, no feats, no skills, no nothing. I would start with the elimination of the LA, and leave the HD as-is. Giant hitdice aren't very good, but large size, great strength and constitution increases, rock throwing, and very healthy natural armor should level it pretty well.

It's when they also loose 5 (or more) levels worth of hit points that it gets bad for them - they are supposed to front-line, take tons of hits but not care type of characters. LA completely prevents them from doing that, +8 con bonus be damned.

[Fyermind]

Sun giants are fun...

[Callin]

I played a Stone Giant once. The DM said anything with a LA of +4 or less and i held him to that. Not ECL. LA. So he allowed it even though we both knew it didnt fly lol.

So there i was a Lvl 5 Fighter Stone Giant. In an ECL 9 party.

[rweird]

So, how could we make giants balanced for 3.5 play without doing gestalt?

Would it be balanced to just eliminate the RHD and keep the high LA? They will also have to pay more for weapons and equipment.

Maybe eliminate the LA and keep the RHD, average BaB and all that is about equivalent to other melee classes, strength bonuses would be around the only way to get good damage, ability boosts would pretty much be the class features. I think a 19th level warblade would certainly be better than a Storm Giant.

[Slipperychicken]

Use Half Giant or Half-Minotaur. Both from Dragon magazine. One of them gives the Giant type, and both are well worth the +1 LA.

[nedz]

So, how could we make giants balanced for 3.5 play without doing gestalt?

Make the whole party play characters of the same race of giants.

[Toliudar]

Check out the Giant race from Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed/Evolved (http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/761/Monte-Cook%27s-Arcana-Unearthed?it=1). A playable-from-level-one PC race with a distinct flavour, special abilities, and options.

[J-H]

If you keep the RHD, then a level 15 party has very little to differentiate them. 12RHD giant, and a whopping 3 levels of wizard/rogue/fighter.

For a hypothetical game, maybe cut the RHD by 2/3 and the LA by half?

[Fyermind]

Make all the NPCs small...

[Venusaur]

Use Half Giant or Half-Minotaur. Both from Dragon magazine. One of them gives the Giant type, and both are well worth the +1 LA.

Half giant should be in SRD/XPH.

[Greenish]

Half giant should be in SRD/XPH.He meant half-ogre.

[HunterOfJello]

Half-Giant (+1 LA, XPH)
Eneko (+1 LA, SoS)
Half-Ogre (+1 LA in SS & +2 LA in RoD)

and the Primordial Giant template from SoX allow for some very good giant races for fairly low LA.