How would different giants react to each other?

[CTurbo]

I know Frost giants and Fire giants are from two polar opposite environments, but how would they treat each other if they did meet? Instant enemies? Mutual respect and leave each other alone? Instant evil buddies? Would the other "superior" giants pick on and bully the dumb smaller Hill giant? Would a Storm giant even waste his time with any of the lesser giants? Would the lesser giants bother trying to challenge a Storm giant?


I'm toying with a campaign idea involving two distinct giant clans/races at war with each other and the group being tasked with trying to put an end to it somehow. I know that I could have them act anyway I want. I was just curious if this has been addressed in books.

[MThurston]

The same way humans react to each other.

[Marcelinari]

Per Faerun lore, all the giant caste interactions are dictated by their relative places in the ordning, their social system/pecking order. A Fire Giant and a Frost Giant would not get along - but a Frost Giant would obey the direct commands of a Fire Giant, provided they did not directly contradict his own values.

Stone giants hold an odd place in the ordning - they are lower than any giant but the Hill Giants, but treated with utmost respect, as they are considered a caste of wise sages. However, they are obligated to follow the direction of any giant caste higher than them on the ordning.

A frost giant would probably prefer to obey the orders of his Jarl over orders from a Fire Giant, but that Jarl would consider the Fire Giant’s requests carefully, and would take direction from a similarly ranked Fire Giant Duke. Frost and Fire giants are close together in the ordning - their respective Giant Deities are twins.

Of course, this is all faerun lore, so feel free to disregard.

[Unoriginal]

I know Frost giants and Fire giants are from two polar opposite environments, but how would they treat each other if they did meet? Instant enemies? Mutual respect and leave each other alone? Instant evil buddies? Would the other "superior" giants pick on and bully the dumb smaller Hill giant? Would a Storm giant even waste his time with any of the lesser giants? Would the lesser giants bother trying to challenge a Storm giant?


I'm toying with a campaign idea involving two distinct giant clans/races at war with each other and the group being tasked with trying to put an end to it somehow. I know that I could have them act anyway I want. I was just curious if this has been addressed in books.

Have you read the section on Giants in the Volo's Guide to Monsters?


Per Faerun lore, all the giant caste interactions are dictated by their relative places in the ordning, their social system/pecking order. A Fire Giant and a Frost Giant would not get along - but a Frost Giant would obey the direct commands of a Fire Giant, provided they did not directly contradict his own values.

Stone giants hold an odd place in the ordning - they are lower than any giant but the Hill Giants, but treated with utmost respect, as they are considered a caste of wise sages. However, they are obligated to follow the direction of any giant caste higher than them on the ordning.

A frost giant would probably prefer to obey the orders of his Jarl over orders from a Fire Giant, but that Jarl would consider the Fire Giant’s requests carefully, and would take direction from a similarly ranked Fire Giant Duke. Frost and Fire giants are close together in the ordning - their respective Giant Deities are twins.

Of course, this is all faerun lore, so feel free to disregard.

Default setting lore, actually.

In Faerun, the Ordning was dissolved, leading to the events of Storm King's Thunder. And IIRC it has not been re-established at the end of the module.

[The Big Bear]

The following is how I would run giants in a game where the ordning is intact. I currently run SKT and the giants act mostly the same, but are much more ambitious and open to warring among themselves.

Hill giants are dumb and their worldview is based on size. Due to being the smallest of the giants, they will obey commands of all other giant types because of their larger sizes. Hill giants are also so stupid that they dont realize their place in the ordning, even though they do follow it. A hill giant encountering any other type of giant will be submissive out of fear.

Stone giants are artists that spend their time working on their crafts, such as stone throwing. They will generally avoid other giants just like they tend to avoid most conflict. But when they do, they will submit to all but Hill giants. A stone giant following an order from another giant type likely just wants to complete its task so that it can go back to its reclusive lifestyle.

Frost giants are warriors. They will actively bully or kill things they view as below them. Sure, a frost giant could give orders to a stone or hill giant, but what use do they have for these non-warriors? Due to their pride, I doubt a frost giant would actively seek the servitude of a stone or hill giant. While they envy and hate the giants placed above them in the ordning, they will still follow their commands.

Fire giants are soldiers and smiths. We finally get to the point in the ordning where a giant is willing to throw their weight around, so to speak. A fire giant will enslave hill giants and use them as lesser soldiers. They may seek the aid of a stone giant when crafting to put that final artistic touch on something. While they are above frost giants in the ordning, they do not get along well. Frost giants may serve as soldiers for fire giants, but it is a more respectful relationship than they have with hill giants.

Cloud giants essentially consider themselves at the top of the ordning, due to the lack of presence that storm giants assert on the world. They will keep the other giants in line, such as actively preventing a giant army from forming. They greatly enjoy nice things and their place in the ordning is based on the nice stuff they have and gift to others. A cloud giant will actively seek out fire and stone giants to craft them nice armor/weapons and artistry. They might boss around a hill giant they find just to have fun. They are clever and always willing to cheat to get what they want; cheating is greatly frowned upon in cloud giant society if they get caught, otherwise, it is kind of expected.

Storm giants are either at the bottom of the ocean or in the atmosphere and they live even more reclusive lives than stone giants. Their primary concern is observing the world and interpreting prophecies. They will come out of their hideaways to keep the other giants in place should the cloud giants fail to do so. They are at the top of the ordning and know it; all other giants know to follow the commands of a storm giant or face their wrath.

That is my take on it. If you want some scenarios where giants may be at war I would consider the following:

1) Duke Stalgron of the fire giants needs to collect a rare material to complete the work on his new sword. But the material sits at the top of a mountain that some frost giants occupy. It is an ancestral home to the frost giants and they are not willing to leave.

2) Countess Teresa, a cloud giant, seeks a fine blade worthy of her collection and has found that a fire giant Duke has recently crafted an enchanted rapier. Teresa manipulates a hill giant tribe into fighting the fire giants, waiting for both sides to weaken before making her move.

3) Jarl Morkoff and Duke Alkar banded their forces together to take down an ancient dragon. Their alliance is now fracturing, leading to a war between frost and fire giants.

Coming up with your own, I would suggest using a cloud giant to engineer whatever conflict you choose. They tend to be clever and sneaky like that, actively manipulating the other giants to further their own goals.

[Unoriginal]

There's also nothing stopping different groups of the same kinds to fight each other. Especially if they're competing for something they both want.