Giant, Sea - By Bill Silvey
Frequency: Rare
No. Appearing: 1-4
Armor Class: 4
Move: 18"
Hit Dice: 13 + 5-8
% In Lair: 50%
Treasure Type: E, Q (X10)
Number of Attacks: 1
Damage/Attack: 8-64
Special Attacks: See Below
Special Defense: See Below
Magic Resistance: Standard
Intelligence: High
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Size: L (25' tall)
Psionic Ability: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
Level/X.P. Value:
VIII/1024+8 per hit point
These great ocean giants are rare save for the most remote and deepest parts of the sea, and there they dwell beneath it in great castles made of coral and stone. They hate all forms of land-dwelling intelligence, and will attack any ships they spot passing over their territory. Those who survive the initial attack are then slain either by physical blows or by being dragged beneath the waves.
They can fashion great horns from giant conch shells found in the deepest of waters, and these horns act as a
Horn of Blasting when used. Sea Giants can breathe water and air with the same ease. They live within great undersea caverns, although they often usurp other undersea creatures such as Localath or Kuo-Toa and hollow out their great buildings for dwellings.
Sea Giants are (currently) rare, so none beyond a powerful warrior type has been seen. Those which have are green-tinged in skin pigment and have either very dark blue or black hair. While the few accounts of them describe the Giants as fully humanoid, they may have fins or even a piscine tail instead of legs and feet.
They particularly hate Human and Demi-Human clerics, although the full reason for this is unknown.
Giant, Forest - By Bill Silvey
Frequency: Common
No. Appearing: 1-10
Armor Class: 4
Move: 12"
Hit Dice: 8 + 1-4
% In Lair: 40%
Treasure Type: D,C (X5)
Number of Attacks: 1
Damage/Attack: 4-20
Special Attacks: None
Special Defense: None
Magic Resistance: Standard
Intelligence: Low-Average
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Size: L (15' tall)
Psionic Ability: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
Level/X.P. Value:
III/865 + 6 per hit point
Cousins to the Hill Giant, these great forest humanoids prefer verdant wooded areas to the desolate locales visited by their erstwhile kin. Handsome males and comely (in an earthy way) females typically live in large steadings made from stones and fallen trees. Unlike the Hill Giant, the Forest Giant is not unkind to strangers, and enjoy trading and gambling more than raiding and killing, although encroachments on what they consider "their" forests by hostile or overly officious humans will be met with considerable resistance.
They typically wield huge mauls fashioned from iron or stone and can deal terrible blows with them. They have a deep resentment of Hill Giants and enjoy
deceiving them when they can and outright battle when subtlety fails.
Forest Giants befriend Treants and Dryads as well as Arboreal Dragons, and there is a chance (10%) that one or more of these beings may be present as a guest in the Forest Giant's steading.
They usually keep 1-6 of the largest type of Black Bear (4 hd) as "watchdogs" within their territory.
The Giants typically live in large family groups, and when encountered in numbers greater than four, 1-4 of them will be young with the lowest hit dice bracket (8 + 1) and an additional number will be females of a medium (8 + 2) number of hit dice.
One of the more interesting facts about the Forest Giant is their "Great Gathering", when all Forest Giant families reunite deep within the largest and densest of forests for a full week to play, gamble, drink and cavort. This family reunion/faire is a noisy, raucous affair that can be heard for miles around - although they frown on interlopers as they consider the Gathering a family-only event. Human or humanoid intruders will be brusquely shown out of the area where the event
occurs, and if they intrude again, the forest giants will firmly but gently lock the interlopers up in makeshift cages for the duration of the event - although they will treat escape attempts as grand jokes, and often make a game of capturing any who escape before they exit the area. Those who do exit after this are left alone so long as they do not intrude again.
Other than the Great Gathering time, Forest Giants are always hospitable to guests of a Good nature who comport themselves with some manners and good will.
Forest Giants brew a potent lambec from wild berries grown within the woods and will gladly share this fragrant mead with strangers - and woe to the non-giant who drinks too much! Consumption of more than a single pint of the strong (yet mild-tasting) brew will prompt a
Save Versus Poison roll. Failure of the roll means that the imbiber will have an effective Dexterity and Wisdom of three for 1-4 hours, and then collapse into a deep slumber for an additional 1-6
days. During this time they suffer no physical harm, and many have reported waking up feeling refreshed and not at all ill afterward. If an entire adventuring party becomes so incapacitated, the good-natured Forest Giants will typically see to the well being of the group until the effects of the brew wear off.
Forest Giants are muscular, tanned, and all usually have very long hair which tends to reds, browns and green hues naturally.