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Half-Giants
Akin to half-orcs, most civilized races see Half-Giants as monsters, abominations, and destructive forces of nature - a half-breed of the most perverse nature possible. On occasion, these accusations may ring true, although due to their inherently diverse and variable methods of conception, Half-Giants can vary wildly in their independent goals and pursuits.
Most Half-Giants grow up in the care of their non-giant parent, if they survived the process. This is primarily due to the “true” giant parent often seeing their half-breed offspring as a threat, due to their penchant for dangerous activities such as speaking Common or learning to read.
Physical Description
Half-Giants, as their name implies, stand tall - usually between 7 and 9 feet. Their actual appearance can vary wildly based on their giant parent’s heritage - their skin is any color from hill giant brown to cloud giant blue. The one feature in common is their size, and their raw destructive power, fitting for their heritage.
Society
Half-giants most commonly organize themselves into nomadic and shifting tribes, following charismatic and wise leaders for brief periods. Many half-giants have a tendency to drift into and out of tribes over time, while a portion of a tribe may split out and start a new tribe, which may later merge with a larger tribe.
When enemies gather, empires rise, or war looms, the half-giant tribes might unite under their strongest and wisest leaders, protecting each other from the threat of oppression. In times of peace, they splinter into hundreds of individual tribes, enjoying the freedom they hold so dear.
As societies go, the half-giants are generally composed of nomadic hunters, taking down the giant sandworms of the desert or hunting elephants across the savannah and plains. Half-giants enjoy dancing, drinking and games of physical prowess such as wrestling, running, and spear throwing.
Relations
Half-giants appreciate the open nature of humans and half-elves and can sympathize with how half-orcs sometimes feel outside of society. Elves with their slow pace and dwarves with their rigid societies generally make the half-giants uncomfortable. Most of the other races are welcomed based on their behavior, although the carelessness of halflings and gnomes worry the half-giants, who believe that it will lead to these smaller races being taken advantage of and, therefore, possible subservience and slavery (though evil Half-Giants commonly partake in this).
Table: Half-Giant Ages
| Adulthood | Intuitive | Self-Taught | Trained | Middle-Aged | Old | Venerable | Maximum Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 years | +2d6 years (32-42 years) | +3d6 years (33-48 years) | +4d6 years (34-54 years) | 70 years | 90 years | 130 years | 130+3d20 years |
Table: Random Height and Weight
| Gender | Base Height | Height Modifier | Base Weight | Weight Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 6 ft. 8 in. | +2d12 in. (6 ft. 10 in. - 8 ft. 8 in. | 250 lbs. | +2d10 * 5 lbs. (260-350 lbs.) |
| Female | 6 ft. 4 in. | +2d10 in. (6 ft. 6 in. - 8 ft. 0 in. | 235 lbs. | +2d10 * 4 lbs. (243-315 lbs.) |
Standard Racial Traits
- Ability Score Modifiers: Half-Giants are strong and tough, but their heritage often impacts their ability to learn new concepts. They gain +4 Strength, +2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, and -2 Charisma.
- Size: Half-Giants are Medium creatures, and thus receive no inherent bonuses or penalties due to their size.
- Type: Half-Giants are humanoids with the giant subtype.
- Base Speed: Half-Giants have a base speed of 30 feet.
- Languages: Half-Giants begin play speaking Common and Giant. Half-Giants with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Cyclops, Draconic, Orc, and Dwarven.
- Low-light Vision: Half-Giants can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
- Imposing Stature: Half-Giants are tall and intimidating - they get a +2 racial bonus to Intimidate checks. In addition, Intimidate is always a Key Skill for Half-Giants.
- Mountaineer: Half-Giants are immune to altitude sickness and do not lose their Dexterity bonus to AC when making Athletics checks or Acrobatics checks to cross narrow or slippery surfaces.
- Giant Physique: The physical stature of half-giants lets them function in many ways as if they were one size category larger. Whenever a half-giant is subject to a size modifier or size requirement for combat maneuvers (such as during grapple checks, bull rush attempts, and trip attempts), the half-giant is treated as one size larger. A half-giant is also considered to be one size larger when determining whether a creature's special attacks based on size (such as grab or swallow whole) can affect him. However, their larger size makes attacking and defending more difficult, and imparts a -1 size penalty to AC. The effects of this racial trait stack with the effects of powers, abilities, and spells that change the subject's size category.