Ironworks Gaming Forum - Need help understanding Giant-kin

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Giant, Firbolg

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Temperate/Hills and forests
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION: Clan
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Omnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Average to genius (8-18)
TREASURE: E, Y (M x 10, Q)
ALIGNMENT: Neutral (chaotic good)
NO. APPEARING: 1-4 or 4-16
ARMOR CLASS: 2
MOVEMENT: 15
HIT DICE: 13+7
THAC0: 9
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-10 (weapon) +7 (Str bonus)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Spells
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Swat away missiles
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 15%
SIZE: L (10½' tall)
MORALE: Champion (16)
XP VALUE: 8,000
Shaman: 9,000

Of all the giant-kin, the firbolg is the most powerful, due to natural intelligence and considerable magical power.
Firbolgs appear to be normal humans, except that they are over 10 feet tall and weigh over 800 pounds. They wear their hair long and keep great, thick beards. Their skin is a normal fleshy pink, with any shade of hair color, although blonde and red are most common. The flesh and skin of firbolgs are unusually dense and tough. Their voices are a smooth, deep bass, thick with rolling consonants.

Combat: Firbolgs can use any large size weapons; they disdain the use of armor or shields. Of manmade weapons, they prefer two-handed swords and halberds, both of which they may use in one hand without penalty. Weapons of their own make are double size equivalents of human weapons, for which they get a Strength bonus (19 Strength, +7 damage). However, when used with both hands, these huge weapons inflict double their normal damage, plus the Strength bonus.
If a firbolg has one hand free, it can bat away up to two missiles per round. Large missiles, such as boulders, or those with long shafts, such as javelins and spears, can be caught if desired. A catch or bat is successful 75% of the time (6 or better on 1d20). A caught weapon may be thrown at any opponent on the next round with a -2 penalty to the attack roll, for using its off hand.
All firbolgs have the following magical powers, usable once per day, on any round they are not engaged in melee combat: detect magic, diminution (as double the potion), fools' gold, forget, and alter self. There is a 5% cumulative chance per member of a group that one of the firbolgs is a shaman of 1st through 7th level.
Firbolgs are cautious and crafty. They have learned to distrust and fear humans and demihumans. If possible they avoid an encounter, either by hiding or with deception. If forced to fight, they do so with great strategy, utilizing the terrain and situation to best effect. They operate as a group, not a collection of individuals. Ten percent of all encounters is a large group of 4d4 members en route to an enclave of some sort.

Habitat/Society: Firbolgs live in remote forests and hills. These giant-kin distrust most other civilized races, and stay well away from them. They keep on even terms with druids and the faerie
creatures, including elves, neither asking nor giving much, but avoiding insult or injury. Strangers are met with caution, frequently in illusionary disguise as one of their own race. They do not attack or kill without reason, but do enjoy pranks, particularly those that relieve strangers of treasure.
Firbolg society is close-knit and centered around the family or clan. Each clan has 4d4 members and frequently a shaman. The level of the shaman is determined by rolling 2d4-1 if the DM doesn't wish to choose it himself. The clans live apart from each other, existing as gatherers and sometimes nomads. Their homes are huge, single-storey, wooden houses with stout walls and a central fireplace opening in several directions in the common room. When great decisions are needed, the clans involved meet in an enclave. This happens at least once a year at the fall solstice, just to celebrate if nothing else. The shamans preside over these events, and settle any disputes between clans.

Ecology: Firbolgs live off the land and with it. Their homes are built from trees cleared from around the house. The clan does keep a field for harvest, but only enough to supplement their diet. They trade tasks involving great strength for food, usually with other peaceful folk in the forests or hills. The rest of their food is obtained by gathering and hunting an area up to 20 miles from their homestead. Meat is used in small quantities for most meals, although major celebrations always include a large roast of some sort.
Although many creatures are capable of killing a firbolg, none hunt them exclusively. They are stronger than most forest beasts, and intelligent creatures know better than to mess with them. They avoid true giants, except storm giants, and aggressively repel other giant- kin from their lands.

Giant, Verbeeg

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Temperate and arctic/Hills
FREQUENCY: Uncommon
ORGANIZATION: Tribe
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Omnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Average to very (8-12)
TREASURE: B (K, L, M x 5)
ALIGNMENT: Neutral (evil)
NO. APPEARING: 1-6 or 5-30
ARMOR CLASS: 4 or better
MOVEMENT: 18
HIT DICE: 5+5
THAC0: 15
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-6 (weapon) +3 to +6 (Str bonus)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: L (8½' to 10' tall)
MORALE: Elite (13)
XP VALUE: 270

Known as "human behemoths, these human giants inhabit areas infested with hill giants and ogres.
Verbeeg vary in height from 8½ to 10 feet tall, and weigh between 300 and 400 pounds. They are unusually thin for their height, although this does not inhibit their fighting ability. Some have minor deformities, such as club foot, uneven eyes, hair lips, etc. In all other respects they appear human, including skin, hair, and eye color. They wear as much protective clothing and armor as they can obtain, which isn't much. Usually they wear furs and hides with pieces of metal armor stitched into strategic places. They almost always carry shields and have the best weapons they can steal. Typically this means clubs and spears.

Combat: Verbeeg are smart enough to let others soften up the enemy first. This does not mean that they are cowards, only selfish and practical. Since they are commonly found with hill giants and ogres, in the first few rounds of combat verbeeg drive their less intelligent companions before them into battle. This is accompanied by many curses, oaths, and highly descriptive accounts of the giants' and ogres' parentage.
Once the battle has begun, the verbeeg take on the stragglers and use their missile weapons, usually spears. The Strength of the giant determines how much further than normal the weapons can be hurled. Whatever their weaponry, the verbeeg get a Strength bonus for damage. Each giant must have his Strength determined individually (or once for the whole group, at the DM's option) by rolling 1d10 and consulting the following table. Armor is always at least the equivalent of AC 4, and sometimes better, although never better than AC 1.

Special Bonus With Spears

Damage Add to
D10 Roll Strength Bonus spear Range
1-2 18/51-75 +3 30 yards
3-6 18/76-90 +4 40 yards
7-9 18/91-99 +5 50 yards
10 18/00 +6 60 yards

Habitat/Society: Verbeeg are found in the same climates as ogres and hill giants. These human behemoths are never found wandering alone. Thirty percent of wandering verbeeg encounters find 1d6 of these giant-kin with 1d4 hill giants or ogres (equal chance), which also share their lair; 50% of the time 1d6 verbeeg are with 1d6 wolves or worgs (in polar climes winter wolves or polar bears); the rest of the time (20%) 1-2 of them are encountered with a normal sized group of wandering monsters found in that area (DM must use reasonable judgment in this case).
A verbeeg lair is usually an underground place, such as a cave or inside old ruins. There 5d6 of them can be found, an equal number of females (equal to males in combat), and 2d6 young. Half the young fight as bugbears, the other half fight as goblins. A lair usually includes 2d4 wolves (75% chance) or 1d4 worgs (25% chance). In arctic climes substitute 1-2 polar bears for wolves, and 1-3 winter wolves for wargs.
There is a 2% cumulative chance per giant of a shaman with the tribe. The verbeeg are jointly ruled by the shaman (if there is one) and a warrior chieftain. The shaman can be up to 7th level. The warrior chieftain always has 18/00 Strength and no fewer than 40 hit points. The chieftain is responsible for all activities involving hunting, war and negotiations with strangers. The shaman is responsible for all activities inside the tribe, dispensing judgments concerning law and all magic. Any magical items in the tribe belong to the shaman; he has a 90% chance of knowing how to use these. Most magical items that he does not understand are thrown into the tribal refuse heap before too long.

Ecology: Verbeeg eat almost anything, but they love flesh of all sorts. They maintain a mutually beneficial relationship with the giants and ogres that share their lair. The verbeeg provide the intelligence and direction that these giant types lack, and the giants provide protection by their greater fighting prowess. To watch a group in action can be hilarious, so long as you are not their intended victim. Hill giants and ogres are too stupid to think much on their own. They tend to follow directions too literally. This usually infuriates the verbeeg. They hop back and forth from foot to foot screaming insults at the befuddled giants that tower over them in height and size, as even the simplest instructions are misinterpreted by these denser humanoids.

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