Quote from EggKookoo >>

Any thoughts on why this is CR 4? Looking at his stats, he works out to a solid CR 3. Is the Two Heads feature worth an extra CR level?

 Could a level 2 party win against one of these?

Advantage on perception checks gives +5 to passive perception, so this has a passive perception of 19 usually. It's a bit weird that it has expertise in perception on top of the advantage, it's kind of like it's getting the benefit of its trait twice. Not that I'm complaining, with its low wis.

2E monstrous compendium

Simple. Dominate one brain, Eat the other!

yeah

I'm going to make a variant on this monster where one of the ettin's heads is a wizard.  The other head will probably just be a stupid thug.  Possibly another spellcasting class.  One cleric head, one wizard head.  If both heads are awake at the same time, quarrels will get really hot.  Literally!  

Quote from jon_wolf >>

Quote from trapbuilder2 >>

Quote from Seraphinathesmall >>

I think it'd need to target the dominant head. The right half of the ettin is usually stronger and thus the right head is in charge. The mindflayer might be capable of controlling it if they could control the dominant head. 

 Where do you get the idea that the right half is dominant? From what I can tell from the statblock and description, both heads have an equal amount of control, neither more dominant than the other.

 

 

 

1st edition and 2nd edition ettins clearly were stated to have the right head dominant. thats what the lore always said, the right side was the dominant head and also the right side did more damage on attacks. each side also controlled one arm. 3rd edition took out the right side part but the damage in each arm was diff as it had a morning star and a javalin. in 4th edition they again changed the ettin a bit...very interesting but it could take 2 turns in combat and rolled initiative twice. but the dominant side was absent again.

 old lore isn't canon anymore

Yay ettin 

Wouldn't their passive perception be 19 since they have expertise in perception and advantage on perception checks, which gives a +5 to passive.

The perfect player character for two people. 

That’s funny, I was just looking at this for a shadar-Kai / ettin character build. Please elaborate on the drow here!

Whatever you want it to be to make your game more fun, interesting, enjoyable or unique for your players. Does one head get controlled and therefore the right hand is beating the left head? Whatever you think makes for a fun and memorable encounter for your players should be the answer. imho.

Quote from CosmicChicken >>

Since Ettins have 2 heads, if a Mind Flayer enslaves one, do they have to enslave both heads, or just one?

 

 I feel like this question is the whole reason the Ettin Ceremorph now exists.

"We're not brainless anymore."

Ceremorphosis causes one head, usually the left, to shrink and physically relocate to the chest, where it controls movement over the entire body as opposed to each head getting essentially one half (arm and leg)

the remaining head is centered a bit more, and now not needing to control any of the body, is free to EXCLUSIVELY focus on psionic attacks and communication 

Cool! I don’t want to meet that in the middle of the night… or the day!!

Quote from CosmicChicken >>

Since Ettins have 2 heads, if a Mind Flayer enslaves one, do they have to enslave both heads, or just one?

 

 Well, a new book has answered this question! Phandelver and Below: the Shattered Obelisk says it takes 2 tadpoles, one to control the body, and one to use illithid magic

This is covered in the new giant book that was released. One head sinks into the body and controls that aspect while the other controls all the psionic powers. 

In Bigby's Glory of Giants they came out with an ettin ceromorph. One head controls the body and the other gets molded in and controls it's psionics.

Quote from jon_wolf >>

Quote from trapbuilder2 >>

Quote from Seraphinathesmall >>

I think it'd need to target the dominant head. The right half of the ettin is usually stronger and thus the right head is in charge. The mindflayer might be capable of controlling it if they could control the dominant head. 

 Where do you get the idea that the right half is dominant? From what I can tell from the statblock and description, both heads have an equal amount of control, neither more dominant than the other.

 

 

 

1st edition and 2nd edition ettins clearly were stated to have the right head dominant. thats what the lore always said, the right side was the dominant head and also the right side did more damage on attacks. each side also controlled one arm. 3rd edition took out the right side part but the damage in each arm was diff as it had a morning star and a javalin. in 4th edition they again changed the ettin a bit...very interesting but it could take 2 turns in combat and rolled initiative twice. but the dominant side was absent again.

Ettins were also stated to be true giants descended from Arno and Julian and were huge sized in 2e. Planescape determined that larvae were the form all petitioners took in any lower plane, not just something you turned into if you spent too long in Hades. Not even the sizes of giants have been consistent throughout all the editions, so as a rule most stuff from the editions of yore that hasn't been explicitly restated for 5e is likely not the canonical for 5e, especially in this case, since Othea's name isn't even mentioned once in the entire sourcebook that was released about giants and all the giant races are now seemingly descended from Annam's divine children instead of his demigod children.