Homebrew Giff Race Details

It’s easy to spot the giff in a room: a group of 7-foot-tall, hippopotamus-headed humanoids attired in gaudy military uniforms, with gleaming pistols and muskets on display. These spacefaring mercenaries are renowned for their martial training and their love of explosives.

Military Organization

Every aspect of giff society is organized along military lines. From birth until death, every giff has a military rank. It must follow orders from those of superior rank, and it can give orders to those of lower rank. Promotions don’t depend on age but are granted by a superior as a reward for valor. Giff are devoted to their children, even as most of their education is geared toward fighting and war.

Mercenaries Extraordinaire

Giff are in high demand as warriors for hire, but they insist on serving in units composed entirely of giff; a giff hiring itself out individually is unheard of. Giff refuse to fight other giff, and will never agree to a contract unless it stipulates that they can sit out a battle rather than wage war against their kin. A giff prizes the reputation of its unit above its own life. Life is fleeting, but the regiment endures for generations or even centuries.

A Whiff of Gunpowder

Muskets and grenades are the favorite weapons of every giff. The bigger the boom, the brighter the flash, and the thicker the smoke it produces, the more giff love a weapon. Their skill with gunpowder is another reason for their popularity as mercenaries. Giff revel in the challenge of building a bomb big enough to level a fortification. They gladly accept payment in kegs of gunpowder in preference to gold, gems, or other currency.

No Honor in Magic

Some giff become wizards, clerics, and other kinds of spellcasters, but they’re so infrequent that most giff mercenary units have no magical capability. Typical giff are as smart as the average human, but their focus on military training to the exclusion of all other areas of study can make them seem dull-witted to those who have more varied interests.

Giff Names

Each giff has a rank based on its position in the regiment. A giff will have two or three given names, usually based on famous ancestors or people its parents wish to honor. Giff surnames consist of two words put together, one of which denotes the regiment (Thunder, Stone, Flower) and the second denoting the individual.

Ranks: Count/Countess, Duke/Dutchess, Private, Sergeant, Warmarshall

Given Male Names: Alfred, Barnaby, Chester, Kingsworth, Rupert

Given Female Names: Anwen, Beatrix, Harriet, Lydia, Pippa

Surnames: Flowereyes, Ghostflower (flower), Stoneshield, Stoneskin (stone), Fiercethunder, Thunderbottom (thunder)

Giff Traits

Giff share a number of traits in common with each other.

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.

Age

Giffs have lifespans comparable to humans. They enter adulthood in their late teens and usually live less than a century.

Alignment

Giff society, with its military hierarchy, has a strong lawful bent. They also tend towards neutrality as a result of their mercenary lifestyle.

Size

Giffs are between 7 and 8 feet tall and weigh between 280 and 340 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Powerful Build

You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

Firearms Knowledge

You are proficient with muskets and pistols and can ignore the loading property of firearms you have crafted yourself.

Given a suitable workshop, you may craft a pistol for 125 gp worth of materials and 1 week of work or a musket for 250 gp worth of materials and 2 weeks of work. Over the course of a short rest you may create 10 rounds of pistol or musket ammunition and 40 rounds over a long rest at a cost of 1 gp per 10 bullets.

Explosive Grenade

You can use your action to throw an explosive grenade. You throw the grenade up to 60 feet. Each creature within 5 feet of the grenade's detonation must make a Dexterity saving throw. The DC for this saving throw equals 8 + your Strength modifier + your proficiency bonus. A creature takes 2d6 force damage on a failed save, and half as much damage on a successful one. The damage increases to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level. You may make another grenade over a short or long rest and can only have one on you at a time.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common.