Homebrew Giff - Wildjammer Species Details

Standing upwards of 8 to 9 feet tall, giff (sometimes ‘hippofolk’) are a large, bulky, and muscular race of well-dressed and posh humanoid hippopotami. They have a well deserved reputation as mercenaries, boasting strong military efficiency, bravery that some might call suicidal, and loyalty to a fault, so long as the job pays well and in their currency: gunpowder.

Guns Are Their Religion. The giff have an unrivaled passion for gunpowder and explosions. Although they handle firearms and explosives with expert efficiency, they never outgrow that child-like glee at seeing something explode. The brighter the flash, the louder the bang, the stronger the burst of flame, the happier the giff. As a result, they have an odd kinship with gnomish artificers who look to develop new firearms. The giff love explosions and firearms so much, they generally will only accept gunpowder as currency in exchange for their services. Even giff bounty hunters who travel through the spheres tracking down foes for money, they mainly work for gunpowder.

Surprising Grace. Although giff tend to be stocky and muscular, their speed and grace often catch opponents by surprise. A foe expects a giff to be a lumbering and slow foe, but what they find is not just strength, but incredible speed to match. Working alone, a single giff is a fearsome warrior that many fear. When working as a unit, the elegance and fluidity of their movements is often compared to that of legendary elven bladesingers.

Reckless Reputation. Although the giff have a well deserved reputation for their strength and their grace, they aren’t generally thought of as being the wisest folk. It isn’t just their love of destructive weapons and sometimes reckless use of explosives, but they will often favor doing things the hard way if it means blowing more stuff up. A common story that gets passed around from ship captain to ship captain is that the giff’s lost homeworld was destroyed when the giff were given the chance to blow it up. Although this story isn’t confirmed, it’s hard not to see it as a possibility, however silly it might be.

Difficulty with Magic. Up until recently, the giff have been completely incapable of using magic in any form. No one was sure why, but it has been the case for as long as any can remember. It doesn’t matter if it was the learned magic of a wizard, the innate magic of a sorcerer, or even the bestowed magic of a warlock or cleric, all magic simply refused to work. As a fortunate silver lining to this drawback, the giff ended up with an unnatural resistance to magic. As of the past few decades, however, giff have started to show the ability to use magic. Although some giff look down upon magic, the combination of the ability for giff to helm their own ships and the explosive beauty of evocation magic has resulted in rapid acceptance.

Loyalty. Giff are revered for their loyalty to a contract holder, being willing to handle even the most dangerous jobs so long as they are fittingly paid in gunpowder for it. Nevertheless, there is one major exception. Giff will never fire upon other giff. If a contract puts two different groups of giff mercenaries in contention, the two will simply refuse to fight. If the other crew continue fighting, the giff of the winning side rescue the giff of the losing side. Woe be to the captain that tries to stop them.

Giff - Wildjammer Traits

As a giff, you have the following traits

Age

Giff have lifespans similar to humans.

Alignment.

Giff are almost always lawful.

Creature Type.

You are a humanoid.

Size.

Giff stand between 8 and 9 feet tall and weigh 300 pounds or more. Your size is Medium.

Speed.

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Languages.

You can speak, read, and write Common, Giff, and one other language of your choice.

Gunpowder Training.

You are proficient with and ignore the loading property of gunpowder firearms. Being within 5 feet of a hostile creature doesn’t impose disadvantage on your ranged attack rolls with firearms. The backfire score of any ship weapon you use is reduced by 1.

Headfirst Charge.

If you move at least 20 feet in a straight line that ends within 5 feet of a Large or smaller creature, you may attempt to shove that creature as a bonus action. Once you’ve used this trait, your head is discombobulated and you can’t use it again until you complete a short or long rest.

Magic Resistance.

You have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Powerful Build.

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