Homebrew Giff Species Details

It’s easy to spot giff in a room: these burly folk are 7-foot-tall, hippopotamus-headed people. In Wildspace and the associated ports, giff are most often encountered as spacefaring mercenaries. These troops are renowned for their martial training, and love of explosives and are typically armed with gleaming pistols and muskets. The stat block here represents one of those mercenaries.

Every aspect of these spacefaring giff’s society is organized along military lines. From birth until death, each has a military rank. Promotions don’t depend on age but are granted by a superior as a reward for valor.

Muskets and grenades are the specialties of many giff regiments. The bigger the boom, the brighter the flash, and the thicker the smoke it produces, the greater the glory for the one wielding the weapon. Giff mercenaries have been known to accept payment in kegs of gunpowder in preference to gold, gems, or other currency.

Storytelling is a rich tradition among giff, and it’s not uncommon to see a giff recounting their past exploits to an enraptured crowd. Having a friendly giff nearby when a tavern brawl erupts can also be useful, for a giff can usually more than hold their own when pleasant revelry devolves into fisticuffs.

The giff are split into two camps concerning how their name is pronounced. Half of them say it with a hard g, half with a soft g. Disagreements over the correct pronunciation often blossom into hard feelings, loud arguments, and headbutting contests, but rarely escalate beyond that.

Giff Traits

As a giff, you have the following racial traits.

Ability Scores

When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one of those scores by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. Follow this rule regardless of the method you use to determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy. The “Quick Build” section for your character’s class offers suggestions on which scores to increase. You’re free to follow those suggestions or to ignore them. Whichever scores you decide to increase, none of the scores can be raised above 20.

Languages

Your character can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character.

Creature Type

You are humanoid.

Size

You are Medium.

Speed

Your walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a swimming speed equal to your walking speed.

Damage Dealer

Like a hippopotamus in a crystalware shop, you are naturally adept at damaging things. When you roll a 1 on a damage die for a melee attack, you can reroll the die and use the new roll. You can do so no more than once per turn.

Hippo Build

You have advantage on Strength-based ability checks and Strength saving throws. In addition, you count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.