Homebrew Dark Sun - Half-Giants Species Details

Giants dominate many of the islands and coastal areas of the Silt Sea, wading across it to plunder the communities of smaller races where they find them. In some lost millennium, as a bizarre experiment or perhaps as some sort of curse, giants were magically crossbred with humans. Half-giants are now fairly common, especially to human controlled lands at the edge of the sea of dust.

Though no one knows for certain, half-giants seem to be a fairly young race, perhaps only a few tens of centuries old. There is no half-giant culture common to all of their kind. On the contrary, having insufficient history and overall intelligence to have their own culture, half-giants tend to readily adopt the cultures of other creatures they admire or associate with. Half-giants are very imitative creatures, eager to fit into new situations as they present themselves.

Half-giants sometimes collect into communities of their own, though they most often adopt the culture and customs of those creatures that are nearby. When near an elven nation, for instance, half-giants will form their own hunting and raiding parties, adopting the ways of the elven marauders. They won’t mix with the elves, neither will they fight with them. In most instances, imitative half-giant communities will compete directly with the race whom they are likening themselves to. It is their great size and combat prowess that keeps their competitors at a safe distance. Half-giants can switch their attitudes very quickly, taking on new values to fit new situations. A half-giant whose peaceful farming life is disrupted by marauders may soon adopt the morals of the very renegades who sacked his village.

Dark Sun - Half-Giants Traits

Half-giant share a number of traits in common with giants, as well as having unique characteristics only they possess.

Age

Half-giants have lifespans comparable to humans. They enter adulthood in their late teens and usually live a little more than a century.

Alignment

Half-giants are imitable but flexible. Typically, one aspect of their alignment remains fixed while the other stays neutral. For example, a “lawful” half-giant could be good one day or evil the next. While a “good” half-giant may conform to laws on one day, or break towards chaos on another.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Level Adjustment

Because of the benefits of being a large creature, half-giants count as two character levels higher when calculating class levels and experience.

Ability Score Increases

Your Strength score increases by 4 to a max of 24, your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.

Size

A half-giant is an enormous individual, standing between 10 and 12 feet tall, and weighing in the neighborhood of 1,600 pounds. Your size is Large.

As a Large creature, you gain the following benefits:

• You can use Large weapons. A Large weapon deals double the listed damage dice on a hit and costs 4 times the normal price. You can wield Medium two-handed and versatile weapons in one hand.  You have disadvantage wielding a Medium or smaller weapon that does not have the two-handed or versatile weapon property. Medium weapons with the versatile property always deal the two-handed damage when wielded by you.
• All clothing, armor, and other items that must be fitted to your build cost you 4 times as much as normal.
• When you make an attack with a thrown or ranged weapon, your normal range is doubled and your long range is tripled.
• When you make a melee attack on your turn, your reach for it is 5 feet greater than normal.

Athletic

You have proficiency in the Athletics skill.

Languages

You can speak Common, Giant, and one other language of your choice.