Homebrew Giant Seafarer Species Details
Physique, Character, and Looks. The Giants are a race of Welcoming and benevolent seafarers who are joyful and quick to laugh. They are extremely long-lived (but nevertheless mortal) and of unusual height, and strength. They stand between 11-12 feet and have a maximum strength of 23. They are descendants of Stone Giants, and they are known for their Stone Mastery (similar to but not identical with that of the dwarves).
Giants are resistant to cold and cannot be harmed by ordinary fire. Fire does, however, cause them intense pain, which they use to cure themselves of grief in a ritual known as caamora. These Giants can fall into both great despair and mindless rages. Their Ritual of Caamora alleviates the despair and grief, but only settling accounts with the cause of the anger or death will alleviate the rage.
Giants do not need to use weapons, doing plenty of damage with their fists, but most of them do employ iron or granite great swords. Furthermore, Not all Giants wear armor unless it is absolutely beneficial. While most of the Seafarers are also Swordmainnir (Giants trained as warriors), many Seafarers do not wear armor. As sailors, armor of any kind is a hinderance, and as their skin is tougher than most races, they find armor unnecessary. They will, however, use shields. Nevertheless, Swordmainnir who leave their ships for arduous quest or those a bit less hardy (low Constitution) wear armor, and it is usually a granite cataphract (breastplate), helmet and shield.
The Giants will not purposefully harm another of their kin even if it means their own death.
Whereas the women often radiate beauty, the handsomeness of the males remains debatable. Key features include jutting Neanderthal brow, deep set eyes, bristly beards and jaws that could crush bricks.
Earthpower. The Giants' Stone Lore derives from Earthpower, which is an eldritch force found in the natural world. Earthpower manifests in both living and nonliving matter, and everything in nature has some degree of inherent Earthpower. Things which are strongly Earthpowerful have extraordinary, even paranormal, properties.
The Sea. Their skill at seamanship is exceptional. They enjoy the paradox of their existence: Stone is solid and stays where it is unless some force makes it move. The Sea is liquid and is constantly being pushed and pulled by the tides of the world.
Language and Storytelling. The Giants' language is very florid and verbose, and they find common speech to be rather curt and inexpressive. Through their vast travelling, a Giant vessel visited a beautiful island with an energetic and esoteric race of beings made of pure Earthpower who were so impressed with the large Seafarers' joy and storytelling ability that the mysterious beings gifted the peaceful ambassadors Tongues so that they will be able to share their graciousness, charm, and exuberance to all the races they may meet. As a result, they can speak, understand, and read all languages. Their good humor and love of story-telling is clear in their mantra, "Joy is in the ears that hear, not the mouth that speaks." A common Giantish interjection is, "Stone and Sea!"
Their alignment can be neutral, chaotic, or lawful but not evil. They can be one of the following classes.
- Fighters. Battle Masters, Champions, Rune Knights, or Swordmain (Homebrew Subclass created for this Race)
- Paladin Oaths. Devotion, Glory, Redemption, Open Sea, Stone and Sea (Homebrew Subclass create for this Race), or Watchers
- Rangers. Gloom Stalker, Monster Slayer, Seafarer
- Rogues. Swashbucklers, Inquisitives, or Scouts
Seafarer Giants can Dual Class with the following:
- Bard Colleges. Eloquence, Lore, Spirits, Swords, or Valor
- Cleric Domains. Forge (metal or stone), Knowledge, Life, Light, Nature, Order, Peace, Tempest
- Sorcerers. Storm Sorcery or Wild Magic
- Warlocks. The Celestial or The Fathomless,
- Wizards Schools. Abjuration, Divination, Illusion, Transmutation (Stone)
Giant Seafarers only cast support or defense spells not attack spells. They deeply feel the loss of the Lore (knowledge) of Earthpower for the quick power of the Arcane, so many avoid spells.
Naming.
The Giants do not inherit but earn their names, which may describe personal features or reflect significant life experiences. Sometimes, the first name is a single pithy word, Cable, and sometimes, it's a pair of one-syllable words placed together such as Saltheart. The words usually describe their seafaring life and stone lore background. Giantess' first names will, sometimes, be precious gemstones such as Onyx or Sapphire.
Their last names are descriptive nouns placed together that radiate their effervescent joyfulness: Seadreamer, Foamfollower, Glowlimn.
Gods.
Their gods are all of good alignment:
- Saltheart Foamfollowr--The Pure One; Lawful Good
- Gossamer Glowlimn--The First, Wife of Pitchwife; Neutral Good
- Pitchwife--The Deformed, Husband to Gossamer Glowlimn; Lawful Good
- Cable Seadreamer--The Mute: Lawful Good
- Grimmand Honninscrave--The Master: Chaotic Good
- Mistweave--The Healer; Neutral Good
- Rime Coldspray--The Iron Hand: Chaotic Good
- Sevinhand--The Anchor Master; Neutral good
- Cirrus Kindwind--The Empathetic; Neutral Good
- Frostheart Grueburn--The Cunning: Chaotic Good
- Onyx Stonemage--The Mischievous; Chaotic Good
- Heft Galewrath--The Storemaster; Lawful Neutral
- Brow Gnarlfist--The Benevolent; Lawful Neutral
Giant Seafarer Traits
Seafaring Giants are happy and benevolent. They are always of good alignment and live for great stonework, high adventure, and epic tales.Abilities Increase (Strength and Constitution)
Due to your size, your Strength score increases by 3 (to a maximum of 23), and your Constitution score increases by 1 (to a maximum of 20).
Age
Giants have lifespans comparable to some elves. They enter adulthood in their early twenties and can live between 700-1,000 years.
Size
Seafaring Giants are between 11 and 12 feet tall and weigh between 1,000 and 1,200 pounds. Your size is Large. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 40 feet.
Natural Athlete
Due to your active nature of sailing the high seas and adventuring you have proficiency in the Skill, Athletics.
Natural Armor
Due to your ancestry, you have a natural AC of 13 + your Constitution Modifier; as a result, Giant Seafarers do not wear armor. They find it cumbersome and unnecessary.
Stone's Endurance. You can focus yourself to occasionally shrug off injury. When you take damage, you can use your reaction to roll a d12. Add your Constitution modifier to the number rolled and reduce the damage by that total. After you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Stone Masters
Like dwarves, the Seafaring Giants are master stone crafters. Their skill Their skill derives from Earthpower and is such that the ships in which they sail are made of seaworthy polished stone. As a race, the Giants have the Feat, Masonry Expert.
Note: This is a Homebrew Feat, so it is not on the list to add here. This Feat will need to be added by the player on the Character Sheet after the character is created.
Depending on the Giant's background, he/she will have elements of Stone-Touch, which is an extension of the natural trained ability of Giant Seafarers to shape stone. The Giants have taken this power and improved upon it to create even more powerful and wondrous effects. Each time he/she uses the ability, the Giant may choose which effect to apply.
With only the Feat, Masonry Expert, you can perform the following elements of Stone Touch: :
- Restore: Using their masonry skills and Earthpower, a Giant may join and shape stone with his or her bare hands, for a number of rounds equaling his Constitution Bonus, for a minimum of 1 round. With this ability, solid walls of stone, stone tools, and stone weapons may be repaired (healed at 1d6 + Constitution Modifier). He/she can use the ability once per day at level 1, twice per day at level 5 and then once more per day at 9th, 13th, 17th and 20th level.
- Light: Creates a source of heat from the stone, anything from a very mild warmth to take the chill off, to a very intense heat to ward off the coldest of winter chills. The stone will shed a light too. It is up to the Giant how much heat and/or light he creates, up to 10’ radius per level.
With Masonry Expert and the Background of Clan Crafter (it can work for more than just Dwarves), the Giant can perform not only the elements of Stone touch above but also the following listed:
- Ashlar: Walls of stone may be erected, and stone tools and weapons may be crafted.
- Toughen: This use of the Earthpower enables a Giant to put added strength into the stone. This makes the stone more resistant to attack, toughens it against fire or makes it last longer. Used on weapons it improves the damage caused, and used on armor it can improve the armor class of the armor. It lasts one round per level.
-Improve a stone weapons damage rating (axes, swords, stone knives, stone spears etc) +1 per 3 levels of Giants
-Improve armor protection of stone (giant) armor +1 armor class per 4 levels of Giants. - Giants can use these ability twice per day at level 1 and once more every 2 levels.
With Masonry Expert and the Background Shipwright, you have both Restore and Light as well as the following elements of Stone Touch:
- Toughen: This use of the Earthpower enables a Giant to put added strength into the stone. This makes the stone more resistant to attack, toughens it against fire or makes it last longer. Used on ships It lasts one round per level.
-Improve the stone’s resistance (saving roll) +1 per 2 levels of Giants
-Improve ship's protection of stone (giant) +1 class per 4 levels of Giants.
- Bosun's Pitch: Earthpower allows the ship's Bosun to repair (heal) the damaged components' hit points equal to 1d8 + the Giant's Constitution Modifier and the crew's quality score. Giants can use this ability twice per day at level 1 and once more every 2 levels. Starting at 6th Level the Giant can use Earthpower to repair (heal) up to 6 components for 2d8 points + the Giant's Constitution and the Crew's quality score. Giants can use this ability once per day at level 5 and once more every 3 levels.
- Soften: The opposite of the above. It can also create a zone of clay or mud-like consistency from bare rock, making it easier to manipulate and repair damages. Giants can use these abilities twice per day at level 1 and once more per 2 levels.
Mountain Born
You have resistance to cold damage. You’re also acclimated to high altitude, including elevations above 20,000 feet.
Immune to Natural Fire
The giants can withstand normal/natural fire, which causes them pain, but it does not cause them any damage. This also gives them Resistance to Magical Fire such as a Fireball.
Alignment
The Giants are a happy, gentle, benevolent race of crafty seafarers; as a result, their alignment can be neutral, chaotic, or lawful but not evil.
Languages
They can speak, understand, and read all languages.
Disadvantages
Although happy and benevolent, these giants are susceptible to falling into brokenhearted bouts of desperation and hopelessness. The Ritual of Caamora is needed to purge the grief from their souls; it can, however, take several hours.
In rare instances, these giants can fall into an unhindered Mindless Rage when someone they care for has been been killed in a truly horrifying manner. If the surviving giant knows his/her loved one was scared and alone in death, it will drive the him/her into despair rage accepting that his/her rage will lead to death. If a giant has lost all of his/her companions in battle, and the situation looks hopeless, the giant can became mindlessly berserk. Exhaustion factors into this rage as well. In myths of famed warriors, Gossamer Glowlimn or Grimmand Honninscrave, have hacked through everything impeding their path until achieving their goal. This is a measure of last resort, and if the giant survives (most do not), he/she must undergo an intense Ritual of Caamora to purge the heavy weight of guilt for number of creatures killed.
Finally, they will forsake their own safety if it means another giant will come to harm. Legends tell of a giant who had been possessed with extravagant power and malice, and he attacked his fellow giants. The community of giants felt complete hopelessness and could not defend themselves against their fellow giant who slaughtered them all.
Mindless Rage
When you lose a loved one, close companion, or you and your crew/companions are close to death in battle, you fight with primal ferocity. On your turn, you can enter a Mindless Rage as a bonus action.
While Mindless Raging, you gain the following benefits if you aren’t wearing heavy armor:
- You have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.
- When you make a melee weapon attack using Strength, you gain a bonus to the damage roll that increases as you gain levels as a Giant, (Levels 1-4 = +3; Levels 5-8 = +3; Levels 7-12 = +4; Levels 13-16 = +5; Levels 14-20 = +6)
- You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
- You can’t be charmed or frightened while raging. If you are charmed or frightened when you enter your rage, the effect is suspended for the duration of the rage.
- Your rage lasts for 1 minute for each Level you have achieved, eg, at 6th Level, the Mindless Rage lasts 6-Minutes . It ends early if you have exacted your revenge, are knocked unconscious or dead.
- Exhaustion:
- Character Levels 1-10, after each minute of Mindless Rage, you gain 1 level of Exhaustion.
- Character Levels 7-20, after every 2 minutes of Mindless Rage, you gain 1 level of Exhaustion.
If you are able to cast spells, you can’t cast them or concentrate on them while raging.
This is a Last Resort bonus action. You fully expect to not survive. If, by chance, you do succeed and survive, you must go through a Ritual of Caamora to alleviate the grief you will feel for all of those you have killed.
Story Telling
At level 2 a Giant can tell enthralling stories that will aid restful sleep, help a journey pass much more quickly or help others forget their worries for a short while. Once per day, the giant can reduce the effects of despair from a number of listeners equal to his level, for a length of time equal to his level x 1 hour.
Credit/Recognition
This Race is based on the Giants from The First, Second, and Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson.
(Other sources. Gap into Mirrorland; Stephen R. Donaldson and the Modern Epic Vision; "THE LAND: The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant OGL"; White Dwarf #16, #21; Wikipedia: "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant").
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