Homebrew Giant Dwarf Species Details

Born of two drastically contrasting races, Giant Dwarves have a tendency to subvert expectations and consistently surprise beings around them just through their presence. In most scenarios, Giant Dwarves hail from a Goliath mother and a Dwarven father. Whether it is thanks to issues in compatibility or logistical problems that the inverse is hardly ever the case, none can say for sure. While most tend to live high or deep in mountain ranges like both sides of their ancestry, some are known to roam through woods and meadows and plenty of other locales in search of glory or fame. 

Raised with Dwarven and Goliath values, this particular half-breed hosts tremendously capable fighters, not too graceful or nimble but hearty and ferociously powerful beyond overestimation. Most commonly equipped with some form of axe, hammer, or other heavy melee weaponry, these warriors occupy a strong role in combat, whether it take place in a gladiator's arena, inebriated tavern, or on the front charge of war. Their heritage gives them a love of the fight and a deep appreciation for craftsmanship, particularly in metalworking and weapon smithing. It's most commonly the dream of any Giant Dwarf to own a great forge to craft their own weapons with, mastering both trade and combat in the process. 

As far as appearances go, Giant Dwarves are quite the mixed bag. Their proportions and skeletal structures are passed down from their dwarven lineage, yielding a bulky, stout figure at tremendous sizes thanks to their Goliath blood, often times outgrowing Goliaths themselves. Occasionally, Giant Dwarves inherit a pale blue, green or grey colored skin tone, appearing much like Goliaths, while equally common is a more Dwarven skin tone, from fair to tan and beyond. Balding is hardly an issue for these hearty beings, as hair grows and flows freely from even a young age and never stops, even into elderly years. Giant Dwarves can grow hair in all sorts of shades, while the most common by a small margin is reddish orange hair. Long, bushy beards and braided pony tails are a frequent symptom of such hair growth. 

While slow to trust and difficult to convince at times, a Giant Dwarf makes for a great ally. Once befriended, their loyalty knows no bounds and they will pay no small price to aid the ones they call family. Great cooks, even better blacksmiths and craftsmen, they have many uses in any party, despite being poor swimmers on account of their dense bodies. Not eager to start a song of their own, they love to join in on musical fun once a round is started and will sing proudly to a fault once the right encouragement is achieved. Strong, tenacious, proud, and eager to prove their worth, Giant Dwarves are great company in any instance with enough room to house them. 

Giant Dwarf Traits

Your Giant Dwarf character has an assortment of inborn abilities, part and parcel of both dwarven and goliath nature.

Ability Score Increase

Resulting as part of a hearty mixed lifestyle, Giant Dwarves are a bulky breed and pack a punch. 

Age

Giant Dwarves reach maturity at the age of 50 and have average lifespans of 200 years. 

Speed

Base walking speed is 30 feet.

Size

A Giant Dwarf has an average height range of 8-10 feet and weight range of 450-550 pounds (size is Large).

Languages

Giant Dwarves can speak, read, and write in Common, Giant, and Dwarvish. 

Alignment

Most typically, a Giant Dwarf lies at a chaotic-good alignment.

Dwarven Bulk

Due to the body proportions of the Dwarves and the stature of the goliaths, some damage can be ignored in combat. The more minimal the damage, the easier to ignore.

Roll a die according to level to mitigate damage.

Lvl 1-4: [roll]1d4[/roll], once per long rest.

Lvl 5-8: [roll]1d6[/roll], twice per long rest. 

Lvl 9-12: [roll]1d8[/roll], thrice per long rest. 

Lvl 13-16: [roll]1d10[/roll], four times per long rest. 

Lvl 17-20: [roll]1d12[/roll], five times per long rest. 

Giant Presence

Being part Goliath, others have a hard time scaring you off or talking you down from a fight. 

Partial Darkvision

Being part dwarf, you're naturally accustomed to vision underground and in other dark areas, but this affect is not as strong as in purebred dwarves, thus causing a smaller radius of vision. Dimly lit areas are perceived as brightly lit, and full darkness is perceived as dimly lit. Colors cannot be perceived in darkvision, only shades of gray.

Focused Training

Being raised by two races, you possess the option of focusing in one lineage to advance your knowledge in the ways of that race.