Homebrew Ettin Species Details

Ettins are towering, brutish creatures that possess an unsettling duality. Standing at an imposing height of around 13 feet, these two-headed giants command attention and fear on the battlefield. Each Ettin has two distinct heads, each with its own personality and perspective. Despite this internal division, their shared body allows for remarkable coordination and deadly effectiveness in combat.

With thick, grayish skin and bulging muscles, Ettins exhibit their immense strength and resilience. Their faces bear a grotesque countenance, with gnashing fangs, wild eyes, and tangled, unkempt hair. Ettins are often adorned in scraps of crude armor or animal hides, giving them a primitive and savage appearance.

These formidable creatures tend to dwell in remote, desolate areas, shunning civilization and preferring a solitary existence. Their nature is marked by unpredictability and a penchant for chaos, making them dangerous adversaries to encounter. Though they lack refined intelligence, Ettins possess a crude cunning born of their dual minds, allowing them to devise crude strategies and coordinate their attacks effectively.

Ettins' two heads grant them superior senses, granting them the ability to perceive threats from multiple angles and detect hidden dangers. While one head rests, the other remains alert, ensuring their perpetual vigilance. This attribute, combined with their innate advantage against various debilitating conditions, makes them formidable foes to face.

Despite their fearsome reputation, some Ettins can be swayed to serve as reluctant allies or hired muscle, provided their unpredictable nature is managed or appeased. In such cases, their raw power and capacity for two-handed combat make them a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.

Ettin Traits

Having two heads and one body makes for a unique set of racial, requiring coordination and teamwork.

Age

The average Ettin lives for about 100 years.

Alignment

Ettins tend to be unpredictable and often lean towards chaotic tendencies.

Size

Ettins average about 13 feet, your size is large.

Speed

Ettins are unique in that each player can move 15 feet on their turn. Each player rolls initiative separately.

Darkvision

You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Two Heads

When both heads are conscious, the Ettin has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks and on saving throws against being blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, stunned, and knocked unconscious. Wakeful When one of the Ettin's heads is asleep, its other head is awake.

Dual personality

Each player can choose a separate class. You both control a separate head and arm, as well as half of the movement. Due to your large size, each hand can use a two-handed weapon or perform other actions that usually require two hands. You cannot use bows or shields as long as you both have a weapon in your hands. If one player chooses to use a bow or shield on their turn the other player cannot use their hands on their next turn.

Shared Body

Both players are considered one target for physical effects. When making a Strength, Constitution, or Dexterity saving throw only roll once.

Separate Minds

For non-physical (Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma) effects the players are considered separate. Each head can be targeted specifically, and area of effects must be rolled separately by each player.

Giants Vigor

Both players share a Health total. This is the sum of the health both players would normally have.

Shared Strength

When calculating stats, each player gets a unique Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma score. When calculating for Strength, Constitution, and Dexterity, you take the average of both players rounded up.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Giant.