Homebrew Dark Sun, Half-Giant (2024) Species Details

Half-giants are a relatively new addition to the races of Athas. The union was originally the result of magical experiments conducted by the sorcerer-kings. When the sorcerer-kings first took control of the cities of the Tyr Region, they used their arcane powers to cross humans with giants, striving to create warriors and laborers of gigantic proportions. Because of this turbulent beginning, the half-giants of today’s Athas have no culture of their own to draw upon, no ancient traditions to turn to for inspiration.

 From giants, this race inherited tremendous size and strength, as well as low intelligence. (Half-giants average 10 to 12 feet high and weigh upwards of 1,600 pounds.) From humans, they received curiosity, an interest in cooperation and communication, and a general tendency toward kindness. Although half-giants have human features, these tend to be exaggerated in some way. All existing half-giants are the descendants of the original magically created half-giants. They can only produce offspring by mating with other half-giants; they cannot reproduce with either giants or humans. Likewise, there’s no natural way for giants and humans to mate and produce children in today’s Athas.

 Like half-elves, half-giants don’t gather in communities of their own. Instead they live in the human cities or in the wilderness tribes, absorbing the culture of those around them. They are friendly and eager to please whoever they meet. If they are accepted in turn, the halfgiants quickly adopt the lifestyles, skills, and values of those they’ve come in contact with. A half-giant character presented with a new situation should examine the roles of the people there, determine how he best fits in, and then start performing tasks accordingly. For example, a half-giant who happens upon a dwarf quarry might watch for a time, then start quarrying stone. He won’t necessarily work with the dwarves, but he’ll continue to perform like his neighbors for as long as he can make a decent living.

 Half-giants aren’t strictly bound to perform as those they see around them, nor are they restricted from moving on when they see fit. If a situation isn’t beneficial, or if a half-giant can’t perform well in a given environment, he won’t imitate the nearby culture. In all cases, half-giants simply aren’t as emotionally attached to objects or work as are other races.

Note: Athas is a cruel and harsh world. As a result the species inhabiting it are more sturdy than the average Dungeons and Dragons species, despite 2024 having removed Ability Score Adjustments on the species section, Athasian species still are more sturdy and as such they receive adjustments to reflect this. The adjustments made have taken into account that an Athasian Character will take a background that will give them additional Adjustments during character creation and said characters will receive them normally as part of the Character Creation Process.

Athasian Half-Giant Traits

Creature Type: Humanoid
Size: Large (about 10–12 feet tall)
Speed: 30 feet
Age: Half-giants mature a little slower than humans, reaching adulthood around age 30. They age similarly slower and usually live longer than 170 years.
Alignment: Half-giants switch attitudes very quickly, taking on new values to fit new situations. This malleable attitude is handled by a changing alignment, see below.

Dark Sun, Half-Giant (2024) Traits

As an Athasian Half-Giant, you have these special traits.

Size

Half-giants are hulking creatures that stand between 10 and 12 feet tall and weigh about 1,600 pounds. Your size is Large. As a large creature you take up a 10' x 10' space and your carrying capacity is double that of a Medium size creature. You also require four times the normal amount of food and water to sustain yourself. All personal items, such as clothing, armor, and food, cost double for half-giant characters. Transportation and lodging, when they’re available at all, are also considerably more expensive. Most things aren’t built to support the weight of a half-giant, and even in the cities half-giants tend to camp outside for their own comfort and to avoid causing any damage.

Ability Score Adjustements

When determining your character’s ability scores, increase your Strength score by 2 and Constitution Score by 1. Reduce Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma by 1. None of these increases can raise a score above 20, except Strength that can be raised as high as 22.

Intimidating

You have proficiency in the Intimidation skill.

Mercurial Alignment

A half-giant's nature is to switch an aspect of its alignment to imitate or otherwise react to a significant change around it. Choose an aspect of your alignment that will be fixed, such as Lawful or Good.  Half-giants switch attitudes very quickly, taking on new values to fit new situations. This malleable attitude is handled by a changing alignment. A half-giant character selects one aspect of his alignment to remain fixed at the time the character is created (either the “lawful/neutral/chaotic” side, or the “good/neutral/evil” side). The other aspect is determined at the start of each day of game time. The character is bound to that alignment combination until he sleeps and wakes again. For example, if a half-giant has a fixed “good” side, then each morning he chooses to be either lawful good, neutral good, or chaotic good. Half-giant psionicists must have a fixed lawful or neutral aspect; they can’t be chaotic.

Although this alignment change isn’t mandatory, it should certainly be invoked in roleplaying situations as a reaction to extreme changes in a half-giant’s environment. A halfgiant’s nature is to switch his alignment aspect to imitate or otherwise react to a significant change around him. Of course, there needs to be a good reason for a half-giant’s flexible alignment aspect to change, and DMs are free to disallow any change that doesn’t fit the current storyline. This shifting alignment should be a hindrance as often as it serves to help a half-giant character. It’s up to the DM to make sure both good and bad events occur throughout a campaign.

Half-Giant Sturdiness

Your Half-Giant physical traits offer you more physical endurance than the other humanoids. You gain 3 extra hit points per level.

Languages

You speak Common. Keep in mind that unless otherwise stated by a class feature or background all characters of Athasian descent are illiterate.