Homebrew Ettin Species Details

Dual Personality. The twin heads of an ettin are two individuals trapped in the same brutish body. Each head has its own mind, personality, and name, and possesses unique preferences and quirks. Bound from birth, both minds only rarely experience privacy or solitude. This familiarity breeds contempt, and an ettin bullies and argues with itself constantly, its two heads each taking constant offense at the other’s slights.

When other creatures refer to an ettin, they combine its double names to form a single compound name that applies to the creature as a whole. If an ettin has one head named Hargle and another named Vargle, other creatures call the ettin Harglevargle.

Solitary Lives. As much as an ettin argues with itself, it is even less tolerant of other ettins, since a conversation between two ettins almost always amounts to a shouting match between a crowd of four belligerent heads. Most ettins are solitary creatures as a result, tolerating one another only to reproduce.

An ettin’s twin heads are always the same gender, with a body to match. Females are the dominant gender among ettins, and they initiate the ettins’ mating rituals. After finding a suitable den, a female ettin hunts and conquers a male, who cares for and feeds her during her six-month pregnancy. Once the child is born, the male ettin is released from servitude. When the child is old enough to hunt for itself, the mother sends it away and abandons the den.

Two Heads are Better than One. When focused on a mutually beneficial purpose or united by a common threat, an ettin can resolve its personality differences and dedicate itself fully to a task. An ettin fights with a weapon in each hand, making twin attacks directed by its respective heads. When an ettin sleeps, one of its heads remains ever alert, gaining its only moments of privacy and keeping two eyes open for any creature that disturbs its precious solitude.

Orcish Ties. In ancient dialects of Common, the word “ettin” translates as “ugly giant.” Legends tell of orcs that once stumbled upon a temple to Demogorgon, the magic of which transformed them into giant mockeries of the twin-headed Prince of Demons. Driven to near madness, these creatures scattered into the wilderness to become the first ettins.

Whatever the truth of the ettins’ origin, orcs treat them as distant cousins, and orc tribes often entice ettins to serve as guards, scouts, and marauders. An ettin isn’t particularly loyal to its orc handlers, but the orcs can win it over with the promise of food and loot.

Ettin Traits

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

Ability Score increase

Your Strength score increases by 5, your Constitution score increases by 5, and your Intelligence and Charisma are reduced by 3.

Age

Young ettin attains the size and development of an adult by 10. They live to be around 75.

 

Allignment

Ettins tend towards neutral evil.

 

Size

Ettin stands between 10 and 13 feet tall and weigh between 250 and 500 pounds. Your size is Large.

 

Speed

Your base walking speed is 35 feet.

 

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 grey.

 

Natural Armor

You have tough skin. When you aren’t wearing armor, your AC is 14 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield’s benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.

 

Two Heads

The ettin has an 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.

 

Languages

You can speak Common, Giant, Goblin, Orc, a language of your choice, and a dialect known colloquially as "ettintongue"

Giant Hands

You can wield and attack with a 2-handed weapon in one hand but you cannot wield and attack with one 2-handed weapon in each hand or benefit from two-weapon fighting while wielding a 2-handed weapon. Your hands are too big to use weapons with the light property. You are also too clumsy to be able to use finesse weapons using your dex modifier. 

 

Powerful Build

You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift. 

 

Bacterial Spit

You  may spit a bacterial poison on your enemies wich does 1d4 plus 5, then 1 damage per minute for 5 minutes.