Homebrew Elven Goliaths Species Details

It is a very rare set of circumstances that bring these two unlikely races together, yet this mixing of ancient blood has unintended consequences. Walking in two worlds but truly belonging to neither, half-goliaths half-elves combine what some say are the best qualities of their elf and Goliath parents: goliath strength, self-reliance, and indomitable spirit tempered by the refined senses, love of nature, and artistic tastes of the elves. One of the early challenges young goliath half-elves will inevitably face is being set apart from their community by both their appearance and the effects of time. When they live among the elves, they reach adulthood whilst their age-mates are still children, and when the live with the Goliaths, they watch family and comrades ripen with age while time seems barely touches them.

Due to their reserved nature, they may be slow to welcome a newcomer into their small circle of comrades, much less consider them a friend. Trust may be slow to develop, but once the bond has been forged, their loyalty is absolute. 

Appearance

To Goliaths,  goliath half-elves look like elves, and to elves, they look Goliaths. In general, their features tend to be a mix of their parents, but because of their rarity, most other races may not recognize a goliath half-elves when they see them. An outsider might describe them as having the appearance of a tall, bulky elf or a somewhat short, slender goliath. They typically range from 6 to 7 ft tall and weigh 190 pounds to 260 pounds. Likewise, their lifespans fall between the ages of their parents, and commonly exceeds 180 years.

Dual Identity

It is a very rare set of circumstances that bring these two unlikely races together, yet this mixing of ancient blood has unintended consequences. Walking in two worlds but truly belonging to neither, goliath half-elves combine what some say are the best qualities of their elf and Goliath parents: goliath might, and indomitable spirit tempered by the refined senses, love of nature, and artistic tastes of the elves. One of the early challenges young goliath half-elves will inevitably face is being set apart from their community by both their appearance and the effects of time. When they live among the elves, they reach adulthood whilst their age-mates are still children, and when the live with the Goliaths, they watch family and comrades ripen with age while time seems barely touches them.

Due to their reserved nature, they may be slow to open up to a newcomer, and it may take many years before someone is accepted into their small circle of comrades or considered to be a friend. Goliath half-elves are very careful with giving out their trust, but once the bond has been forged, their loyalty is absolute. 

Patient Competitors

Much like their goliath ancestors, goliath half-elves take pride in their accomplishments and acknowledge others' accomplishments just as easily (although this can frequently end in an endless series of passive-aggressive bouts of one-upping). However due to their elven lineage, when goliath half-elves are pursuing a goal, be it adventuring or learning a new skill, their attentions twists into a relentless and unwavering focus. Once their mind has been set on a task, they can become incredibly stubborn in their pursuit of these goals, and they are almost impossible to dissuade, no matter how impossible the goal may be to achieve ("Challenge Accepted"). Given their long lifespan, they can afford the long wait for the perfect opportunity to arise. If the end goal is worth their efforts, then it is worth the investment.

Values Strength

Like their parents, goliath half-elves believe that time will reveal the true worth of a person. Persistent effort, focused dedication, and refining one's talents lead to measurable accomplishments; meanwhile, complacency is the pathway to disaster. As such, they may struggle to understand how certain societies may allow unaccomplished and unskilled individuals to sit in positions of leadership or maintain powerful positions. To the goliath half-elves, the person who is best at a job should be the one tasked with doing it, and depending on which race they were predominately raised in, they may not be shy about expressing this.

Appearance

Their Elven traits and Goliath traits merging together, goliath half-elves are often 6ft-7ft tall and weigh about 190-270 pounds and while many objectively slender almost all of them have rather considerable muscle mass. Thanks to their Elven heritage, they can have an almost ethereal beauty; however, their Goliath heritage tends to makes it look more rugged. In general, most would describe them as having attractively strong, husky features. goliath half-elves can have the colorings of elves and goliaths, and have slightly larger, pointier ears than humans.

Names

Naming preferences may depend on which culture the goliath half-elves is predominately raised in. Typically neither elves nor goliaths link birth names to gender; goliaths see females and males as equal in all things, and elves can be relatively fluid with regard to gender identity. Typically when goliath half-elves come of age or accomplish some great feat, they will obtain an adult name (if raised with elves, this will typically be self-appointed; if raised with goliaths, it may be assigned by the tribal chief or a respected elder). 

Elven Goliaths Traits

Elvan Goliaths share a number of traits in common with each other.

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 1. Increase either Strength or Dexterity by 2.

Age

Half-elves, half goliaths mature at the same rate as most humans and reach adulthood around the age of 20. They live much longer than humans, however, often exceeding 180 years.

Alignment

Overall, Elven Goliaths dual ancestry tends to push them towards neutral alignment; however, this may be impacted by the predominant group they were raised in. Goliath society, with its clear roles and tasks, has a strong lawful bent; meanwhile, Elves value personal freedom, variety, and self-expression, so they lean toward the gentler aspects of chaos. In general, an Elven Goliath will value fairness and personal accountability but will be quick to defend the importance independence and personal freedoms. 

Size

Elven Goliaths are usually 6ft to 7ft tall, and weigh 190 pounds to 260 pounds.

Speed

 

Due to your Elven ancestry, your base walking speed increases to 35 feet.

Darkvision

Thanks to your elf blood, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. 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.

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.

Powerful Build

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

Fey Ancestry

You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

Honed Awareness

You have proficiency in the Perception skill (Elven Keen Senses) or the Athletic Skill (Goliath Natural Athlete)

Languages

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