Homebrew FA - Firbolg Species Details

Background

The Firbolg trace their ancestry to the five sons of Dela who were themselves the descendents of the last of the Sons of Nemed who fled Weriu to escape a terrible plague and the tyranny of the Fomorians.

When the Tuath De originally landed on Weriu, the Firbolg accepted them and the leaders of the two people made treaty and exchanged gifts. However, lured by promises from their old adversary; the Fomorians, the Firbolg king: Eochaid Mac Eirc, betrayed the Tuath De and delivered them into the hands of the Fomorians.

The Fomorian Bres promptly enslaved not only the Tuath De but the Firbolg as well. The Tuath warrior Lugh Lamhada, who's foster mother was the widow of Firbolg King Eochaid Mac Eric and, so rumour has it, the protoge of Goibhniu, the divine craftsman worshipped my most Firbolg brought together a combined host of Tuath De, Firbolg, Gaels, Siofra and the other races to defeat the Fomorians and drive them back into the sea.

While the emnity between the Firbolg and Tuath De has lessened somewhat during Lugh's reign, it is rare for Tuath De to fully trust a Firbolg and for their own part, Firbolg have a distinct dislike for the 'fancy' Tuath De.

One thing does bind the two races together however; and that is their shared hatred of the Fomorians and their fear of a return of the terrible 'old gods' from the sea.

Characteristics

The Firbolg are squat and strongly built. They value strong craftsman and martial skills very highly and are generally distrustful of most magics. The exception are the magics dealing with the deep earth and stone which is highly valued.

FA - Firbolg Traits

Your Firbolg character has an assortment of inborn abilities, part and parcel of firbolg nature.

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 2 and your Strength by 1.

Age

Firbolgs mature at the same rate as humans, but they’re considered young until they reach the age of 50. On average, they live about 350 years.

Alignment

Most firbolgs are lawful, believing firmly in the benefits of a well-ordered society. They tend towards simplicity and therefore their views tend to be either black or white with little room for grey areas. This is one of the sources of distrust of the much more morally nuanced Tuath De

Size

Firbolg stand between 4 and 6 feet tall and average about 150 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet. Your speed is not reduced by wearing heavy armor.

Darkvision

Accustomed to life underground, 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.

Firbolg Resilience

You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance against poison damage (explained in the “Combat” section).

Firbolg Combat Training

You have proficiency with the battleaxe, handaxe, light hammer, and warhammer.

Tool Proficiency

You gain proficiency with the artisan’s tools of your choice: smith’s tools, brewer’s supplies, or mason’s tools.

Stonecunning

Whenever you make an Intelligence (History) check related to the origin of stonework, you are considered proficient in the History skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Firbolg. Firbolgis full of hard consonants and guttural sounds, and those characteristics spill over into whatever other language a firbolg might speak.