Homebrew Giff Species Details

Military Organization

Every aspect of Giff society is organized along military lines. From birth until death, every Giff has a military rank. It must follow orders from those of superior rank, and it can give orders to those granted by a superior as a reward for valor. Giff are devoted to their children, even as most of their education is geared toward fighting and war.

Mercenaries Extraordinaire

Giff are in high demand as warriors for hire, but they insist on serving in units composed entirely of Giff; a Giff hiring itself out individually is unheard of. Giff refuse to fight other Giff, and will never agree to a contract unless it stipulates that they can sit out a battle rather than wage war against their kin. A Giff prizes the reputation of its unit above its own life. Life is fleeting, but the regiment endures for generations or even centuries.

A Whiff of Gunpowder

Muskets and grenades are the favorite weapons of every Giff. The bigger the boom, the brighter the flash and the thicker the smoke it produces, the more Giff love a weapon. Their skill with gunpowder is another reason for their popularity as mercenaries. Giff revel in the challenge of building a bomb big enough to level a fortification. They gladly accept payment in kegs of gunpowder in preference to gold, gems, or other currency.

No Honor in Magic

Some Giff become wizards, clerics, and other kinds of spell casters, but they’re so infrequent that most Giff mercenary units have no magical capability. Typical Giff are as smart as the average human, but their focus on military training to the exclusion of all other areas of study can make them seem dull-witted to those who have more varied interests.

Giff Names

A Giff’s name is big and pompous, just like the being who bears it. Most Giff have a given name and a surname, and also possess a rank and nickname. Giff born in their militaristic, spacefaring culture are assigned the rank of trainee at birth, and are automatically promoted to the rank of ensign upon reaching adulthood. Most Giff rise through the ranks as they age, and they are conditioned from birth to defer unerringly to all Giff of higher rank. A Giff’s nickname is assigned by their peers during their service, and can be a term of endearment, derision, respect, or fear. Most Giff amass a hoard of nicknames over their lifetimes, and use them variably depending on the occasion.

Male Names: Alford, Algernon, Alpheus, Alphonse, Bertram, Benedict, Cornelius, Delmer, Ebenezer, Ernest, Eustace, Gideon, Hibbard, Jack, Jeremiah, Methuselah, Theodore, Percival, Rhys, Rufus, Zebulon

Female Names: Abagail, Adelaide, Brigid, Charlotte, Clarinda, Elizabeth, Elmira, Fredonia, Esther, Gertrude, Guinevere, Hermione, Margaret, Martha, Sophronia, Tabitha, Winifred

Surnames: Ainesly, Brownrigg, Byron, Cholmondeley, Cromwell, Cumberbatch, Darcy, Eastaughffe, Finlayson, Gladstone, Grenville, Harding, Leicester, Osborne, Pickering, Pinkerton, Quince, Schuyler

Giff Traits

Your Giff character has the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Dexterity score increases by 1.

Age

Giff mature slightly faster than humans, becoming adults at age 14. Most elderly giff pass away around 70 years old, but most giff die in the line of duty or blow themselves up long before then.

Alignment

Most giff are lawful neutral, adhering strictly to the orders of their commanders with little concern for the morality of their actions, as long as it gives them an excuse to deploy excessively heavy ordinance.

Size

Giff stand between 7 and 8 feet tall, and weigh easily 500 pounds, not counting their hefty military dress uniforms. Your size is Medium.

Powerful Build

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

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Giff Weapon Training

You have been trained to wield firearms since birth. You have proficiency with muskets and pistols and tinker's tools, and can ignore their loading property.

Natural Armor

You have thick, leathery skin. When you aren’t wearing armor, your AC is 12 + your Constitution 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.

Headfirst Charge

If you move at least 20 feet straight toward a target and then hit it with a melee weapon attack on the same turn, that creature must succeed on a Strength saving throw with a DC equal to 8 + your Strength modifier + your proficiency bonus, or take 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone.

The damage increases to 3d6 at 11th level, and 4d6 at 16th level.

Languages

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