Homebrew Giff Species Details

It’s easy to spot the giff in a room: a group of 7-foot-tall, hippopotamus-headed humanoids attired in gaudy military uniforms, with gleaming pistols and muskets on display. These planes-faring mercenaries are renowned for their martial training and their love of explosives.

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 of lower rank. Promotions don’t depend on age but are 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 Smokepowder

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 smokepowder 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 smokepowder in preference to gold, gems, or other currency.

No Honor in Magic

Some giff become wizards, clerics, and other kinds of spellcasters, 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 Traits

Your giff character has the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

Giff physically mature at the same rate as humans, and live about 70 years.

Alignment

Most giff are lawful, believing in the value of a regimented life. Their nature and experience as mercenaries also causes them tend toward neutrality.

Size

Giff stand between 7 and 8 feet tall. Their massive bodies weigh between 300 and 400 pounds. 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.

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.

Smokepowder Cunning

You gain proficiency with firearms, allowing you to add your proficiency bonus to attacks made with firearms, and you ignore the Reload property of muskets and pistols.

Additionally, you gain proficiency with Tinker’s Tools. You may use them to craft ammunition at half the cost, repair damaged firearms, or even draft and create new ones (DM’s discretion). Some extremely experimental and intricate smokepowder weapons are only available through crafting.

Bite

Your wide, tusked maw is a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. On a hit, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Headfirst Charge

Immediately after you use the Dash action on your turn and move at least 20 feet, you can make one melee attack with your bite as a bonus action. On a hit, a Large or smaller creature must succeed on a Strength saving throw against a DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier or be knocked prone.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common.