Homebrew Giff Species Details

I didn't mean to hit them that hard. You humans are so delicate." Giff mercenary explaining the deaths of two fellow troopers after a brawl. (The Complete Spacefarers Handbook p.17)

Physical Description

Giffs are thick-skinned, hulking humanoids with hippopotamus-shaped heads. They have stocky legs, barrel-shaped torsos with broad chests, and pudgy fingers. Their skin is black, grey or gold, and often covered with brightly coloured tattoos. They always dressed in uniforms or elaborate and strong armor and often carry multiple firearms on their persons

History

Giff can no longer remember where their homeworld is, so long have they wandered between the spheres. They tell stories of a jungle planet where weapon caches lie between every tree, and smoke powder billows through the air. There are many theories about where they truly came from. Some sages think that they may have been created by a powerful archmagi to fight for him and they somehow managed to escape his control and spread throughout known space. others think that they may have come from a world where hippo's evolved into the giff. one sage even thought that the Giff were originally from outer planes of Ysgard. The only thing they all can agree on that wherever they came from is a very war-torn place. No one has yet found a world that has the giff as natural race or found a record of their creation so until someone does the truth may never be known.

Society

Giffs respect a chain of command that encompasses their whole race, and like structure and organization. They form platoons to serve other space-faring races on a mercenary basis. The leader is known as Officers and has the responsibility of guiding their race to new planets and deciding the final judgement in problems in platoons. Of course, they usually have the rarest of weapons in their private collection in their archive.

Giffs tend to be fighters and rogues, but can also be other classes depending on their lifestyle. Fighters act as bodyguards, marines and soldiers, while rogues function as military scouts, spies or assassins. Bards will usually be found in taverns and the like weaving stories of what they believe to be their homeworld and create music with automated instruments. Wizard and sorcerer giffs function as the collectors and archivists of their community, collecting artefacts of great power in their collection. They love weapons of any sort and tend to accumulate a collection of their favourite instruments of war.

Giffs like unarmed fighting and will brawl just for fun. They like friendly tests of strength. Drawing a weapon in front of a giff, however, is a serious matter, and they are known to fight to the death after such provocation.

Giff will never fight other giff under a contact as mercenaries all giff contracts have a clause in them allowing them to void the contract if both sides have hired giff. They will fight each other in personal unarmed combat but rarely are these fights to the death.

Giff Names

Giff names are blunt and uncomplicated, deriving from the Giant tongue.

Male: Pomj, Dromb, Lewmur, Hurst, Ularn.

Female: Ulyrn, Weelso, Hrusta, Beluarr, Yuralsha.

Giff Traits

Your Giff character has the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

Giffs mature faster than humans, reaching adulthood at 14 and old age at 60. They can live for 90 years.

Alignment

Giffs have a reputation for honouring contracts: many are lawful. They are less concerned about the ethics of those contracts, so good giff tend to be less common.

Size

Giffs 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.

River Beast

Giffs can move as freely in water as on land.
While they do not have a swim speed they may move at full speed as long as their feet touch the bottom.
You suffer no movement penalties in water when running along the bottom or jumping.

Hungry Hippo

Your jaws are one of the most powerful jaws imaginable, it counts as a natural melee weapon which you are proficient with.

You may make up to one attack per round as an attack with this weapon, it counts as an unarmed strike and deals bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + 2 x Your strength modified.

Also when ever you use your jaws to accomplish a skill check which relies on strength, you may double the strength proficiency bonus for that roll. For example, biting a wood beam that’s locking a door.

Headfirst Charge

If you move at least 20 feet straight toward a target, then you can immediately make a bonus action, making one attack against the target with your headbutt. Which deals 1d4+strength modifier bludgeoning damage.

Natural Armor

You have thick, leathery skin. When you aren’t wearing armor, your AC is 13 + 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.

Giff Firearms Master

You gain proficiency in a firearm of your choice.

At 3rd Level, your mastery of fire arms allows you to ignore the loading property of any firearm you are proficient in.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.