Stone Giant
Species | giant |
No. Appearing | 1-8 |
Behaviour | social |
Range | subterranean |
Size | 12 ft. tall |
Weight | 1,300 lbs. |
Intelligence | 10-12 |
Armour Class | 0 |
Hit Dice | 9+1-3 |
Action Points | 5 |
Max. Stride | 13 |
THAC0 | 15 |
Hp/Die | d12 |
Attack Forms | 1: club |
Damage | club (3-18)+8 |
Special Attacks | hurling rocks, strength (20) |
Stone giants are towering, lanky humanoids with elongated, bald heads and hardened skin that resembles flexible stone. Their bodies are immensely strong, yet they move with surprising grace, well-suited to their natural skills as hunters, foresters and mountaineers. They prefer solitude, dwelling in small family groups, yet these groups are loosely connected — family members may be out of sight of one another for weeks at a time. Despite their distance, their family bonds are unshakable, as resilient as the stone from which they are said to have been shaped.
Contents
They make their homes in remote mountain ranges rich in forests and rivers, favoring the northern hemisphere, from Scandinavia to Xachta. A single group may roam an expanse of a thousand square miles, and their numbers are few, with perhaps no more than two or three thousand in the entire world. Legend holds that the first stone giants were molded from rock by the god Ymir, shaped by divine hands before being set loose upon the wilds.
Their lifespans stretch for centuries, some living as long as a thousand years, yet they show little interest in accumulating knowledge, constructing settlements or preserving history. Instead, their passions lie in the land itself — they hold a deep reverence for stone and water, wood and ice, and the simple appreciation of these elements consumes much of their thought. Though they rarely interfere with outsiders, they have been known to violently drive away those who despoil the wild, just as there are many stories of them offering aid to struggling settlers, using their immense strength to assist in dire times. Patient, intelligent and deeply connected to their surroundings, stone giants embody both the quiet stillness and the unstoppable power of the mountains they call home.
Advantages
Best known for their prodigious strength, stone giants possess a Strength score of 20, granting them a +3 to hit bonus and an additional +8 damage with each successful strike. When wielding a club, they deal 2-12+8 damage, while a spear inflicts 3-14+8 damage. Though they typically forgo armor, preferring the freedom of movement their hardened skin provides, they will don leather armor when preparing for battle, which improves their armor class to -2.
With their immense physical power, stone giants can hurl massive stones at their enemies, selecting rocks between 15 and 50 lbs. for use as missiles. Any stone lighter than 15 lbs. is dismissed as too insignificant to cause serious harm. Their throwing range extends 3-15 hexes for short range, 16-24 for medium range and 25-33 for long range. Upon impact, these boulders inflict 3-30 damage against living creatures, while also dealing siege damage to fortifications and structures, making them formidable adversaries against both armies and settlements alike.
Interrelations
Often, stone giants have proven themselves friendly and helpful to smaller folk, acting as guides and protectors in the untamed wilderness. They have been known to lead lost explorers and adventurers to safety, using their deep knowledge of the land to navigate treacherous mountains, dense forests and icy rivers. Despite their imposing size and strength, they do not seek conflict with humanoids unless provoked or if they perceive a threat to their territory or the natural world.
Some travelers and traders speak of stone giants offering shelter in the harshest conditions, carving rudimentary shelters into cliffsides or moving fallen trees and boulders to clear paths for stranded wanderers. However, their goodwill is not unconditional; those who despoil the land, hunt recklessly or disrespect their ways may find themselves swiftly and decisively cast out — or worse, on the receiving end of a stone giant's unmatched physical might.
See Bestiary