Gigas (3.5e Race)

Gigas
Summary::The weakest of giantkind, they are also the most prosperous of them all. Having originally been a result of half-breed which resulted in the half-giant race, gigas (plural gigantes) instead went on a different evolutionary path, keeping their unusual size while forgoing things such as psionic power.

Personality
Gigas vary in personality greatly, but due to their social living arangements, they are almost always loners. In groups, they often feel crowded, and an actual city gives them a crushing sense of claustrophobia. For a gigas, each family is a city all in itself. A father, mother, and children make up a "city", with a gigas living solo and on his own whenever he decides to "leave the nest". A gigas found upon the road in travel is often one who has just left home in search of their own land, or one looking for a mate, having heard of no gigantes anywhere close. Many a gigas adventurer started out simply as an attempt to settle down, only to be caught up in some unusual business.

Within the family, all those of age are expected to help out with some part of living. The natural cunning of the gigas often ends up creating various tools to help ease what would normally be a heavy workload, even if they have had no formal experience with machines. Because they are often seperated from civilization, gigantes "technology" does not often advance beyond the surprisingly sophisticated but otherwise primatively forged machines, giving the gigas a bad rep concerning their intelligence. In truth, they are as smart as any human, simply niave.

Physical Description
Gigas appear as oversized humans, somewhat thicker and more muscled, as if someone enlarged a dwarf. Men tend to more lion-mane type beards, but the race as a whole is not predisposed to hair and many are in fact bald. They range anywhere from 8 to 10 feet tall, with broad flat faces and large and tough feet. Mountain dwelling gigantes have taken on lighter skin tones with long hair, while those in the plains and deserts have darker skin, shorter hair, and piercing eyes. Traditional clothing is loose and vaguely persian in design, with ribbons and bits of jewelry, and giant hoods in times of strong sunlight. Leathers and hides are frequently dyed all manner of unreal colors, with various patterns scribed upon them.

Relations
Gigantes seem xenophobic and shy to others, as they live lives in small communities, or by themselves, marking out a plot of land as their own. The idea of having homes as close together as most human homes are is stifling and poor living conditions. Their need for large tracts of land, their mistrust of others, and their giant size has brought conflict between humanoids and gigantes in the past. Recent events have been more accepting of the gigantes, who is not inherently violent... no more so than a human. A few successful deals have been made, with a gigas helping others with heavy labor in exchange for goods, trade, and workers who tend to fields. Many such civilized gigantes run successful mass farming operations, while using their own devices to help aid the process.

Alignment
Gigantes can be of any alignment, but life tends to award those who temper their beliefs. As such, many gigantes are neutral aligned.

Lands
The gigantes live largely in the hills and mountains near deserts, and rarely upon open plains. They seem well suited for deserts, and they stay out of swamps and forests, where the ground does not support them, and the trees block their passage. When in the mountains they enjoy the company of dwarves... while not crafters in the strictest sense, gigantes seem to have a natural knack of generating Rube Goldberg levels of machines... be it something obvious as a windmill made of logs and stones, to as complex as setting up an ecosystem in the backyard where natural fauna end up cleaning waste, and attracting prey for dinner. This craftmaking potentials with all things fluid and in motion gives them a common ground with their short brethern.

Religion
Gigantes have by and large become agnostic, choosing to worship elemental forces and primal concepts than any god. Those who do worship are usually driven by person-specific motives, and thus they vary wildly.

Language
Gigantes speak Common and Giant.

Names
A typical gigas name emphasizes sounds which sound thunderous or drumming, with repeated sounds such as Humbaba, Thordoru, and Ravana.

Racial Traits

 * ,, , , :  Big, strong, and tough, their large bodies react slower than the nimble humans, and their sheltered life and general behavior leaves them socially hampered and limited in knowledge.
 * Type::Giant: Gigas are giants distantly related to half-giants.  Their subtle connection allows them to qualify as a half-giant for any racial feats or classes, when applicable.
 * Size::Large: As a Large creature, a gigas takes a -1 size penalty to Armor Class, a -1 size penalty on attack rolls, and a -4 size bonus on Hide checks, but he uses larger weapons than humans use, and his lifting and carrying limits are twice of those of a Medium character.  They have a space and reach of 10 ft.
 * Gigas base land speed is 20 feet. However, gigantes can move at this speed even when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load (unlike other creatures, whose speed is reduced in such situations).
 * Stability: A gigas gains a +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground (but not when climbing, flying, riding, or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground).
 * Slow to Act (Ex): The gigantes nervous system seems to run a tad slower than humans, resulting in a -2 initiative penalty. However, this does help them resist pain.  They gain a +2 bonus on saving throws related to any spell or effect based on pain.
 * Gigas have a mechanical cunning, working with even simple tools. They recieve a +2 bonus on Craft checks.  The bonus rises to +4 if the creation is a trap or has moving parts.
 * Claustrophobic: Whenever a gigas is flanked by two or more opponents, they take a -1 morale penalty on saving throws.
 * Automatic Languages: Common and Giant.
 * Bonus Languages: Draconic, Dwarven, Goblin, Ignan, Orc, Terran, and Undercommon.
 * Favored Class:
 * Level Adjustment: +Level Adjustment::0
 * Effective Character Level: Effective Character Level::1