Giantkin (3.5e Race)

=Giantkin=

Summary::A Tome-Style race for level-appropriate Giants at all levels.

Personality
Giantkin form close-knit social structures, within and interacting with the societies of other humanoids and giants. As a group, they are adaptable due to the variety of giant heritages they hold; as individuals, though, they tend to specialize and have one specific focus. They enjoy rowdy sport and quiet contemplation in equal measure, and are quick to be roused to action.

Physical Description
Giantkin are the degenerate descendants of giants, reduced in stature to that of mortals, with whom they live and intermarry. The offspring of such relations are, themselves, almost always giantkin.

Giantkin, on average, are somewhat taller and heavier than the average human, with males averaging about 6'8" and 230 pounds and females averaging 6'5" and 205 pounds. Both sexes are well-muscled. Their skin and hair colors vary with their descent: ranging from ashen skin and red hair (fire) to blue-white skin and silver hair (frost) to light green skin and deep green hair (storm), or to the colors of stone and cloud giants. However, giantkin also have a mortal heritage, which usually draws their skin a bit toward some shade of brown or tan, which can be pale or deep. Giantkin of mixed descent on their giant side are not uncommon, and tend to slightly favor one side over the other.

Relations
Giantkin tend to integrate themselves well into any society that will take them, and so get along with some human societies. Dwarves sometimes treat giantkin as giants, but other dwarves accept the giantkin into their societies or as allies. Gnomes act similarly to dwarves, except that they seldom run a nonviolent giantkin out of their homes, instead expressing their displeasure through increasingly cruel pranks. Halflings are the most accepting, eagerly taking giantkin into their societies.

Among the savage humanoids, hobgoblins and bugbears get along the best with giantkin, taking them in as mercenaries quite frequently. Orcs and common goblins often fight with giantkin to test their strength, and kobolds seldom accept any that large into their warrens.

Giantkin and true giants likewise have a varied relationship. To many giants, giantkin are a disowned branch of the family tree, not worthy of meeting with the true giants unless they can prove themselves. To other giants, a giantkin of sufficient deference can be accepted into their homes and societies.

Alignment
Giantkin tend toward Lawful alignments; within their groups, your ability to trust the words of another is paramount. They are distributed across Good and Evil in much the same way as mortals are.

Lands
In unsettled areas, whether near a society that will not take a giantkin population or on the outskirts of an expanding allied society, giantkin often found their own homes, usually in some form of dangerous wilderness. Typically a giantkin home is tightly-packed, with the entire society a few hours walk, at most, from some kind of stronghold, from which the giantkin warriors patrol. These homes often connect to allies nearby, whether other giantkin or other races, and are able to call on help if needed.

Language
Giantkin speak Common; their generations of exposure to mortal societies have all but taken Giant from them. Many giantkin, however, do study Giant, and entire societies of giantkin speak Giant as a primary language instead of Common.

Names
Giantkin are typically named in Giant. A giantkin typically has both a given name and a clan name. At adulthood, they are also often given a heroic name by the head of their clan or by their priest. giantkin clans are patrilineal, and are named by their founders, usually with words in Giant. A few clans can trace their lineage back to the full giants. A giantkin's heroic name is the given name of a past great hero of their clan, usually not the founder unless the clan is very young, whom the giantkin is expected to emulate. Living heroes are seldom used, with the exception of those who have ascended to immortality and left their clan behind. A young clan might have a total of three or four heroic names, while the oldest clans have over two dozen. Scholarly giantkin often track what the heroic names of past heroes are, drawing lines of descent for the accomplishments of a single heroic name.

Racial Traits

 * ,, : Giantkin are strong and hardy, but their large size can be unwieldy at times.
 * (Giantkin)
 * : As medium-sized creatures, giantkin have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size
 * Giantkin base land speed is 30 feet.
 * Giant-Blooded (Ex): Giantkin count as Giants for any effect relating to race or type. They also count as their actual type (Humanoid).
 * Low-Light Vision (Ex): Giantkin see twice as far as humans in cases of poor illumination, such as moonlight, starlight, or torchlight.
 * Rock Throwing (Ex): Giantkin have their giant ancestors' talent for throwing rocks. This allows them to throw appropriately-sized rocks for 1d6 damage at a 40' range increment, or two-handed rocks for 1d8 damage at the same increment. This range increment increases 20' for every step of size increase, and damage increases normally at increased size. They also gain +1 to hit with all thrown weapons, and +10' to the range increment of all thrown weapons except for their rocks.
 * +2 to Constitution checks to survive weather, exhaustion, starvation, or thirst. Giantkin are extraordinarily hardy.
 * -2 penalty to Sense Motive checks. Giantkin are trusting around each other, and this extends to outsiders even if they don't deserve it.
 * Feat Qualifications: Giantkin count as Fiends for purposes of taking the Large Size and Huge Size feats. They do not count as Fiends for any other purpose, nor do they gain Fiendish Taint for taking those feats.
 * Automatic Languages: Common.
 * Bonus Languages: Auran, Draconic, Dwarven, Giant, Goblin, Ignan, Orc, Sylvan, Terran.
 * Favored Class: and Favored Class::Elementalist.
 * Level Adjustment: +Level Adjustment::0
 * Effective Character Level: Effective Character Level::1

Adaptation
In games that use a lower balance point than the Tomes do, giantkin may deserve a +1 Level Adjustment if being used in a warrior or gish build due to their being taller than humans, having unbalanced stat adjustments, and thrown weapon aptitude. None of these benefit a caster build, and so a giantkin spellcaster (except for possibly a Cleric) should probably not be level adjusted.

If the suggested favored classes are not available, the Player's Handbook II Knight or the Tome of Battle Warblade are acceptable substitutes for Knight; if all else fails, use Fighter. If the Tome Elementalist class is unavailable for any reason, such as its author having left its spell list unfinished for three years, Sorcerer is an acceptable substitute.

Related Links

 * Giantkin Paragon Class