What have you done with the Giants of Xen'drik? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

What have you done with the Giants of Xen'drik?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
naturax
Apr 15, 2008 12:58:03 I'm very interested in hearing what other people have done with the giants of Xen'drik. How have you portrayed them? Have you stuck to what has been written about them in SoX or done something different? What role did they play in your games? Any NPCs you are particularly proud of?

Anything you are willing to share will help me out a lot. Thanks!
#2
garnathfrostmantle
Apr 17, 2008 10:02:28 What I've done with the Giants in my game is kind of on the lines with SoX.
They are more barbaric and not so "magical". Kind of a de-evolve. But there is a core group or 'tribe' in the middle of Xendrik that "work" and are heavly influenced by the dragons of Argonnessen. They work twords the prophecy and are being trained and reeducated to the status they once held.

They are also being prepaired to help my heros stop an incoming Quori inspired invasion of Sharn from Sarlona.

----
Another freind of mine in his game ran where the giants and all giant decendents have been eraticated from the earth.
----
This was in a game that went epic but I had a reacurring NPC of a giant Lich named the as the "Conqueror". Former ruler of the giant socity. He slept for 100s of years after the extinction of the race, and when he woke he wanted to retake of the "slaves" that rebelled.. . . The heros did foil that and pushed him through a gateway to the dreaming dark. So he is there stuck with Quori. He has a whole new mess of problems. But he was able to take an adventure out in the process of his banishment.
#3
Edymnion
Apr 17, 2008 15:52:36 I run the standard MM giants across most of the continent with varying levels of culture, where the original race was fragmented and warped by the extreme environments and magics that twist Xen'Drik like a pretzel.

The original giant race I made a single race, the Eldritch Giant (from MM3 I think it was). There's still a lost city of them, underground, under one of the mountain ranges in my game, sort of like Shengrala with all their power and abilities still comperable to the old days, but its never come up before.
#4
larry_the_titan
Apr 17, 2008 19:05:19
The original giant race I made a single race, the Eldritch Giant (from MM3 I think it was). There's still a lost city of them, underground, under one of the mountain ranges in my game, sort of like Shengrala with all their power and abilities still comperable to the old days, but its never come up before.

Sure hope the players in your game don't start turning over random rocks.

:: Poof!!!! Its an extremely powerful Eldritch Giant.::
#5
dsivis
Apr 18, 2008 12:35:56 I was vaguely inspired by the Giants in Arcana Evolved, with a LA+0 playable race available...

XEN'DRIK GIANTS

Wander the continent in family to tribe-sized groups, occaisionally settling into ruins or underground complexes. Will generally attack Elves on sight, but might stand to reason with others, particularly those willing to offer up information on hostile groups. Artifact hunters will be shown no mercy. More settled in southern parts of the continent around ceremonial centers associated with ancient secret societies of warriors and spellcasters. These socities' most promising members partake in ceremonies that tap into various aspects of the giants' nature and the land itself, allowing the subject to grow in size and assume a mystic nature connected with particular planes and substances.

In turn, transformed members of these societies are sent north to recruit from the primitive tribes and advance their agendas. Those who return in failure are transformed once again as punishment, their strength and intellects atrophied to savage levels to act as crude gaurdians or menial labor.

RACIAL TRAITS
+2 STR -2 DEX
Giant type
Medium Size
30 ft. speed
+1 Natural Armor
+2 on Survival, Sense Motive and Intimidate checks.
Automatic Languages: Giant and Common
Bonus Languages: Aquan, Auran, Elven, Ignan, Terran, Undercommon

Cloud Giant (17): The artisans among the cabals, they can prove capricious and unpredictable but are consistently talented and sought after.

Fire Giant (15): Transitory in nature, they wander between the steaming jungles and scorching deserts, laying waste to anything that crosses their path. Although they carry themselves as an elite order of warriors, they act more like supernaturally-empowered bullies than anything else.

Frost Giant (14): They generally keep to the mountains, herding mammoths and other enormous livestock while crafting and selling weapons and armor of various quality to the other cabals. Due to the scarcity of iron and other metals in the jungles, their near-dominance of their services has made them cruel and haughty towards all outsiders.

Hill Giant (12): The more common punishment form; used as arrow-fodder and menial laborers for most cabals. Some escape and live as savages in many areas.

Stone Giant (14): Protectors of Xen'drik's natural wonders alongside the Forest Giants, they also sometimes act as intermediaries between groups of giants. Utterly intolerant of those who disrupt their work - especially when other cabals are responsible.

Storm Giant (19): These rarest of giants oversee the other cabals in order to prevent their rampages and machinations from damaging their race or homeland as it was torn apart during the Quori wars and Elven liberation.

Swamp Giant: Transformed into this form by various cabals to work in semi-aquatic or aquatic environments to protect partially-submerged sites and occaisionally rebuild them.

Fomorian: For the lowest of the low - those giants whose crimes are too heinous for exile or even execution are turned into these misshapen brutes, tasked with truly miserable labor. Some of their intellect is retained - the better to contemplate their failings.

Mountain Giant: These inhabit the deepest inland region of Xen'drik and are rarely seen except when hired for their destructive capacity by one cabal set against another.

Ocean Giant: Mostly isolationist, they inhabit the large lakes and rivers as well as the eastern coasts of Xen'drik. Entirely nomadic, they keep to themselves except during rare incursions against intruders to their wide territories, usually sahuagin.

Shadow Giant: This cabal inhabits ruins in shallow Khyber beneath Xen'drik and possibly Argonessen. They care not for their methods in discovering the wealth of the depths and frequently enslave weaker residents to serve various purposes.

Forest Giant: These are the silent watchers of the jungle, constantly working to observe the new arrivals from Khorvaire while keeping lookout against Drow tribes on the move.

Sun Giant: Seekers of ruins buried beneath the sands of Xen'drik's interior deserts, they live a life on the edge gaurding against other giants, drow and thri-kreen. Always on the lookout for something new, they will often eagerly converse with friendly travelers willing to share discoveries.

Death Giant: The truly sinister among giant-kind, Death Giants are too overtly evil to actively recruit like the other cabals - they can only kidnap young from tribal bands, granting the children their dark heritage through the sacrifice of all the adults of that tribe. The influx of negative energy grants them their power - and hatred of all that is good.

Eldritch Giant: Ostensibly the inheritors to their fallen civilization's arcane legacy, these most proud and haughty of giants protect what remains of their greatest artifacts - and constantly scheme amongst each other to find (and someday create) more. Little more than a legend to frighten drow children, so distant and secretive is this cabal.

Sand Giant: Followers in the wake of the Sun Giants, they protect what their larger brethren uncover. Honorable, yet harsh warriors who adhere to their duties through toughness and strength of ancestral arms.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 naturax Apr 15, 2008 12:58:03	I'm very interested in hearing what other people have done with the giants of Xen'drik. How have you portrayed them? Have you stuck to what has been written about them in SoX or done something different? What role did they play in your games? Any NPCs you are particularly proud of? Anything you are willing to share will help me out a lot. Thanks!
#2 garnathfrostmantle Apr 17, 2008 10:02:28	What I've done with the Giants in my game is kind of on the lines with SoX. They are more barbaric and not so "magical". Kind of a de-evolve. But there is a core group or 'tribe' in the middle of Xendrik that "work" and are heavly influenced by the dragons of Argonnessen. They work twords the prophecy and are being trained and reeducated to the status they once held. They are also being prepaired to help my heros stop an incoming Quori inspired invasion of Sharn from Sarlona. ---- Another freind of mine in his game ran where the giants and all giant decendents have been eraticated from the earth. ---- This was in a game that went epic but I had a reacurring NPC of a giant Lich named the as the "Conqueror". Former ruler of the giant socity. He slept for 100s of years after the extinction of the race, and when he woke he wanted to retake of the "slaves" that rebelled.. . . The heros did foil that and pushed him through a gateway to the dreaming dark. So he is there stuck with Quori. He has a whole new mess of problems. But he was able to take an adventure out in the process of his banishment.
#3 Edymnion Apr 17, 2008 15:52:36	I run the standard MM giants across most of the continent with varying levels of culture, where the original race was fragmented and warped by the extreme environments and magics that twist Xen'Drik like a pretzel. The original giant race I made a single race, the Eldritch Giant (from MM3 I think it was). There's still a lost city of them, underground, under one of the mountain ranges in my game, sort of like Shengrala with all their power and abilities still comperable to the old days, but its never come up before.
#4 larry_the_titan Apr 17, 2008 19:05:19	The original giant race I made a single race, the Eldritch Giant (from MM3 I think it was). There's still a lost city of them, underground, under one of the mountain ranges in my game, sort of like Shengrala with all their power and abilities still comperable to the old days, but its never come up before. Sure hope the players in your game don't start turning over random rocks. :: Poof!!!! Its an extremely powerful Eldritch Giant.::
#5 dsivis Apr 18, 2008 12:35:56	I was vaguely inspired by the Giants in Arcana Evolved, with a LA+0 playable race available... XEN'DRIK GIANTS Wander the continent in family to tribe-sized groups, occaisionally settling into ruins or underground complexes. Will generally attack Elves on sight, but might stand to reason with others, particularly those willing to offer up information on hostile groups. Artifact hunters will be shown no mercy. More settled in southern parts of the continent around ceremonial centers associated with ancient secret societies of warriors and spellcasters. These socities' most promising members partake in ceremonies that tap into various aspects of the giants' nature and the land itself, allowing the subject to grow in size and assume a mystic nature connected with particular planes and substances. In turn, transformed members of these societies are sent north to recruit from the primitive tribes and advance their agendas. Those who return in failure are transformed once again as punishment, their strength and intellects atrophied to savage levels to act as crude gaurdians or menial labor. RACIAL TRAITS +2 STR -2 DEX Giant type Medium Size 30 ft. speed +1 Natural Armor +2 on Survival, Sense Motive and Intimidate checks. Automatic Languages: Giant and Common Bonus Languages: Aquan, Auran, Elven, Ignan, Terran, Undercommon Cloud Giant (17): The artisans among the cabals, they can prove capricious and unpredictable but are consistently talented and sought after. Fire Giant (15): Transitory in nature, they wander between the steaming jungles and scorching deserts, laying waste to anything that crosses their path. Although they carry themselves as an elite order of warriors, they act more like supernaturally-empowered bullies than anything else. Frost Giant (14): They generally keep to the mountains, herding mammoths and other enormous livestock while crafting and selling weapons and armor of various quality to the other cabals. Due to the scarcity of iron and other metals in the jungles, their near-dominance of their services has made them cruel and haughty towards all outsiders. Hill Giant (12): The more common punishment form; used as arrow-fodder and menial laborers for most cabals. Some escape and live as savages in many areas. Stone Giant (14): Protectors of Xen'drik's natural wonders alongside the Forest Giants, they also sometimes act as intermediaries between groups of giants. Utterly intolerant of those who disrupt their work - especially when other cabals are responsible. Storm Giant (19): These rarest of giants oversee the other cabals in order to prevent their rampages and machinations from damaging their race or homeland as it was torn apart during the Quori wars and Elven liberation. Swamp Giant: Transformed into this form by various cabals to work in semi-aquatic or aquatic environments to protect partially-submerged sites and occaisionally rebuild them. Fomorian: For the lowest of the low - those giants whose crimes are too heinous for exile or even execution are turned into these misshapen brutes, tasked with truly miserable labor. Some of their intellect is retained - the better to contemplate their failings. Mountain Giant: These inhabit the deepest inland region of Xen'drik and are rarely seen except when hired for their destructive capacity by one cabal set against another. Ocean Giant: Mostly isolationist, they inhabit the large lakes and rivers as well as the eastern coasts of Xen'drik. Entirely nomadic, they keep to themselves except during rare incursions against intruders to their wide territories, usually sahuagin. Shadow Giant: This cabal inhabits ruins in shallow Khyber beneath Xen'drik and possibly Argonessen. They care not for their methods in discovering the wealth of the depths and frequently enslave weaker residents to serve various purposes. Forest Giant: These are the silent watchers of the jungle, constantly working to observe the new arrivals from Khorvaire while keeping lookout against Drow tribes on the move. Sun Giant: Seekers of ruins buried beneath the sands of Xen'drik's interior deserts, they live a life on the edge gaurding against other giants, drow and thri-kreen. Always on the lookout for something new, they will often eagerly converse with friendly travelers willing to share discoveries. Death Giant: The truly sinister among giant-kind, Death Giants are too overtly evil to actively recruit like the other cabals - they can only kidnap young from tribal bands, granting the children their dark heritage through the sacrifice of all the adults of that tribe. The influx of negative energy grants them their power - and hatred of all that is good. Eldritch Giant: Ostensibly the inheritors to their fallen civilization's arcane legacy, these most proud and haughty of giants protect what remains of their greatest artifacts - and constantly scheme amongst each other to find (and someday create) more. Little more than a legend to frighten drow children, so distant and secretive is this cabal. Sand Giant: Followers in the wake of the Sun Giants, they protect what their larger brethren uncover. Honorable, yet harsh warriors who adhere to their duties through toughness and strength of ancestral arms.