Giant (Dungeons & Dragons)

Infobox D&D creature


caption=A frost giant on the cover of "Frostburn".
name=Giant
alignment=Varies by type
type=Giant
subtype=
source=
first=
mythical=Giant
Jotun
based=
wizards_image_URL=http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/MM35_gallery/MM35_PG123.jpg
OGL_stats_URL=http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/sovelior_sage/monstersG.html#giant

In the "Dungeons & Dragons" fantasy role-playing game, giant is a type of creature, or "creature type." Giants are humanoid-shaped creatures of great strength and size.

Description

All giants have low-light vision. As a group, they have no other special abilities or immunities.

Dwarves have a bonus to their armor class against attacks from creatures of the giant type, due to their experience with fighting these oversized foes.

True giants

There are six types of classic "true giant" in the core "Dungeons & Dragons" game:

*Cloud Giant: A giant race that believes itself superior to all other giants (save for storm giants). Usually neutral good or neutral evil.
*Fire giant: A militaristic giant that looks somewhat like a huge dwarf. Based on Jotun and Surtr. Usually lawful evil.
*Frost giant: A giant who lives in areas frozen year-round and participates in raids. Based on rime (frost) giant. Usually chaotic evil.
*Hill giant: A selfish giant inhabiting hilly regions. Usually chaotic evil.
*Stone giant: A shy giant that is nevertheless dangerous when aroused to anger. Usually neutral.
*Storm giant: A gentle giant that lives mainly on cloud islands. Usually chaotic good.

Other Dungeons & Dragons creatures of the giant type

*Cyclops
*Ettin
*Firbolg
*Fomorian
*Ogre
*Troll

Giants beyond the "Monster Manual"

*Craa'Ghoran Giant: Rare stone giant offshoots created when earth elemental energy warped and twisted their ancestors. They can glide and walk right through stone like Earth Elementals and raise walls of stone from the ground with their supernatural powers. They resemble tanned, bestial and deformed versions of stone giants.
* Desert giant
* Death giant
* Eldritch giant: Powerful scions of arcane lore, these ancient giants spend their years seeking out fragments of knowledge. Though selfish and cruel, they are smart enough to bargain fairly when they must and perceptive enough to know that open conflict distracts them from their studies. They hate Storm Giants, though they are too involved with their pursuit of magical power to bother fighting other creatures. Eldritch Giants resemble burly but serious and wise looking Storm Giants. They have purple skin. This skin is covered with tattoos and runes. Unlike most giants, they are quite good and capable of casting spells and other magic.
*Fog giantWyatt, James and Rob Heinsoo. "Monstrous Compendium: Monsters of Faerun" (Wizards of the Coast, 2001).]
*Forest Giant: An elfin giant that is amongst the tallest species of giant.
*Jungle giant
*Mountain Giant: A brute that is amongst the largest species of giant, and loves to squash people under boulders.
*Ocean Giant: A merfolk-like giant that can assume a more humanoid form to walk on land.
*Phaerlin Giant
*Reef giant
*Sand giant
*Sun Giant: A grim, nomadic desert-dwelling giant that survives by raising livestock.
*Other giants: When turned to life as incarnate constructs, Large sized or larger artificial humanoids, such as golems, are defined as giants.

See also

* Giant-kin

References

* Bonny, Ed, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, Skip Williams, and Steve Winter. "Monster Manual II" (Wizards of the Coast, 2002).
* Eckelberry, David, Rich Redman, and Jennifer Clarke Wilkes. "Savage Species" (Wizards of the Coast, 2003)
* Williams, Skip, Jonathan Tweet, and Monte Cook. "Monster Manual" (Wizards of the Coast, 2000).