Half-Giants
During the Age of Legends, hill giants lived in large towns and villages around the southern highlands of the central continent. For many generations they hunted and farmed this land in relative peace with the other races whom dwelt nearby. However during the mage war, hill giants were conscripted into the elven war machine for their great strength and fortitude. When Ishtar fell, the cataclysm destroyed the giant homeland and left them leaderless.
The refugees mostly fled into the wilds, using their physical gifts to survive as nomads; traveling in pairs or small groups. Though not all chose to take this path, as some of the giants chose instead to dwell among the more welcoming kingdoms of humans. There they found acceptance and purpose serving mainly as farmhands or labourers. In time most began to intermix among the humans, which in turn gave rise to Half-Giants.
Physical Description: Half-Giants still possess much of the size and imposing stature of their forefathers; towering over even male orcs. They tend to have broad, flat features, thick coarse hair, and thick leathery skin. They tend towards simple garb, though Half-Giant females take great pride in their intricate braids that can reach several feet in length.
Society: Half-Giants are a scattered people, who dwell mainly in small families or suburbs within other civilisations; as such they often adopt the culture of their homeland. This being said, many half-giants have a strong sense of loyalty and honesty. They also often share a love of decorating their home with art and have an appreciation of craftsmanship. Most Half-Giants will spend much of the wages they earn on well-fitting dwarven furniture or intricate ratfolk carpets for their home.
Relations: Half-Giants tend to assimilate into the regions and cultures where they settle, though often choose to do so chiefly with humans. They share a mutual bond with others who feel displaced, such as the halflings, and will go out of their way to make outsiders feel welcome. The most rocky relationship they share with the elves; perhaps even more than dwarves, they still share an age old distrust for past sins.
Alignment and Religion: Most Half-Giants are slow to anger and share a love of the natural world. This pushes many of them towards neutral and chaotic alignments. Though some who find themselves unable to forgive what was done to their people may find themselves a life of anger and mistrust.
Adventurers: Half-Giants may choose to adventure to seek out new horizons like their more nomadic kin; or perhaps out of a sense of loyalty and camaraderie to those they travel with. Half-Giants often have been called to adventure to protect those they care for.
Table: Random Starting Ages
Intuitive includes: barbarians, oracles, rogues, and sorcerers
Self Taught includes: bards, cavaliers, fighters, gunslingers, paladins, rangers, summoners, and witches.
Trained includes: alchemists, clerics, druids, inquisitors, magi, monks, and wizards
Table: Random Starting Heights & Weights
Standard Racial Traits
Ability Score Modifiers: +2 Strength, +2 Constitution, –2 Intelligence: Half-giants are tough and strong, but not too smart.
Size: Half-giants are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Type: Half-giants count as both human and humanoid (giant) for any effect related to race.
Speed: Half-giants have a base speed of 30 feet.
Vision: Half-giants have low-light vision (they can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.) See Vision and Light for details.
Languages: Half-giants begin play speaking Common. Half-giants with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Giant, Sylvan, Orc, and Elven
Powerful Build: The physical stature of half-giants lets them function in many ways as if they were one size category larger. Whenever a half-giant is subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for a Combat Maneuver Bonus or Combat Maneuver Defense (such as during grapple checks, bull rush attempts, and trip attempts), the half-giant is treated as one size larger if doing so is advantageous to him. A half-giant is also considered to be one size larger when determining whether a creature’s special attacks based on size (such as grab or swallow whole) can affect him. A half-giant can use weapons designed for a creature one size larger without penalty. However, his space and reach remain those of a creature of his actual size. The benefts of this racial trait stack with the effects of powers, abilities, and spells that change the subject’s size category.
Clumsy: Half-Giants have long thick limbs; finding it difficult to move nimbly or silently. Half-Giants take a -2 racial penalty on acrobatics and stealth checks.
Survivor: Half-giants gain a +2 racial bonus to Survival checks.
Healthy: Half-Giants gain a +4 bonus on Fortitude saves against disease and poison, including magical diseases.
Tough Skin: Giant-blooded have skin more akin to the hide of oxen, granting them a +1 natural armor bonus.
Alternate Racial Traits
Heart of the Hills: You grew up near the hills and Mountains as your ancestors once did, and find traveling its heights easy, +2 to Climb checks & checks made to avoid nonlethal damage from a forced march this replaces Survivor
Earth Bonded: Some Half-Giant’s affinity for the earth grants them greater powers. Half-Giants with this racial trait are treated as one level higher when casting spells with the earth descriptor or using granted powers of the Earth domain, the bloodline powers of the deep earth bloodline or earth elemental bloodline, and revelations of the oracle’s stone mystery. This ability does not give them early access to level-based powers; it only affects the powers they could use without this ability. This racial trait replaces Tough Skin.
Rock Thrower: Members of this race are accomplished rock throwers and gain a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls with thrown rocks. A member of this race can hurl rocks up to two categories smaller than its size. A “rock” is any large, bulky, and relatively regularly shaped object made of any material with a hardness of at least 5. A thrown rock has a range increment of 120 feet. The creature can hurl the rock up to five range increments. Damage from a thrown rock is 2d6 plus 1-1/2 times the throwing creature’s Strength bonus. This replaces Healthy & Though Skin
Gentle: -1 penalty to Damage & Intimidate, this replaces Clumsy
Craftsman: Members of this race gain a +2 racial bonus on all Craft & Profession checks to create objects of metal or stone. This replaces Survivor.
Ancient Craftsmanship: Some Half-Giants inherit the masterful and almost otherworldly skill of craftsmanship from their ancestors. You get a +2 racial bonus to a Craft of your choice, and Craft is always a class skill for you. Additionally you gain an item creation feat of your choice. This replaces the Powerful Build racial trait.
Small Grudge: Giants were often prodded by their small neighbors the Halflings, while this is mostly ancient History, there are still some who maintain old anonymities. You gain a +1 trait bonus to Attack and and Damage vs Humanoid (Halflings). This ability replaces Survivor
Thick Skull: Half-Giants are creatures of simple intents, this can sometimes make them harder to sway. They Gain a +4 bonus on will saves vs Charm & Compulsion effects. This replaces Healthy
Favoured Class Options
Alchemist: Add +5ft/4 to the distance bombs can be thrown (increase only once a full 5ft increment is aquired)
Antipaladin: Add +1 foot to the size of all the Antipaladin’s aura class features. This option has no effect unless the Antipaladin has selected it 5 times (or another increment of 5); an aura of 14 feet is effectively the same as a 10-foot aura, for example.
Arcanist: Add one spell from the arcanist spell list to the arcanist’s spellbook. The spell must be at least 1 spell level below the highest level the arcanist can cast.
Barbarian: Add +1 to the barbarian’s total number of rage rounds per day
Bard: Add +1 to the bard’s total number of bardic performance rounds per day.
Bloodrager: Increase the bloodrager’s total number of bloodrage rounds per day by 1.
Brawler: Reduce the hardness of any object made from clay, stone, or metal by 1 whenever the object is struck by the brawler’s unarmed strike (minimum 0)
Cavalier: Add +1 Str to the Cavalier's Mount for the purpose of determining Carrying capacity
Cleric: Select one domain power granted at 1st level that is normally usable a number of times per day equal to 3 + the cleric’s Wisdom modifier. The cleric adds +½ to the number of uses per day of that domain power.
Druid: Add a +1/2 bonus on Diplomacy and Intimidate checks to change a creature’s attitude.
Fighter: Add +1 to the fighter’s CMD when resisting a grapple or Overrun attempt.
Gunslinger: Add +1/4 point to the gunslinger’s grit points.
Hellknight: Add +1 foot to the size of all the Hellknights aura class features. This option has no effect unless the Hellknight has selected it 5 times (or another increment of 5); an aura of 14 feet is effectively the same as a 10-foot aura, for example.
Hunter: Add 1 hit point to the hunter’s animal companion. If the hunter replaces his animal companion, the new animal companion gains these bonus hit points.
Inquisitor: Add +½ on Intimidate checks and Knowledge checks to identify creatures.
Investigator: Add one extract formula from the investigator’s formula list to the formula book. This formula must be at least 1 formula level below the highest level the investigator can create.
Magus: Add +1/4 point to the magus’ arcane pool.
Monk: Add +1 to the monk’s CMD when resisting a grapple and +½ to the number of stunning attack attempts per day.
Oracle: Add one spell known from the oracle spell list. This spell must be at least one level below the highest spell level the oracle can cast.
Paladin: Add +1 foot to the size of all the paladin’s aura class features. This option has no effect unless the paladin has selected it 5 times (or another increment of 5); an aura of 14 feet is effectively the same as a 10-foot aura, for example.
Ranger: Add 1 hit point to the Ranger’s animal companion. If the Ranger replaces his animal companion, the new animal companion gains these bonus hit points.
Rogue: Add a +½ bonus on Disable Device checks regarding stone traps and a +½ bonus to trap sense regarding stone traps.
Shaman: Add one spell from the cleric spell list that isn’t on the shaman spell list to the list of spells the shaman knows. This spell must be at least 1 level below the highest spell level the shaman can cast.
Shifter: Add 1/5 to the damage dealt when using the shifter claws ability.
Skald: Add one spell from the skald’s spell list to the skald’s known spells. This spell must be at least 1 spell level below the highest level the skald can cast.
Slayer: Increase the studied target bonus on Perception and Survival checks by ¼. When the slayer gains the stalker class feature, the slayer also gains this increase to the studied target bonus on Stealth checks.
Sorcerer: Add +½ to acid and earth spell or spell-like ability damage
Summoner: Add +1 hit point to the summoner’s eidolon.
Swashbuckler: Increase the total number of points in the swashbuckler’s panache pool by 1/4.
Vigilante: Add 1/2 to the DC increase from unshakable
Warpriest: Add ½ to the number of times per day the warpriest can use blessings, but he can use these additional blessings on only those from the Animal, Artifice, Community, Earth, or Strength domains.
Witch: Add one spell from the witch spell list to the witch’s familiar. This spell must be at least one level below the highest spell level she can cast. If the witch ever replaces her familiar, the new familiar knows these bonus spells.
Wizard: When casting wizard enchantment spells, add +1/2 to the effective caster level of the spell, but only to determine the spell’s Range.