Copyright 2008 Wizards of the Coast

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Fire giants make up the final members of the “Against the Giants” trio. Like their frosty cousins they’re inspired by Norse mythology, but their D&D incarnation is a lot less viking-ish. They’re present on both books.

The Lore

Fire giants have legendary reputations as builders and metalworkers, which makes sense since every object usable by a fire giant has to be made of heat-resistant metal or stone. They live in castles and fortified cities build around (and atop, and under) active volcanoes or other sources of heat and magma.

These giants pine more strongly for their ancient glory days than most of their kin, and engage in active empire-building instead of settling for simple raiding. They make ample use of slaves, chief among which are the azer descended from dwarves that didn’t manage to break free from them. They’ll enslave other peoples just as readily though.

While still members of Team Primordial fire giants are typically Evil, probably reflecting their more organized approach to life.

The Numbers

Fire giants are Large Elemental Humanoids with the Giant keyword, and their titan bosses are Huge. They have 15 resistance resistance to fire, with titans being more resistant. Like other giants their land speed is 8. Both fire giants and titans have a typical Int score of 10.

They’re stronger than frost giants, but not by much. You can consider both types to be evenly matched.

Fire Giant Flamecrusher (MV)

This is a Level 17 Brute with 204 HP and all common traits outlined above. It fights with a Searing Maul (Melee 2 vs. AC) that does a big chunk of fire damage, and which can also be used in an Overhead Smash (Melee 2 vs. AC) that does about the same damage and knocks the target prone.

Once bloodied, the flamecrusher gains the ability to flip out and deal a series of Battering Blows to everyone around him (Close Burst 2 vs. AC), which do more damage than the basic attack and push targets 2 squares. This is an encounter power, but it recharges if the giant misses every target with it.

Fire Giant (Both)

The basic model is a Level 18 Soldier with 174 HP and all fire giant traits. It wears giant-sized mail and fights with a Searing Greatsword that does fire damage and marks for a turn on a hit. It can also sweep it in a wide arc (Close Blast 2 vs. AC), dealing the same damage as the basic attack and marking anyone it hits for a turn.

The MM version is nearly identical. Aside from suffering from the damage bug, it can also throw Iron Javelins (Ranged 15/30 vs. AC), which do physical damage and slow for a turn when they hit. Apparently fire giants are too sophisticated to throw mere rocks. Personally, I’d add this attack to the MV version too.

Fire Giant Forgecaller (Both)

The spellcaster of the family, it’s Level 18 Artillery with 136 HP and training in Perception. The Forgecaller fights in melee with a Smoldering Mace (Melee 2 vs. AC) that does fire damage, and uses All The Fire to fight at range.

This can take the form of a single-target Pillar of Flame (Ranged 20 vs. Reflex) that does more fire damage than the mace, or an area-effect Flame Burst (Area 2 within 10 vs. Reflex; Recharge 6) which does both immediate and ongoing fire damage (save ends), half of both on a miss.

Fire Titan (Both)

The fire titan is a Level 21 Elite Soldier with 398 HP. The MM version has 30 Fire Resistance, and the MV version upgrades that to complete immunity. Its speed is 8. Like other titans, it’s mostly made up of its totemic element, with magma skin and bonfire hair.

The titan fights with a Fiery Greatsword (Melee 3 vs. AC) which does a big glob of fire damage, pushes 2 squares on a hit, and marks for a turn. It can make two of these basic attacks per action.

It can also attack at range by hurling gobs of lava (Ranged 20 vs. Reflex; recharge 5-6), which do fire damage, immobilize for a turn, and cause flying targets to fall. On a miss they still do half damage and immobilize for a turn. The MM version explicitly states this requires a source of lava, something which the MV version omits. Considering the places where you’re likely to find a fire titan, a source of lava should always be available! If it’s not, I suppose it can just spit on its hand and throw that.

Finally the titan can project a Burning Wave (Close Burst 5 vs. Reflex), presumably by flexing. This does immediate and ongoing fire damage to everyone it hits. The MM version does half the immediate damage on a miss.

Sample Encounters

We have two on the MM:

  • Level 17: 2 fire giants, 1 forgecaller, 1 azer beastlord, and 2 firebred hell hounds.

  • Level 22: 1 fire titan, 2 fire giants, 2 fire archon ash disciples, and 1 phoenix.

Other creatures you’re likely to find in encounter group with fire giants would include elementals with at least some fire in their composition, and red dragons.

Final Impressions

Fire giants are mechanically simpler than I expected, which I guess is a theme for all the classic giants. They deal fire damage almost exclusively, so you might want to change that if the party has very strong fire protection. I’d probably give the basic fire giant a way to punish people who ignore its marks, as I feel the -2 penalty for attacking other enemies isn’t enough deterrence at these levels.