Dark Sun always had “half-giants” ever since its 2e days. They were very large, very strong, and had this funky random alignment rule. Here in Fourth Edition, they’ve been syncretized with goliaths.

The Lore

Athasian goliaths are also known as half-giants. They’re not a natural species, but a product of sorcerer-king experimentation blending human and giant DNA. Nowadays, most goliaths live in the city-states, but there are communities of them out in the mountains of the Tyr Region.

I think it’s official: The Dark Sun Creature Catalog has nothing nice to say about anyone. Here, it says city-dwelling goliaths are brutal enforcers for the templars and the Sorcerer-Kings, and that mountain-dwelling ones are “barbaric raiders” who have little use for companions who are not “pets or slaves”. Some of them dwell among the giants of the Sea of Silt, where they are treated as menial servants but also permitted to take part in raiding.

2e lore about half-giants said they were so lolrandom that you actually rolled on a table every day to see what half your alignment would be. This is gone from their 4e incarnation.

The Number

As usual, goliaths are Natural Humanoids and occupy the very high end of Medium size. Their speed is 6, and their signature power is Stone’s Endurance, a minor action encounter power that gives them some amount of damage resistance for a turn. Here, the specifics vary per stat block.

Goliath Enforcer

Representing your typical goliath thug, raider, or mercenary, this is a Level 8 Brute with 105 HP. It’s armed with a Greatclub, and if surrounded by PCs it can Push Through as a minor action. This is an attack vs. Fortitude that deals no damage, pushes 1 square, knocks prone, and lets the goliath shift into the vacated square. It recharges once it’s first bloodied.

Stone’s Endurance here gives Resist All 5 for a turn.

When the enforcer is reduced to 0 HP, Vengeful Clout lets it make one last attack with Vengeful Clout, targetting Fortitude, dealing greatclub damage, and knocking prone on a hit. Despite the name, the enforcer doesn’t have to target the person who defeated it.

Goliath Enforcer Legbreaker

This is the same Goliath Enforcer from before as seen by PCs in the mid-Paragon tier, who have far surpassed it in skill. It’s a Level 16 Minion Brute. It has the same Greatclub and Vengeful Clout attacks as the regular level 8 version, but dealing appropriate damage for its level and minion-ness. Its Stone’s Endurance makes it take no damage from the next attack that hits it before the end of its next turn, which sounds powerful but is the only version of the ability that would make any difference on a minion.

It’s interesting to note that both the Enforcer and the Legbreaker are worth 350 XP, so XP total ends up being an interesting guideline for when to upgrade or downgrade a monster’s quality as it goes down or up in level.

Goliath Gladiator

A better-trained goliath fighter usually met in the arena, with a big bone greataxe and an arsenal of fancy tricks. It’s a Level 11 Soldier with 114 HP and the Leader tag.

The attacks of the Bone Greataxe deal standard damage and immediately end the target’s marks on the gladiator. It can also use the weapon in a Leg Strike that targets Fortitude, deals the same amount of damage, slows and prevents the target from shifting for a turn. And finally, it can be used in a Skull Cleaver maneuver that also targets Fortitude, deals heavy damage, daze, and impose a -2 penalty to saves (save ends both). This recharges when the goliath misses with the power, so it will keep trying until it hits.

It looks to me like the gladiator really wants to get past the party’s defenders with the help of its basic attacks, and then use the special maneuvers on the party’s squishies that are likely to have a worse Fortitide defense.

The goliath’s leaderly abilities are all Minor Actions: Get Up! (recharge 5+) lets an adjacent ally either stand up as a free action, or make a save against a dazing, immobilizing or restraining effect. Offensive Form lets it mark every adjacent enemy for a turn. Its Stone’s Endurance gives Resist 10 All for a turn.

Goliath King’s Guard

When you finally go meet that crime boss or petty warlord who has an army of goliath legbreakers at his service, these are the dudes who will be standing next to him as his elite bodyguards. They’re Level 16 Soldiers with 154 HP, wielding halberds and wearing scale armor. Their weapons give them Threatening Reach 2.

They might also have metal blades, because their basic attack is described as a Halberd without any material qualifiers as “bone” or “obsidian”. They do standard damage, slide the target one square and mark it for a turn. The Mighty Clout technique (recharge 5+) deals heavy damage, slides 1 square, and knocks prone. Their Stone’s Endurance gives them Resist 10 All for a turn.

A relatively simple stat block, but it’s good at its job of preventing PCs from getting close to the boss. As mentioned above, it goes well with a small army of legbreaker minions in addition to the boss.

Encounters and Final Impressions

Despite the vitriol heaped upon them by the book, ultimately Goliaths also fit the category of People, so you might find them in the usual Mixed People Encounters as well. They can be allies or enemies, free or not.

The stat blocks are pretty simple. Big fighters with big weapons. I thought the gladiator was the standout here, lots of interesting martial tricks on that one.