Posts

• Apr 10, 2020

  Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual/Vault: Storm Giants

  

  This article is part of a series! Click here to see the other entries.

  Storm giants are another classic giant type, present since at least the days of AD&D. In Fourth Edition they seem to have been merged with cloud giants, which used to be quite close in power to them and differed mostly on alignment. Both seem to have been inspired by the giant from Jack and the Beanstalk. They’re present only in the MM.

  The Lore

  Back at the dawn of time, storm titans and giants were the favored servants of the primordials, and were given command over the rest of their kind. In the present day there’s no unified giant society for them to rule, but storm giants are still closer to what they were at the height of their power than the other giants. They’re as much at home underwater or flying through the sky as they are on land.

  I imagine that, unlike the other classic giants, these don’t usually raid or invade nearby mortal settlements. The domains of a storm giant would already be well-established and be located very far away from any “mundane” locations. That’s not to say they’re pleasant places for anyone but the giants themselves, at least not necessarily.

  Storm giants build (or command their servants to build) marvelous castles in places mortals can’t usually reach, like the bottom of the sea or islands floating above the clouds. They might settle for the top of a tall mountain if they want to slum it. In these lordly palaces they keep all sorts of fantastical treasures.

  When storm giants feel a need to make war, they summon enormous storms upon which their armies ride to battle. These are known as Harbinger Storms, and are likely one of the most sure omens that whoever they rain upon is fucked.

  The Numbers

  Storm giants and titans are Large and Huge Elemental Humanoids, respectively. They have the Aquatic and Giant keywords. They have resistance to lightning and thunder, along with both swim and fly speeds. They also have command of lightning and storms, being surrounded by mini-storms in combat.

  These giants are quite sophisticated and intelligent, having a typical Int of 14. The ones presented here are Evil as befits the beanstalk giant, though you could certainly make a case for less nasty individuals in your stories.

  Storm Giant

  This is a Level 24 Controller with 228 HP. Its elemental resistances are set to 15; it runs and swims at speed 8, and flies at speed 10. In combat it surrounds itself with a small storm that acts as an Aura 2, inflicting 10 lightning and thunder damage to anyone caught inside, and preventing them from flying unless they’re other storm giants/titans.

  The storm giant wields a Crackling Greatsword in combat (Reach 2 vs. AC) which does a mix of physical and lightning damage. The giant can sweep the sword in a wide arc (Close Burst 2 vs. AC; Recharge 6), damaging everyone it hits. It can also hurl thunderbolts (Ranged 10 vs. Reflex) for lightning and thunder damage. In addition to doing damage, they also push the target 3 squares and daze them (save ends) on a hit.

  Finally, it can temporarily intensify its storm aura into a burst of Howling Winds (Close Burst 4 vs. Fortidude; Recharge 5-6) which does thunder damage, pushes 4 squares, and knocks prone on a hit. On a miss, this still does half damage and pushes 1 square.

  Storm Titan

  The Storm Titan is a Level 27 Elite Controller with 506 HP, and is basically a beefed-up storm giant in all respects. Its Huge in size, with the same movement speeds and modes. Its resistances are doubled to 30 as is the radius of its storm aura.

  The titan has exact the same attacks as the giant, with melee Reach 3 where appropriate and increased accuracy and damage based on level. As an elite monster it can also perform two greatsword attacks per action.

  Sample Encounter and Final Impressions

  The MM gives us one sample encounter: Level 27, 1 storm titan, 1 thunderblast cyclone elemental, 2 storm gorgons. You can likely expect similarly themed elementals and blue dragons to make up the retinues of other storm giants and titans.

  I like them, particularly due to the Jack and the Beanstalk associations. I don’t mind losing cloud giants in the conversion to 4e. It seems fitting that the giant you find atop the cloud is the one that wants to grind your bones for seasoning, not invite you to dinner. And if you really want to you could bring the good sky giants back using these same stats.

  I also don’t mind that the storm giant and titan share similar abilities - conceptually, their set is fairly solid. The main problem here is that both suffer from the fairly severe form of the damage bug that afflicts epic-level creatures. You should definitely fix that before using them in your adventures.

• Apr 7, 2020

  Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual/Vault: Death Giants

  

  This article is part of a series! Click here to see the other entries.

  Death Giants are a 3.x creation, first appearing in one of that edition’s Monster Manual 2 or 3. For 4e, they get a new backstory. They appear only on the Monster Manual.

  The Lore

  Back at the dawn of creation when the titans were exploring the world, some of them found their way to the Shadowfell and liked the place so much they moved there permanently along with their giant children and allowed the energies of the place to permeate their beings. And that’s how the first death titans and giants came to be.

  These giants have entirely abandoned their elemental nature and their allegiance to the primordials, and are now fully creatures of the Shadowfell. They’re probably also the world’s biggest fans of death metal. Though they stick mostly to their native plane, they will sometimes live in the world in places like graveyards and necropoli where the wall between the two planes is thin.

  Death giants derive their power and sustenance from the souls of living creatures. They don’t need to consume souls very often, but they still enjoy hunting for sport and most of them are surrounded by a shroud of trapped, wailing spirits waiting their turn to be lunch.

  They’re fairly intelligent, but my impression is they’re not too fond of banding together in large groups. They frequently associate with undead or with necromantic cults that like performing sacrifices. The latter provide a steady source of nutrition, since a death giant doesn’t need to personally kill someone to trap their soul - the victim just has to die near the giant.

  The Numbers

  Death giants and titans are Large and Huge Shadow Humanoids with the Giant keyword. They have Darkvision, resistance to necrotic damage, and an Aura 5 that captures the soul of anyone who dies in range. They can spend these captured souls to power some of their abilities. Their typical Int score is 12, making them the smartest giants we’ve seen so far, and their alignment is Evil.

  We get two stat blocks here, one for the giant and one for the titan, but you can use the guidelines above to make your own.

  Death Giant

  This is a Level 22 Brute with 255 HP. It has Resist 15 Necrotic and a speed of 7. It wears mail and wields a greataxe.

  The greataxe is Reach 2 and does physical damage with he High Crit property, suffering from the damage bug. The giant’s most distinctive powers come from its soul shroud.

  Anyone who dies within 5 squares of a death giant adds one soul shard to its shroud. No detail on whether this “shard” is a whole soul or a literal shard of one. If it’s the latter, then a single death might add shards to multiple giants if their auras overlap.

  In any case, you can assume a death giant starts the fight with 4 shards in its shroud unless your story demands otherwise. It can consume one shard to heal 20 HP, or spend it to power a Soulfire Burst (Close Burst 1 vs. Reflex) that does necrotic damage and could really use a damage fix. If the giant’s shroud ever runs out of shards, it takes a -2 penalty to its attacks until it can add more.

  Since a being has to die to add a shard to the giant’s shroud, I think it’s one of those monsters that has an incentive to finish off downed PCs. It also pairs really well with minions, and you might also want to add some minion-like innocent victims in your battlefield that the PCs would have an extra incentive to protect.

  Death Titan

  This is a Level 25 Elite Brute with 574 HP. Its aura works the same as that of the death giant, and also inflicts a -2 penalty to the attacks of any enemies within. Its necrotic resistance is 30, and its speed is 8.

  Death titans wear plate and fight with Huge greataxes, which are Reach 3 and have the High Crit property. They can attack twice per action with these axes.

  The death titan’s soul shroud works the same way as that of the giant, but the titan doesn’t need to wait for people to die around it! It has an ability called Soul Devourer (Ranged 5 vs. Fortitude), which takes a bite off the soul of an enemy, causing it to lose a healing surge and adding one soul shard to the titan’s shroud. An excellent power to use from a distance while the titan’s buddies engage in melee.

  Sample Encounter and Final Impressions

  The sample encounter in the MM is level 24: 1 death titan, 2 death giants, 1 voidsoul specter and 1 deathpriest hierophant.

  IIRC, the deathpriest hierophant is tied to Orcus, the demon lord of undeath (we’ll get to him in time). So perhaps you could say that in your campaign, death giants were originally created by the primordial who became Orcus, and that their transformation happened at the same time as that of their master.

• Apr 6, 2020

  Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual/Vault: Fire Giants

  

  This article is part of a series! Click here to see the other entries.

  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.

• Apr 4, 2020

  Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual/Vault: Frost Giants

  

  This article is part of a series! Click here to see the other entries.

  Frost giants are based on the Jotuns of nordic folklore, and these roots translate into them being the most viking-like of all D&D giants. They’ve been a part of the game since its beginnings. Frost giants appear on the Monster Vault but not on the Monster Manual - they would appear on the MM2. We’ll skip ahead a bit and look at the stat blocks from both the MV and the MM2.

  The Lore

  Frost giants live atop permafrost-coated mountains or at extremely high latitudes (normally referred to as the Frigid North but there’s no reason it couldn’t be the Icy South in your world). They carve their holds and fortresses out of the ice, and their rulers are known as jarls.

  Frost giant culture is all about bravery and martial prowess, so when food in the surrounding area begins growing scarce, or when the itch for a fight just becomes too strong, their warriors gather and go out raiding for plunder, slaves, and glory. When they return, the skalds sing of their bravery and of how much loot they got. Much like historical vikings, frost giants are assholes.

  As members of Team Primordial who love raiding and looting, they are typically Chaotic Evil.

  The Numbers

  Frost giants are significantly stronger than hill giants, enough that a party that’s going through a 4e version of Against the Giants might have a bit of trouble when they first get to them. In earlier editions, Stone Giants stood between Hill and Frost - this is still true here, but stone giants appear only on the MM2 and so we’ll look at them much later.

  Frost giants are Large Elemental Humanoids with the Cold and Giant keywords. Frost titans are similar, but Huge. They all move at Speed 8 with Ice Walk, which means they ignore terrain penalties from ice and snow. Frost giants have Resist 15 Cold, and the titan is completely immune. They are not particularly vulnerable to fire. They have a typical Int score of 10.

  Their other signature trait is Icebound Footing, which allows them to ignore a number of squares of forced movement (2 for giants, 4 for the titan) and make a saving throw to avoid being knocked prone. This is essentially a more powerful version of the trait PC dwarves get.

  Frost Giant (Both)

  The basic model is a Level 17 Brute with 201 HP and all standard frost giant traits. You can expect most individuals you face to use this stat block.

  Its basic attack is an Icy Greataxe (Melee 2 vs. AC) that does quite a bit of cold damage and has High Critical, meaning it does a lot more damage on a critical hit. It can also empower this axe with even more cold magic for a Chilling Strike (recharge 5-6), which does more damage than a non-critical basic attack and inflicts Vulnerable 10 Cold on the target (save ends).

  The MM2 version still suffers from the damage bug, and has a couple more abilities: Dying Swipe allows it to make one last basic attack when it dies, and it can throw Icy Handaxes (Ranged 5/10 vs. AC) if melee isn’t an option for some reason. These have probably been removed from the MV version because of the next entry.

  Frost Giant Marauder (MV)

  The fast, wiry cousin of the basic frost giant is a Level 17 Skirmisher with 168 HP and all common frost giant traits. It trades the big axe for a brace of 8 hand axes, which it can throw or dual-wield.

  Indeed, the marauder’s basic attack can be either Melee 2 or Ranged 10, both vs. AC. It does a bit of cold damage and allows the giant to shift 2 squares as an effect.

  It can also employ a Twin Strike at will, performing two basic attacks and shifting 2 squares between them. This replaces the “shift 2 squares” effect, as I understand it.

  Once per encounter the marauder can perform a Hurling Charge, throwing two handaxes and then charging one of the targets of those throws.

  Frost Giant Ice Shaper (MM2)

  This spellcaster is a Level 19 Controller (Leader) with 182 HP and all common frost giant traits. Its magic likely involves a lot of runes.

  The ice shaper fights in melee with a Freezing Flail (Melee 2 vs. AC) that does cold damage, and at range with Freezing Bolts (Ranged 20 vs. Reflex) which do cold damage and immobilize. As a minor action it can use Ice Slide (Ranged 10 vs. Fortitude) to slide someone 3 squares without doing damage.

  Its “special” spells are Wall of Frost (Area Wall 12 within 10), which does what it says on the tin: it fills up 12 contiguous squares with a semi-solid frost barrier that provides some concealment, counts as difficult terrain, and does 5 damage to people who start their turn adjacent to the wall or 15 to those who enter it. This lasts for a turn but the giant can spend minor actions to sustain it. It’s also Recharge 6, which means it might be able to cast it more than once in the battle.

  The other spell is Ice Armor (recharge 5-6) which grants one ally within 10 squares Resist 10 to all damage for a turn.

  Frost Titan (Both)

  The Frost Titan is a Level 20 Elite Brute with 466 HP, and is literally made of ice. As such, it’s completely immune to cold and its Icebound Footing trait prevents up to 4 squares of forced movement. The MV version has a weakness to fire, gaining -2 AC for a turn when it takes fire damage. The MM2 has no such weakness.

  The frost titan’s breath is cold enough that it works as an Aura 2, turning every square in range into difficult terrain and causing 5 cold damage to enemies that start their turn inside.

  The Titan fights with an Icy Greataxe (Melee 3 vs. AC), which does both immediate and ongoing cold damage (save ends), and has High Critical. It can focus its icy breath once per encounter (Close Blast 5 vs. Reflex), which does cold damage, ongoing cold damage (save ends), and immobilizes for a turn. A miss does half damage.

  As a minor action it can use a Cold-Blooded Kick (Melee 3 vs. Reflex), which is actually a bit stronger than the axe, pushes the target 2 squares, and knocks it prone. Fortunately it doesn’t have High Critical or ongoing damage.

  When the Frost Titan is reduced to 0 HP, it can make one last axe strike.

  The MM2 version can also fling ice bolts (Ranged 20 vs. Fortitude; recharge 5-6) against one or two creatures which do cold damage and slow (save ends) on a hit.

  Sample Encounters

  The MM2 has two encounters:

  • Level 19: 2 basic frost giants, 1 ice shaper, 1 remorhaz.

  • Level 21: 2 frost titans, 2 ice archon frostshapers, 1 ice archon rimehammer.

  That gives you a general idea of the things that partner with frost giants and titans: big monsters who live in the same cold places as them, and ice archons or other primordial forces.

  They would likely not be very friendly with the likes of ice devils, demons, or winter fae. This gives you some ready-to-go rival factions to use in your cold dungeons if you like that.

  Final Impressions

  I imagine people complained that frost giants weren’t present in the first MM, since they’re an important part of the classic D&D bestiary. These ones seem like suitably fearsome opponents, though. Cold-damage brutes that can make you vulnerable to cold as a basic infantry unit? Yikes!

  The MV versions are generally superior because of their damage fixes and more focused stat blocks, but the ice shaper fills a nice niche that seems to be missing from the MV stat blocks.

• Apr 1, 2020

  Let's Read the 4e Monster Manual/Vault: Earth Giants

  

  This article is part of a series! Click here to see the other entries.

  The “Earth Giants” designation is new to 4th edition, but the monsters that make up most of them are not. In other words, this is going to be a post about Hill Giants. They’ve been in D&D since the start and are present in both books in this edition.

  The Lore

  Like all of the other giant categories, the “Earth Giant” designation covers the Titans aligned with the element of Earth and the giant servitors they created. While both are technically among the weakest of their kind, they can still pose an existential threat to most kingdoms of Medium-or-smaller humanoids if they manage to organize, and even a small group is a serious threat.

  The Titans are very obviously creatures of Earth, resembling humanoid mountains made out of earth and rock. While they created several types of giant, the most common variety is known as the Hill Giant from its preferred environment.

  Hill Giants are so much more aligned to the world than to the Elemental Chaos that they resemble big people. Big, dumb, violent people. I believe hill giants are inspired by the giants you see in some fairy tales, of the kind that walks in from somewhere and begins eating people’s goats until some clever tailor comes in and kills them through trickery.

  While D&D hill giants aren’t much smarter than the ones in the fairy tales, they’re quite a bit harder to defeat, particularly because they’re only alone if you’re lucky. Hill giant communities are villages built out of mud and logs, and may feature a chief that decided to copy the sophisticated ways of their tiny neighbors, style themselves a king or queen, and begin demanding tribute.

  Hill giants fight with Stone Age weapons, which are still quite deadly due to their size and the strength of their wielders. They also have excellent throwing arms and are able to hurl boulders with more accuracy than a catapult. They are Chaotic Evil on account of being on Team Primordial, but if it’s possible for a Friendly Giant who is Unaligned or Good to exist at all, they’re probably from this branch of the family.

  The Numbers

  Hill Giants are Large Natural Humanoids with the Earth and Giant keywords. They have a typical Int score of 7, making them stupid but still capable of tactics and coordination. Earth Titans are Huge Elemental Humanoids with the same keywords and a typical Int of 10.

  Hill Giant (Both)

  The classic model is a Level 13 Brute with 159 HP. Its long legs give it a land Speed of 8. The versions from both books are identical, with the only difference being that the MV one has updated damage totals.

  Hill giants attack with a club, which might be something like a tree trunk. Once per encounter they can make a Sweeping Club attack, which allows them to attack two targets, push then 2 squares, and knock them prone in addition to doing club damage.

  They can also hurl rocks out to Range 10, which does a bit less damage than the club but is still respectable. Ammunition comes from the landscape, and if no handy boulders are available the giant still carries around 5 of them in its satchel.

  Hill Giant Hunter (MV)

  This giant is Level 13 Artillery with 109 HP. A bit more sophisticated than its basic cousin, it fights with javelins that it uses in melee or as ranged weapons (Range 20). I imagine these are sculpted from smaller trees, though the wooden palisade of your typical human village would also provide plenty of ammunition in a pinch.

  The hunter is still a hill giant, so it also throws rocks out to Range 20 for about double the damage of a javelin, an attack that recharges on a 5-6. Its loadout is about 6 javelins and 4 rocks, though as mentioned before the surrounding landscape can provide additional ammo if needed.

  Hill Giant Earth Shaman (MV)

  This earthbending spellcaster is a Level 13 Controller (Leader) with 131 HP. All if its attacks are some form of magic.

  Its basic melee attack is the Earthgrip Slam (Melee 2 vs. AC), which does damage and restrains for a turn on a hit. Once per encounter it can cast Earthen Chains (Ranged 10 vs. Reflex), which does a little bit of damage, stuns (save ends), and pulls the target to the ground if it was flying. The first time one of the giant’s allies hits the stunned target, it heals 15 HP.

  It also has another spell named Earth Wave (recharge 5-6; Close Blast 5 vs. Fortitude; enemies only). On a hit, this does a bit of damage and pushes targets 2 squares. As an effect, it automatically knocks all targets prone, and allows every ally in the blast to shift up to 3 squares and make a basic melee attack. Just the thing to use when leading a pack of those hill giant brutes.

  Earth Titan (Both)

  Earth Titans have nearly identical stats in both books, the main difference being their damage (which has been increased in the MV). They’re Level 16 Elite Brutes with 384 HP.

  An earth titan’s basic melee attack is a powerful Reach 3 Slam, and it can make two of those as a standard action. It can also hurl rocks out to Range 20, which do damage and daze (save ends) on a hit. Once per encounter it can stomp really hard and use Earth Shock (Close Burst 2 vs. Fortitude), which does damage and stuns for a turn on a hit, and does half damage with no riders on a miss.

  Sample Encounters

  The MM gives us two:

  • Level 13: 3 hill giants and 1 displacer beast packlord. The displacer beast is the smartest of the bunch!

  • Level 17: 1 Earth Titan, 2 Hill Giants, 2 War Trolls, and 4 Ogre Bludgeoneers (minions). This looks like what might await the Level 13 party at the end of the Steading of the Hill Giant (or Earth Titan) Chief.

  Final Impressions

  Hill Giants are suitable opponents for early Paragon heroes, and yet their attacks are simple enough that you could run several of them without too much mental effort. Their pair well with galeb duhrs (which they still enslave), or with other paragon-tier creatures that might inhabit their preferred hills, mountains and canyons. That does potentially include dragons!

  The MV gives us enough stat blocks that we can build a large variety of encounter groups made up entirely (or mostly) of hill giants, which is perfect for the GM who wants to adapt the first Against the Giants adventure to 4e.

subscribe via RSS