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Let's Read the 4e Dark Sun Creature Catalog: Human
The Lore
Remember how I keep mentioning Mixed Groups of People as possible encounter groups? How they can be anything, allied or hostile, made up of free or enslaved individuals, working for any one of the setting’s factions or none at all?
That’s exactly the kind of description you get for humans in this entry. They are the most numerous humanoid species on Athas, they are infinitely varied and adaptable, and all the other stuff you have read about them a thousand times in other places. What this tells me is that those Mixed Groups of People will be mostly made up of humans.
The Numbers
Humans in Athas are mechanically identical to humans elsewhere. Medium Natural Humanoids with Speed 6, and with absolutely everything else determined by training in each specific stat block.
Any of these stat blocks can easily be adjusted to represent a member of another species by adding that species’ signature traits o it.
Human Slave
If humans make up the bulk of those Mixed Groups of People, then it’s logical to assume they also make up the bulk of Athas’ enslaved population. You’ll see them in large numbers while walking down the street of any of the sorcerer-kings’ city states.
The Human Slave is a Level 1 Minion Brute, armed with a club that’s likely improvised. They gain +1 bonus damage for each ally adjacent to their target, and Laborer’s Resilience make them stay up for an additional turn after being reduced to 0 HP.
As you can see, they’re quite bad at fighting, and will likely only do so if they have no other choice. Only their large numbers make them a threat to PCs.
Human Wasteland Raider
This is a typical member of those hostile Mixed Groups of People who attack you while you’re traveling the wastes, intent on either killing you, taking your stuff, or both. They’re Level 2 Soldiers with 40 HP.
The most striking thing about this stat block is the big editing error right in the middle, a barbed spear attack that has no listed damage and should be ignored. The raider’s actual weapon is a Dagger that does standard physical damage and can be used in a stronger Gutting Dagger attack against someone grabbed by the raider.
Maybe the spear was supposed to be the attack that grabbed the target? As it is, the raider has to use the default rules and perform a Grab action to do it. My suggestion here would be to replace the dagger basic attack with a Barbed Spear that does the same damage, grabs on a hit, and cannot be used against other targets while the raider has a target grabbed. Gutting Dagger would then turn into Gutting Spear, with the same effects.
Human Dune Trader
I remember disliking the emphasis the book put on elven traders being unreliable and dishonest, but it looks like it doesn’t have much better to say about the human ones. This one is described as being flanked by burly bodyguards as he cheerfully lies about the price and quality of his goods.
Dune Traders are Level 4 Controllers with the Leader tag and 55 HP. They’re armed with hatchets that do physical damage and cause the target to grant Combat Advantage for a turn.
While unbloodied, they can spend minor actions on Goading Commands that let one ally within 6 squares move their speed as a free action. While bloodied, this changes to a Furious Glare, a standard action that attacks the Will of enemies in a Close Blast 3. It does no damage, but immobilizes and makes the targets grant combat advantage on a hit (save ends both).
Human Gladiator Novice
Those gladiators who managed to survive their first few fights can go on to achieve fame and greatness… but this one is still figuring out the surviving part. There are many like him on every arena. He’s a level 4 Soldier with 55 HP.
The gladiator novice fights with a short sword that damages and marks on a hit, and can perform a hamstring cut that does the same damage, knocks prone, and slows (save ends). If an adjacent enemy stands up, the novice can use Stay Down! as a reaction to attack their Reflex and knock them back down on a hit.
The book remarks that gladiators are one of the opponent types that have in-character reasons for picking less than optimal combat options during a fight, as long as they make for a better show.
Human Overseer
Our first explicitly Evil stat block in this entry. The things they oversee are the sale, transport, and daily (mis)treatment of slaves. Whether they display malicious glee or banal apathy towards the cruelty that surrounds them, it remains true that their job is to perpetuate it. They’re Level 9 Controllers with the Leader tag and 96 HP.
Overseers are armed with Obsidian Swords, and they have extensive training in psychic powers that assault and dominate the mind because of course they do. They project a Mental Mire around themselves (aura 2) that slows enemies who starts their turns inside. Not So Fast! is a ranged attack that deals psychic damage and pulls 3 squares. And Do My Bidding targets one slowed creature within 2 squares and dominates it for a turn on a hit. This one is thankfully not at-will - it recharges when the overseer is bloodied.
Human Slavehunter
Another Evil entry. Slavehunters do what it says on the tin, roaming both the wilds and the streets looking for new people to enslave. Anyone who looks like they’d fetch a good price and won’t put up much of a fight is fair game. They’re Level 10 Skirmishers with 103 HP.
This villain is armed with a Mace and a Obsidian-toothed Whip. A hit with the mace lets them shift 1 square. A hit with the whip pulls the target 1 square and knocks it prone. As minor actions, they can use Swift Pursuit to shift 3 squares (recharges when bloodied) or Cutting Lash to inflict ongoing 10 damage (save ends) on a prone creature as an encounter power.
The book mentions a power named “Face Smash”, but this isn’t present on the stat block. I guess there were some editing hiccups, and it was replaced by Cutting Lash without any changes to the surrounding text.
Human Templar of Tyr
Fourth Edition Dark Sun is set right after the sorcerer-king of Tyr was deposed and killed in a violent revolution, and this book describes the city’s templars as being “cast adrift” and only relying on “themselves and each other” to impose their will.
This seems to me like a fancy way to say they immediately pivoted to being a crime syndicate after losing their official authority, though I remember something in the older 2e books about Tyr still having some templars in its government. This stat block is Evil, so I’m guessing it represents a “loyalist” templar who is now a mobster.
This templar is a Level 10 Controller with 106 HP. It fights exclusively with Force magic. Its basic melee attack is an Eldritch Spear that does force damage and slides targets 1 square on a hit. The basic ranged attack is an Eldritch Bolt that does the same amount of force damage and pushes 2 squares. Eldritch Cage (recharge 5+) is an Area Burst 2 spell that attacks all creatures in the area. On a hit it restrains and deals 10 ongoing force damage (save ends). The book says the templar is not shy about including some of its own allies in the area if it will help them get more PCs.
None of the templar’s powers explicitly mention defiling, but you could give them a version of the next stat block’s passive trait if you wish.
Human Defiler
In Athas, despoiling an already ravaged ecosystem is a big taboo that’s sure to draw the ire of those who see you do it… unless you’re a sorcerer-king or a templar, I guess. The defilers represented by this stat block are neither, but they really want to be and think the scorn of the ignorant masses is a light price to pay for Ultimate Cosmic Power. You could also uses these stats for a higher-ranking templar.
The Human Defiler is Level 14 Artillery with 108 HP (and also Evil). It has the Defiling passive trait, which deals 5 necrotic damage to all enemies within 3 squares whenever the defiler uses an implement power.
Its only non-implement power is a staff bonk that causes a mix of physical and necrotic damage. The templar prefers to fight from a distance with lightning spells. Lightning Lance is a basic ranged attack that does lightning damage, and Lightning Serpent, an encounter power that does a bit less lightning damage but also inflicts ongoing 10 poison damage (save ends). Once per encounter, the Defiler can use Dimension Door to teleport 10 squares, something it will probably use as an emergency escape measure.
When an enemy within 10 squares of the defiler spends a healing surge, it can use Defiling Serpent as a free action to regain HP equal to half the value of the triggering surge and recharge Lightning Serpent.
Human Mind Adept
We’re out of the Evil Zone again. This is a powerful human telepath that can be cast in any role, friendly or not: a Level 15 Controller with 145 HP.
Mind adepts rely solely on their powers (and on their teammates, of course) for defense. We start with an aura (2) of Overwhelming Thoughts that makes it so any enemy that ends their turn inside cannot target the adept with an attack until the end of their next turn. This means melee-based PCs will only be attacking them every other turn.
Pretty much all of the adept’s attacks are psychic powers that target Will. For melee, we have the Mind-Wracking Touch dealing psychic damage and making the target grant combat advantage for a turn. For greater ranges we have the at-will Paralyzing Blast (close blast 5) which targets enemies, deals light psychic damage, and immobilizes for a turn on a hit.
The adept’s ultimate technique is Will of the Master, a ranged attack that deals no damage and dominates (save ends). While the target is dominated, it emits harmful psychic waves: any enemy that starts their turn within 2 squares of the target takes 5 psychic damage and is immobilized for a turn. This is an encounter power that recharges whenever it misses.
When the adept is reduced to 0 HP, it causes Mental Overload in a Close Burst 1. This targets enemies and on a hit deals psychic damage and stuns for a turn.
Human Blade Noble
A red-haired woman human wearing leather armor and holding a sheathed sword. Copyright 2010 Wizards of the Coast. The most powerful human in this entry is not a wizard or a psychic, but someone who is Just That Good with a sword. Or in other words: Hello, Ms. Malenia! Fancy meeting you here. This is a Level 17 Controller with 163 HP.
The blade noble has a trait named Unpredictable Flank that gives them combat advantage against any enemy adjacent to one of their allies. No need to setup a by-the-book flanking position.
They fight with a Duelist’s Blade, which given the context is probably one of the few magical steel swords that still survive in Athas. Its basic attacks do physical damage and slide the target 1 square.
Dance of Blades (recharge 6+) is the technique that reminded me of Malenia: it attacks enemies in a Close Burst 2, deals the same damage as a basic attack, immobilizes, and inflicts ongoing 5 damage (save ends). On a miss it still does half damage, which is a rarity on a rechargeable attack. The noble can shift 2 squares as an effect as well.
For triggered actions we have Whirling Parry, an encounter power that triggers when an ally of the noble’s within 2 squares is hit by a melee or ranged attack. As an interrupt, the noble shifts 2 squares to be adjacent to the ally and rolls an attack using its standard bonus vs. AC. If that’s higher than the triggering attack roll, the triggering attack misses.
Encounters and Final Impressions
The individual stat blocks are pretty cool, but the lore is your standard Humans Are The Most Generic thing. In the end this ends up being a very ecletic set of People that you can reskin as any species and any narrative role that best fits your specific campaign.
I know some more recent games have explicitly gone this route for pretty much every humanoid NPC, giving us stat blocks based on narrative or mechanical role (“Bandit”, “Guard”, “Brute”, “Wizard”) and then letting us assign any species as necessary. D&D 4e wasn’t quite there yet, but ended up doing it by accident on this entry.
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The Guns of Wolfenstein, Part 02: The Old Blood
In our previous article, we took a look at the guns that appear on Return to Castle Wolfenstein (2001), whose timeline I named “Wolfenstein-1” for ease of reference. In this one, we’ll take a look at the timeline I called “Wolfenstein-2”.
The Wolfenstein-2 setting is the chronology used by the trilogy of games made up of Wolfenstein: The New Order (2014), Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (2015) and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (2017). The Old Blood is a prequel to The New Order, so it happens first even though it’s the second game. We’ll talk about it in this post.
Plot Overview (Contains Spoilers)
The Old Blood is a retelling of the “escape from Castle Wolfenstein” story that made up the first two chapters of the 2001 game. Where the Wolfenstein-1 version was just a pulpier version of WW2, this one goes all in on the alternate history approach.
It looks like World War 2 in the Wolfenstein-2 timeline starts off more or less like it did in our world, but things go off the rails somewhere along the way. Deathshead, the same mad scientist from the 2001 game, is wildly more successful at coming up with absurd weapons and getting them mass-produced. As a result the war streches for longer than it did in our world. The game happens in 1946, with the war still raging on and the Allies on the losing side.
Like in the 2001 game, B.J. Blazkowicz and Agent One infiltrate Castle Wolfenstein. Their goal here is more well-defined - among the documents stored in the castle, there’s a folder that details the location of Deathshead’s secret fortress, where he’s been developing all these superweapons.
The Castle here is much larger than it was in the first game, and has been upgraded from its medieval roots into a giant concrete fortress full of superscience security measures, including prototype supersoldiers tethered to power lines. Its owner is still an occult-obsessed Nazi officer named Helga, who now works under Deathshead.
The broad outline of events is the same - the two get captured, Agent One dies under torture, Blazko escapes the castle. He heads to the nearby village of Wolfburg, where Helga leads an archaeological dig in search of buried occult secrets. Whatever she does triggers a sort of zombie apocalypse. Helga releases a giant zombie and dies failing to control it. B. J. escapes with the secret document folder after killing said zombie, completing his mission.
The Guns
All of the usable guns in this game are captured Nazi hardware, since you start the game proper unarmed save for a (surprisingly effective) sharpened metal pipe. This “early” in the timeline, a lot of the weapons presented here still have real-world equivalents.
Pistols
Pistol Model 1946
This is still mostly a Luger P08 (p. HT98), with the only difference being that it has a 10-round magazine instead of an 8-round one.
It accepts a suppressor, which is available to you from the start. It weights 0.25kg, adds -1 to Bulk and makes the gun cinematically silent. This means enemies won’t notice the gun firing unless a bullet impacts the environment near them, or if they survive being shot by it.
TL Weapon Damage Acc Range Weight RoF Shots ST Bulk Rcl 7 Pistol 1946 2d+2 pi 2 160/1800 1.2kg/0.3kg 3 10+1(3) 10 -2 3 Rifles
Assault Rifle Model 46-T
This is still pretty much a StG-44 (p. HT115). It has a folding foregrip not present in the real weapon, but that doesn’t affect its stats in any way either in the computer game or in GURPS.
Marksman Rifle (Bombenschluss)
This is likely a version of the Mauser Kar98K (p. HT111). Unlike the real weapon, this one’s magazine is inserted from the side, which means the gun can still be fired from a prone position.
There are two obtainable upgrades. The first is a 10-round extended magazine that adds -1 to Bulk and weights 0.44kg loaded. The other is a scope on a tacticool folding mount. It adds 0.5kg to weight and changes Acc to 5+2. It can be folded in or out of position with a Ready maneuver.
Weapon Table
TL Weapon Damage Acc Range Weight RoF Shots ST Bulk Rcl 7 Assault Rifle 46-T 5d pi 4 500/1300 6.6kg/1kg 8 30(3) 9† -5 2 7 Bombenschluss 7d pi 5 1000/4300 4.5kg/0.25kg 1 5+1(3) 10† -4 4 Shotguns
Double Barreled Shotgun
This 10-gauge classic makes two appearances: at the start of the game with a full length barrel, and at the end with the barrel sawn off to “whippet” length. The full-length gun uses the same stats as the Lefevre Automatic Hammerless from High Tech. The sawn-off one uses the stats below.
Shockhammer
This is a semi-automatic 12-gauge shotgun with a Rube Goldberg action. The gun takes shells from a revolving cylinder that alternates between its twin barrels with every cycle, which is supposed to allow for a higher rate of fire. The stats below are somewhat inspired by the Daewoo USAS-12 from High Tech, but there are enough differences to warrant its own stat block.
A possible upgrade here is a 20-round cylinder that changes Shots to 20(5) and Weight to 8.2/2.1kg.
TL Weapon Damage Acc Range Weight RoF Shots ST Bulk Rcl 6 Double-Barreled Shotgun 2d-1 pi 3 40/800 4.15/0.15kg 2x13 2(3i) 12† -4 1/7 7+1 Shockhammer 1d+1 pi 3 40/800 7.1/1.05kg 3x9 10(5) 11† -5 1/3 Grenades and Launchers
Hand Grenade
Enemy soldiers use a version of the historical “stick hand grenade 24” filled with TNT, as mentioned in p. HT190: Damage 7d cr ex, weight 0.7kg, Fuse 4-5. They’re not shy about throwing them at you if you stay for more than a few seconds behind cover.
Kampfpistole (“war pistol”)
This is a version of a historical flare gun used in WW2 that could also fire grenades. Its extremely limited ammo is the best choice for taking out the tankiest enemies in the game, so I think it fires the HEAT round described in High Tech.
TL Weapon Damage Acc Range Weight RoF Shots ST Bulk Rcl 7 Kampfpistole 4d(10) cr ex 1 10/330 1kg/0.1kg 1 1(3) 8 -2 2 + 3d cr ex linked Heavy Weapons
We see another familiar face here: the Venom Heavy Machine Gun, which loses its edgy name but is basically the same weapon I already covered in my previous post on Wolfenstein guns. It’s found in the hands of early-model supersoldiers, and has 250 round belts weighting 10kg. Even a beefy guy like B. J. has trouble carrying it around.
This incarnation of the Venom is excellent to mow down human soldiers and zombies, but doesn’t actually do much to the supersoldiers that carry it. Therefore we can assume it fires regular ammo instead of armor-piercing: Dam 6d+2 pi.
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Let's Read the 4e Dark Sun Creature Catalog: Hejkin
A hejkin. Copyright 2010 Wizards of the Coast. This post is part of a series! Click here to see the rest.
The Lore
Hejkin are abominations created by the “rampant use of arcane magic” according to the book, though it doesn’t specify whether they the product of accident or deliberate experimentation.
These small and twisted humanoids can see beyond the world and into a “heaving, squirming space filled with nightmares”. Their powers are tied to this place, and to the nastier primal spirits of Athas. The easy answer here would be that they have a direct mental connection to the Far Realm, but maybe this is another nightmare dimension more appropriate to your game.
Anyway, hejkin venerate the spirits of earth and stone as cold and callous masters that nevertheless provide life. Their culture forbids shaping or carving into the earth. This means that people who do strike the earth are seen as horrible heretics to be eliminated. They also reserve the same hatred for those who “misuse” arcane magic, which probably means those who use it at all.
Hejkin live in natural caves that contain natural water sources. They don’t shape these in any way, but they do use magic to lay various sigil-based traps on the walls. They venture out to find food, or they might be driven to a frenzy by some astrological event or another that holds special meaning in that Other Place.
Hejkin tend to target spellcasters, miners, and anyone working on other similar occupations that they can reach by traveling from their homes. They gleefully steal food and supplies from their victims and then finally murder them, turning them into yet more food. No one is safe from their cookpots, not even other hejkins. This makes them our fifth humanoid cannibals.
The Numbers
Hejkins are Small Aberrant Humanoids with ground and burrow speeds of 6, plus Darkvision, Earth Walk and Resist Lightning 5. They often have access to some sort of lightning magic, though the specifics vary per stat block.
Hejkin Sparker
This one’s particularly infused with lightning. It’s a Level 1 Soldier with 31 HP. Its Arcing Defense gives it +2 to AC and Will while adjacent to another hejkin.
The sparker’s Claws do physical damage and mark for a turn. If the target is bloodied, they mark even on a miss. Their Grounded Current power (recharge 5+) attacks enemies in a Close Burst 2, deals lightning damage, and pulls 2 squares.
When a marked enemy decides to move away or ignore the mark, the hejkin can use a Telluric Arc as an interrupt. This attacks the triggering enemy’s Reflex and deals 10 lightning damage on a hit.
Hejkin Chanter
The chanter’s song is mostly unintelligible, but sometimes you can discern a horrible phrase or two. The song gives it power over earth and lightning, and I guess shaping the earth doesn’t count as heresy if a chanter does it. They’re Level 2 Controllers with 37 HP.
Their claws to physical damage and slow for a turn. If the target is bloodied or already slowed, it’s immobilized for a turn instead. Earth’s Voice (recharge when first bloodied) is a close blast 5 that targets enemies, deals thunder damage, pushes 3 squares and knocks prone. Static Song (encounter) is a close burst 3 that deals lightning damage and dazes (save ends). On a miss it deals half damage and dazes for a turn.
Finally we get a little trick: Twisted Earth is a minor action melee attack against Fortitude that teleports the target on a hit, making it swap places either with the chanter or with one of the chanter’s allies that’s within 5 squares. Say, why does Team Monster have a brute in the back line?
Hejkin Raver
This one’s even more feral than usual, and has no thoughts in their head other than a craving for blood. It’s a Level 2 Brute with 45 HP. Its Claws do physical damage and heal it for 3 HP if the target is bloodied.
Blood Marker lets the raver use Claw against an adjacent enemy as a reaction when it is first bloodied. Blood Shakes is a minor action that targets an adjacent bloodied enemy and knocks it prone on a hit.
This seems like the brute that would be stationed at the back row waiting for a sparker to teleport it into the PCs’ backline.
Encounters and Final Impressions
Hejkin being right next to halflings and sharing some common traits (like their size and ground speed) makes me think that they might be corrupted halflings. Mechanically, they appear to be what you use instead of goblins and kobolds to challenge beginning adventurers.
Hejkin don’t collaborate with other humanoids, but they do train and keep all sorts of insectoid beasts, with a preference for those who can burrow. Kruthiks and Ankhegs are favorites.
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Let's Read the 4e Dark Sun Creature Catalog: Halfling
A halfling wielding a spear and wearing bone armor, sneaking through a forest. Copyright 2010 Wizards of the Coast. This post is part of a series! Click here to see the rest.
The Lore
Athasian halflings are physically identical to their standard 4e counterparts, but their culture is very different. If you have ever heard of Dark Sun in any detail, you’ll likely also have heard that it has cannibal halflings.
This is true, but I feel it’s lost a bit of its impact here, halfway down the critter list for the book. Halflings are the fourth cannibal humanoids we met so far, after belgois, braxats, and gith. I’m not even counting all the magical beasts that eat sapients, or we’d be here all day reciting names.
They still have the disctinction of being our first playable cannibals. Most Dark Sun halflings belong to the tribal cultures that inhabit the Forest Ridge, one of the last remaining green regions of Athas. They’re very territorial and distrustful of other species, violently defending their homes from any invasion. Their cannibalism is mostly ritualistic, though the book also says they eat captured intruders.
Individuals or small groups often leave the Forest Ridge to explore the Seven Cities and the deserts between them. Some stick around and find employment as guides, scouts and trackers. The worst among them might become slavers or raiders.
Halfling tribes will deal honorably with those that are honorable to them in turn, but anyone who breaks an oath to a halfling tribe will be declared their eternal enemy.
The other distinction halflings have is that they’re some of the oldest sapient peoples of Athas.
The Numbers
Athasian halflings have the exact same stats as standard ones. They’re Small Natural Humanoids with a ground speed of 6 and the Nimble Reaction trait that gives them +2 to AC against opportunity attacks.
All of the stat blocks here are enthusiastic users of poison, which is a good survival strategy in a world where everyone is larger than you.
Halfling Forest Runner
Your typical sneaky halfling scout-type, this is a Level 2 Skirmisher with 37 HP. They fight with a poisoned spear that does a mix of physical and poison damage, and have a special technique named Strike and Slip Away (recharge 4+) that lets them make a stronger spear attack that deals ongoing poison damage (save ends). As an effect they can then shift 5 squares and make a Stealth test to hide if they have any cover or concealment at the end of this shift.
Halfling Wilder
A halfling psion trained in their ancient traditions. This one is Level 3 Artillery with 38 HP. Their main ranged attack is a Mind Thrust (ranged 10) that deals psychic damage and makes the target grant combat advantage for a turn. They have a simple club for melee emergencies. All of their attacks dels extra damage when the target grants combat advantage, making them good at focused fire tactics.
Halfling Forest Keeper
This is a pretty traditional druid of the sort that loves summoning and controlling vines and plants… which makes it a very exotic and mysterious spellcaster by Athasian standards, where everyone else has sand and sun powers. Forest Keepers are respected leaders of their people, responsible for preserving their oral traditions and lore.
Our stat block here is for a Level 6 Controller with the Leader tag and 72 HP. Its melee basic attack is a Distracting Staff that does standard damage on a hit and lets an ally of the keeper within 5 squares shift 1 square. At range if fires Thorn Darts that deal poison damage and make the target vulnerable 5 to poison for a turn.
Spirit Creepers (recharge 5+) is our “vines” spell, an Area Burst 2 within 10 that affects only enemies, targets Reflex, deals physical damage, and restrains on a hit (save ends). Allies caught in the burst recover 5 HP instead.
Constricting Creepers (encounter) is a stronger version that deals physical damage in a Close Burst 3 around the keeper, and knocks prone on a hit.
Halfling Headhunter
An elite champion whose mission is to stalk and eliminate the tribe’s worst enemies… and to bring their heads as proof. It’s a Level 11 Skirmisher with 114 HP.
The headhunter’s attacks all do extra damage when it has combat advantage. Its main weapon is a kukri that does a blend of physical and poison damage, and it can also throw equally poisoned Javelins that also slow on a hit. Harrying Attack (recharge 5+) lets the headhunter make a dagger attack, shift 3 squares, and then make another dagger attack all as part of the same action.
They use these tools to stay at the edges of a fight and harry the squishies. Add some leveled-up wilders to make them even stronger by making the PCs vulnerable to poison.
Encounters and Final Impressions
In their Forest Ridge homes, halflings are very unlikely to be accompanied by humanoids of other species, but they do domesticate a lot of the local wildlife for use in battle. In another twist that seems extremely exotic to Athasians and very familiar to us, most of this wildlife consists of mammals and birds, instead of reptiles and insects. Panthers, kirres (which we’ll see soon), griffons, and so on.
When met in the general Seven Cities area, they join the pool of species you can draw from to assemble Mixed Parties of People.
Halflings are very skirmisher-y here, and it looks like all stat blocks are simple enough that you can adjust their level directly without having to make big changes to their abilities. Monster Manual halfling stats work well in conjunction with these, though I’d replace any slings with poison darts or the equivalent to keep the flavor.
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Let's Read the Dark Sun Creature Catalog: Goliath
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.
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