Goliath
At the highest mountain peaks - far above the slopes where trees grow and where the air is thin and the frigid winds howl - dwell the reclusive Goliaths. Few folk can claim to have seen a goliath, and fewer still can claim friendship with them. Goliaths wander a bleak realm of rock, wind, and cold. Their bodies look as if they are carved from mountain stone and give them great physical power. Their spirits take after the wandering wind, making them nomads who wander from peak to peak. Their hearts are infused with the cold regard of their frigid realm, leaving each goliath with the responsibility to earn a place in the tribe or die trying.
Driven Competitors
Every day brings a new challenge to a goliath. Food, water, and shelter are rare in the uppermost mountain reaches. A single mistake can bring doom to an entire tribe, while an individual’s heroic effort can ensure the entire group’s survival.
Goliaths thus place a premium on self-sufficiency and individual skill. They have a compulsion to keep score, counting their deeds and tallying their accomplishments to compare to others. Goliaths love to win, but they see defeat as a prod to improve their skills.
This dedication to competition has a dark side. Goliaths are ferocious competitors, but above all else they are driven to outdo their past efforts. If a goliath slays a dragon, he or she might seek out a larger, more powerful wyrm to battle. Few goliath adventurers reach old age, as most die attempting to surpass their past accomplishments.
Fair Play
For goliaths, competition exists only when it is supported by a level playing field. Competition measures talent, dedication, and effort. Those factors determine survival in their home territory, not reliance on magic items, money, or other elements that can tip the balance one way or the other. Goliaths happily rely on such benefits, but they are careful to remember that such an advantage can always be lost. A goliath who relies too much on them can grow complacent, a recipe for disaster in the mountains.
This trait manifests most strongly when goliaths interact with other folk. The relationship between peasants and nobles puzzles goliaths. If a king lacks the intelligence or leadership to lead, then clearly the most talented person in the kingdom should take his place. Goliaths rarely keep such opinions to themselves, and mock folk who rely on society’s structures or rules to maintain power.
Survival of the Fittest
Among goliaths, any adult who can’t contribute to the tribe is expelled. A lone goliath has little chance of survival, especially an older or weaker one. Goliaths have little pity for adults who can’t take care of themselves, though a sick or injured individual is treated, as a result of the goliath concept of fair play.
A permanently injured goliath is still expected to pull his or her weight in the tribe. Typically, such a goliath dies attempting to keep up, or the goliath slips away in the night to seek the cold will of fate.
In some ways, the goliath drive to outdo themselves feeds into the grim inevitability of their decline and death. A goliath would much rather die in battle, at the peak of strength and skill, than endure the slow decay of old age. Few folk have ever met an elderly goliath, and even those goliaths who have left their people grapple with the urge to give up their lives as their physical skills decay.
Because of their risk-taking, goliath tribes suffer from a chronic lack of the experience offered by long-term leaders. They hope for innate wisdom in their leadership, for they can rarely count on wisdom grown with age.
Personality
Goliaths' most notable characteristic is their competitiveness. They keep track of their accomplishments and see everything as a challenge. Those not familiar with goliath psychology would often get annoyed when goliaths constantly reminded them how many times a certain thing had happened, thinking them arrogant or self-centered. This was not the case however. To goliaths, score-keeping is a natural and integral part of life, not meant to belittle or demean anyone.
But a goliath's most fierce competitor is themselves. Beating their own records is the most satisfying victory for a goliath. They are also competitive with their companions and other goliaths, but are never arrogant or cocky.
Goliaths have little time for cheaters, gloaters, and sore losers. Goliaths never hold grudges if they lose a fair fight, and will often repeat the goliath maxim that "Today's rival is tomorrow's teammate."
Their constant comparison to their past accomplishments can be hard on goliaths that fail to meet goals or measure up to achievements of the past. Goliaths will often feel dissatisfied with anything that doesn't surpass a victory from their past. This unfortunate element of goliath psychology leads many older goliaths to be very unhappy with themselves when they can no longer perform as well as they could in their youth.
It is rare for goliath adventurers to retire or live to an old age, as they often die trying to surpass their previous achievements. Permanently injured or aging goliaths often seek death in battle rather than succumb to an existence where they can not excel.
Trust and honor are the key aspects of most goliaths. This tradition of honor and trust means that goliaths tend to be good overall. This combined with their competitive nature often leads goliaths to valorous heroics. Goliaths are also notably daring and fearless. Feats of physical strength and agility, like jumping chasms or climbing cliffs, hold no fear for goliaths. Goliaths are naturally curious beings and love to explore.
Complacency is a trait that goliaths loathe and as a result they never take anything for granted. Even goliaths with magical advantages will continue to train their physical prowess in case they ever lose their power.
Tribes
Goliaths live in small tribes that number between forty and sixty goliaths. This is usually made up of three to five extended families. Most goliaths live in the same tribe their entire life. On rare occasions, a tribe that gets too large will split into smaller tribes or smaller tribes will merge together.
Goliath tribes have a number of key roles that are filled by the most capable members. Summaries of these roles are included below:
- Chieftain: The primary authority figure in a tribe. The chieftain is responsible for choosing when the tribe should move on to new lands. The chieftain also chooses who filled some of the other key roles in the tribe.
- Captain: Two captains are assigned to each of the important jobs each morning. These jobs include hunting, gathering, cooking, and scouting. The captains then build their own teams and set out to achieve their task. Two captains are assigned to each task to encourage healthy rivalry.
- Skywatcher: Often the most experienced druid or shaman of the tribe. Skywatchers make sure that resources are not over-harvested and game animals aren't needlessly slaughtered. Skywatchers are often exempt from the teams that the captains assembled each morning. Skywatchers also oversee festivals, rituals, and celebrations.
- Dawncaller: Responsible for guarding the camp overnight and alerting the tribe if there is trouble. At dawn, they sing or bellow tales of goliath bravery or heroics to wake everyone up. Dawncallers are assigned daily and given less work throughout the day so they can rest and be alert at night.
- Adjudicator: Adjudicators settle disputes. Unless urgent, an adjudicator will hear disputes after the evening meal. Tough decisions are often settled with a contest of the adjudicator's devising. If a goliath appeals against an adjudicator's decision, the chieftain has to settle the dispute, but will also have to dismiss the adjudicator from their position. Adjudicators also act as referees for sports.
- Tent-mother: The only gender-specific role in the tribe because one of her jobs is to be a wet-nurse. Chosen by the chieftain each morning, the tent-mother is responsible for care and teaching of the tribe's infants and toddlers, as their parents are often busy with other responsibilities. It is also tent-mothers who decided when young goliaths are old enough to start contributing to the tribe (usually around the age of 10).
- Lamentor: Responsible for determining when a member of the tribe is too old or weak to serve as a productive member of the tribe. Good lamentors will then approach the individual to explain their decision and consult the chieftain. Once it has been decided, the lamentor prepares a long chant to commemorate the goliath before the tribe exiles the old or weak individual from the tribe.
Tribe chieftains only maintain power as long as they can prove they are suitable for that role. As a result, leadership constantly changes. New leaders are chosen by contests. Any goliath can challenge the chieftain in an attempt to replace them. If this happens, the chieftain and the challenger competes in three tasks. The challenger has to win all three to become the new chieftain. The old chieftain will then leave the tribe permanently. Due to the fact that few goliaths live to old age, goliath tribes relied on innate wisdom in their leaders rather than wisdom gained from years of experience.
The competitive nature of goliaths means that the attitude and achievements of one would quickly inspire the whole tribe. Individuals within tribes will constantly be trying to outdo each other's good deeds. This means that nearby settlements often stereotyped goliaths as a heroic and good people.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Every goliath has three names: a birth name assigned by the newborn’s mother and father, a nickname assigned by the tribal chief, and a family or clan name. A birth name is up to three syllables long. Clan names are five syllables or more and end in a vowel.
Birth names are rarely linked to gender. Goliaths see females and males as equal in all things, and they find societies with roles divided by gender to be puzzling or worthy of mockery. To a goliath, the person who is best at a job should be the one tasked with doing it.
A goliath’s nickname is a description that can change on the whim of a chieftain or tribal elder. It refers to a notable deed, either a success or failure, committed by the goliath. Goliaths assign and use nicknames with their friends of other races, and change them to refer to an individual’s notable deeds.
Goliaths present all three names when identifying themselves, in the order of birth name, nickname, and clan name. In casual conversation, they use their nickname.
Common Etiquette Rules
Law and Justice
Although goliaths have no written laws or codes, there are a number of unspoken rules that are commonly followed by most goliath tribes, discouraging theft and cheating. The greatest rule is obedience to the chieftain and captains.
Because they are nomadic tribes who share belongings or trade goods rather than use gold, conventional punishments like imprisonment or fining are not possible. Instead, tribes often employ the following punishments:
- Beating: Goliaths caught stealing, cheating, or disobeying the chieftain are beaten. Pain is considered a healthy motivator in goliath society.
- Shunning: Shunning (known as volok-thea in Gol-Kaa) involves the tribe acting like the criminal didn't exist. They are not picked for teams or sports and are not provided with food and shelter. A lesser form of shunning for minor crimes, called volok-kanu or "half-shunning", sees the offending goliath simply treated poorly and as a second-class member of the tribe. The duration of the shunning is never spoken outright, but rather is communicated and decided via body language. Many goliaths claim to "just know" how long a shunning should last.
- Exile: The worst punishment a goliath can receive is exile. Before being exiled the chieftain assigns a new honorific middle name to the goliath. Exile is also the fate of the old, weak, or badly injured who can't contribute to the tribe. It should be noted that these individuals receive a lament to commemorate their lives before their exile. Criminals receive no such treatment.
Goliaths who break the shunning risk being shunned themselves. This is a serious transgression, as it threatened goliath society itself.
It is common for a goliath who knows they have failed their tribe to leave the tribe of their own accord, rather than force the tribe into the awkward position of exiling them. Some stubborn goliaths however have to be forced into exile.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
Combat
Goliath tribes only went to war as a final option, preferring to move away from unsafe lands. They did not do this out of fear or cowardice, instead they were aware that loss of life in their tribe was undesirable and had long-term consequences.
If forced to go to war, however, a tribe would do so without fear. Circumstances that might force a tribe included being cornered or having members of their tribe kidnapped. Once weapons were distributed and war-captains were chosen, a goliath tribe could quickly become a very capable war-band. Goliaths were always at the peak of their physical condition and their fine-tuned hunting skills made them competent warriors at a moment's notice.
All adult goliaths (regardless of gender) fought in times of war. Only children and infants were expected not to fight.
Hide and leather armor were favored by goliaths as they already had naturally durable bodies and did not like to restrict their movement. Goliaths often used large two-handed weapons to make the most of their considerable strength.
Goliaths often employed guerrilla tactics in battle, owing to their upbringing as hunters. Fair-play was also integral to goliath fights. As long as they were fairly sure they could still win, goliaths would even handicap themselves to give their opponents a fair chance. For example, if a goliath disarmed their opponent, they would throw aside their own weapon and continue the fight with their fists.
As with their recreational sports, goliaths seriously frowned upon "cheating" in battle. Finishing off a fallen foe, taking hostages, and attacking civilians were considered distasteful and unfair.
Sometimes slavers were known to steal goliath infants and raise them as brutal gladiators.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Goliaths are friendly to anyone who doesn't threaten their tribe, but won't wait around for travelers who can't keep up with them.
Goliaths are particularly fond of Dwarves and have great respect for dwarven blacksmiths. Some goliaths will even venture into mountain tunnels to seek out dwarves to trade with.
Human rangers or druids are known to sometimes work together with goliath tribes in hunts. Both the humans and goliaths can mutually benefit from these temporary alliances.
Goliaths often refer to earth genasi as their "cousins". The two races maintain a friendly rivalry.
Elves are somewhat intimidating to goliaths, owing to their long lifespans. Goliaths often struggle with the idea that creatures exist that are old enough to have known their great-grandparents and ancestors.
Attitudes towards giants vary. Some tribes trade with giants. Giant weapons are not as well crafted as dwarven ones, but they are a far more suitable size. Some giants, however, will try and make goliaths into slaves. This leads to conflicts and goliaths being wary of giants.
Although xvarts particularly hate goliaths, it's unclear if the feeling is mutual.
Goliaths who venture out of their tribes will often find issue with the class divisions found in other societies. Goliaths struggle with the idea that an incompetent king can rule over hard-working peasants. These opinions are often shared and goliaths will openly mock incapable leaders or rich nobleman who rely on social structures to maintain their power.
RPG Datasheet
Goliaths share a number of traits in common with each other.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.
Age. Goliaths have lifespans comparable to humans. They enter adulthood in their late teens and usually live less than a century.
Alignment. Goliath society, with its clear roles and tasks, has a strong lawful bent. The goliath sense of fairness, balanced with an emphasis on self- sufficiency and personal accountability, pushes them toward neutrality.
Size. Goliaths are between 7 and 8 feet tall and weigh between 280 and 340 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Natural Athlete. You have proficiency in the Athletics skill.
Stone’s Endurance. You can focus yourself to occasionally shrug off injury. When you take damage, you can use your reaction to roll a d12. Add your Constitution modifier to the number rolled, and reduce the damage by that total. After you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Mountain Born. You’re acclimated to high altitude, including elevations above 20,000 feet. You’re also naturally adapted to cold climates, as described in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Giant.
"Now, if you have any honor in you at all, you'll take me to Kevdak, and you will see what I have for him, and then maybe, just maybe, you can call yourselves warriors again instead of piss-pot squatters!"
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