Giant, Desert

Loose robes conceal the sand-etched features of this lanky giant. In each hand he grips a scimitar nearly the length of a human.

Giant, Desert (CR 9)

Large Humanoid (Giant)
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Initiative: +3
Senses: Low-Light Vision; Perception +9

Speed: 50 feet
Space: 10 feet

Defense

Armor Class: 24, touch 13, flat-footed 20 (+2 armor, +3 Dex, +1 dodge, +9 natural, -1 size)
Hit Points: 123 (13d8+65)
Saving Throws: Fort +9, Ref +11, Will +5
Rock Catching
Immunity: fire

Offense

Melee: mwk scimitars +16/+16/+11/+11 (1d8+8/15-20) or 2 slams +16 (1d8+8)
Reach: 10 feet
Ranged: rock +12 (1d8+12)

Special Attacks: Rock Throwing (100 ft.), scimitar training

Statistics

Str	Dex	Con	Int	Wis	Cha
26 (+8)	17 (+3)	21 (+5)	13 (+1)	12 (+1)	10 (+0)

Base Attack Bonus: +9
CMB +18
CMD 32 (36 vs. Disarm or Sunder)

Feats: Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Critical (Scimitar), Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (Scimitar)

Skills: Acrobatics +16 (+24 when jumping), Intimidate +11, Perception +9, Survival +17

Languages: Common, Giant

Special Qualities: sandwalking

Special Abilities

Sandwalking (Ex)

A desert giant travels at full speed across sand, rocky ground, or dust, and leaves no trail behind unless it chooses to.

Scimitar Training (Ex)

All desert giants are proficient with scimitars, and can wield them as if they were light weapons. A desert giant adds its full Strength bonus to attacks made with a scimitar wielded in its off hand, and gains a +4 bonus to CMD versus disarm and sunder attempts when fighting with a scimitar in each hand.

Ecology

Environment: Warm Desert
Organization: solitary, gang (2-4), band (5-8), raiding party (9-12 plus 1 fighter of 1st-3rd level), or tribe (10-30 plus 35% noncombatants, 1-3 clerics of 2nd-4th level, 2-4 fighters of 1st-3rd level, and 1 fighter sheik of 4th-6th level, 50% chance of 10-20 human slaves)
Treasure: standard (2 masterwork scimitars, leather armor, other treasure)


Desert giants rove the stark and majestic sands, rarely dwelling in permanent camps. They roam from oasis to oasis, sleeping beneath the stars or in easily dismantled yurts, breaking camp as whim strikes or when food sources grow scarce.

Desert giants stand 15 feet tall on average, but have slender builds and rarely weigh more than 2,000 pounds, a fact that greatly contributes to their grace and speed. The giants favor loose robes with keffiyehs for protection from the scouring desert winds, as well as traveling leathers worn beneath the robes. They require little water, and are able to survive for as long as 2 weeks on food alone. When such goods are available, they drink water, milk, and juices in prodigious amounts, but they spurn beer, wine, and stronger spirits.

The bulk of their diet comes from figs, olives, and similar bounty of the oases, supplemented by meat if required. The eldest desert giants live as long as 300 years. Despite their nomadic ways, desert giants guard their territory fiercely, driving away all interlopers, whether intelligent or bestial.