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.
Description
A typical goliath is larger than the largest half-orc. Most stand between 7 and 8 feet tall and weigh between 280 and 340 pounds. There is no appreciable difference in height or weight between male and female goliaths. Goliaths have gray skin, mottled with dark and light patches that goliath shamans say hint at a particular goliath's fate. Lithoderms—coin-sized bone-and-skin growths as hard as pebbles—speckle their arms, shoulders, and torso. Their skulls have a jutting eyebrow ridge, wide jaw, and occasional lithoderms as well. Female goliaths have dark hair on their heads, grown to great length and always kept braided. Male goliaths generally have hair only on their limbs. Goliaths' eyes are a brilliant blue or green, and they often seem to glow a little from underneath their furrowed brows.
Because their skin mottling has cultural significance, goliaths generally dress as lightly as possible, displaying their skin patterns for all to see. For the same reason, few goliaths would willingly get a tattoo—to draw on one's skin is tantamount to trying to rewrite one's fate. Goliaths instead decorate themselves with jewelry, often sporting ear, nose, or brow rings. A goliath's lithoderms are also common places to embed a gem or two, since they have few nerve endings and stand out on the goliath's body already.
Racial Traits
Ability Adjustment: +2
Strength, +2
Constitution, and -2
Dexterity. Goliaths are strong and hearty, but their size leads to exaggerated, lumbering movements.
Size: Medium.
Speed: Goliath base land speed is 30 feet.
Type: Humanoid (Goliath).
Age: a Goliath's lifespan is roughly equivalent to that of a human.
Vision: Goliaths have no special forms of vision.
Special Qualities
Powerful Build: The physical stature of a goliath lets them function in many ways as if they were large creatures. Goliaths can use weapons designed for large creatures without penalty (their space and reach remain those for a medium creatures), and treat any exotic weapons which can be wielded in two hands as martial weapons (such as
Bastard Sword and
Dwarven Waraxe) as martial weapons. They also gain a +2
Racial bonus to their
CMD and
Combat Maneuver Bonus.
Mountain Movement: Because goliaths practically live on the ledges and cliffs of the most forbidding mountains, they are particularly adept at negotiating mountain hazards. Goliaths can make standing long jumps and high jumps as if they were running long jumps and high jumps. A goliath can engage in accelerated climbing (climbing half their speed as a move action) without taking the -5 penalty on the Climb check.
Acclimated: Goliaths are automatically acclimated to life at high altitude. They don't take the penalties for high altitude environments. Unlike other denizens of the mountains, goliaths don't lose their acclimation to high altitude even if they spend a long time at a lower elevation.
Sense Motive: When speaking to one another, goliaths tend to augment their verbal communication with subtle body language. They are likewise able to "read" the unintentional body language of others. They gain a +2
Racial bonus to
Sense Motive checks.
Languages
Automatic Languages: Common, Gol-Kaa.
Bonus Languages: Dwarven, Giant, Gnoll, and Terran.
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