Giff

It’s easy to spot the giff in a room: a group of 7-foot tall, hippopotamus-headed humanoids attired in gaudy military uniforms, with gleaming pistols and muskets on display. These spacefaring mercenaries are renowned for their martial training and their love of explosives.
The origins of Giff are unknown even to themselves. To them, they exist solely to serve as soldiers for whoever can afford their talents. Both physically and mentally capable fighters, Giff are most commonly employed as guards for inter-planar caravans, getting the better of would-be pirates both in terms of superior talent and coordination.

Military Organization

Every aspect of giff society is organized along military lines. From birth until death, every giff has a military rank. It must follow orders from those of superior rank, and it can give orders to those granted by a superior as a reward for valor. Giff are devoted to their children, even as most of their education is geared toward fighting and war.

Mercenaries Extraordinaire

Giff are in high demand as warriors for hire, but they insist on serving in units composed entirely of giff; a giff hiring itself out individually is fairly unheard of. Giff refuse to fight other giff, and will never agree to a contract unless it stipulates that they can sit out a battle rather than wage war against their kin. A giff prizes the reputation of its unit above its own life. Life is fleeting, but the regiment endures for generations or even centuries.

A Whiff of Gunpowder

Discovery of firearms over the last century has revolutionized giff culture. Despite not being the most optimized for sharpshooting, muskets and grenades have quickly become the favorite weapons of every giff. The bigger the boom, the brighter the flash and the thicker the smoke it produces, the more giff love a weapon. Their newfound skill with gunpowder is another reason for their popularity as mercenaries. Giff revel in the challenge of building a bomb big enough to level a fortification. They gladly accept payment in kegs of gunpowder in preference to gold, gems, or other currency.

No Honor in Magic

Some giff become wizards, clerics, and other kinds of spellcasters, but they’re so infrequent that most giff mercenary units have no magical capability. Typical giff are as smart as the average human, but their focus on military training to the exclusion of all other areas of study can make them seem dull-witted to those who have more varied interests.

Giff, or Giff?

The giff are split into two camps concerning how their name is pronounced. Half of them say it with a hard g, half with a soft g. Disagreements over the correct pronunciation often blossom into hard feelings, loud arguments, and headbutting contests, but rarely escalate beyond that.

Giff Adventurers

Giff are not one to stand around twiddling their thumbs. If they are not employed at the moment, they are usually organizing the employment of their comrades. While giff love exploring the other planes, a lone giff is an uncommon sight among an already uncommon race. When playing a giff, you might consider why they are no longer with their platoon and what brought them into the company of their new party. Some lone giffs are specifically hired as bodyguards. Others may be deemd unfit by a superior and are trying to reclaim glory by making a name for themselves. Or perhaps a giff might just grow tired of following orders and want to take charge, living its life how it sees fit.

Giff Racial Traits

Your giff character has the following racial traits.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Strength score increases by 1.
Age. Giff mature at roughly the same rate humans do, becoming adults in their late teens. However, giff have shorter lifespans on average, generally living no longer than 70-80 years.
Alignment. Giff have a strict adherence to the law, thanks to their militaristic tendencies. To them, the tenets of law are held above all morals. The only good and evil, in their minds, are those who dare betray giff overall. Of course, there are always exceptions, but they are quite rare.
Size. Giff are quite tall, standing 7-8 feet on average, and incredibly stocky. The average giff can weigh as much as 850-1,000 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Bite. Your fearsome maw is a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
Giff Firearms Knowledge. You are proficient with muskets and pistols.
Headfirst Charge. If you move at least 20 feet in a straight line that ends within 5 feet of a creature no more than one size larger than you, you can attempt to shove that creature as a bonus action. If the target is shoved, it takes 2d6 bludgeoning damage.
Hold Breath. You can hold your breath for up to 15 minutes at a time.
Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one extra language of your choice.

Lifespan

70-80 years

Average Height

7'0"-8'0"

Average Weight

850-1,000 lbs