Giant

Giants were humanoid creatures of exceptionally large size.

True Giants

A true giant was one who could trace its lineage back to Annam All-Father. They all had a defined place in the ordning.

• Cloud giant - A clever giant race descended from Nicias that prioritized the accumulation of wealth and power.
• Ettin - Two-headed giants descended from Arno and Julian
• Fire giant - A militaristic giant race that looked somewhat like a huge red dwarf.
• Fog giant - A stealthy giant race descended from cloud giants.
• Frost giant - A raider race of giants.
• Hill giant - A selfish giant race that inhabited hilly regions.
• Mountain giant - An exceptionally strong and cruel type of giant descended from hill giants.
• Stone giant - A reclusive and artistic giant race that are nevertheless dangerous when aroused to anger.
• Storm giant - A wise giant race that lived mainly in mountains, enchanted cloud islands, or underwater.
• Titan - The largest of the giants.

Giant-kin

Most of the original giant-kin were half-brothers of the original giants. They were considered last in the ordning by true giants.

• Firbolg - intelligent and reclusive giant-kin with a deep connection to nature, they rejected the ordning for their own code of conduct focusing on community.
• Fomorian - hideous and malformed giant-kin. Some believe fomorians have always been this way, while other stories say they were originally incredibly beautiful until they were cursed by the fey for trying to dominate they Feywild, after which they were exiled to the Underdark.
• Ogre - brutish. 
• Verbeeg - cunning giant-kin determined to increase their standing in the ordning through subtle manipulation and sabotage.
• Voadkyn - They were formerly known as wood giants. They felt cheated of their proper place in the ordning.
• Cyclops - one-eyed giants. 

True Giant Offshoots

These giants were descended from true giant breeds, but their placement in the ordning was either unknown or non-existent.

• Ash giant - A stone giant subrace found near volcanos.
• Craa'ghoran giant - The descendants of stone giants infused with the essence of elemental earth energy, causing rocky growths throughout their body and giving them innate earth magic.
• Maur - The descendants of storm giants exiled to the Underdark. Also known as hunched giants due to the fact that they could no longer stand up straight for long periods of time.
• Phaerlin giant - The mad and brutal descendants of stone giants warped by phaerimm magic in the Underdark.

Basic Information

Biological Traits

The appearance of giants varied according to the type of giant (see true giants below) but they were generally humanoid in appearance, just much larger. Their bone structure was more dense than that of humans, giving them extra toughness but slowing them down a little.

Genetics and Reproduction

A female giant had a pregnancy of between nine and fifteen months, depending on the type of giant. Their offspring reached maturity in around fifty years.

Ecology and Habitats

Most giants had superior senses to most humans. In general they could see and hear twice as well. The cloud giant, hill giant and stone giant species had a particularly good sense of smell. Some had the capacity to see well in low light or total darkness as well. They were immune to almost all diseases, and had a slight resistance to poison.
Although their ancestors were immortal, giant life spans decreased with each generation. The life expectancy of a giant was believed to be between 300 and 400 years depending on race, although later sources stated that storm and stone giants could live several centuries longer on average. The oldest giants were well over 1000 years old. Because their lifespans were so much longer than humans, giants were slow to make decisions and would not be rushed.

Additional Information

Social Structure

The ordning was the social structure to which all giants adhered. It was similar to a class-based society, but was much more specific, assigning a social rank to each individual. Therefore, each individual giant knew which other giants were inferior and superior to himself, and no giants were equal to other giants.

Average Intelligence

The intelligence varied according to the type of giant (and as with humans, with the individual) but most were at least on a human level of intellect, with the exception of hill giants.

Civilization and Culture

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Giants were intelligent creatures with their own set of cultures and customs.  Most giants saw themselves as superior to all other creatures. The ordning social structure was one reason for this, but they were also much larger than many other species, so they would talk down to and patronize smaller folk, regarding them as unimportant. Giants lived in tribes or families, but their numbers were limited because of their size, and the difficulty of finding plentiful food.
Ancestry was important to giants. Once a relationship had been established between giants, whether it was amiable or hostile, this would be continued further down the lineage. Therefore, reciting one's lineage helped to dictate the relationship that would be established. Frost giant skalds (bards) would include lineage in the sagas they wrote.

Genetic Descendants

• Cloud Giant

Related Ethnicities

• Giants