Firbolg (3.5e Race)

Firbolg

The frozen tundras of the North are called home by many tribes of large, but still human, barbarians. These tribesmen are often mistaken for and commonly attribute their heritage to the Firbolgs.

A Firbolg is a large humanoid creature distantly related to true giants. While large for humanoids, they are passable (if easy to pick out) in humanoid societies. In these times a Firbolg is a natural soldier; its physical strength allows it to dominate a battlefield in a way few others can. Their variety also allows them to be versatile in their vocation, drawing upon their natural giant magic to get things done.

Personality

Firbolgs are a highly varied group given a universally bad rap by the worst of their kind. While some of them are greedy and rapacious raiders and bullies who live on terrorizing the fringes of society, others attempt to make an honest living. Even these are hard-pressed to deny their giant blood, however, and they find themselves drawn to the battlefield as mercenaries.

Physical Description

Firbolgs are large and brutish specimens that stretch the limits of Medium size. Approximately seven feet in height, they at first appear to be extraordinarily tall humans, strapped with a tremendous amount of muscle that evinces their status as giants and not normal humanoids. In all other respects, they would normally appear to mirror humans in their range of skin tones and capabilities.

Relations

Firbolgs are often ostracized from lands that are not their own; most people don’t make doors to accommodate creatures of their size, and are loathe to trust the kin of those who make their living as brigands.

Most Firbolgs keep to their own, which is usually more limited to their close kin than the whole species. Firbolgs from a different group are just after the same things; if they’re around they are likely going to target the same people. They settle these differences they way they know best; bloody conflict between two or more groups of Firbolgs is even more common than violence against their raiding victims. That may be because the victims have the sense not to fight back, which the Firbolgs usually lack.

Alignment

Firbolgs don’t tend to be the nicest of folk, but they aren't all total douche bags either. They don’t lean towards any particular alignment.

Lands

Firbolgs are nomadic, populating the sparse tundras far north where other races cannot survive. They keep their numbers small to cut down on their food needs, but they rarely do this out of concern for others. Firbolgs know they are bigger and stronger than most things they are likely to meet should they venture south, and whatever they need they usually take. This includes living space, should their numbers get too high to continue their preferred lifestyle. Firbolgs encountered elsewhere are typically renegades, having left their unit for whatever reason and found employ somewhere else.

Firbolg Racial Traits

• Firbolg: Medium Humanoid
• +2 Strength, +2 Constitution:, -2 to any two abilities. Firbolg are strong, but their build limits their flexibility.
• Type: Giant blood, for all effects related to race, a Firbolg is considered a giant.
• Medium: As Medium creatures, Firbolg have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Speed: 30 feet.
• Special: The Firbolg size requires that their armor be made to fit someone of their stature, costing and weighing twice as much as armor for other medium creatures, and their build gives them a -2 size penalty to Escape Artist checks. Due to the fact that they often live off the land, Firbolg receive a +2 racial bonus to survival checks. Firbolgs possess a slam attack which deals 1d6 points of damage. Low-Light Vision: A Firbolg can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. He retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
• Illusion (Sp): as a spell-like ability a Firbolg may use silent image once per day. Caster level equals the Firbolg's class levels.
• Catch: When a Firbolg is targeted with a ranged weapon that they would be capable of throwing and is aware of the attack, it may attempt to catch the projectile as an immediate action by making an attack roll opposing that of the thrower. It must have at least one hand free in order to attempt to catch something. A Firbolg who successfully catches a projectile may elect to throw it at another creature within its normal throwing range as part of the same immediate action. A Firbolg may only block weapons with enhancement bonuses up to its character level divided by four; anything with a higher bonus cannot be caught.
• Endurance: A Firbolg suffers no harmful effects from adverse weather conditions as though it were under the effect of an endure elements spell.
• Powerful Build: Despite only being Medium-sized, Firbolg act in many ways as though they were Large-sized. (+4 size modifier to bull rush, grapple, overrun, trip and special attacks). Firbolg is also considered to be one size larger when determining whether a creature’s special attacks based on size (such as improved grab or swallow whole) can affect him. A Firbolg can use manufactured weapons up to one size larger than normal without an added penalty for doing so (this does not apply to debris that they can throw by virtue of their giant traits). However, his space and reach remain those of a creature of his actual size. The benefits of this racial trait stack with the effects of powers, abilities and spells that change the subject's size category.
• Throw Anything: Firbolgs can throw objects (whether they be rocks, wooden planks, or other pieces of debris) up to four sizes smaller than themselves in one hand (normally Fine, dealing 1d6 points of damage) with a range increment of 40 feet. Firbolgs add their Strength modifier to both attack and damage rolls with these weapons.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Sylvan. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Elven, Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Orc.
• Racial Feats: Firbolgs human attribute gives a bonus feats at first level.
• Favored Class: Barbarian.
• Level Adjustment: +1

Vital Statistics

Table: Firbolgs Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex
30 years	+1d6	+2d6	+3d6

Table: Firbolgs Aging Effects

Middle Age1	Old2	Venerable3	Maximum Age
60 years	80 years	120 years	+4d% years
At middle age, −1 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At old age, −2 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At venerable age, −3 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.

Table: Half-Giant Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	7' 0"	+2d6	250 lb.	× (2d4) lb.
Female	6' 5"	+2d6	200 lb.	× (2d4) lb.

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