Goliaths (Fleshforge Legacy Supplement)

Goliaths

Goliaths are massive creatures unafraid of throwing their weight around in a fight. Highly competitive, these powerful warriors can prove to be powerful allies and welcome additions to any adventuring party. The goliaths were the first experiment in scaling up humanoids, created by the shapers of the western plains to serve as herd-tenders. When the shapers left, most continued their traditional migrations through the plains, but many others settled down, forming a great gathering place in the center of the western plains around a shaper pyramid.

Personality:

Golliaths are well-known for their almost foolhardy daring, trusting their thick hide, massive size, and powerful muscles to carry them through any battle. Goliaths are extremely competititive, and adore competitions of strength, speed, and skill. Sport is everywhere in goliath cities, everything from competitive games of ball to arena combat and footraces. Most goliaths are extremely focused on strength and physical fitness. The weak and old are generally regarded as inferior to the young and fit, though those goliaths with other talents, such as gifted magicians or charismatic politicians may be able to delay their ridicule.

Physical Description:

A typical goliath is larger than the largest orc. Most are between 7 and 8 feet tall and weigh between 280 and 340 pounds. Unlike with most other races, 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 lightly, males almost always going shirtless, with females wearing minimal tops, 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.

Relations:

Most goliaths are friendly and pleasant out on the fields. Anyone who can keep up and lend a hand is welcome, and those who can prove their skill are worthy of respect, no matter their race. One who offers a hand will often earn themselves a tasty meal at the night’s camp. The goliaths who live in the great gathering are somewhat less welcoming, but still quite friendly.

Goliaths were once close to the orcs, who often worked alongside them, and showed a great respect for the goliath’s massive charges. However, ever since the assault on Myralis, the orcs and the goliaths have grown apart. Goliaths get along well with gnomes, who often help them maintain the health of their herds. Many goliath tribes travel with a gnome or two for a season. Goliaths are also extremely fond of dwarven weapons, and will often trade for them, enjoying the fine workmanship. They don’t respect the dwarves’ policy on non-involvement, but the enchanting beauty and superb effectiveness of dwarven weapons makes up for it to most goliaths. Most goliaths enjoy halfling caravans, and more often than not, there is one or more halfling caravans in the great gathering at any time. However, the constant travel of goliath herds makes it unlikely for an goliath on the trail to run across a caravan. The goliaths have mixed relations with giants. Most giants treat goliaths well, though there are always those troublemakers who decide to try and make the goliaths into slaves. Conflict inevitably ensues.

Alignment:

Most goliaths who wander the plains favor chaotic alignments, with a noticeable tendancy towards good. The goliaths of the great gathering share this propensity for goodness, but they are far more evenly-spread across the chaos and law axis.

Lands:

Goliaths are spread all across the western plains, wandering with the herds. There are a few settlements spotted here and there in the grasslands, but the only true goliath city is the Great Gathering. Originally a simple gathering place, where goliaths would herd their herds at the end of the season to harvest their meat, hide, and bone, the Great Gathering has grown into a proper city, with a grand arena where competitions of all sort are held, and large stone structures serve as permanent homes to many goliaths, and communal lodges for the traveling goliaths. Traveling goliaths move every few days, following the herds, only setting up tents in winter, in the far north, or when it’s raining.

Language:

Goliaths speak Gol-kaa, a simple tongue with only 13 sounds. It is spoaken phonetically, and often sounds quite primitive. The language was spoken only, with no written aspect, until the Great Gathering became a city proper. Gol-kaa is written with dwarven script. In recent years, the gol-kaa of the goliath of the Great Gathering has taken on a more proper tone, being referred to as High Gol-kaa, while the ones who travel the plains generally speak Low Gol-kaa.

Names:

Goliath names come in three parts. There is a first name and a clan name at birth. When a goliath comes of age, he is given a name related to his most impressive deed or talent. If the goliath exceeds his former deed, the chief will give that goliath if given a new name. These middle names are refered to as ‘glory names’, and any goliath will proudly introduce himself with, at a minimum, his first name and glory name.

Adventurers:

Goliath adventurers are extremely common. Adventuring is the natural choice for goliaths seeking a truly impressive glory name, and their size, strength, and toughnesss all lend themselves well to martial combat.

Racial Traits

• +4 Strength, -2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution. Goliaths are incredibly strong and durable. However, their bulk makes them somewhat less agile.
• Goliath base land speed is 30 feet. Goliaths have long legs and a bounding stride.
• Medium: As Medium creatures, goliaths have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size. However, see the powerful build ability description below for more details.
• Monstrous Humanoid: As monstrous humanoids, goliaths are proficient with all simple weapons, but they have no proficiency with any armor or shield.
• Powerful Build: The physical stature of a goliath lets him function in many ways as if he were one size category larger. Whenever a goliath is subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for an opposed check (such as during grapple checks, bull rush attempts, and trip attempts), the goliath is treated as one size larger if doing so is advantageous to him. A goliath 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 goliath can use weapons designed for a creature one size larger without penalty. 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.
• +2 Natural Armor. Goliaths have thick skin and their lithoderms only improve the protection offered.
• +2 bonus on Sense Motive and Intimidation checks: 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.
• +2 bonus to handle animal and survival checks. Goliath life trains the young goliaths to survive in the wilderness and how to deal with animals.
• Goad Proficiency: All goliaths are considered to be proficient with the Goad (Frostburn, pg. 76)
• Automatic Languages: Common and Giant. Bonus Languages: Dwarven, Gnomish, Halfling, Terran
• Favored Class: Barbarian. A multiclass goliath’s barbarian class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty. The life of most goliaths produces many barbarians
• Level Adjustment +1

Vital Statistics

Table: Aasimar Random Starting Ages

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

Table: Aasimar Aging Effects

Middle Age1	Old2	Venerable3	Maximum Age
62 years	93 years	125 years	+3d20 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.

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