Hill Giant

Hill Giant (CR 9)

Pure Evil - Large - Humanoid (Giant)

Lore:	Know (Local)
16		31
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

14

Perception:
24	+14
Passive	Active

Ambush:

10+

on a d20

Senses:

• Standard Senses
• Scent 30 ft.

Movement Types:

• Walk 30 ft.

Defense

AC

27

Man Def

28

Monster Health
178	89	14
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+11
Refl:	+6
Will:	+6

Strong Against:

Weak Against:

Offense

Size:	Large
10 ft.		10 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+15

Man Off

+16

Action

0

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 1x Giant Club +15 (2d8+8/19-20 x2)
  as bludgeoning (physical, common)
  plus: Giant Swing

Full Attack (Melee):

• 3x Giant Club +15 (2d8+8/19-20 x2)
  as bludgeoning (physical, common)
  plus: Giant Swing

Standard Attack (Ranged):

• 1x Giant Boulder +15 (2d8+8/19-20 x2)
  as bludgeoning (physical, common)
  (Increment: 50 ft.; Max Range: 250 ft.)

Full Attack (Ranged):

• 3x Giant Boulder +15 (2d8+8/19-20 x2)
  as bludgeoning (physical, common)
  (Increment: 50 ft.; Max Range: 250 ft.)

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

75

STR

14

DEX

16

CON

4

INT

8

WIS

8

CHA

Skills:

• Perception: 14
• All other skills: 9 (no ranks)

Languages: Giant (pidgin)

Feats:

Special Abilities

Earthen Smash (Ex) Standard Action

As a standard action, a Hill giant may swing its huge club overhead and SMASH! THE GROUND! Hill Giants actually like this a lot, because the ground is easy and satisfying to hit really hard. Earthen Smash is a 30-foot cone area of effect (flying debris and concussive shock waves means it affects even creatures in the air or underground) that does 2d8+8 points of bludgeoning (physical, common) damage and knocks all creatures prone. A reflex save versus DC 19 negates the prone effect and reduces the damage by half.

Giant Swing (Ex) Automatic

Every time the giant uses its Giant Club attack, it may choose two adjacent squares in its reach. If there are enemies in both of those squares, they are all attacked every time it uses its Giant Club attack. (Roll to-hit once, compare this number against all foes to determine if they are hit or missed. Roll damage once, apply it to all creatures struck. Giant swing counts as AOE damage for swarms and other effects.)

Hill Giant

Hill Giants are massive creatures, covered in huge masses of thick muscle and fat. While they are technically size Large, they are definitely at the very upper end of that size category due to their simple bulk. Hill giants exude a sense of huge power mixed with dull frustrated rage at a world they simply don't understand. Indeed, Hill Giants are the second strongest breed of Giants, their physical power exceeding the strength of far more dangerous clans of giants, such as Cloud giants, who are frail weaklings compared to Hill giants.

Luckily for every other creature in the world, their incredible strength is also their downfall, as Hill Giants, charitably, are musclebound idiots. They are physically clumsy, slow of action, and awkward when they manage to do something, as likely to break a weapon as use it to smash a foe. Even worse, they are crude and stupid creatures. Ogres are mental giants compared to a Hill Giant. Hill Giants struggle to sustain even the most rudimentary of social structures, like family, or language. The actions of most other races are incomprehensible to a Hill giant, who is too limited to even grasp what a farm is, never mind understand why agriculture is a good idea.

As a result of their incredible physical strength and incredible mental deficiencies, Hill giants on their own live lives of desperate poverty, lacking fire, shelter, and far too often, even clothing. Despite this, Hill giants thrive on their own, their size and strength serving quite well in Nature to sustain their lives. Groups of Hill giants are uncomfortably common in untamed lands, and they are disgustingly fertile, to boot.

Many Hill giants find themselves working as serfs for other races. Ogres and especially Trolls find Hill giants to be excellent companionship, and those creatures serve to improve the life of Hill giants tremendously. Other Giant races also employ Hill giants as serfs, especially Frost and Fire giants, as well as Death giants and the terrible Fomaori. No one tries to enslave a Hill giant, by the way. No chain will hold them and no punishment will deter them, so there is little point. Give them a warm place to sleep, food to eat, things to torment, and rugged, simple work to do, and Hill giants will be loyal forever.

Hill giants usually live in small tribal groups, and make crude mud huts out of sticks and wattle. They will roam out daily, in a more-or-less random direction, and forage for food and victims. If Hill giants are serving as serfs for other classes of creatures, they will arise, take their food, and then happily perform whatever jobs they are given, as long as those jobs are within their intellectual grasp. As long as they are given lots of things to do, Hill giants are surprisingly tractable. If some of those duties involve killing and hurting things, all the better!

Combat Tactics

Hill Giants are too dumb for tactics, but that doesn't mean they aren't dangerous. Their sheer size and power makes them deadly foes in battle. As soon as they can get any enemies in their Earthen Smash, they'll start using it, whether or not their allies are also in the area of effect. As enemies close in to melee range, they will take opportunity attacks due to their reach, and if they have more than one foe in their reach they will switch to using their Giant Club attack. They will back up five feet each round with a five foot step, to get more room to swing and in the vague hope they can use Earthen Smash some more. They like Earthen Smash. If foes continue to press, they will again opportunity attack and use the Giant Club as much as possible. They will never think of retreat.

Out of Combat

It should be noted that Hill Giants are ridiculously strong. Per the Carrying Capacity rules, Hill Giants can lift and carry 272 tons as a light load! This is completely intentional: Hill Giants are so strong that it is encouraged that out of combat they be treated as able to lift and carry pretty much anything at all. Of course, given how stupid and lazy they are, its rare for them to do so unless motivated. Note, however, that this amazing strength does not, will not, and should not EVER alter their combat statistics! Out of combat a Hill Giant can pluck up huge trees as easily as a daisy, but their combat stats are just boring old numbers, as laid out above.

Rewards

XP: 6,400

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 5,125 gp.

Weight: 90 lbs.     Volume: 3.6 cu. ft.

Optional Treasure Rules: Roll a d20 on Table 1 below once per encounter (NOT per creature). Any items discovered are in addition to the normal treasure for the encounter.

Table 1: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 10	Nothing Found
11 - 14	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
15 - 17	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
18 - 19	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
6 - 10	3 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
11 - 14	1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
15 - 17	1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
18 - 19	1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
20	Roll on Table 3
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
6 - 8	3 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
9 - 11	3 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
12 - 14	3 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
15 - 17	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
18 - 19	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)