Hill Giant Scrounger
Hill Giant Scrounger (CR 10)
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 Giant Scroungers are usually the most commonly encountered Hill Giants in the wild. They are younger, weaker giants who have been pushed out of their various social groups, and as a result, are wandering the wild looking for...whatever they find. They live by foraging and raiding, scrounging what they need or want from whatever they bump into. It is not uncommon for several Scroungers to meet up and start traveling together, and indeed, this process is how new Hill giant tribes form.
General
CR 10 Hit Dice 15
XP 9,600
NE, Large, Giant
Init +3; Senses low-light, scent, Perception +12
Defense
AC 32, touch 19, flat-footed 25 (+8 armor, +5 dex, +5 natural, +4 deflection)
hp 195
Fort +13, Ref +10, Will +10
Aura: -
SR: -
Special Defenses: -
Immunities: -
Weaknesses: -
Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Space / Reach: 10 ft. / 10 ft.
Single Melee Giant Club +16 (2d8+12/19-20x2)
Full Melee 2x Giant Club +16 (2d8+12/19-20x2)
Ranged Giant Boulder +16 (2d8+12/x2), range increment 50 ft.
Special Attacks Earthen Smash
Action Points 0
Statistics
Str 74, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 4, Wis 8, Cha 8
Base Atk +10; CMB +16; CMD 26
Feats -
Skills -
Languages Giantish (pidgin)
Special Abilities
- Earthen Smash (Ex)
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 that does 5d6+1 points of physical bludgeoning damage and knocks all creatures prone. A reflex save versus DC19 negates the prone effect and reduces the damage by half.
Treasure
sell value of approximately 5,000 gp
Combat Tactics
Hill Giant Scroungers are not good at fighting. Their tactics consist of "Smash the ground as soon as you can, then hit the enemy as they come close."
Note that Scroungers are not immune to their own Earthen Smash, but are way too stupid to try and miss their friends. Scroungers can make for some hilarious fights, knocking each other down, among other hijinks.
Out of Combat
It should be noted that Hill Giants are ridiculously strong. Per the [Carrying Capacity] rules, Hill Giant Scroungers can lift and carry 238 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!