Jotunblood Giants

Born mightier and larger than usual for their kind, jotunblood giants tower over their fellows both in height and power. Often called king-giants by the smaller races, jotunblood giants almost invariably live up to that name, acting as leaders of the other giants they live with. Few giant tribes can boast more than one jotunblood giant, and these creatures rarely beget more. Typically, a jotunblood giant is born when a giant tribe lacks strong leadership. The birth of a second jotunblood giant to a tribe that already has one is usually seen as a sign from the giant gods that the tribe has grown too large and must split, with the two halves going their separate ways. Reluctance to do so has led to bloody civil wars and long-held grudges.

Jotunnblood giants can detect opponents by sense of smell. If the opponent is upwind, the range increases; if downwind, it drops. Strong scents, such as smoke or rotting garbage, can be detected at longer ranges. Overpowering scents, such as skunk musk or troglodyte stench, can be detected at even longer ranges.

When a jotunblood giant detects a scent, it doesn’t know the exact location of the source – only its presence somewhere within range. But the jotunblood giant can note the direction of the scent. When the jotunblood giant is next to the source, it pinpoints the source’s location.

A jotunblood giant can follow tracks by smell. The difficulty increases or decreases depending on how strong the quarry’s odor is, the number of creatures, and the age of the trail. Jotunblood giants tracking by scent ignore the effect of surface conditions and poor visibility.

Jotunblood giants have spell resistance.

A jotunblood giant is better at throwing rocks.

Each kind of giant gains a jotunblood attack. Hill giants can let loose an earth-shaking yell that functions almost like an earthquake spell.

Each kind of giant gains a jotunblood special ability. Hill giants can meld into the earth (but not solid stone) as though using the meld into stone spell, except that they can remain in the earth for as long as they wish. A move earth spell cast on the melded jotunblood hill giant’s location causes it to be expelled from the earth and take damage in the process. While melded with earth, a jotunblood hill giant heals as if it had fast healing.