Giant, Wood (Voadkyn)
Climate/Terrain:
| Temperate and subtropical/Forests
|
|
Frequency:
| Very rare
|
Organization:
| Clan
|
Activity Cycle:
| Day
|
Diet:
| Herbivore
|
Intelligence:
| High to exceptional (13-16)
|
Treasure:
| E
|
Alignment:
| Chaotic good
|
No. Appearing:
| 1-4
|
Armor Class:
| 8 (5 in armor)
|
Movement:
| 12
|
Hit Dice:
| 7+7
|
THAC0:
| 13
|
No. of Attacks:
| 1
|
Damage/Attack:
| 1-10 (weapon) +3 to +6 (Strength bonus)
|
Special Attacks:
| -4 penalty to opponents' surprise rolls
|
Special Defenses:
| Resistant to some spells
|
Magic Resistance:
| Nil
|
Size:
| L (9½' tall)
|
Morale:
| Steady (11-12)
|
XP Value:
| 1,400
|
Wood giants (also known as voadkyn) are one of the smallest of the minor races
of giants, looking somewhat like giant-sized wood elves. They are flighty,
frivolous, and good friends with wood elves.
Standing 9½ feet tall, wood giants weigh around 700 pounds. They have the
physical proportions of humans, which makes them thin and light for giants. They
are completely devoid of facial and body hair, including eyebrows. Their heads
seem overly large for their bodies, especially the jaws, chin, and mouth. Their
ears are placed higher than on a human, almost completely above the line of the
eyes.
Wood giants can be almost any shade of brown, mixed with yellow or green. They
are fond of leather armor and ring mail. A wood giant carries two weapons -- a
two-handed sword and a giant-sized long bow with quiver. A special sheath for
the sword is steel tipped, enabling it to be used as a walking stick. This does
not in any way disguise the sword.
They wrap their ankles in leather strips almost up to the knee, although the
foot itself is mostly bare. The only garments they wear are loose trousers or a
short kilt. A wood giant always wears a leather forearm sheath to protect his
arm from the bowstring. All of these items are frequently stained in forest
colors of green and brown.
Combat: Voadkyn do not fight unless forced to defend themselves or allies. Their
favorite weapon is their huge, non-magical long bow. They get a +1 bonus to attack
rolls and 50% better range because of its unusual size. The matching arrows are
over four feet long and cause 1d8 points of damage. Wood giants do not hurl
rocks or boulders. If pressed into melee, they wield their two-handed swords with
one hand.
When encountered, the Strength of the voadkyn must be determined by rolling
percentile dice. The resulting number is the 18/(roll) value for their strength.
This gives them a +3 to +6 damage bonus. They do not receive any attack roll
bonus for Strength. These giant-kin are usually in the company of 1d4
wood elves
(60%), 1d4
dire wolves (30%), or both (10%).
Wood giants are 90% resistant to
sleep and
charm spells; they have infravision up to 90 feet.
The only magical skill voadkyn have is the ability to polymorph into any
humanoid figure, from 3 to 15 feet in height. They cannot become a specific
individual, only a typical specimen of that race. They have been known to use this
ability to join a party and trick it out of treasure.
Wood giants can move silently in a forest, despite their great height, thus
imposing a -4 penalty to opponents' surprise rolls. They can blend into forest
vegetation, becoming effectively invisible. Only creatures able to detect
invisible objects can see them. Although they are not invisible while attacking, they
are extremely quick (Dexterity 16) and can move out of hiding, launch an arrow,
and move back into hiding in the same round. These arrows seem to come from
nowhere unless the target is looking at the wood giants' hiding spot.
Habitat/Society: Wood giants inhabit the same forests as wood elves. They have no lairs,
choosing to live under the stars or with the wood elves for a time. Wood giants
encountered in the forest are mostly male (90%). Female wood giants usually remain
at a makeshift camp or with the wood elves at their lair. Offspring are rare, as
each female gives birth to only 1d4 children in her lifetime. The young are
born and raised deep in the woods among the wood elves, away from prying eyes.
The strong bond between wood elves and wood giants goes back further than
either race can remember. This may account for the elven abilities of the giants.
They do not mix or treat with any other intelligent creatures, although they
tolerate any good elf. Like the elves, wood giants are fond of finely cut gems and
well-crafted magical items.
Humans who have had contact with wood giants describe them as friendly enough,
but flighty and frivolous, and never in a great hurry to do anything other
than eat and drink large amounts of wine. Treants (with whom they occasionally
converse) consider them irrational, foolish, and occasionally obnoxious, but
enjoyable company.
Ecology: The jaw of the voadkyn is large because of the oversized grinding teeth in it.
These teeth are completely unsuited for eating meat, but they are perfect for
vegetables and other plants. Wood giants can eat the leaves and roots of many
plants that are inedible to humans. They especially enjoy nuts and seeds.