Rare and hidden around the fringes of nature, the gentle giants; these are the impressions given by the firbolg people. In tune with natural magic, firbolg as a species have an innate ability to commune with their world, akin to elves or gnomes. Many firbolg are able to use this power to hide and obfuscate. Despite that, the species is quite massive, each member being similar to a goliath in size.
Some people would describe firbolg using terms comparing them to sheep, or to bovines, though this comparison is not quite apt outside of the most extreme caricatures. Firbolg are tall and burly, and have body hair similar to fur which usually comes in colors of gray resembling blue; sometimes ranging to brown, especially around the face. Their prominent ears are about as long as an elf's, but point more parallel to the ground than up. Most firbolg also have prominent reddish noses.
Despite their size, firbolg are known to be quite adept at sneaking around; they mostly do this using magical talents innate in their blood. Some firbolg can even become invisible for a short time.
Firbolg have little sexual dimorphism between them; males and females usually have similar body shapes, and female firbolg generally have the same type of fur as their male counterparts. They reproduce similar to humans & other similar species, but similar to elves, firbolg are only fertile in the second half of their lifespan (after reaching about 250 years of age). Firbolg pregnancy is also quite long compared to most other species, lasting just over a year, and firbolg children age equally slowly, only reaching full maturity around 30 years.
Firbolg in the World
By all accounts, firbolg are native to Des Forabis; the species cannot be found anywhere else in the world, with the exception of rare travelers, and historical journals record interactions with the folk around the same time many other species made landing on the continent.
Today firbolg are still quite a rare sight in civilized lands; most keep to themselves in small villages and enclaves, especially around the border of the Ancient Forest Er'us, near the edges of Domus March, Llhyrial, and Welgagea. Supposedly in ancient times, when the forest stretched across the entirety of Des Forabis, firbolg were more populous, and lived in the canopies hundreds of feet above the pitch-dark forest floor. In the modern age, we now know these writings were likely exaggerated somewhat; while firbolg settlements around the edge of Er'us live peaceful lives, even they have no magic or technology that allows them to survive long-term inside the depths of the place.
Firbolg Player Characters
As a firbolg, you are rare, out-of-the-way, and quiet. These are the impressions other people who know what firbolg are might have of you, regardless of your actual personality.
You are a member of a long-lived species and a majority of your kind live at the edges of a legendarily deadly forest older than written history. You may be a traveler from one of those villages, or you may be a firbolg whose family has been living in more-urban societies for some time. In either case, you're a very unusual sight, as even the firbolg who live in villages around Domus March and Llhyrial rarely venture out to commerce with other nearby settlements.
If you're from one of these firbolg villages, it's important to define why you decided to leave for an insane life of danger and death.
Most firbolg tower over most other species, but their main skills are in magic and being hidden. You can use magic to disguise yourself and turn invisible, and you can innately sense magic around you, like a wafting taste on your tongue. Consider how you might have used magic in your daily life before adventuring.
If you're under two centuries old, you're still not even halfway through your life, and your parents are most likely alive - though you may not know your grandparents. Consider also how this family dynamic raised you, if you were raised by your family.
Firbolg Traits
Ability Score Bonus. You gain a +2 to Wisdom and a +1 to Strength.
Age. Firbolg age much slower than most other species; after 14 months of pregnancy, a firbolg infant grows to an adult over the span of 30 years. Around age 250, firbolg become able to reproduce, and continue aging slowly till a natural death around 500 years.
Size. Your size is Medium. Firbolg are larger than most humanoids, standing 7 to 8 feet tall and weighing around 275 pounds.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Firbolg Magic. You can cast detect magic and disguise self with this trait, using Wisdom as your spellcasting ability for them. Once you cast either spell, you can't cast it again with this trait until you finish a short or long rest. When you use this version of disguise self, you can seem up to 3 feet shorter than normal.
Hidden Step. As a bonus action, you can magically turn invisible until the start of your next turn or until you attack, make a damage roll, or force someone to make a saving throw. Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift. Also, you require 50% more food than an average human to survive day to day.
Speech of Beast and Leaf. You have the ability to communicate in a limited manner with beasts and plants. They can understand the meaning of your words, though you have no special ability to understand them in return. You have advantage on all Charisma checks you make to influence them.
