Half-Giant

Half-giants are beings that are larger than your typical humans, but are not tall enough to be considered giants. There is debate as to whether half-giants actually trace their lineages, if it is simply a descriptive term, or a mysterious combination of both of these explanations.

Creation

Attribute & Skill Ranks

Half-giants are tough and hardy folk. As such, half-giants gain +2 Constitution and a further +1 Strength at character creation, but also begin with -1 Intelligence due to the lack of easily inherited education.
Half-giants may also assign an additional 2 points across the following abilities: Athletics.

Details

Weaknesses & Resistances

Traits, Spells, & Special Abilities

Half-giants have thick, sturdy exteriors, granting many of them a form of natural armour. As such, half-giants may begin with Natural Armour. Furthermore, all half-giants are immune to the effects of high altitude and have resistance to the effects of extremely cold environments.
Some half-giants have retained giant-like fortitude, enough so that the effects of pain and fatigue are lessened. Half-giants may begin with Endurance level 1.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Half-giants look almost like they have been sculpted from stone.

Ecology and Habitats

Half-giants tends to live on high mountain peaks where the climate it too cold for much to grow.

Behaviour

Half-giants are often up-front and direct. They see no value in holding their tongues.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Half-giants are nomadic, a consequence of living in such inhospitable lands. These nomadic tribes operate on a brutal meritocracy, operating under the understanding that it is better to die than to fail to earn your keep. This often leads to conflicting political stances between half-giants and other species that may follow a classist regime based on more arbitrary measures, such as wealth, bloodline, or gender.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Half-giants have gender neutral names and often take their clan name rather than a family name. Due to the nature of their meritocracy, half-giants also have a convention of using epithets to honour the most impressive successes of an individual.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Most half-giants speak both Dratoran and Giantis.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

To half-giants no deed goes uncounted, nor does any failure. To them, one good turn demands another, debts must be paid, and mistakes must be atoned for. As such, half-giants can become extremely competitive in their pursuit of a win. This competition is fiercest against oneself. Half-giant sentiments are that impressive feats are only impressive whilst they path the way for greater successes in future. To remain stagnant in half-giant culture is to perish, both with regards to roaming and achievements. A similar sentiment is held with regards to complacency and luxuries. It is desirable to earn advantages through hard work and success, but to become overly reliant on anything is considered akin to taunting Norac.
In many ways, half-giants are social Darwinists. They are not likely to show pity or mercy to the weak or incapable. Whilst they will take measures to treat their sick and wounded, these individuals are expected to repay the debt however possible or make the decision themselves to wander out into the wilderness to perish. This harsh approach to their most infirm individuals is largely responsible for other species' perception of half-giants as savages.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

Half-giants do not have the extreme military concept of a beautiful death in combat; to half-giants death is a grim inevitability that should not be feared, but should be held back for as long as the half-giant is able. However, their brutal disapproval of ineptitude and incapability means that half-giants hold the ideal that death met whilst striving to overcome a challenge is greater than wasting away as a burden to the tribe. This warped perspective often drives weaker or elderly half-giants to venture out and seek death in combat, despite this not being an official tradition of half-giants.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Half-giants are rare, so many other species have limited experiences upon which to build judgements upon. What is known is that very few other species can claim to be friendly with half-giants.
  Many species consider half-giants to be savages, a judgement stemming from half-giants' brutal approach to their sick and injured. Others consider half-giants to be inherently stupid. This is a vast generalisation, but the stereotype is thought to have originated from the half-giants' high mortality, nomadic lifestyle, and focus on survival and necessities over writing and theory; all of which have led to limitations in the inheritance of education and knowledge between generations and tribes.

Genetic Descendants

• Basajaun

Lifespan

The average half-giant would live for approximately 100 years, provided they do not die from external factors beforehand.

Average Height

The average half-giant ranges from 7'0" - 12'0" tall.

Average Weight

The average half-giant weighs 200 - 1000kg.