Goliath (Goe-Lie-Auth)
The Half Giants
"We were all going to die. The Orcs just would not stop coming. We were utterly surrounded, our backs up against an unscalable mountain. Our mage was out of magic, our archer was out of arrows, and I was out of energy. Then, out of almost no-were, a group of men made of stone descended from the heavens, and fought the Orcs for us. It was like watching a cart gracefully smash into a child, we started feeling bad for the Orcs. After maybe 10 minutes, the Orcs where fleeing. The Giant men began laughing and cheering, talking about their kill counts. After all the excitement, they just... climbed up the mountain. Never saw them again."
-An excerpt from an interview in the book "Men of Stone: Goliath." The interview is from the adventurer named Quizor Munich.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Goliaths have 2 arms and 2 legs. Each arm has a hand with 5 fingers, and each leg has a foot with 5 toes. Goliaths are Bipedal.
Biological Traits
While very minor, Goliaths that live in cold temperatures but not on mountains aren't as adapted to high altitudes as their mountain born brethren. Goliaths that live in temperate or warmer climates tend to still be able to live in cold climates and high altitudes, although they are less comfortable in these conditions.
Genetics and Reproduction
Goliaths reproduce sexually, giving live birth after 8 months.
Growth Rate & Stages
Goliaths reach adulthood at around 18 years and live to about 100. Puberty for a goliath causes them to become highly aggressive, often attacking people out of frustration.
Ecology and Habitats
Goliaths live best in high mountains and frigid arctic areas. They tend to live in huts and stone houses. More nomadic tribes often live in leather tents.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Goliaths are Omnivores, they hunt using spears and javelins. They don't usually grow their own food, often they just pick berries and, when they're lucky, apple trees.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Chieftain: The primary authority figure in a tribe. The chieftain was responsible for choosing when the tribe should move on to new lands. The chieftain also chose who filled some of the other key roles in the tribe.
Captain: Two captains were assigned to each of the important jobs each morning. These jobs included hunting, gathering, cooking, and scouting. The captains then built their own teams and set out to achieve their task. Two captains were assigned to each task to encourage healthy rivalry.
Skywatcher: Often the most experienced druid or shaman of the tribe. Skywatchers made sure that resources were not over harvested and game animals weren't needlessly slaughtered. Skywatchers were often exempt from the teams that the captains assembled each morning. Skywatchers also oversaw festivals, rituals, and celebrations.
Dawncaller: Responsible for guarding the camp overnight and alerting the tribe if there was trouble. At dawn, they sung or bellowed tales of goliath bravery or heroics to wake everyone up. Dawncallers were assigned daily and given less work throughout the day so they could rest and be alert at night.
Adjudicator: Adjudicators settled disputes. Unless urgent, an adjudicator would hear disputes after the evening meal. Tough decisions were often settled with a contest of the adjudicator's devising. If a goliath appealed against an adjudicator's decision, the chieftain had to settle the dispute, but would also have to dismiss the adjudicator from their position. Adjudicators also acted as referees for sports.
Tent-mother: The only sex-specific role in the tribe because one of her jobs was to be a wet-nurse. Chosen by the chieftain each morning, the tent-mother was responsible for care and teaching of the tribe's infants and toddlers, as their parents were often busy with other responsibilities. It was also tent-mothers who decided when young goliaths were old enough to start contributing to the tribe (usually around the age of 10).
Lamentor: Responsible for determining when a member of the tribe was too old or weak to serve as a productive member of the tribe. Good Lamentors would then approach the individual to explain their decision and consult the chieftain. Once it had been decided, the lamentor prepared a long chant to commemorate the goliath before the tribe exiled the old or weak individual from the tribe.
Facial characteristics
Goliath's facial structure have the following: jutting eyebrow ridges, wide jaw, and occasional lithoderms on their heads and faces.
Goliath Females naturally grow hair, which is almost always Black and long. Because of this, many Goliath Women tied their hair up in Dreadlocks, as so that it doesn't get in their way when fighting or traveling. Male Goliaths, however, very, very rarely grow hair, meaning that most are bald. In the very rare event that a Male Goliath grows hair, it's usually very short, and is usually in the style of a Mohawk. Goliath males can also sometimes grow small amounts of hair on their face, usually about the size of a goatee. If this hair is shaved, it will not grow back.
Goliath eye are usually a light green or blue color, and lightly glow.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Most Goliaths live in the mountains of Drandar and Zouswiland, as well as on the Magdar Peaks of Mouvileu. A large tribe can be found in Ovak. Goliaths found anywhere else are usually adventurers.
Average Intelligence
Goliaths have an intelligence similar to Humans. However, many Goliaths do not know how to read or write, as most of their stories are told, not read, by Bards in their Clan.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Goliaths don't usually have any form of special powers other than their strength. Some goliaths are born with the powers of the Giants, though this is very rare to find among tribes, and is not special to only Goliaths.
Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms
Goliaths tend to like Dwarves and Giants for their excellent Craftsmanship and Blacksmithing. Goliaths have been able to tame Bears and mountain goats.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Every goliath has three names: a birth name assigned by the newborn’s mother and father, a nickname assigned by the tribal chief, and a family or clan name. A birth name is up to three syllables long. Clan names are five syllables or more and end in a vowel.
Birth Names: Aukan, Eglath, Gae-Al, Gauthak, Ilikan, Keothi, Kuori, Lo-Kag, Manneo, Maveith, Nalla, Orilo, Paavu, Pethani, Thalai, Thotham, Uthal, Vaunea, Vimak
Nicknames: Bearkiller, Dawncaller, Fearless, Flintfinder, Horncarver, Keeneye, Lonehunter, Longleaper, Rootsmasher, Skywatcher, Steadyhand, Threadtwister, Twice-Orphaned, Twistedlimb, Wordpainter
Clan Names: Anakalathai, Elanithino, Gathakanathi, Kalagiano, Katho-Olavi, Kolae-Gileana, Ogolakanu, Thuliaga, Thunukalathi, Vaimei-Laga
Major Organizations
A Goliath named "Billirou Tackle-master Kolukumaka" is a member of the sports Guild of Drandar, and is responsible for "Goat ball " becoming an officially sanctioned sport in Drandar.
Beauty Ideals
Beauty is being strong in the eyes of the Goliath. The greater the feat a Goliath had pulled, the more beautiful they are considered in Goliath society, which is where most trophies of hunts come in.
Gender Ideals
There are no Gender Ideals among the goliath tribe. Whoever is the strongest can lead. However, most female Goliaths are expected to be the tent mother at least once.
Courtship Ideals
Goliaths court their lovers usually by doing amazing feats of strength in their name. Typically, this is usually done by a male Goliath for a female Goliath, and they often hunt something like an Owlbear, or a Drake.
Relationship Ideals
Men want women who could match them in a fight, and are able to defend their children if he can't.
Women want similar ideals in a man, but the man must also be exceptionally powerful in the tribe.
Average Technological Level
Stone Housing, Tents, Simple Weapons (Clubs, Javlins, Spears), Complex weapons (Crossbows, Longsword), Steel Armor
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Every Goliath can speak Giant, and many can speak Common or Dwarvish, depending on whether they trade with Human outposts or Dwarven Strongholds.
Common Etiquette Rules
Goliath greetings involve both Goliaths to grab each other's hands and hit each other with their shoulders. It is supposed to be a showing of respect among kin, as Goliaths will not do this greeting to perceived weaklings. Goodbyes are typically verbal, only being simple goodbyes said in Giant. Some common phrases are "farvel," (Literally means "goodbye") "farvel bror/soster" (Goodbye Brother/Sister), "Am slag stot ulita" (I fight with you later), and "farvel vader/hild" (Goodbye Father/Mother).
If someone challenges you to a fight, you can only deny if the fight is truly unfair.
Common Dress Code
Must wear pants, otherwise, everything is free game
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Goliaths do not have empathy for the weak or old. They do, however, try to care for the sick and injured, but still treat them as someone who isn't sick or injured. Most Goliaths die because they work hard while being marginally sick.
Arts and crafting in goliath culture were limited by the resources they had at hand in the mountains. As a result, goliaths were skilled in crafts like flintknapping, tanning, stitching, creating simple pottery, bone-carving, and painting.
Goliath Art is usually colorful and expressive, using strong Greens, Reds, and Blues. Their art usually isn't of anything physical, and is mostly Contemporary. Goliaths say, however, that they paint their dreams.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
Considering their competitive nature, it's not surprising that sports were often played by goliaths to improve their physical skills and pass time. Simple games included climbing, sprinting, and wrestling.
Other games that were popular amongst many tribes included:
Goat-ball: This involved the use of a stuffed goat hide, which was tossed around by two teams (usually four a side). The two teams would jump around on several raised platforms (usually rocks or logs) trying to pass, intercept, and hit each other with the goat-ball. Any participants that were hit by the goat-ball were out of the game. Participants who fell or were knocked from their platform were also out. One team lost once all their players were out.
Stubborn-root: One goliath was chosen to be the "root" and would have to defend a ridge or peak from the other competitors (similar to king of the mountain played by children in towns and cities).
Cliff-climb: A simple cliff-climbing race. Most races involved climbing up a cliff and then climbing back down. Participants could choose to fall part of the way on the return climb to save time, but risked injuring themselves. The winner was often the best of three races. Particularly skilled climbers would often handicap themselves by wearing backpacks full of stones.
Drink-and-Tell: The only non-athletic game played by Goliaths. The game involves participants and spectators sitting in a circle. One Participant produces a massive flagon of specially brewed mead, called the "Drink-and-Tell," drinks from it, and then tells a tale. Depending on how entertaining the tale is, they'll either hear cheers from the rest of the circle, meaning they stay in the game, or jeers, meaning they lost but stays as a spectator. Then the flagon is passed clockwise around the circle, skipping spectators, but participants must drink from it and tell their own tale. The flagon continue around the circle until either the flagon becomes empty, or only one participant ends. Everyone still in wins Drink-and-tell if the flagon is empty.
Common Taboos
The natural tattoos are believed to be the way to read a Goliath's destiny. While Goliaths are expected to build their destiny, changing their destiny tends to be seen as dishonorable, and getting a tattoo would be the equivalent to trying to change their destiny. Face paint is fine to use, however.
History
In the year 35wr, two Goliath tribes where created. The first tribe of goliaths where created on the high mountains of Urrathgrad, while the other was created in the low, cold mountains of the Magdar Peaks, formally called the Icewind peaks. They were very peaceful, as most other Humanoids didn't even know of their existence. They were first discovered in 67wr, when a small village near Urrathgrad was attacked by a large amount of owlbears, who where fended off by the Goliaths, when they believed that fighting the Owlbears would make them stronger. then, in 70wr, a few goliaths left Urrathgrad, and began going to other mountains. After that, and a few extra instances where Goliaths and other humanoids mixed, they had relatively nothing special happen to them for a millenium. Even during the Calamity event, the Goliaths' did not change as much as most other races. They used their position to avoid the horror monsters that came from the Calamity, as no other creature could last long in the mountains. A large amount of Goliaths did come down from the mountains in order to prove their strength by fighting the new horrid monsters, inadvertently saving people. After the event, many Goliaths took up adventuring, as a somewhat collapsed society is perfect for legions of monsters to prowl, making it perfect for Goliaths to hunt.
The Second tribe, called Yuuthgrada, created on the Magdar Peaks, were far less peaceful than their Urrathgrad counterparts. The Yuuthgrada came to reality fighting a pack of polar bears, and taking the land for their own. Most of Yuuthgrada history is clouded in fighting. One of their largest fights became a small-scale war against the Ice giant city named and Mjosyndi, in 108wr. The Yuuthgrada tribe won, and took the Ice Giant's mammoths as compensation. This war also split the tribe, as the mammoths could not easily live on the mountains, and the Polumni tribe was formed. While these two tribes where seperated, they decided to always meet at a specific point referred to as Kvia, for trading foods, pelts, and weapons. In 212wr, the Tarrasque was awakened by the Everlasting one named Yurgisolv, and attacked Mouvileu.
A tribe of Goliaths, called the Uulitharada have moved to Ovak in 1944wr, hearing that it is a territory for dragons. The tribe was secretive, until they had managed to enlist the help of Orcs, and by extent, Ogres, by overpowering several different Orc leaders. With this army the Goliaths had begun a war against all dragons, in 1998wr. When the Calamity event hit, they had holled up in an now-dead ancient white dragon's lair, using it as a safe house against the insanity of the outside. In 2110wr, a few Slaadi had been captured by the Uulitharada. The Orcs and Goliaths would try to "tame" the Slaadi, and when that didn't work, they use them as cannon fodder to harm the dragon's defences, while also creating more Red Slaadi in the process. Even after the events of the Calamity event, the Uulitharada still deploy what they call "Slaadi Chaos Insurgents," on dragon lairs, and collecting surviving Kobold who have been infected by the Slaadi.
Historical Figures
Bearthous Indomitable Garthrox is a demigod of the Goliath God Kraos.
Common Myths and Legends
It is believed that the markings the Goliaths are born with are a way to read the Goliath's destiny. Typically, all Goliath tribes have at least 1-4 skywatchers, who reads these markings and explains what the marks mean. The readings are usually vague, typically saying that the Goliath will do something grand, and the general way they will do it. An example is "You will defeat a mighty beast of the earth, if you travel with heroes of 3." How the reading is interpreted depends on the Goliath, not the Skywatcher.
Goliaths believe that they were made by the world from the sides of mountains.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Goliaths have good race relations with Dwarves, Earth Genasi, Kor, and Humans. Goliaths have mixed relations with Elves, Orc, Goblins, Giants, and Half-Orcs.
Goliaths are friends to Dwarves because of their ability to craft masterwork weapons and armor. Due to Goliath's nature of wanting to fight things more powerful than them, masterwork weapons are a must-have for them, and befriending Dwarves helps move this along.
Goliaths are friends with Earth Genasi because of how similar the two are. Same with Kor, although not due to their strength, but rather their adventurous intuition. Goliaths are friendly to Humans only because Humans willingly trade with them without harm.
Attitudes towards giants varies. Some tribes traded with giants. Giant weapons were not as well crafted as dwarven ones, but they were a far more suitable size. Some giants, however, would try and make goliaths into slaves. This led to conflicts and goliaths being wary of giants.
Elves were somewhat intimidating to goliaths, owing to their long lifespans. Goliaths often struggled with the idea that creatures existed that were old enough to have known their great-grandparents and ancestors.
Although they had no particular hatred of goblins, orcs, or half-orcs, Goliaths were wary of them. This was mostly due to the stories that they heard from passing travelers about the trouble they caused.
Goliath Adventurers
Goliaths want to show off to everyone. They typically go adventuring to prove themselves, either to their Tribes, to a single person, or to themselves. While rare, a Goliath may adventure because he was banished from his tribe. Goliaths that aren't banished most likely have heard a story about a grand hero slaying a great evil creature, and want to do just that.
Scientific Name
Homo Gainatus
Lifespan
100 years
Conservation Status
Goliaths are considered uncommon, meaning that it's unlikely to meet one in non-city settlements, but it isn't impossible. However, they aren't under any protection from any governments.
Average Height
6'11"-8'3"
Average Weight
200lbs-400lbs
Average Length
2ft
Average Physique
Goliaths are usually very massively built, not being as wide as an Orc, but much taller.
Goliaths also have Lithoderms- coins sized bone-and-skin growths as hard pebbles- speckled about on their arms, shoulders, and torso.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Goliath's skin is gray, with darker Mottled skin found around their body. No two Goliaths have the same skin pattern.
Goliath
Ability Score Increase +2 Strength, +1 Constitution
Size Medium
Speed 30ft
Age: Goliaths live as long as humans, and age as fast. Meaning, they reach adulthood at age 18, and can live as long as 100 years old. Alignment: Usually Lawful neutral Height: Goliaths can range from 7ft-8ft tall and weigh 280lbs-340lbs Natural Athlete: You have proficiency in the Athletics skill. Stone’s Endurance: You can focus yourself to occasionally shrug off injury. When you take damage, you can use your reaction to roll a d12. Add your Constitution modifier to the number rolled, and reduce the damage by that total. After 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. Mountain Born: You’re acclimated to high altitude, including elevations above 20,000 feet. You’re also naturally adapted to cold climates, as described in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.
Languages. Common, Giant
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