Goliath
Goliaths are mountain-dwelling nomads who see
life as a grand competition. Their scattered bands
have never been major players in the politics of the
lowland world, but they have wandered the mountain
ranges of the world since the primordials first
shaped the peaks and valleys. Tall and massive, goliaths
revere the primal power of nature and use it to
enhance their own strength.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Goliaths lived in small tribes that numbered between sixty and hundred goliaths. This was usually made up of five to seven extended families. Most goliaths lived in the same tribe their entire life. On rare occasions, a tribe that got too large would split into smaller tribes or smaller tribes would merge together.
Tribe chieftains only maintained power as long as they could prove they were suitable for that role. As a result, leadership constantly changed. New leaders were chosen by contests. Any goliath could challenge the chieftain in an attempt to replace them. If this happened, the chieftain and the challenger competed in three tasks. The challenger had to win all three to become the new chieftain. The old chieftain would then leave the tribe permanently. Due to the fact that few goliaths lived to old age, goliath tribes relied on innate wisdom in their leaders rather than wisdom gained from years of experience.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Male Names: Aukan, Eglath, Gauthak, Ilikan,
Kavaki, Keothi, Lo-Kag, Maveith, Meavoi, Thotham,
Vimak
Female Names: Gae-Al, Kuori, Manneo, Nalla,
Orilo, Paavu, Pethani, Thalai, Uthal, Vaunea
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Goliaths are driven by a fierce love of competition.
Anything that can be conceived as a challenge invites
goliaths to keep score, tracking their progress against
both their comrades and themselves. A goliath fighter
might remark on how many times he has drawn
first blood in battle within a particular dungeon
compared to the party’s rogue, and he’s certainly
mentally tracking his own performance against his
last adventure. This competitiveness takes the form
of good-natured rivalry among goliaths. As a race
they have no patience for cheaters, gloaters, or sore
losers, but goliaths can be very hard on themselves
when they fail to measure up to their own past
accomplishments.
Daring that borders on foolhardiness is also a
common trait among goliaths. They have no fear of
heights, climbing sheer mountain cliffs and leaping
great chasms with ease. Their nomadic lifestyle of
hunting and gathering instills in them an inquisitive
interest in whatever lies over the next ridge or at the
head of a canyon. To a wandering hunter’s mind, that
curiosity can lead to better hunting grounds or a good
water source that would otherwise go undiscovered.
Goliaths respect and revere the natural world,
and goliath adventurers commonly draw on the
primal power source. Druids and shamans are
more common among them than clerics, and goliath
priests—called skywatchers—invoke the spirits
of nature and their ancestors far more often than
they call on the distant gods of the Astral Sea. Some
goliath tribes also honor Kord, Melora, and Avandra,
particularly those tribes that have frequent
contact with other races. Tribes that regularly trade
with dwarves sometimes offer sacrifices to Moradin
as well.
Lifespan
70 - 95 years
Average Height
215 - 235 cm
Average Weight
125 - 155 kg
Average Physique
Goliaths tower over even dragonborn, standing
between 7 and 8 feet tall. Their skin is gray or brown,
mottled with darker patches that they believe hint
at some aspect of each goliath’s fate or destiny. Their
skin is speckled with lithoderms, coin-sized growths
of bone that appear like pebbles studding their arms,
shoulders, torso, and head. A bony ridge juts over
their gleaming blue or green eyes. Male goliaths are
bald, and females have dark hair they typically grow
long and wear in braids.
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