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Giant Slayer

Description: The Giant Slayer is a Dwarf with one sole purpose, to fell as many giants possible in his often short life. He is narrow minded seeing all other threats as "elven fairy fodder", as long as a giant is around, while the giant, is considered a good day's fun. Giant Slayers are highly trained individuals finishing many years of tough and brutal training, their honed and gruff exterior just magnifies the fact. Their skills are unmatched by any other, and many a foe are in total shock of how one so small can bring down one so big, so fast. Furthermore no matter how big or how powerful a giant really is, to the Giant Slayer, it is just another enemy that must be killed and for this reason they are quite rare.

Role: Giant slayers are a sturdy lot, always looking to cut, bash, stomp or pulverize any enemy in sight. But when it comes to giants they are fanatics. They will use every trick, way or manner to make sure every giant breathes their last dirty breath. Most take long ongoing journeys spanning entire realms looking for giants to kill. In these journeys they continually hone their fighting skills and their knowledge of the many types of giants there are to be found. From the highest cloud covered mountains to the lowest and darkest caverns a giant slayer will go, in search of his prey.

Although they will join adventuring groups with similar objectives to their own, a few Giant slayers prefer the solitary road. There is nothing more satisfying than slaying an entire clan of Giants single handily, but there are not many giant slayers who can boast the fact.

Giant slayers are always looked to in a time of war, or when a stronghold is threatened, since in these times encounters with giant are almost a sure thing. Some dwarven strongholds are even lucky enough to house giant slayer guilds. These are fearsome looking constructs built into the earth or stone under the stronghold. They consist of giant skulls on large poles surrounding the entrance, and sometimes giant bones are used to support the buildings. This is where most giant slayers are trained and housed. These guilds usually contain giant killing artillery weapons, a weaponsmithy who constructs their special axes and hammers, and some even contain tomes of giant lore. These guilds may also cause problems, since giants will seek out and destroy any giant slayer guild they know of, and will attack a stronghold in the presence of a guild.

Giant slayers are the some of the greatest tacticians when it comes to fighting giants, more than once, has a plan brought great victory from a surely losing battle. Since giants are such formidable foes and cause such mass destruction, giant slayers are often hired by small towns and hamlets; "there's nothin better then wakin a giant and leavin with a purse full o' gold and a mug full o'ale". But all giant slayers will accept anybody's call, just fighting giants for the sheer pleasure of it.

Secondary Skills: Giant slayers should have Weaponsmith, Armorer, Siege Weapon Engineer, or Hunter secondary skills.

Weapon Proficiencies: Giant Slayers must gain proficiency in the battle axe, warhammer, thrown axe and thrown hammer. They disdain the use of any other weapons. Their training is so intense with these weapons, that they are allowed to specialize in any two of these weapons.

Nonweapon Proficiencies: Bonus: Giant Lore, Endurance Recommended: Warrior: Survival, Tracking(Giant), Weaponsmith, Armorer, Siege Weapon Engineer General: Local History Wizard: Sage Knowledge: Giant Lore.

Equipment: Giant Slayers always carry an axe and a hammer. They prefer a specially crafted hammer called the war mallet for it is more effective against the thick bones of a giant. For armor, giant slayers prefer a suit of spiked plate. This is special armor designed to prevent giants from grasping or holding a Giant Slayer.

Recommended Traits: Iron Will, Obscure Knowledge: Giant Lore.

Distinctive Appearance: Giant Slayers are always recognized by their axe and hammer which they always carry close by, and their spiked armor. They are distinguished by the tattoos they prominently show, one for each type of giant they have slain. Each giant race (fire, frost, cloud, hill, mountain) has its own tattoo symbol. These tattoo's are only worn when the Giant Slayer has slain the giant single-handedly, and can only be inked magically by a dwarven cleric. Giant Slayers braid their beards or put them under their armor when in battle. They also adorn themselves with the teeth of the giants they have slain and will also carry back the head of the first giant race they have slain (they will do everything in their power to do so). Although this is not necessary to attain their tattoos since priests can detect if the giant was slain by the recipient of the tattoo.

Benefits:
Multiple Specialization: The Giant slayer is allowed to specialize in any two of his allowed weapons.
Two Weapon Style: Giant slayers are trained to use a hammer and axe simultaneously. All giant slayers receive one slot in the two weapon style; reducing their penalties from -2/-4 to -0/-2. They may also opt to buy ambidexterity for half cost upon character creation.
Falling the Giant: Giant slayers have developed a particularly effective method of dropping nearly any giant. By attempting this maneuver, the dwarf gives up all other actions in the round. The dwarf must make two called shots against the giant each with a -4 chance to hit. The first attack is with the hammer and crushes the kneecap, the dwarf then spins around the tree trunk legs with his axe and attempts to hamstring the behemoth. This effectively half's the giants movement rate, increasing the -4 penalty to hit a dwarf to a -6 (-2 to all others fighting giant), gives the Giant Slayer a +2 to hit and damage (+1 for all others fighting giant) and forces the giant to lose one attack a round.
Combat Bonuses: Since Giant Slayers spend so much time and effort looking for and slaying giants they don't battle the common enemies of their dwarven brothers, so instead of receiving the standard +1 bonus to hit orcs, half-orcs, goblins, and hobgoblins, Giant Slayer receive the +1 bonus against giants, giant-kin, and ogres.
Boulder Bashing: The exceptionally bold Giant Slayers have upon occasion attempted to destroy the incoming boulders thrown by giants. This maneuver is not without its risks. If the giant slayer sees the boulder coming, he may attempt to use his warhammer and smash the rock from the air. The dwarf must make a save vs. death. Success means he suffers only ½ damage. A falled save means he takes maximum damage.
Racial Enemy: Many giant slayers become specialized against certain types of giants. This type need not be selected at 1st level but must be declared before reaching fourth level. When fighting a giant of this type, the dwarf receives a +1 to hit and damage for every three levels of experience.

Hindrances:
Follower Limitations: Instead of using the normal follower tables of the fighter, the Giant Slayer instead gains 1d10 giant slayers all of first level when he completes the construction of a Giant Slayer Guild. All Giant Slayers show up equipped with an axe, a hammer, chainmail, and one thrown weapon.
Combat Bonuses: As noted above the Giant Slayer doesn't get the +1 bonus to hit orcs, half-orcs, goblins, and hobgoblins.
Limited Proficiencies: As stated above, giant slayers spend very little time training in other fields and may only take one nonweapon proficiency at first level. All other NWP slots are lost.
Weapon and Armor Limitations: The Giant Slayer may never be proficient in any sort of ranged weapon, except for thrown axes and hammers. Giant slayers receive a -1 penalty with all other weapons in addition to the -2 for nonfamiliarity. Giant slayers rarely use shields because it does not allow them to perform their favored hamstring attack however they are not barred from using them.
Level Advancement: In order for Giant Slayers to continue with their level advancement they have to complete certain tasks and achievements. At level 4 the Giant Slayer must kill any adult giant (excluding ogres) single handily in order to continue to level 5. At level 9 the giant must slay an adult greater giant ( Cloud, Fire, Fog, Frost, Mountain, Reef, Stone, or Storm) single handily and bring its head back as a trophy to a guild to continue to level 10. By Level 15 The Giant Slayer should have achieved every tattoo depicting an evil giant. If not the Giant Slayer must go on a journey to single handily slay any evil giant he has not yet slain in order to continue to level 16.
Giant Hatred: Any time a Giant Slayer encounters a giant he has to slay it, if the odds are to high the Giant Slayer may roll a wisdom check in order to leave the fight for another day. But once the giant is encountered the giant slayer will eventually find a way to kill it. In encounters with good aligned giants the same wisdom check is applied, but if it is successful the Giant Slayer will not return later (some Giant Slayers have even been know to befriend Firbolgs, a race very similar to the dwarves themselves). The Wisdom check may be rolled every round with cumulative -1 starting the second round until the check is successful or the -1's add up to equal the level of the Giant Slayers wisdom therefore making a success not possible.

Since Giant Slayers do not hide what they do, but instead boast and show to anybody who will listen to their feats and accomplishments, they are well known and heard. Some giants may even hunt Giant Slayers seeking to avenge the loss of a lost one. This can be in the form of assassinations or great giant aligned storming attacks in order to overwhelm the Giant Slayer. If giants know the location of a Giant Slayer they will actively seek him and try to destroy him, and anybody he is around with. For all these reasons Giant Slayers have a -5 reaction roll with all giants he encounters, almost ensuring a battle.

Wealth: Standard for the character's class.

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Original content ©1999–2001 Brian D Swedorski. New content ©2025–2026 Jeff. User-submitted material remains the property of its respective authors.