Firbolgs - A PC Race From VOLO'S GUIDE TO MONSTERS

Interesting. A bit of a departure from depictions in earlier editions. Much more nature oriented...seems they're playing up the fey aspect based on the Celtic origins of the race.

 

[MechaTarrasque]

Even though they can speak Giant, the write-up indicates that they are humanoids. This leaves me wondering if they still mainly worship Hiatea or not. (I have a player who now wants to ditch his existing PC and make a firbolg druid, so I have to think about these things.)

In 5e, it appears that "humanoid" is any PC playable race, or any version of a different type of critter that is a PC (see revenants and minotaurs). They have been very consistent about it. If they made a centaur PC option, it would be humanoid, ditto sprite, red dragon, modron, or angel: they would all be humanoids. I suspect it is for mechanical simplicity--everyone can be healed by the same spells, and if one PC can walk on hallowed ground, they all can. DM's obviously can change that in their home games.

The other part of the "humanoid" definition seems to be basically anything that can fit in the NPC classes from the MM without changing the challenge rating.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

It would appear so. Though I had to google "Voadkyn" to find out anything about them/had never heard of them. But right down to the size change, the disguise ability, it all sounds like a direct rip off. Granted voadkyn are just a made up thing and firbolg are part of the creation prehistory "myth-story" of Ireland. So I get it. But such a direct departure from what firbolgs were (in actual myth and D&D lore) to simply relabel a [specifically Forgotten Realms, mind you] creature is somewhat....irritating. But we will continue to be told, I am sure, that the Forgotten Realms is NOT 5e D&D's default setting. [No really! It's NOT! Listen to us! But accept and buy the brand!]



Does seem so. Maybe you'll get a Spriggan as a playable race form this book. That's kinda their thing. If they work them into more "fey gnomes with anger management issues" which they kind of originally are/were, versus anything with a directly evil alignment (which I believe they have been in editions past).

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After reading their little D&D wiki write-up, I have to concur. Like, almost to the letter. AND even shorter than them! Voadkyn are listed with average heights of 8'10" upwards to 9'4". So, they stole all of their flavor and abilities and still docked them a foot so they could be "medium humanoids" instead of "elvish giants."

But again, taking something that was just made up for Forgotten Realms and slapping a more "real world" name on it -and then present them as that legitimate thing in a new book- might give it a bit more notice/wider appeal...from where I'm sitting, it is just a blatant -rather lazy- copying (not really a "rip off" since it's theirs anyway). But, also again, if you had not posted about them, I would have never even have heard of "voadkyn." Seems strange that given FR's prominence in 5e, the fact that this very manual is SPECIFICALLY framed as a Forgotten Realms one, with a FR character doing the "research" and presenting these new creatures, that they wouldn't have just stuck with the Forgotten Realms made-up name.

It almost feels like a "bait & switch."

Bait & switches annoy me.

Maybe Volo has it wrong there... and there is an Elminster sidebar that tells us how Volo mixed it up.

 

[Jester David]

Interesting...

My attitude towards canon is well known: I'm not a fan of needless changes. Someone's firbolg heavy campaign will be impacted by this, even if it's just them homebrewing the content.

However... both the firbolg and wood giant were pretty under used monsters. They shared a similar design space as the "not evil, woodland giants", possibly with a connection to the feywild and fey/ eladrin. Little made them interesting.
It makes some sense to merge the two and make the firbolg more distinct than "a big dude that isn't an ogre/ hill giant", while also giving the Voadkyn a better tie to mythology (and less weird head). To give them a niche in the world.

 

[Mercule]

I've used Firbolg as a PC race, in my primary home brew, since 1E. The geographic focus has shifted since then (from pseudo-Germanic/Baltic to pseudo-Mediterranean), so I haven't revisited them. These are definitely not related to the Firbolgs I used, though.

I honestly can't say whether I like the race or not. It was definitely not what I was expecting and my initial reaction is very negative. We'll see if I get over it.

Right now, though, I've seen nothing in Volo's Guide that has me interested in purchasing it. I'm probably going to pass.

 

[One_Shots]

Little made them interesting.

I have to strongly disagree there. The Firbolg were very distinct. They were outside the ordning and kept their own style of organisation which kept them secret, safe and separate from the other races. They also had distinct abilities of polymorphing and swatting missiles aside and wielding their own oversized weapons, and normal-sized two-handed weapons in one hand. They were fey-adjacent rather than actual fey. They were more like oversized dwarves in character and demeanour than they were ogres, especially given their high intelligence and wisdom. They were also quite agile and stealthy.

And now? Now they're just another warped, shoe-horned in, fun-sized player race with no real resemblance to the 40 years of history behind them.

I had forgotten about the Voadkyn though. If they'd called this race Voadkyn, I'd have no problem with it and would in fact be quite happy with that. I'll probably just call them Voadkyn at my tables. But calling them firbolg when they're really nothing like firbolg, I think, is just a bit silly and unnecessary.

 

[aarduini]

It helps that the Firbolg was given a unique identity beyond "Tall human," even if it did divert from the original lore, while the Goliath was stuck for the most part with the "Tall competitive people."

If you guys remember, the Goliath was originally cast as looking different than humans. They had Lidoderm's all over their body. I'm actually thinking of buying one of the Privateer Press Trollkin figures and using it as a Goliath

 

[I'm A Banana]

I don't think this is THAT big of a change.

I think that the use of oversized weapons is going to have to be filled in a different way than as a racial quality. It's important that this be filled, and I think the powerful build trait gives us a way to do it, but it might not be a racial trait in and of itself.

I also think that they're missing some abilities, but we might have a Svirfneblin situation where a feat could add them.

They DO bite a bit of the voadkyn's style, what with the impersonating other humanoids thing, but voadkyn and firbolg weren't all that far apart to begin with, and there's still room to differentiate 'em (Voadkyn seem a little less "fey" influenced, though their friendly with elves).

For me, if we restore a few of their special features (SLA's, swatting stuff aside, possible oversized weapons), these guys would be fine firbolgs. And I like the vibe of doubling-down on the fey aspects - gives them a bit more character, I think.

 

[Jester David]

I have to strongly disagree there. The Firbolg were very distinct. They were outside the ordning and kept their own style of organisation which kept them secret, safe and separate from the other races. They also had distinct abilities of polymorphing and swatting missiles aside and wielding their own oversized weapons, and normal-sized two-handed weapons in one hand. They were fey-adjacent rather than actual fey. They were more like oversized dwarves in character and demeanour than they were ogres, especially given their high intelligence and wisdom. They were also quite agile and stealthy.

Using large sized weapons isn't what i would call "distinctive" for a Large creature. Swatting away missiles isn't particularly evocative either. Hopefully that will be retained in the monsterous version statblock.
And being out of the ordning just makes them unconnected from others of their kin. Like they were forgotten. Of course, that bit of lore could still be retained.

Plus "oversized dwarves" already somewhat describes fire giants, and the oversized viking look also overlaps with frost giants.

The polymorophing seems to be somewhat retained, albeit as more cosmetic.

And now? Now they're just another warped, shoe-horned in, fun-sized player race with no real resemblance to the 40 years of history behind them.

That "40 years of history" line doesn't seem appropriate. They were pretty underused prior to 1995's Giantcraft. And pretty ignored since.
Plus, the D&D history has little resemblance to the centuries of history prior. It just appropriated the name.

That said, I do think they could have worked harder to make the race a hybrid of the two concepts, retaining more of the classic D&D firbolg apperance. It reinvents the wheel a little too much.

 

[Zarithar]

As someone else pointed out, this depiction is more in line with their roots in Celtic mythology. I dig it.

 

[TwoSix]

So why have it as a playable race at all then? There are hundreds of other races they could've chosen to make playable. There was no burning need to have firbolgs be a playable race. But to make them one, they had to so radically alter them from their well known and established lineage that they no longer resemble the original which makes the entire exercise pointless other than to play upon nostalgia. They could've simply called it some other thing and made it an entirely new race if they were that keen on introducing another goliath-like race.

Oh no, they shrunk them down from 10 feet to 8 feet?! Those monsters! My childhood is shattered!