Why would a frost giant have a frost weapon?

[akchf]

It could be that in a lot of cases creatures with major weaknesses like that don't want weapons that can effect them like that around. They could be potential weapons for their enemy if they're disarmed or used against them.

 

[sfedi]

I don't know why people defend the undefendable.
Your're totally right, Frost Giants with Frost weapons?!?
Unless the Frost poperty was FREE for them to have, I see no reason for them to have it. On the contrary.

This is not the first time that the rules don't allow for flavor.
It'd make much more sense if Frost Giants could bestow the Frost property on any weapon they wield.

Geeesh, I can't beleive the sloppines in the designers... hate it.

 

[fba827]

maybe 'cause the cold infuses the land (and possibly the magic forces of the area too) - thus, essentially, making it the most abundant magical force (as well as natural force) so it's easy to access. If it's going to be magic, and you're limited on resources (money, knowledge) use what you know / have access to .... that's my take on it.

(having said that, i completely understand what you mean - i've pondered similar things before too).

 

[Guilt Puppy]

What I want to know is, what's with good characters and the like always carrying around these Holy weapons? Seriously, if you spend the majority of your free time hanging around at the temple of Pelor, it follows that the majority of creatures you encounter will be good-aligned... A lot of good that Holy-ness is going to do against them! I really wonder what the designers were thinking when they wrote up, say, the Paladin -- giving him all these abilities that are almost never going to offer useful protection in his native church habitat!

 

[ecliptic]

We don't expect our players to think much. It's hard and boring to do so. We don't expect thinking from our designers, either.

We do expect people like you whining.

 

[Li Shenron]

Why does frostgiants and other cold-type creatures always favor weapons with the frost ability? Why do their spellcasters always use so many cold spells? Just about everyone and everything remotely treathening in their habitat is immune to cold, or at the very least resistent to cold! It would make so much more sense for them to use spells and weapons that dealt fire damage.

But... isn't it because they are themselves immune to cold? :\ Think of the advantages of a RL army who was immune to bullet or their own granades (~spells), combat is much easier when you don't have to worry about friendly fire.

And most of the normal fauna of their land won't be of "cold" subtype, maybe the rival monstrous creatures, which they won't hunt for food daily, and against which their weapon would still do normal damage.

 

[Sejs]

So that when they fight those fire creatures they hate oh-so-much, they'll take extra damage. Likewise, for spells - so that they can cast them amonst their allies and not have to worry about any colateral damage. Cold-subbed Fireball in the middle of all your meleeing frost giant pals? No problem! Blast away!


For the most part, it's called "keeping in theme". Cold creatures use cold weapons, cast cold magics, and like cold pizza because they're so darn cold.


And anyway, we're talking about frost giants here. Big hulking bastards with strength in excess of 20 and giant honkin' weaponry. Do you really think they expect a dinky +1d6 cold damage enhancement to pull all the weight in a fight?

 

[Incenjucar]

Smart monster casters have area attacks that they're immune to, and targeted attacks that they're not immune to. That way they don't harm their allies on accident, but can still put the prepared in their place.

Smart giants go for to-hit, crit-boost, AC-ignorer (ala radiant energy) and like abilities over energy damage. Anything that's adjusted in use by size (to-hit due to the size penalty to to-hit) is great. Crits+Giants=Ahhhh! Dancing and such are great so they can hurl rocks while their axe dices you. Also anything that keeps their foes from getting away. A giant with a sword that Entangled you with ice... *shudders*

 

[Jolly Giant]

Because this is Role-Playing as a video game. It's supposed to be cliched so people understand. When the party goes up against frost giants, they can say to themselves "Selves, you will need cold protection for this one," and be correct. It's to put everything into little bite-sized cubes for player consumption. We don't expect our players to think much. It's hard and boring to do so. We don't expect thinking from our designers, either.

I think you're on to something here...

 

[Jolly Giant]

Maybe in your game. I don't play a game where you accumulate magic weapons by the cartload and get to make a magical weapon just because you spend the feat and some XP. ---

--- who says that the wizard's way is the only way to make a magic item? I'm the DM -- I'm not bound by the players' rules.

Ok... But IMC, we all play the same game. We don't use different rules for PCs and NPCs.