D&D 5E Firbolg charactera

[Shiroiken]

I would look at pre 5E art for firbolgs. I hate what 5E has done to them. I know nothing about what 4E has done to them. But I really liked them in earlier d&d. Mainly as NPC’s or monsters. They were very cool and badass. And much taller in general.

They used to be about 10 ft tall and were the most powerful of the giantkin (the non-"true" giants). Now they're... something else. That's why in my game I've changed the PC race to be half-firbolg, allowing me to use the real firbolg as the DM.

 

[Mecheon]

I never really cared for the older Firbolgs until 4E happened and gave them that whole Wild Hunt angle which, well, is dropped at the moment but will hopefully come back in something else.

The "They're slightly smaller giants" angle never caught me though from previous editions. I like their niche of nature-themed large lads with a bit of ogier and I love they're full in on the fey theming, but until 4E happened they were just a type of creature I ignored.

 

[jgsugden]

I'm not sure, I've looked again, and it really seems to me its always a blue/grey ish dude with a goatee or short beard, red-to-dark brown hair, large floppy ears and bovine nose.

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There's a little more variety with the female presenting models.

Then again I'm also against the idea that dwarves MUST have a beard and all elves MUST be skinny.

I'd say the below show a lot more variety - much more varied than dwarves, elves and halflings. If I were to tell a story about each, they'd be very different characters - which means they have visualizations that evoke differences.

In the end, they're as different as you want to make them.

 

[Fenris-77]

The forest Firbolg and the Old Firbolg off that list are the ones that I find match my mind's eye. I recall being very taken with the idea of Firbolg when I first read about them, whenever that was. I know the interest was very much driven by the art on the page, but I'll be buggered if I can remember which piece of art it was. Other than that the old school Ral-Partha Firbolg figure was also a big influence.

That dude was one of the coolest Partha figs of his generation.

 

[jgsugden]

Again, beyond the name, I do not really think 5E firbolgs have much in common with prior editions. I think of them as a new entry. I had stated up firbolgs based upon prior edition materials for 5E and still use them as special giants.

 

[Tonguez]

Firbolgs in previous editions resembled Humans

it would seem to me that 5e decided to swap them with Voadkyn but then gave them an entirely weird fluff (well weirder than Voadkyn being giant wood elves with big heads)

do Voadkyn show up in 5e?

 

[Mecheon]

do Voadkyn show up in 5e?

I don't think Voadkyn made it past 1E from memory

 

[Demetrios1453]

I don't think Voadkyn made it past 1E from memory

They made it to 2nd edition, in the Greyhawk Monstrous Compendium if I remember correctly. And then were, as far as I know, never heard of again.

And the firbolg with particularly bovine features are the Exandria/Wildmount variant - it's even mentioned in tbe book how they are more bovine in appearance than most firbolgs.

Also, I believe there is room for both old and new versions under a big firbolg tent. If drow and sea elves can both be "elves", then both old and new firbolgs can be firbolgs. They're just from different ethnic groups and look accordingly different.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

For me, I never cared about the old Firbolg, so the more Fey Firbolg is great. It's also closer, IMO, to the Irish Firbolg.

In my Eberron, Firbolgs are reclusive librarians who build their villages in secret places in the deep wilderness, and are closely related to Goliaths. I have a married pair of Firbolg Bards in my current Eberron campaign. One looks like a more jacked version of the VOlo's guide firbolg in a kilt, while the other is very short for a firbolg and looks like a cute fey goat-girl, complete with smallish curling horns. Her mom is a master artificer who is currently working in a scriptorium at the Korranberg Library, as part of a partnership with House Sivis.

The kilt-firbolg has a greatsword whose ancient magic seems to be dead, and he seeks the secrets to bring the magic back, and the pair quest to find a new home to start a new clan, as she doesn't fit in with her clan, and his clan is scattered to the winds after a somewhat violent "land acquisition" by House Vadalis of their ancient grove in the Eldeen Reaches.

As for appearance, let your imagination run wild.

 

[Tonguez]

For me, I never cared about the old Firbolg, so the more Fey Firbolg is great. It's also closer, IMO, to the Irish Firbolg.

Not really, the Fir Bolg were really the most ‘normal‘ of the early settlers of Ireland, they were warrior tribes who established 5 Kingdoms around the Hill of Tara, and had generally a settled agrarian life until they had to fight off the more monstrous Fomorians and then the more fey like Tuatha du Danan (sp?).

Its the Tuatha who are the fey touched, not the Fir Bolg.

Nonetheless :

In my Eberron, Firbolgs are reclusive librarians who build their villages in secret places in the deep wilderness, and are closely related to Goliaths...

Thats a nice use of the race, but it is ironic given that Fir Bolg were described by Irish chronicles as “talkative, guileful” and “promoters of discord” rather than reclusive librarians.

Nonetheless I do like the backstory and use you have for your race in your game