2 frost giants or 3 hill giants?

Ancalagon · Apr 7, 2019

This is a not too serious, "I'm tired help me make up my mind" thread.

The party is traveling through a mountaineous region and will be attacked by giants in the middle of a snow storm. Clearly, frost giants... but then I thought "hmm... does it *have* to be frost giants? What about hill giants?"

Party make up is paladin (ancient, level 8, has a sword of giant slaying), cleric (knowledge, level 8), Sorcerer (Topaz dragon (homebrew) level 8 and 2 monks (both level 7, open fist and drunken master). They also have 4 NPCs hanger ons of some combat capacity (for example, a slightly upgraded thug). This is in 5e incidentally.

So what would be the most challenging fight - 3 hill giants or 2 frost giants? What would be the most fun?

Thanks!

Edit: The fight happened: see post #32

ccs · Apr 7, 2019

Well, 3 targets is probably more challenging than 2....

More over wich type of giant best fits the story/area? Use that.

S'mon · Apr 7, 2019

I would have thought hill giants would be sheltering during a snow storm, while frost giants would be out for a stroll.

Taking a leaf from an Endless Quest book, why not one frost giant and his pet young white dragon? CR 6 & CR 7 and a much more interesting encounter!

5ekyu · Apr 7, 2019

Ancalagon said:
This is a not too serious, "I'm tired help me make up my mind" thread.

The party is traveling through a mountaineous region and will be attacked by giants in the middle of a snow storm. Clearly, frost giants... but then I thought "hmm... does it *have* to be frost giants? What about hill giants?"

Party make up is paladin (ancient, level 8, has a sword of giant slaying), cleric (knowledge, level 8), Sorcerer (Topaz dragon (homebrew) level 8 and 2 monks (both level 7, open fist and drunken master). They also have 4 NPCs hanger ons of some combat capacity (for example, a slightly upgraded thug). This is in 5e incidentally.

So what would be the most challenging fight - 3 hill giants or 2 frost giants? What would be the most fun?

Thanks!

Me?

One very very very injured frost giant being hunted by four-five hill giants (spread into three groups of 1and a group of two) where how they handle the first csn awsy greatly how the rest goes.

MarkB · Apr 7, 2019

Two hill giants riding mammoths.

Oofta · Apr 7, 2019

Personally I'd probably throw a mob of scarecrows covered in snow with top-hats and carrot noses all singing "Frosty the Snowman".

But if you don't want to deal with mob rules, I'd still switch it up a bit. They accidentally walk on top of a snowbank only to realize it's a hill giant. Then have several snowbanks are also hill giants who are just hanging out waiting for the storm to blow over. On the other hand in my world frost giants has "snow vision" and can see through snow like other creatures can see in darkness so I'd do an ambush with thrown icicles and places for the party to take cover.

But seriously. How creepy would it be to hear faint singing over the howling wind only to see the following coming into visibility?

MarkB · Apr 7, 2019

Oofta said:
But seriously. How creepy would it be to hear faint singing over the howling wind only to see the following coming into visibility?

View attachment 105761

I recently ran a series of encounters in a cold-themed hags' lair, and had a lot of success using shambling mounds re-skinned as giant animated snowmen. The only changes I made to the stat block were to the damage vulnerabilities/resistances, and the damage type dealt - they were vulnerable to fire damage and healed by cold damage, and the damage they dealt to creatures caught by their Engulf attack was cold rather than bludgeoning.

Draegn · Apr 7, 2019

Have an ice troll who is an illusionist, use magic to look like a giant. If the paladin attacks the troll his giant slaying sword is negated.

MarkB · Apr 7, 2019

Draegn said:
Have an ice troll who is an illusionist, use magic to look like a giant. If the paladin attacks the troll his giant slaying sword is negated.

Trolls are also giants.

Ancalagon · Apr 7, 2019

S'mon said:
I would have thought hill giants would be sheltering during a snow storm, while frost giants would be out for a stroll.

That is a good point.

Taking a leaf from an Endless Quest book, why not one frost giant and his pet young white dragon? CR 6 & CR 7 and a much more interesting encounter!

That would be very cool, but for campaign reasons that wouldn't work.

Draegn said:
Have an ice troll who is an illusionist, use magic to look like a giant. If the paladin attacks the troll his giant slaying sword is negated.

Trolls *are* in the giant class so that wouldn't work. Negating the paladin's sword is not an objective here.

2 frost giants or 3 hill giants?

Ancalagon

Dusty Dragon

ccs

41st lv DM

S'mon

Legend

5ekyu

Hero

MarkB

Legend

Oofta

Legend

MarkB

Legend

Draegn

Explorer

MarkB

Legend

Ancalagon

Dusty Dragon

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