D&D 5E Andre the Giant, a Goliath among men?

[Ovinomancer]

For those that want an interesting look at Andre the man, I cannot recommend enough Cary Elwes book As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride (non-affiliate Amazon link). Cary talks about Andre as he came to know him on the set of the Princess Bride. It's highly engaging, and Andre was both a giant of a man and a giant among men.

Based on Cary's telling, I'd keep the high charisma.

 

[Gadget]

For those that want an interesting look at Andre the man, I cannot recommend enough Cary Elwes book As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride (non-affiliate Amazon link). Cary talks about Andre as he came to know him on the set of the Princess Bride. It's highly engaging, and Andre was both a giant of a man and a giant among men.

Based on Cary's telling, I'd keep the high charisma.

I would second this. I just finished listening to the audiobook last week, read by Cary Elwes and other participants. Cary has a lot of funny accents and voices he uses, including his "Andre" voice.

 

[Slit518]

I would second this. I just finished listening to the audiobook last week, read by Cary Elwes and other participants. Cary has a lot of funny accents and voices he uses, including his "Andre" voice.

Are there any mentions in the book of Andre's strength or drinking prowess?

I have heard stories of when he was younger, as a prank he would move his friends' cars.

 

[Ovinomancer]

Are there any mentions in the book of Andre's strength or drinking prowess?

I have heard stories of when he was younger, as a prank he would move his friends' cars.

Yup!

 

[Gadget]

Are there any mentions in the book of Andre's strength or drinking prowess?

I have heard stories of when he was younger, as a prank he would move his friends' cars.

There are quite a few Andre stories, mainly about his drinking/eating prowess, or what a good guy he was. Unfortunately, by the time of the filming, he suffered quite a bit from back pain and--ironically--could not perform any heavy lifting at all. They even had to have wires for lowering Buttercup into his arms. There are a few stories about his younger days when he did indeed move friends' cars.

 

[BookBarbarian]

He was also smarter than he sounded.

It bothers me to no end that some people assume someone is of low intelligence just because they sound funny or have a foreign accent. Andre, Arnold, Dolph Lundgren just to name a few.

There are some smart guys in that bunch. Particularly Dolph who has multiple Engineering Degrees and an IQ of 160.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

It bothers me to no end that some people assume someone is of low intelligence just because they sound funny or have a foreign accent. Andre, Arnold, Dolph Lundgren just to name a few.

There are some smart guys in that bunch. Particularly Dolph who has multiple Engineering Degrees and an IQ of 160.

Can be an issue when people don't consider that the language that they sound 'slow' in isn't their native one.

 

[MechaTarrasque]

As a beloved entertainer, I would say his charisma should be high.* Int is probably determined by whether you were modeling Andre, the man, or Andre the Giant, the persona. I seem to recall that George "the Animal" Steele was a teacher who wrestled as a character with what I think of as int 6 during the summers.

* It does make me think that if there were a professional wrestler class, they should get a damage bonus based on charisma when they get a loud cheer (or loud boo) from the audience**.

** That would be an interesting method to build a bard around for 6e, where instead of spell slots, you can cast a spell based on how many people were affected by your performance.***

*** Now I am thinking too much about this and visualizing a paladin whose smite damage is based on how many people were inspired by his/her last "act of valor" (To be defined later)......

 

[BookBarbarian]

Can be an issue when people don't consider that the language that they sound 'slow' in isn't their native one.

This is probably true. It might also be a little bit of "He is big therefore he must be stupid."

 

[thrillland]

In English there are limited ways of saying giant. In other languages there are often more terms to denote exactly how giant one is. For instance a friend of mine spoke to me about a German term that literally translates to "man-mountain." The practical example he gave was Little John of Robin Hood traditions. I think Andre would absolutely fit the definition of a man-mountain if not a Goliath. I would consider Andre a Goliath, however, because I know the actual Biblical proportions vary from about seven to nine feet. Still in the mind of most people a Goliath is probably going to be at least eight feet. This is similar to the Paul Bunyan of folklore (not the Bunyan of advertising mascot height) who was reported to be, "eight feet tall with a stride of eight feet." Ultimately, I would still disregard every thing I just said and call him a Goliath anyway. He deserves it. If not in height at least in spirit. I'd concur with the 18 suggestion.