D&D General Comparing Giant Sizes

Anders Johnson, a Swedish artist over on ArtStation, has an awesome image in which he compares the relative sizes of various D&D giants.

 

[dave2008]

How do those compare to the Titans e.g. Prometheus etc.; or are they the same thing?

The titans where a separate group. The gods overthrew the titans and then imprisoned them. Gaia, upset by this unleashed the giants to punish the gods. They are separate entities (different names, stories, etc.) but seem very similar in scale / form at least. The giants were sometimes described as having scaled legs or snakes for legs, which is very similar to the monster / titan Typhon and they are sometimes confused with each other (even by ancient greeks). Also, in some stories the gigantes are man sized. That is the beauty of real myth, the stories are all over the place!

 

[Bitbrain]

And yet combat between such a giant and a human fighter comes down to just standing next to each other in their squares on the battle mat and swinging their swords at one another and blocking and parrying each others blow,

I use theater of the mind exclusively. In my experience, it not only results in a faster player-response-time, but combat becomes much more descriptive and dynamic.

The PCs aren’t just standing next to the Huge-Gargantuan monsters such as a Giant.

They’re spring-boarding off the giant’s knees to stab them in the chest (like Percy Jackson did to Polybotes in the Son of Neptune), while the Giant is reaching out to grab at the Lore Bard who is giving inspiration via singing Thunderstruck by AC/DC, to provide just one example.

 

[Mirtek]

I use theater of the mind exclusively. In my experience, it not only results in a faster player-response-time, but combat becomes much more descriptive and dynamic.

The PCs aren’t just standing next to the Huge-Gargantuan monsters such as a Giant.

They’re spring-boarding off the giant’s knees to stab them in the chest (like Percy Jackson did to Polybotes in the Son of Neptune), while the Giant is reaching out to grab at the Lore Bard who is giving inspiration via singing Thunderstruck by AC/DC, to provide just one example.

The problem with that is that it reduces all giants to dumb lumbering brutes who just don't know how to fight. Yet they are supposed to have highly sophisticated cultures. So where are their martial arts traditions, there fencing masters, etc.? That might work against brutish hill giants, but it would be a disgrace to clout or storm giants.

Those idiots swinging at the empty air all the time while the nimble human makes a fool out of them darting in and out scoring small hit after small hit.

Sad truth is that physical combat does not work between opponents that so greatly apart on size, unless one of them is a complete idiot.

That might go for a individiual giant, but for every single frost giant warrior in the whole glacial rift of the frost giant jarl? including the jarl himself?

At least the human fighter, most skilled swordmaster of the realm must be such a fool himself, given how his fights against kobolds and goblins must be narrated to make any sense.

PS: How lovely it was that 4e allowed the tiny pixie barbarian with 24 Str to outclass the goliath fighter with 20 Str at every level

 

[Bitbrain]

The problem with that is that it reduces all giants to dumb lumbering brutes who just don't know how to fight.

Those idiots swinging at the empty air all the time while the nimble human makes a fool out of them darting in and out scoring small hit after small hit.

Um, how is it dumb for the Giant prioritize going after the Lore Bard, when said bard is the PC with the lightest armor (and therefore easiest to hit), has the lowest hit points (and therefore is the easiest to kill), and is using his inspiration each turn to help his allies fight better?

 

[Mirtek]

Um, how is it dumb for the Giant prioritize going after the Lore Bard, when said bard is the PC with the lightest armor (and therefore easiest to hit), has the lowest hit points (and therefore is the easiest to kill), and is using his inspiration each turn to help his allies fight better?

Because eventually the giant has to fight the fighter. And there is no way to narrate that without either the giant missing all the time of the fighter parrying or blocking the giants attack.

Also the giant is dumb even in this example, if he let the fighter get in a mortal blow while reaching for the bard. Sure, maybe a rank and file conscript, but eventually the party is supposed to fight giants that know what they are doing.

Also there is no armor as far as the giant is concernend. There is no difference between full plate or leather or simply a bathrobe for a human when it comes to being hit by a stormgiant-sized weapon swung by a storm giant. You can not take such a hit. Period.

And then there's the point where the party is supposed to fight multiple of them at once, as they're just the standard-guard in the giant king's castle while giving them no more thought than fighting a bunch of human guards in the human king's castle.

 

[Bitbrain]

Because eventually the giant has to fight the fighter. And there is no way to narrate that without either the giant missing all the time of the fighter parrying or blocking the giants attack.

Also the giant is dumb even in this example, if he let the fighter get in a mortal blow while reaching for the bard. Sure, maybe a rank and file conscript, but eventually the party is supposed to fight giants that know what they are doing.

Also there is no armor as far as the giant is concernend. There is no difference between full plate or leather or simply a bathrobe for a human when it comes to being hit by a stormgiant-sized weapon swung by a storm giant. You can not take such a hit. Period.

And then there's the point where the party is supposed to fight multiple of them at once, as they're just the standard-guard in the giant king's castle while giving them no more thought than fighting a bunch of human guards in the human king's castle.

Reality has little say in my campaigns. PCs can and do take multiple hits from a Giant and survive.

EDIT
I play D&D to turn my brain “off” and to have fun. Not think about how fighting a Giant would play out in real life.

 

[DWChancellor]

Reality has little say in my campaigns. PCs can and do take multiple hits from a Giant and survive.

Let's be clear about what 5E is: high level characters act like Legolas in Return of the King. It is the "so good" fighting style. This is why a fighter genuinely can dance around the ankles of a giant and accomplish something. It is why the monk can dance around fight a company of archers. It is why a wizard can fight a prepared lich in its lair.

It is cool, it is fun, and it has nothing at all to do with "real and gritty." If you want real and gritty, you bring an army with siege weapons against giants. And still probably lose.

 

[Bitbrain]

Let's be clear about what 5E is: high level characters act like Legolas in Return of the King. It is the "so good" fighting style. This is why a fighter genuinely can dance around the ankles of a giant and accomplish something. It is why the monk can dance around fight a company of archers. It is why a wizard can fight a prepared lich in its lair.

It is cool, it is fun, and it has nothing at all to do with "real and gritty."

Exactly! This right here is why I love DMing 5e.

Now tell that to Mirtek...

 

[DND_Reborn]

It's interesting since we are currently playing the Against the Giants adventure (loved it in 1E!) and this was a graphic we used showing our characters against the different giants we're facing.

The half-orc with the the bow drawn is our most lethal character (fighter/rogue). With his assassinate feature, he can kill a hill giant by himself in a single round. Scary when you think of the size difference...

 

[Mistwell]

My favorites are Giant Size X-Men #1, Giant Size Invaders #1 and Giant Size Super-Villian Team-Up #1.

What?