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Message: <blockquote data-quote="I'm A Banana" data-source="post: 5208336" data-attributes="member: 2067">Not to side-track TOO much:[sblock=Response]That's kind of like saying Coke IS Pepsi, but the people in this state call it Coke.The two are similar, but subtly different, and those subtle differences can be quite important.Cuz there's more to both Goliaths and Half-Giants (IMO, at least) then "being big." Their differences are greater than their similarities. Goliaths are tribal people of the mountains, who enjoy sports and athletics, who are very close to the spirits of their rocky homelands. They're a "<a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NobleSavage" target="_blank">noble savage</a>/<a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ProudWarriorRaceGuy" target="_blank">Proud Warrior Race Guy</a>" archetype, to a large degree. Half-Giants are magically created artificial life, wizard-warped slaves made to be strong and dull, impressionable and perrennially child-like. They're a "<a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DumbMuscle" target="_blank">Dumb Muscle</a>/<a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PsychopathicManchild" target="_blank">Psychopathic Manchild</a>" archetype, broadly.In rules and combat, this difference should be reflected. Goliaths are shamans and spirit-seers, ancestor-worshippers and shape-changers, hunters and gatherers. They bond with nature and the spirit-world. Their attacks carry the ringing echo of the mountains, their defenses reflect the stony growths in their skin, their skills relate to Nature and Perception and Insight. Half-Giants are fighters, gladiators, barbarians, and raw muscle. They fit in no where, are useful only for their base physical might, and have trouble with concepts like "liberation" and "freedom" and "restraint." Their attacks are wild and chaotic, their defenses more obliviousness than hardiness, their skills related to raw brute violence and strenuous labor (athletics, endurance). They are distinct. The goliath stats aren't just "Big Strong Guys use this." They represent a specific creature -- a creature that is not the same thing as a Half-Giant. Flavor can cross that divide to a large degree, but the more mental athletics I need to do between Point A and Point B, the worse for wear both I and the concept are. And besides, flavor should reflect mechanics, anyway -- the fluff I use for Goliaths and Half-Giants is distinct, because their game stats are also distinct, leading to the creatures being played in different ways, ways that reflect that fluff. If the two ARE mechanically identical, it's kind of lame for both of them, since they'll be played in similar ways, ways that don't reflect how different the two of them should feel in play, which would back up their distinct archetypal flavor. [/sblock]</blockquote>

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