Dark Sun Giant PC Race (Built as a Medium Creature)... thoughts?

[Cyber-Dave]

Basically they get everything the Goliath gets, plus more stuff.

What if I got rid of Giant's Endurance and bumped the Con bonus to +2, thus making sure that Goliaths get something that Half-Giants don't? Or, still too much?

 

[77IM]

I have a PC at my table who is a giant. He started out Medium, but at 5th level I allowed him to give up the Extra Attack feature in order to grow to Large size, with Large weapons. So he wields a 4d6+Str maul, but he can only attack with it once using his action; if he had stayed Medium, he would be making two 2d6+Str attacks, which is generally much, much better. ...Except when he drinks a potion of speed for an extra attack and activates Frenzy for a bonus attack, then it gets crazy. So in the long run I think that kind of balances out.

 

[Zardnaar]

I have a PC at my table who is a giant. He started out Medium, but at 5th level I allowed him to give up the Extra Attack feature in order to grow to Large size, with Large weapons. So he wields a 4d6+Str maul, but he can only attack with it once using his action; if he had stayed Medium, he would be making two 2d6+Str attacks, which is generally much, much better. ...Except when he drinks a potion of speed for an extra attack and activates Frenzy for a bonus attack, then it gets crazy. So in the long run I think that kind of balances out.

I thought of doing the half giant as class+race so it would be something similar to your idea.
@CyberDave I tweaked the Half Orc into a Mul so I would start with the Goliath and tweak the racial abilities swapping out something for something similar. A racial skill proficiency can be changed to a different skill, a racial "power" can be swapped for something similar in terms of power. Ability scores can be changed +2 strength +1 con can become +2 whatever and +1 whatever. The Half Orc was easy though as there is nothing in the racial abilities that scream half orc.

A race that gets +2/+2 should probably get no racial power a'la the Mountain Dwarf.

 

[Cyber-Dave]

I can’t figure out what to erase without erasing too much character. In fact, I wanted to add one element that gave this halfgiant the ability to count as large when grappling! Here is a question: if I added the aforementioned ability to this halfgiant but gave everyone else a free feat at level 1, would that about balance out?

 

[Zardnaar]

I can’t figure out what to erase without erasing too much character. In fact, I wanted to add one element that gave this halfgiant the ability to count as large when grappling! Here is a question: if I added the aforementioned ability to this halfgiant but gave everyone else a free feat at level 1, would that about balance out?

If you're gonna do the free feat thing why not use my one lol?

I'm probably gonna go with a powerful races for the Half Giant and Kreen section normal races get a bonus ASI with an optional section of using the Goliath and a weaker Kreen. My recommendation is to not use feats or use a a feat list that excludes some PHB feats and adds in some 3pp ones to replace them (the -5/+10 ones, healing, inspirational leader, maybe warcaster)

Even if you let a Half GIant use NPC huge weapons (2d8 or whatever) the extra damage is comparable to a human using the PAM feat or in the ballpark. I don't let a large half giant use NPC weapons but they can use large ones in 1 hand like a great axe or whatever.

2d12 is not that different from a PAM user with the 1d4+ str mod anyway.

 

[Horwath]

Medium Half-giant

Abilities: str +3, dex -2, con +2, int -2. They are clumsy and dimwitted similar to their hill giant parents(grandparents).

speed: 35ft

powerfull build: count as size larger for carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

Long limbed: on your turn your reach with melee weapons is increased by 5ft.

 

[Zardnaar]

Medium Half-giant

Abilities: str +3, dex -2, con +2, int -2. They are clumsy and dimwitted similar to their hill giant parents(grandparents).

speed: 35ft

powerfull build: count as size larger for carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

Long limbed: on your turn your reach with melee weapons is increased by 5ft.

Tweaked Bugbear?

FInd something you're happy with in terms of the PHB races or go with the +1 ASI thing and have some DS races be more powerful than the PHB- probably Kreen and Half Giants maybe Aaracokra as they were in the revised set but could perhaps find a home if other races get a buff via ASI's and they could get a minor buff.

Oh and treat CR as 1 lower as well, more powerful PCs fairly easy tweaks to the game without requiring massive rewrites. CR is wonky at best in 5E anyway (as in to easy).

 

[Valetudo]

Take away the reach bonus but give it the ability to grapple as a size larger.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

Thanks, Caliban. For those that think 5e is unbalanced or that it is acceptable to intentionally make an imbalanced race, this thread is not for you.

Do you think 5E is perfectly balanced?

I'm sorry, but giving out a +1 weapon unbalances the game more than giving out a +2 Str. It invalidates resistance to non-magical weapons, and also results in a +1 to hit and damage. The point is, there is wriggle room, and 22 str or large size are completely in that area.

 

[Jester David]

This is my attempt to create a balanced Dark Sun half-giant that FEELS large, but mechanically speaking, is medium in size (to keep with 5e design parameters). Thoughts?

Medium Half-Giant
Ability Score Increase: Your Strength score increases by 2. Your Constitution score increases by 1.
Size: Half-Giants stand around 9 to 10 feet tall and can weigh close to 1,000 pounds. Your size is medium, but you tower over other medium humanoids. Many of your non-player character peers are actually of large size.
Speed: Your base land speed is 35 feet.
Giant’s Endurance: You can focus yourself to occasionally shrug off injury. When you take damage, you can use your reaction to roll a d12. Add your Constitution modifier to the number rolled, and reduce the damage by that total. After you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Giant’s Hunger: You must eat and drink 4 times the quantity of rations required by other medium sized creatures.
Giant’s Strength:You have advantage when making Strength checks to break an object.
Hybrid Nature: You have two creature types: humanoid and giant. You can be affected by a game effect that works on either of your creature types.
Long-Limbed: When you make a melee attack on your turn, your reach for it is 5 feet greater than normal.
Mercurial Nature: The magic that allows human and giant blood to coexist leaves the half-giant’s personality naturally unhinged. As a result, you suffer disadvantage on any saves versus charm-based effects. In order to counterbalance this mercurial disability, half-giants will often attach themselves to the personality of a friend or mentor, mimicking their personality traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws in order to somewhat reorient their own persona. During a long rest, you may choose one member of your party to mimic. Until your next long rest, you take on their personality traits, ideal, bond, and flaw as well as your own.
Powerful Build.You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

Okay... slept on this.
First, this really does feel like a mash-up of the goliath and bugbear. It really needs a unique and iconic power.

Size: I'd put the text of Giant's Hunger here. Or combine into a single "Giant Anatomy" trait.
Much like Powerful Build and Hybrid Nature. The former works but likely won't see use in 90% of games, and the latter seems necessary but won't do much as there's all of two items in the game that affect "giants". So these are almost ribbons.

Giant's Endurance: Stealing from the goliath. I wonder if instead you gained a bonus Hit Dice that could only be used to heal. It has a similar effect (longer adventuring day) but works differently in play. Or even boosting hit points in general.

Speed: Why is it faster? Huge giants in the game still move 30 feet.

I like Giant's Strength. Unique and makes you feel big. Maybe pull the "seige monster" text and apply that.

Mercurial Nature sounds neat on paper. In play I think remembering four personality traits, and two bonds, flaws, and ideals would be tricky. Just copying one of theirs in place of your own might be nice.