Firbolgs - A PC Race From VOLO'S GUIDE TO MONSTERS

Interesting. A bit of a departure from depictions in earlier editions. Much more nature oriented...seems they're playing up the fey aspect based on the Celtic origins of the race.

 

[QuietBrowser]

But yeah, these are Voadkyn, and they seem to be a more popular version of the Voadkyn given the positive response that this design seems to be having. Everyone always seemed to hate the Voadkyn before.

Have you see the traditional Voadkyn artwork? They're hideous! I'm not surprised they were unpopular. Seriously, how do you start from a base of "giant wood elf" and end up with "bald bulbous-headed humanoid with grotesquely naked cat-ears atop their head"?

Anyway, comparing the Firbolg here to their AD&D writeup in the Complete Book of Humanoids, I don't think the changes are that severe. In AD&D, they got +2 Strength, -2 Charisma, +13 HP, natural AC of 3, an assortment of 1/day spell like abilities (Detect Magic at 3rd level, Diminution at 5th level, Fools Gold at 7th level and Forget at 9th level), could use two-handed human-scale weapons one-handed, could use Large scale weapons like normal, could deflect 2 missiles per round on a 6+ d20 check if they had a hand free, could catch a boulder and throw it back, and had 15% Magic Resistance. Additionally, Shamans got random Illusion/Phantasm spells as spell-like abilities, amounting to 10 1st level spells and 4 2nd level spells. To pay for all of these, they couldn't add their Strength bonus to attacks with man-made weapons, doubled the XP costs to advance as Fighters, tripled the XP costs to advance as Shamans, and took damage as Large creatures.

With this in mind, this is honestly a pretty decent effort at translating them. They were always the "magical, stealthy, reclusive giant-kin" in editions past, with a strong Druidic/Fey vibe. So, with inherent druid-powers (speak to animals and plants) and stealth (invisibility and alter-self 1/encounter), Powerful Build... yeah, this feels more or less accurate to me. At least they actually bothered to update them.

 

[pukunui]

Why do you guys suppose they made the beast/plant communication one-way? They can talk to them but can't understand any responses.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

Why do you guys suppose they made the beast/plant communication one-way? They can talk to them but can't understand any responses.

Maybe because low Int/non-Int beasts and plants don't really have a language to communicate back with?

 

[I'm A Banana]

Why do you guys suppose they made the beast/plant communication one-way? They can talk to them but can't understand any responses.

It's a fluffy ability, so I'm thinking it's a fluffy reasoning. Check out the paragraph on "names." Given the naturalistic vibe, I think that words and language are not all that important to firbolgs - a wolf doesn't need language to coordinate with its pack, a panther doesn't need language to hunt, a squirrel doesn't need language to store its nuts. Plants and animals understand when the firbolg speaks - and the firbolg only needs to watch and listen to know the reply.

 

[Dausuul]

+1 Strength for a race that averages 7-8 feet tall? That's... odd. They're weaker than mountain dwarves.

Aside from that, it seems fine. Although I do wish they would be a little bolder mechanics-wise. It's not the end of the world to have a Large-sized PC race.

 

[Wrathamon]

+1 Strength for a race that averages 7-8 feet tall? That's... odd. They're weaker than mountain dwarves.

Aside from that, it seems fine. Although I do wish they would be a little bolder mechanics-wise. It's not the end of the world to have a Large-sized PC race.

No, they aren't weaker they can lift, pull and push more than a dwarf. Meaning they are "stronger" than any mt dwarf.

In combat, they don't do as much "damage" with melee attacks and dwarves are better at making str saves. MT. Dwarves know how to use their strength in combat better.

 

[Dausuul]

No, they aren't weaker they can lift, pull and push more than a dwarf. Meaning they are "stronger" than any mt dwarf.

In combat, they don't do as much "damage" with melee attacks and dwarves are better at making str saves. MT. Dwarves know how to use their strength in combat better.

Hmm, okay. I can buy that. Strength is kind of a weird stat.

Still wish they would just make them Large already, instead of squishing them down to fit within the tippy-top of the Medium range. But that's more a personal pet peeve than anything else.

 

[Demetrios1453]

It would appear so. Though I had to google "Voadkyn" to find out anything about them/had never heard of them. But right down to the size change, the disguise ability, it all sounds like a direct rip off. Granted voadkyn are just a made up thing and firbolg are part of the creation prehistory "myth-story" of Ireland. So I get it. But such a direct departure from what firbolgs were (in actual myth and D&D lore) to simply relabel a [specifically Forgotten Realms, mind you] creature is somewhat....irritating. But we will continue to be told, I am sure, that the Forgotten Realms is NOT 5e D&D's default setting. [No really! It's NOT! Listen to us! But accept and buy the brand!]



Does seem so. Maybe you'll get a Spriggan as a playable race form this book. That's kinda their thing. If they work them into more "fey gnomes with anger management issues" which they kind of originally are/were, versus anything with a directly evil alignment (which I believe they have been in editions past).

[FONT=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]

After reading their little D&D wiki write-up, I have to concur. Like, almost to the letter. AND even shorter than them! Voadkyn are listed with average heights of 8'10" upwards to 9'4". So, they stole all of their flavor and abilities and still docked them a foot so they could be "medium humanoids" instead of "elvish giants."

But again, taking something that was just made up for Forgotten Realms and slapping a more "real world" name on it -and then present them as that legitimate thing in a new book- might give it a bit more notice/wider appeal...from where I'm sitting, it is just a blatant -rather lazy- copying (not really a "rip off" since it's theirs anyway). But, also again, if you had not posted about them, I would have never even have heard of "voadkyn." Seems strange that given FR's prominence in 5e, the fact that this very manual is SPECIFICALLY framed as a Forgotten Realms one, with a FR character doing the "research" and presenting these new creatures, that they wouldn't have just stuck with the Forgotten Realms made-up name.

Voadkyn were originally Greyhawk, not FR. In fact, when they were updated to 2e, they first appeared in the Greyhawk Monstrous Compendium pack, and not the FR one (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voadkyn).

 

[steeldragons]

Voadkyn were originally Greyhawk, not FR. In fact, when they were updated to 2e, they first appeared in the Greyhawk Monstrous Compendium pack, and not the FR one (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voadkyn).

No kidding? Huh. The wiki I read only put them in terms of FR. And they were "updated" to 2e? When were they introduced? I honestly never heard of them before this thread.

 

[Demetrios1453]

That would be cool.

Looks like there will be deity discussion in the book. After reading the fully Polygon article, it states that the kobold deities will be fully covered. I would assume that will go for any of the other "featured" monster types as well...