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.

 

[Yunru]

So if I can carry and lift weapons as if I was one size larger... can I use those sweet double dice large weapons?

 

[BookBarbarian]

Okay, let's do this:

1e Firbolg:
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View attachment 77619
source: Monster Manual 2
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Story
They are cautious, crafty, and have considerable magical power. They have learned to distrust (and fear) humans, and will be found only in remote and wild places. They enjoy appearing as little people and duping humans out of their treasure. They gots shamans that also use illusion spells.

Abilities

• Uses two-handed swords or halberds in one hand, or double-sized weapons that deal 2x damage.
• Deflect missiles 2/round
• SLA's: Detect Magic, Diminution (as a potion of, lets you shrink between 5% and, I guess, nothingness?), Fool's Gold (illusory gold), Forget (MiB memory-eraser), and Alter Self
• magic resistance

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2e firbolg:
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View attachment 77620
sources: Monstrous Manual, Complete Book of Humanoids, Giantcraft
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Story
10 ft. + tall and 800+ lbs, long hair, thick beards, pink skin, blonde/red hair (very nordic!) with a smooth, thick, bass voice. Live in forests and hills, but like to stay remote. On good terms with druids and fey (including elves), but relationships are cold. Like to meet members of other races in disguise, and like to "prank" people out of their money. They've got a clan structure with a shaman, and live as gatherers or nomads. Meet 1/year at a great enclave of all the clans at the fall solstice - it's a big party that also helps settle clan disputes. They clear lots of trees (to make big houses and burn in their massive fireplaces). They trade their strength for food with their neighbors, hunt, gather, and have a small field. Not a lot of meat, but the parties have roasts. The like storm giants, fight against other giant-kin, avoid true giants, other intelligent creatures tend to leave them alone.

In the Complete Book of Humanoids they are described as working together in their battles, adventuring to learn about magic and gain treasure.

In Giantcraft, we learn that in FR, they're not part of the Ordning, they're democratic (the vote!) and egalitarian (believing acts are more important than birth). They like a particular code they keep written and in an amulet. They're charitable, honest, believe in equality and sacrifice for one's people.

Abilities
Basically the same as 1e. In the Complete Book of Humanoids, the SLA's can't be used in a fight, they "never wear armor of any sort, nor do they carry shields," they have an XP penalty (2x for Fighter, 3x for Shaman), and a fear of mobs. In Giantcraft, their lack of armor is because it is seen as "cowardly" to wear armor, and no one mentions their magic resistance.
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3e firbolg:
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View attachment 77621
source: monster manual 2​

Story
Basically the same: reclusive, crafty, good-natured giant-kin. Noted that they have druid leaders rather than shaman leaders (favored class: druid).

Abilities

• Huckin' rocks and catching rocks
• Trample
• Fast healing (?!)
• SLA's: alter self, detect magic, feeblemind (probably replacing forget) and know direction (because druid?)

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4e firbolg:
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View attachment 77624
source: monster manual 2​

Story
Welp.

They live in the Feywild now, and they're unaligned. They're "agents of destiny, death, and the unforgiving wild." They created the Wild Hunt, and their lairs perch on precarious bits of rock (high peaks, floating earthmotes, etc.). They worship Sehanine, Melora, and the Raven Queen as three goddesses (Maiden, Mother, and Crone), and their preistesses are females called Moon Seers. They want promises from their enemies, not wealth or trophies. They can be called upon to hunt those who have broken oaths. They'll occasionally work with centaurs and their hunts are with hounds of the Wild Hunt.

Abilities
4e, so it depends on which "role" you're talkin' about. However, all had moonfire, which prohibits the target from benefitting from cover or concealment (kind of like a faerie fire effect, I guess). They were vulnerable to Necrotic damage, which prohibited their regeneration (?!) from working.
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...and then we've got these dudes.

As is 5e's wont, I think it's trying to thread the lore from all four editions through itself and come out with something. Thematically, narratively, I think this thing resonates - it peels a bit more from 3e/4e, but "I'm a nice and reclusive giant!" isn't exactly super defining. Even their Giantcraft description makes me groan as it gushes on about how generically Nice And Good these guys are. The only lore better than this so far has actually, IMO, been the 4e lore, though I think framing them as fey antagonists who invented the Wild Hunt is all unnecessary. These firbolgs can contain within them the story of 3e/2e/1e firbolgs with plenty of room to spare for being close to the fey, and finding them as 4e firbolgs wouldn't be entirely out of place, either.

Ability-wise....you know, they kept the SLA's that were consistent from 1e to 3e: something to change their appearance, and detect magic. They can't alter memory, make illusory money, slam your INT into the basement, line you in blue-white flames, or...know which way north is?...anymore, but those abilities don't seem too core to the critter. Knocking away items wasn't something 3e or 4e cared about at all.

The biggest change is making them Medium - no big weapons.

And that's kind of a deeper issue in 5e in general, exhibited also with Goliaths. What people want is to carry around a bit weapon and deal a ton of damage with it. That's a bit much for a racial trait in 5e (well, it was probably a bit much for a racial trait in any e...2e gave you XP penalties and deprived you of armor...3e had an ECL of +18 (woah!)).

That's a legit desire, though, and it's something I'd like to see mechanically addressed so that goliaths and firbolgs and our future Powerful Build races can all go around one-handing greatswords or whatever.

...maybe a feat that has powerful build as a prerequisite that lets you do that. Or, even, a Fighter subclass, so our Goliath barbarians and Firbolg druids don't necessarily benefit.

Everything you said in this post is perfect. Well done, sir!

 

[MechaTarrasque]

It seems like there are a couple of races that would benefit from a Hulking feat (make size large and +1 to strength): minotaurs, goliaths, firbolgs, not to mention orc+Hulking feat is practically an ogre (as in nasty tempered large dude(tte) that likes to hit things), and I suppose a dragonborn dragon bloodline sorcerer + Hulking feat is as close to a dragon as you are going to get until you get polymorph.

 

[ferratus]

It may not have been an accident that Voadkyn were quietly retired from the game after 2e

Actually 3e had a sort of successor in the Forest Giant (MM2 I think), which looked like a green haired elf woman with small trees around her for scale. Not as distinctive looking as the Voadkyn, so everyone promptly forgot about her. A distinctive look is important for a monster.

I'd personally make an attempt to bring back Voadkyn as their own thing, but that's cuz I'm a weirdo. I like the new Firbolgs, and I like that they expand the old ones without replacing the old ones.

If I was bringing back the Vosdkyn, I would probably bring them back as the 5e name for the 4e wilder. Keep the lift/drag/carry as large ability, add some wilder plant abilities and I AM GROOT!

 

[I'm A Banana]

It seems like there are a couple of races that would benefit from a Hulking feat (make size large and +1 to strength): minotaurs, goliaths, firbolgs, not to mention orc+Hulking feat is practically an ogre (as in nasty tempered large dude(tte) that likes to hit things), and I suppose a dragonborn dragon bloodline sorcerer + Hulking feat is as close to a dragon as you are going to get until you get polymorph.

I think the big barrier is being able to wield "weapons sized for Large creatures." Using the logic in the DMG, the Large Creature version of a weapon should deal an extra die of damage - so a Large Morningstar should deal 2d8 points of damage, and a Large Greataxe should deal 2d12.

That's a big benefit. That's even...too big for a feat, I think (compare +1 STR). It's probably too big for a lot of Apprentice-tier class features. But it would be what you want to do as a Large/"Powerful Build" creature - to slam a 10-foot hunk of steel into some poor goblins or something.

I think a subclass might be the most manageable, because you could rank up to that (maybe even start with simple Large weapons - +1d8 with a two-handed attack is probably viable!).

Sounds like I've got an idea for a Post-Volo DM's Guild product!

 

[One_Shots]

That's a big benefit. That's even...too big for a feat, I think (compare +1 STR). It's probably too big for a lot of Apprentice-tier class features. But it would be what you want to do as a Large/"Powerful Build" creature - to slam a 10-foot hunk of steel into some poor goblins or something.

Which is one of the many reasons why firbolg should never have been considered as a playable race. What I really don't understand about this decision is that firbolg as a playable race simply wasn't something anyone was making any significant noise about, which makes the decision to shoehorn them into something acceptable within the bounds of player-race balance all that much more perplexing. About the only reason or justification I can come up with is that the author desperately wanted to do it, or that they were appealing to player nostalgia by using the name. Neither of which should make it all the way through design and development into a finished product. This in turn makes me wonder what else has gotten through and just how well this entire book has been considered, tested and balanced.

Maybe Hasbro should consider putting a little bit more money into Wizards of the Coast instead of making them justify cutbacks and increasing workloads to unsustainable and damaging levels so that the staff there can properly review and consider what actually makes it to print?

 

[Connorsrpg]

Taking it a bit far aren't we? Now the product may be untested and unbalanced b/c they changed the size of a firbolg.

Firbolgs (and half-firbolgs) have been a part of our campaign since its inception. We can work with this TBH, back in the day, I liked voadkyn, but since have been happy for them not to be in game. If this is a combo of the two, then I say good move. Seriously don't need that many different giants (esp when they are similar).

 

[UngeheuerLich]

It reminds me of the Ogier in Wheel of time. Only frome the picture and the classes. Not the actual abilities.

As to size. Yeah, making them medium is a bolt move. But is 2ft really a reason to call a product unbalanced and untested? I would call it just the opposite. If firbolgs were large I would rather think it it would be untested and unbalanced.

 

[TwoSix]

i think the reluctance to build races and classes with flaws kind of guts the opportunity for variety at the expense of conforming to balance. So much effort to keep people from doing what averages 3-5 extra points of damage doesn't seem worth it.

3-5 points of damage is a pretty big deal for what's supposed to be a secondary characteristic for your character, after class choice. I mean, there are major class features that only give 1-2 points of at-will damage, and a lot of them don't stack. Larger weapon dice stacks with everything.

 

[I'm A Banana]

i think the reluctance to build races and classes with flaws kind of guts the opportunity for variety at the expense of conforming to balance. So much effort to keep people from doing what averages 3-5 extra points of damage doesn't seem worth it.

Swingy design like that (HUGE benefit, HUGE drawback) encourages min/maxing - folks do what they can to minimize the penalty.

Like, if 5e firbolgs had the old "no armor or shields" penalty, they'd just end up all being barbarians (wielding 2d12 greataxes) and monks (wielding 2d6 shortswords). Crits are also a concern there - a 2d12 greataxe crits for 4d12 damage!

In terms of balance, that's something that can replace Extra Attack, a defining level 5 feature of most martial classes. It's not tiny.