Fire Giant Dreadnoughts in VOLO's GUIDE TO MONSTERS

WotC posted this image a couple of days ago, along with a brief note that that Volo's Guide to Monsters has "quite an extensive entry" on Fire Giant Dreadnoughts. Spiky! Also check out yesterday's Giant Lore preview, and the preface - there's a bit of a giant-based focus o the previews, which is likely because Storm King's Thunder is the current storyline. The book hits stores on November 15th (November 4th in preferred stores).

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[hawkeyefan]

In a world where creatures of radically different size may face each other in combat, I think you have to alter your view a bit on what tactics or methods would be normal or reasonable.

This giant's two shields are very clearly drawn to look as though they can be pressed together in front of the giant, allowing him to charge forward and plow his enemies.

they also look large enough and heavy enough that one could be set in front of a door or gate or cave mouth, potentially blocking folks within from being able escape. So the giant could drop a shield off and then continue on, still with the other shield and with any weapons that he may have on his belt.

Taking medieval tech and adding concepts like flying enemies and giant or tiny enemies and you have changed the nature of combat. I prefer that they experiment and play with that when designing these monsters, rather than adhering to a sense of realism that doesn't even really apply.

I suppose to put it simply, in a fantasy setting I prefer that the combat also be fantastic.

 

[BookBarbarian]

Why does everything have to get bigger in every edition that goes by?

I thought Firbolgs were getting smaller.

 

[mflayermonk]

Back in my day we animated our shields and carried a two-handed weapon.

 

[Shasarak]

Well at least the dreadnaught doesn't have dinky little legs with fragile-looking ankles like the fire giant illustration in the 5E Monster Manual.

I did not know they had the Zika virus in DnD.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

Why does everything have to get bigger in every edition that goes by?

The 5th edition giant heights return them to their AD&D 2nd edition heights, so if they've "gotten bigger" it is to undo their having "gotten smaller" at some prior point.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Also the reason for the Fire Giants fairly small legs is because they are built like Dwarves.

 

[Celebrim]

The 5th edition giant heights return them to their AD&D 2nd edition heights, so if they've "gotten bigger" it is to undo their having "gotten smaller" at some prior point.

Interesting. So we are fighting back and forth between their 1st edition height, and their 2nd edition height?

 

[dave2008]

A single 1,000lb shield is something I would put in the realm of believability for a giant of that size, granting first that giants of that scale are believable (and at 18', only just, and we are starting to need to make them out of something other than real world materials, which is fine being Fire Giants and all).

AN 18' tall giant would weigh 27X that of a 6' human, yet only be 9x as strong. That is not believable to me (in real world physics and strength of materials). This is why elephants do not look or move like deer!

 

[Shasarak]

This is why elephants do not look or move like deer!

If elephants looked and moved like deer then they would be giant deer instead of elephants.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Why are we talking about how realistic giants are.