Fun With Templates 3: The Fear Giant

[Land Outcast]

A Ninja! (yes, 'tis a race) with the Zombie! and Pirate! Templates?

 

[Ilium]

Is the Bane effect part of one of the templates? It seems a little awkward to me. I'd just give the critter a +2 racial bonus on its Fear DC and be done with it.

But very cool. I kind of like the low hit dice as it allows lots of class levels. Would you consider Cleric levels to be "associated" (or whatever the term is that means you stack them straight on the HD for the CR)?

I'd also like to point out that you say they're "physically weaker than most of their bretheren," but they have a 34 Str, only a point lower than a cloud giant! "Physically frailer" or "physically less robust" might be less misleading.

Good stuff.

 

[Kafkonia]

Is the Bane effect part of one of the templates? It seems a little awkward to me. I'd just give the critter a +2 racial bonus on its Fear DC and be done with it.

Well, the spell-powered template allows for more than one spell, and the most flavourful I could find was the bane spell, which (by the template's mechanics) was always on. I tried to emulate the always-on Tree Stride some other giants have.

But very cool. I kind of like the low hit dice as it allows lots of class levels. Would you consider Cleric levels to be "associated" (or whatever the term is that means you stack them straight on the HD for the CR)?

I'd say so. But it's probably one of the most sketchily-defined parts of monster creation.

I'd also like to point out that you say they're "physically weaker than most of their bretheren," but they have a 34 Str, only a point lower than a cloud giant! "Physically frailer" or "physically less robust" might be less misleading.

Hmm... true. I didn't want to say frailer, because they have a high natural AC, but maybe that's the best route to take.