D&D (2024) How's the adoption of the new Goliath types going?

[doctorbadwolf]

Then there's no need for complicated weapons in Goliath society. They can kill with a rock and their fire/frost/etc.

Humans can kill with sharpened sticks but we still improve our weaponry as frequently as possible. And only two types of Goliaths have extra damage.
But even for those two, a sword is still vastly better than a rock.

That's even more true for Elves with their combat cantrips. Why use a long bow when you can fire bolt with less training and cost?

The majority will have utility cantrips. Prestidigitation is unthinkably more useful than 120ft max attack that does at most the same damage as a short bow in a trained hand, and the cantrip still requires training to be accurate with. Given a choice between

A) soldiers that don’t get trench foot and are vastly less likely to get infections because their gear and clothes are clean and they can purify their water and rations, and can light and snuff out campfires, and can signal eachother and show eachother static images of stuff they’ve seen, and can use weapons like everyone else’s soldiers

Or b) soldiers that aren’t trained with ranged weapons but can use a much shorter ranged magical ranged attack

Only absolute fools would choose option b.

Not a single bit of the current structure of Realms/Greyhawk/etc societies holds up if every person in those worlds has the PC abilities upon reaching the age of maturity. That would mean every human has a feat, which means a significant percentage can cast Goodberry, creating a society where farm labor is pointless.

You think a small portion of people being able to cast goodberry would obviate farming?? Are you serious? Do you know how much food people and animals need? Do you know how much other than food requires agriculture and animal husbandry?

Your farmers would have druidcraft and elementalism, and any number of druid spells of first level that do something more than feed 10 people each day.

Not to mention the other origin feats, that would be extremely useful for craftsfolk, messengers, soldiers and knights and such, diplomats, artists, criminals, etc.

 

[cbwjm]

The appendix N (inspirations) for the Goliath are plentiful though.

There's everything Critical Role has done, which is 1,000s of hours of lore, multiple books, multiple seasons of a TV show.
There's WotC's previous content.
There's the dude the Goliath is named after.

Wizards doesn't assume people have zero fantasy/comics background when they create content because that person is extremely rare.

Instead the assumption is that people have a background of experiences around the lore that inspires the game.

They just need "Vulnerable to sling stones" added to the race abilities.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Like the Chef feat means human professional Chefs are more common than in history, and human soliders and sailors and knights are heartier as a result of the fortifying properties of well crafted food. Okay. Not exactly world breaking.

And again, there is no consistent rationale to all wood elf heroes having a druid cantrip but not the rest of the wood elves. There is no rational explanation for it, except that perhaps we want to force the idea that PCs are all special chosen ones and the way you can tell that a farmer is meant for greatness is that he can cast a Druid cantrip or whatever.

is species traits don’t strongly correlate to the species, they are misnamed nonsense.

 

[TorgoTheWhite]

I don't know about how common racial special traits vs PC specials should be in the world, something tells me the answer is somewhere in the middle. In my game magic is rare, so that probably skews that answer.

I think there are some alright ways to unify goliaths as one despite the whole ragtag elemental divisions.. it is more difficult though when the whole elemental piece of it is there. I have been considering some things that make them relatable enough while unique. Maybe they mate the normal way but then they are born in a pod and planted, sprout up cabbage style, become a "blossom" that is sortof the generic, base goliath, a "missing link" between giant and otherwise. Then coming-of-age they develop their specialized affinity - (like when you have Animals that start life with a common ancestor attribute, but then they lose their spotted coat or whatever). It gives you a sortof random "sorting hat" element while sharing a common origin (eevee)

I don't know if I like the "big guy" trope... Though it could be fun if your party "big guy" is actually a total tiny dude in Goliath lands... then you could find out what really makes the character tick.

Common culture hooks? Dire boar roasts and communal grilling, gemology and jewelry craft (big hands making delicate things seems fun), house gods of strength, Slavic throat-singing for long-range communication, theatrical wrestling WWE-style, maybe wizards seek to steal their "blossom" young due to their valuable eevee-like mutability,

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I don't know about how common racial special traits vs PC specials should be in the world, something tells me the answer is somewhere in the middle. In my game magic is rare, so that probably skews that answer.

Note that goliaths who have not learned their Giant Ancestry ability are the same as each other, and the wording of the ability is this: "You are descended from Giants. Choose one of the following benefits-". It does NOT say "there are five different subraces of goliath that live separately and have different cultures". You might envision a coming of age ceremony in which it is revealed what kind of giant the newly adult goliath most strongly favours. Or maybe the choose themselves, and the power is conferred by their tattoos.

I don't know if I like the "big guy" trope... Though it could be fun if your party "big guy" is actually a total tiny dude in Goliath lands... then you could find out what really makes the character tick.

Yup, you do not need to resort to stereotypes to realise that goliaths with have a different concept of what being "normal sized" means. To them, the other species in the world are as halfings, but if they come from Giant Lands, may also think of themselves as small.

 

[Mind of tempest]

Note that goliaths who have not learned their Giant Ancestry ability are the same as each other, and the wording of the ability is this: "You are descended from Giants. Choose one of the following benefits-". It does NOT say "there are five different subraces of goliath that live separately and have different cultures". You might envision a coming of age ceremony in which it is revealed what kind of giant the newly adult goliath most strongly favours. Or maybe the choose themselves, and the power is conferred by their tattoos.

Yup, you do not need to resort to stereotypes to realise that goliaths with have a different concept of what being "normal sized" means. To them, the other species in the world are as halfings, but if they come from Giant Lands, may also think of themselves as small.

see the lack of clarification makes it harder to do sure I want open-end options, but I also want a template for when I just need them to be something, also a trope is not a template onto itself.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

see the lack of clarification makes it harder to do sure I want open-end options, but I also want a template for when I just need them to be something, also a trope is not a template onto itself.

D&D is about creating players creating their own worlds, not about having it dictated by WotC. You want Goliath lore, or a trope, or a cliche? Create it yourself, that’s what D&D is about.

 

[Mind of tempest]

D&D is about creating players creating their own worlds, not about having it dictated by WotC. You want Goliath lore, or a trope, or a cliche? Create it yourself, that’s what D&D is about.

have you never seen people creatively choke up with a blank sheet of paper?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

have you never seen people creatively choke up with a blank sheet of paper?

Probably playing the wrong game then.

None of the playable species in the PHB have much lore, because the expectation is that it will vary between settings. A dwarf is a blank slate to someone unfamiliar with Tolkien- increasing likely in the current diverse fantasy market. Come to D&D via BG3 and you will know more about githyanki than you do about dwarves.

 

[TorgoTheWhite]

I li

Note that goliaths who have not learned their Giant Ancestry ability are the same as each other, and the wording of the ability is this: "You are descended from Giants. Choose one of the following benefits-". It does NOT say "there are five different subraces of goliath that live separately and have different cultures". You might envision a coming of age ceremony in which it is revealed what kind of giant the newly adult goliath most strongly favours. Or maybe the choose themselves, and the power is conferred by their tattoos.

Yup, you do not need to resort to stereotypes to realise that goliaths with have a different concept of what being "normal sized" means. To them, the other species in the world are as halfings, but if they come from Giant Lands, may also think of themselves as small.

I like this. Might be fun to take a page from 'Cuckoo's Nest' and have a chief-like dude who thinks he's "small" compared to some of the big-personality characters. Now if I can find an HVAC unit to throw through the windows in DnD...