PCs as Stone Giants

[Numion]

Well not really as Stone Giants, but close. You see, I've got a 19th level cleric and a 16th level PsyWarrior in my game. last game they both Polymorphed into Stone Giants. The Cleric even had to cast a Miracle to pull that stunt off. And you know what?

They kicked ass.

Cleric with triple-empowered Bull's Strength on top of Stone Giant strength is quite a combat beast, especially with War Domain, wielding a huge Two-Handed Sword. Both of their ACs where out of whack because of the giant-forms Natural AC bonus of +11! Any fighter of equal level would have hard time doing as much damage as the Cleric. (Surprise round: "activate haste boots, quickened Divine Favor, partial charge!" --> N damage).

But my actual dilemma isn't that they're too powerful or unbalancing. It's that constantly looking like friggin' Stone Giant is stupid! However, the Stone Giant form is superior to that of human or dwarf in melee, and it would make sense for all adventurers to polymorph into giants. A whole group of giants.

So, have any of you had this sort of 'stupidness' in their games? How did you handle it?

I'm not really looking for answers like "Dispel it" or "Make dungeons so small only humans fit". I'm looking for something to make the human form gerally more desirable, either from RP or game mechanics POV (Ok, small dungeons do make it preferable, but still )

 

[JRRNeiklot]

That's nothing. The wizard in my game is a tiefling. Since he is an outsider, he can polymorph into outsiders. He currently goes around polymorphed into a marilith all the time. He has an ungodly strength, maybe not as high as a stone giant, but he's pretty strong, nonetheless. He has six arms, and most importantly, a natural armor of +18! Add persistent shield and mage armor to that and it's fricking ridiculous. He can get his ac up into the 60s. About the only thing I do to stop it, is have all npc's either immediately flee or attack, depending on their demeanor.

Of course, what's good for the goose...

I think I'll have the next enemy mage polymorph everything into mariliths. They may not can hit his ac, but they can wreak havoc on the rest of the party. Then maybe, THEY will stop him from using this tactic!

And Sean, if you're reading this, shame on you!

 

[spinjammer]

Well, the human form is preferable when your characters have, let's say a life. Unless your adventures are constant wilderness encounters or dungeon crawls, there are some pretty easy ways to make them regret their shape. Do they never need supplies? Do they have dealings with other humans? Isn't it strange that some stone giants roam around and kill and loot? Aren't stone giants seclusive creatures that live in the mountains? I bet there are some people (maybe adventurers), that would investigate such strange behaviour. And I definitely think such active giants are a threat to all that is good and just. They could just decide to visit some villages, who knows? You better get some heroes to get rid of those nasty critters.

Spinjammer

 

[Black Omega]

Well, considering the level they are at and the level the opposition must be, I'm surprised dispels don't come into play more often. I'd guess at least an at least 50% chance to dispell a polymorph.

Either that or cast stone to mud on them. Then Bigby's sculpting hand and Tenser's Spinning Disk, to craft them into nice vases or ash trys. One fast fireball, then prestidigitation for the glaze to make them look nice...

 

[Fenes 2]

For once, make more adventures where they have to interact with people and cannot walk around polymorphed all the time. Use towns, cities, and other places where giants just do not fit in - either socially or literally. Cut down on Wilderness Massacres and use Dungeons for Hack and Slash if needed (imc, there is maybe one fight per evening, often none at all).

Alternatively, talk to the players if it annoys you. Change polymorph if neccessary, to make it less of a combat tool. I'd just rule that you get no stat modifiers from polymorphing, just the looks and wings/gills etc. That way you can still use it to scout, but it is not the end and all of melee.

As for the marilith-tiefling: I'd just have him drug down to the Abyys by a Balor looking for a new cohort (or even consort), hunted down by overeager demonslayers with a "hack first, ask questions later" mentality and the power to back it up (high level adventurers or even devas etc.) or another similar fate if he constantly uses that form. Just imagine what your PC would do if confronted by a fiend on the street. Or spread rumors about his sexual preferences ("He must really like to be a female snake... wonder what he does in his spare time...")

Or, more devious, if he wants to walk past unmolested, have a group of fiends use that notority and pass themselves up as him, wreaking havoc he will get blamed for. I know what my fiends would do if presented with such an opportunity.

 

[Leopold]

lets see..stone giants walk into town, guards start arming ballistas and firing!

your average citizen cannot tell one giant from another and everything over 10ft tall is evil anyway! After a few rounds of getting shot at by the guards and them pleading they are the good guys (yeah right giants good! hardly!) they will learn that walking around as the 'enemy' is bad.

 

[Forrester]

lets see..stone giants walk into town, guards start arming ballistas and firing!

your average citizen cannot tell one giant from another and everything over 10ft tall is evil anyway! After a few rounds of getting shot at by the guards and them pleading they are the good guys (yeah right giants good! hardly!) they will learn that walking around as the 'enemy' is bad.

Yeah, I'm sure the 19th level cleric will be shaking in his boots about the idea of being shot at by the town guard.

One Diplomacy check (probably at +15 or +20 or so) later, and the problem is solved.

As if this should be the only group of adventurers to ever think about polymorphing themselves into Stone Giants. It's so good, ALL adventuers that hang around with a 7th level mage would be taking advantage of it.

In my world, I've completely changed Poly Other -- had to. Else every single high-level town guard or group of adventurers would be made up of trolls, dragons, and stone giants. Good guys *and* bad guys. Booooooooring.

 

[JacktheRabbit]

How about this for a solution.

I LIKE being me. I think most people LIKE being who they are. I want to see someone explain to my how a dwarf would give up being a dwarf and become his own worst enemy a stone giant. Even worse a stone giant is completley hairless, yeah I see a dwarf doing this on purpose.

BTW, I have another solution. Anyone hit with a polymorph other or any other permanent shape change has a cumulative 1% per day chance of becoming that creature in mind as well as in body. This chance does not drop to zero. I do not tell my players of this rule though I do hint at it. Also it doesnt drop back to zero if the player changes back to their normal shape for a day. It remains at what the percentage was and keeps climbing the next time they turn into that particular form.

 

[Crothian]

One Diplomacy check (probably at +15 or +20 or so) later, and the problem is solved.

Well, I'd give this a nice big negative becasue they are stone giants. Also, the gaurd would not stop to talk. They'd just attack.

You might also get another high level party come after them thinking they are hunting stone giants. You could have them fight in areas to small for Stone Giants (I would think this would come into play a lot).

 

[Zappo]

"No, really, I'm an adventurer polymorphed into a stone giant!"

...nah. I'd give the check a -20. If you succeed, you can enter the city - but you still have to convince everyone else!