D&D (2024) Stone Goliath, Fire Goliath, Frost Goliath, Hill Goliath, Cloud Goliath, and Storm Goliath Lore

[Parmandur]

I would be surprised if Monsters of the Multiverse wasn't a wildly successful book. I know there were some people who were very loud about not wanting to buy it, but it's a very useful book for the majority of tables.

I bet the Venn diagram of people who want to have lots of cool out there Species options and who have that book is pretty high, in particular.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

I would be surprised if Monsters of the Multiverse wasn't a wildly successful book. I know there were some people who were very loud about not wanting to buy it, but it's a very useful book for the majority of tables.

We have no actual data on that, but its doesn't really matter, because that would still a portion of the fan base interested in Planescape, but not MotM. I mean for the tiny amount of space it'd take make PAitM into a more self contained product, its worth it.

 

[Parmandur]

We have no actual data on that, but its doesn't really matter, because that would still a portion of the fan base interested in Planescape, but not MotM. I mean for the tiny amount of space it'd take make PAitM into a more self contained product, its worth it.

I just doubt they will spend their limited real estate on that, rather than directing people who want those options to the big book of options.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

Nha, when I say giany whales, I mean gargantuan beast with mouth large enough to house the hall village of a giant clan without really noticing it.

IDK, that makes a giant seem less grand to me. I want a giant to be the giant, I don’t want them dwarfed by their pets.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

…, its worth it.

We have no actual data on that either.

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

We have no actual data on that, but its doesn't really matter, because that would still a portion of the fan base interested in Planescape, but not MotM. I mean for the tiny amount of space it'd take make PAitM into a more self contained product, its worth it.

The statblocks don't take up that much space if they just print the statblock by itself, but they're never going to just print the statblock by itself - at the very least there's going to be a corresponding art piece plus a paragraph or two explaining what the race in question is and giving a bit of lore. Add those and, lo and behold, that tiny PC race entry suddenly eats up a full page all on its own. Reprinting MotM races traditionally associated with Planescape would mean a page for aasimar, four pages for genasi, two for gith, plus whatever they've currently got earmarked for the book as is (glitchling, possibly bariaur) - at that point, we're getting looking at 8-10 pages of racial options. Or more - if we're throwing anything remotely planar at the wall, I see no reason to exclude the various fey races.

They only have 96 pages to work with in the Sigil and the Outlands book, and it has to cover a general overview of plane-hopping adventures, other PC options (feats, backgrounds, magic items, etc.), the Factions as they currently exist, and serve as a reasonable guide for both Sigil and the Outlands.

Devoting ~10% or more of the book's page space to racial options reduces the space they have for everything else, and with the bulk of those racial options available in other products multiple times over, it just doesn't really make sense to reprint them to my mind.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

The statblocks don't take up that much space if they just print the statblock by itself, but they're never going to just print the statblock by itself - at the very least there's going to be a corresponding art piece plus a paragraph or two explaining what the race in question is and giving a bit of lore. Add those and, lo and behold, that tiny PC race entry suddenly eats up a full page all on its own. Reprinting MotM races traditionally associated with Planescape would mean a page for aasimar, four pages for genasi, two for gith, plus whatever they've currently got earmarked for the book as is (glitchling, possibly bariaur) - at that point, we're getting looking at 8-10 pages of racial options. Or more - if we're throwing anything remotely planar at the wall, I see no reason to exclude the various fey races.

They only have 96 pages to work with in the Sigil and the Outlands book, and it has to cover a general overview of plane-hopping adventures, other PC options (feats, backgrounds, magic items, etc.), the Factions as they currently exist, and serve as a reasonable guide for both Sigil and the Outlands.

Devoting ~10% or more of the book's page space to racial options reduces the space they have for everything else, and with the bulk of those racial options available in other products multiple times over, it just doesn't really make sense to reprint them to my mind.

All that other stuff is likely going to be in the book anyways? A new Planescape product that doesn't mention Tieflings, Aasimar, and Genasi, with art, not a chance.

 

[Parmandur]

All that other stuff is likely going to be in the book anyways? A new Planescape product that doesn't mention Tieflings, Aasimar, and Genasi, with art, not a chance.

Sure, and the Spelljammer set had plenty if Gith art. A lot, actually. No Gith PC info, though. And I reckon we'll see the same for MotM options here.

 

[Marandahir]

Variants are acceptable, and would be cool. Honestly in some ways I actually like the OG Ardling features better for Aasimar then MotM or VGtM because it ties better into the setting lore wise.

Honestly, I like the Ardling a lot, but not for a PHB. I kinda wish it was being stealth-playtested for Planescape, in the same way the Owlin, Hobgoblin, and Kobold were stealth-playtested for MP:MotM alongside UAs for WBtW and FTD.

I would love Ardling to appear alongside the Glitchling, the Bladeling, and a reprint of the Plasmoid in Planescape, with a note to find the Tiefling in the PHB and the Aasimar, Genasi, and Gith in MP:MotM. I bring up Plasmoid because it makes so much sense as a Limbo parallel to the Glitchling…

I think reprints are fine if it didn't show up anywhere the Rules Expansion box set, and a select few options from that expansion are fine to reprint in the new Core Rules given the desire to make those even more core. But reprinting from Rules Expansion to campaign settings doesn't make sense.

So you can reprint from campaign setting to campaign setting (don't require players to buy Spelljammer to properly play Planescape or Dark Sun, etc), and reprint (with or without revisions) from campaign settings to Rules Expansion (College of Eloquence, Circle of Spores, Bladesinger, Shifters, Centaurs, etc), and revise & reprint from Rules Expansion to Core Rules, but never the opposite direction.

To that end: Goliath variants would make sense in BP:GotG, but given that 2024 Core Rules won't have Metallic Dragonborn, Chromatic Dragonborn, or Gem Dragonborn, but will have generic Dragonborn, and the playtest was showing the Core Rules will have the variant Goliaths, it may just not have made sense to put it in here. Especially since FToD came out long enough before 2024 that it wasn't worth delaying, but BP:GotG is being designed explicitly as an expansion to the 2024 Core Rules as much as it is an expansion to the 2014 Core Rules + 2022 Rules Expansion.

There's space to at least somewhat interesting, I think:

Fire Goliath: Nomadic sea-faring people roaming volcanic archipelagoes.

Storm Goliath: Living in the maws on giant whales.

Frost Goliath: Maybe inspired by Sami or Inuit peoples? Ride giant elks can read auspice in auroras.

Cloud Goliath: Living at the top of giant arroyos, ''herding'' clouds to gather the rainwater.

Stone: as presented

Hill Goliath: Plain runners and emissaries between humans and the lesser giants they often encounter (ogre, trolls etc)

I LOVE THESE. Steal Steals

 

[Parmandur]

Honestly, I like the Ardling a lot, but not for a PHB. I kinda wish it was being stealth-playtested for Planescape, in the same way the Owlin, Hobgoblin, and Kobold were stealth-playtested for MP:MotM alongside UAs for WBtW and FTD.

Dollars to donuts we do see them in Planescape.