The Feeding of Giants
- Thread starter Jürgen Hubert
- Start date
howandwhy99
Adventurer
Giants only eat beans.
For giants, beans are magical.
After eating beans giants are capable of releasing a Stinking Cloud effect similar to the spell, but to which they individually are immune.
They are also known to grow beanstalks, but that's another story...
For giants, beans are magical.
After eating beans giants are capable of releasing a Stinking Cloud effect similar to the spell, but to which they individually are immune.
They are also known to grow beanstalks, but that's another story...
I suppose we ought to be relying as much as possible on real-world biology and stuff here, since we're not using "handwaving" or magic to take care of the problem.
The giants seems like a mammal, and, of the mammals, seems most closely to resemble the primates. Of the primates, most giants seem to resemble humans and thus are probably similar to the other great apes (gorilla, chimp, orangutan and bonobo, if memory serves).
The gorilla, the largest of these, eats mostly plants. The chimp is somewhat omnivorous, but most of its meat comes from bugs and monkeys--otherwise, it too has a high vegetable-content diet.
Humans can subsist on mostly plant matter, but meat (from bugs to fish to larger animals) seems to have always been a supplement to the human diet.
If giants are relatively low in number (i.e. there aren't many giant cities), then they could probably get by eating off the land, as it were, or by raiding other communities. If you have whole communities of giants, I'd think they'd require a rather well-cared-for system of agriculture in order to survive.
Dave
The giants seems like a mammal, and, of the mammals, seems most closely to resemble the primates. Of the primates, most giants seem to resemble humans and thus are probably similar to the other great apes (gorilla, chimp, orangutan and bonobo, if memory serves).
The gorilla, the largest of these, eats mostly plants. The chimp is somewhat omnivorous, but most of its meat comes from bugs and monkeys--otherwise, it too has a high vegetable-content diet.
Humans can subsist on mostly plant matter, but meat (from bugs to fish to larger animals) seems to have always been a supplement to the human diet.
If giants are relatively low in number (i.e. there aren't many giant cities), then they could probably get by eating off the land, as it were, or by raiding other communities. If you have whole communities of giants, I'd think they'd require a rather well-cared-for system of agriculture in order to survive.
Dave
Tzeentch
First Post
It's a magical world, I'm not sure how much using real biological principals will helps since many of these critters are not exactly plausible in the first place (giants among them).
Simplest way to feed giants? Any animal with regeneration or fast healing - carve off some steaks and it regrows the loss. Or maybe they have internal thaumalogical processes that process mana-rich materials into energy - so they hunt Magical Beasts and critters with [Su] powers to feed themselves and thus don't require huge amounts of food or massive hunting ranges to support themselves.
Simplest way to feed giants? Any animal with regeneration or fast healing - carve off some steaks and it regrows the loss. Or maybe they have internal thaumalogical processes that process mana-rich materials into energy - so they hunt Magical Beasts and critters with [Su] powers to feed themselves and thus don't require huge amounts of food or massive hunting ranges to support themselves.
cignus_pfaccari
First Post
Tzeentch said:
There was a great quote in the old SR2 supplement Cyberpirates, where a guy talked about how he was able to skin this one wereleopard 20 times before it gnawed its legs off and squeezed out of the cage.
"I could feed the world with a megalodon. If only you all weren't so squeamish."
Brad
sniffles
First Post
I don't see why you need to rely on real-world biology. In the real world giants would be crushed to death by their own weight.
Perhaps what giants are called has something to do with their dietary habits. Stone giants could eat mineral substances, frost giants might eat snow, and so forth. They're still eating, just not eating what most creatures eat.
Perhaps what giants are called has something to do with their dietary habits. Stone giants could eat mineral substances, frost giants might eat snow, and so forth. They're still eating, just not eating what most creatures eat.
Celebrim
Legend
A Hill Giant eats about 16000 calories a day, usually in the form of about 15 lbs of cooked meat. A Cloud giant eats about 81000 calories a day, or roughly 77 lbs of food.
Giants generally are not able to feed themselves. Their required caloric intake is higher than they can regularly maintain using thier skills in agriculture, hunting, or animal husbandry. The giants natural inclination to laziness only makes this problem worse. Although desparate giants will try to scratch out a living growing crops or more often herding animals, they just aren't very good at it.
Therefore, most giants resort to the only other available option - they steal thier food.
Most giants are bandits. They survive by raiding the gardens, foodstocks, and herds of thier more industrious neighbors. Less intelligent giants simply raid thier neighbors, stealing sheep and cows like any other tribe. More intelligent giants often arrange protection rackets, force tribute from thier neighbors, or even arrange to be worshipped. A few giants, smaller ones with unusually high wisdoms, have small enough egos to agree to serve as mercenaries or laborers for more prosperous races.
Like any predatory species, this naturally limits thier population to the available prey.
Giants generally are not able to feed themselves. Their required caloric intake is higher than they can regularly maintain using thier skills in agriculture, hunting, or animal husbandry. The giants natural inclination to laziness only makes this problem worse. Although desparate giants will try to scratch out a living growing crops or more often herding animals, they just aren't very good at it.
Therefore, most giants resort to the only other available option - they steal thier food.
Most giants are bandits. They survive by raiding the gardens, foodstocks, and herds of thier more industrious neighbors. Less intelligent giants simply raid thier neighbors, stealing sheep and cows like any other tribe. More intelligent giants often arrange protection rackets, force tribute from thier neighbors, or even arrange to be worshipped. A few giants, smaller ones with unusually high wisdoms, have small enough egos to agree to serve as mercenaries or laborers for more prosperous races.
Like any predatory species, this naturally limits thier population to the available prey.
