The Lords of the Peaks: The Essential Guide to Giants

[Messageboard Golem]

The first in the line of Races of Legend d20 sourcebooks, Lords of the Peaks delves deeply into the culture and myth of seven different Giant types, featuring new prestige classes, clerical domains and spells, feats and skills, magical items, Giant types, and rules for creating your own unique Giants.

 

[Psion]

Lords of the Peaks

Lords of the Peak is a supplement by Paradigm Concepts expanding upon giants in the d20 system, adding game details and new mechanical options. The book is part of the Green Ronin and Paradigm Concepts OGL Interlink project in which they hope to collectively cover a number of races in the d20 system fantasy genre vice competing. In addition to the role of a generic d20 fantasy supplement, there are some references to Paradigm's Arcanis campaign setting.

Lords of the Peak is written by James Maliszewski (who also did work for Green Ronin, such as Arcana: Societies of Magic) and Steve Kenson (who did several d20 products for Green Ronin, such as the Shaman's Handbook and the Witch's Handbook as well as the recent Mutants & Masterminds.)

A First Look

Lords of the Peak is a 96-page perfect-bound softcover book priced at $18.95.

The cover by Jim Pavalec depicts a few fur-wearing giants in battle poses against the backdrop of mountains. The cover matches/joins with the cover of Green Ronin's dwarf sourcebook Hammer and Helm, the front cover of which depicts the dwarves that are facing off with the giants.

The interior is black-and-white. The interior art is fairly good, and features d20 product art veterans Eric Lofgren (who did work for Fantasy Flight Games and Mongoose) and Raven Mimura (who did work for WotC, most notably Oriental Adventures.) Other talents include Andrew Baker, Paul Carrick, Bob Giadrosich, Veronica Jones, and Steve Snyder.

A Deeper Look

The biggest section of the book is giants races. This section follows a similar format for each of the giant races. Each section includes in-depth description of the characteristics of each giant race, including their methods of warfare, society, relations with others, and the environment that they live in. In essence, the material provides much of the details that once existed in the 2nd edition books that were excluded from the shorter 3rd edition descriptions.

In addition to the campaign information, each section provides a few sample giants of each race, including the basic type for each giant race, and three classed characters of each giant race.

The giants covered in this way include the so-called "true giants" described in the 3e MM, such as hill giants, storm giants, stone giants, etc., as well as a new giant type introduced in this book: the celestial giant. Celestial giants are generally benign, and are a step between storm giants and titans. The most notable characteristic of celestial giants is that they are resistant to all forms of elemental energy.

The so called giant-kin (ettins, ogres, trolls, etc.) are covered in less detail, with only a few paragraphs devoted to each. However again, the book takes the time to introduce a giant type not covered by the core rulebook, the cyclopes.

This section also introduces a new PC race, the half-giant. The half giant mentions no starting git dice or skill, but start out as large creatures, and have strong physical statistics but a weak intellect. Half-giants have an ECL of 4.

The book discusses some techniques that you can use to create interesting giants and giant allies, including a repeat of the advanced creature size rules from the MM to be used for beast companions of giants. The book provides statistics blocks for a few templated giants: a cloud giant ghost, a half-dragon fire giant, and a frost giant werewolf.

The last third of the book are additional options for giants, including new skills, feats, prestige classes, religions, clerical domains, spells, and items usable by, or pertaining to, giants.

Some of the feats are bloodgift feats, first introduced by Hammer & Helm. These feats represent powers inherent to the bloodline of the character. Unlike the feats in that book, none of these feat require a character take the feat upon character selection. However, they do have other prerequisites like alignment or having a certain template (like fiendish or celestial.)

Other feats help the giant leverage their large size in combat or otherwise take advantage of their unique characteristics. Examples of feats include:

-Aggressive Negotiations: The giant may use their strength in the place of their charisma when making an intimidate check. Not a bad feat, but it is very common to use the ability score variant for skills in the case of intimidate checks, so giants in some game may be able to do this without the benefit of a feat.
-Awaken the Blood: This feat allows the giant to use their strength bonus in the place of intelligence or charisma for the purposes of bonus spells.
-Elemental Affinity: The giant can cast energy spells with a new descriptor corresponding to their energy type. This spell is essentially equivalent to the energy substitution feat in Tome & Blood.
-Giant Blood: This is a feat for normal races; the character is large sized.

Most of the new prestige classes are for giants. For example, the blood disciple further optimizes the use of spells related to his focus elements, and the catapult is a specialist at rock throwing. In addition to these classes is a class for foes of giants, the giant slayer.

The new clerical domains are themed similar to the way that the giants are themed. For example, there are storm, cloud, and cold domains. There is also a giant domains pertaining to all giants.

The last section of the book are a pair of lairs for giants, complete with maps and a simple description. One is a cloud giant castle, the other is a frost giant castle.

Conclusion

Lord of the Peaks provides more in depth detail and options for giants. There is little material here supporting giants in PC role. As such this is primarily a GM supplement, and will be of use to any GM who intends to cast giants as common villains in a campaign.

That said, the new details and options add depth, but don't add anything fresh or inspiring to giants. I would consider this supplement more convenient than essential, unless your campaign has a heavy focus on giants.

-Alan D. Kohler

 

[Messageboard Golem]

So just curious do you think this is better than say the FFE stuff you reviewed? Do you feel this compliments the dwarves from GR book?

 

[Psion]

First question - that's a hard question to answer since this is a totally different sort of book than the FFE books I reviewed, so it is difficult to boil it down to a direct comparison. The closest would be the Encyclopedia of Demons & Devils II, since they both provide opponents for the players. I think that EDD II has a lot richer idea content, but Lords of the Peaks has a lot better rules implementation.

Second question - no, not really, other than the simple fact that they are race books covering traditionally opposed races. I thought it was interesting that they both used bloodgift feats, but they deploy the concept differently.

 

[Messageboard Golem]

I guess when I was asking my first question Psion, it was mainly because I've noticed that FFE hasn't quite seem to grasp the rules ideas. Which is kind of what I was wondering about.

I do thank you for the answer to the second one.

 

[Psion]

"I've noticed that FFE hasn't quite seem to grasp the rules ideas."

I think I've pretty explicitly identified the rules weaknesses in the FFE reviews. I saw no glaring rules weaknesses in Lords of the Peaks.

 

[Messageboard Golem]

*Note: There are two reviews by staff members of the d20 Magazine Rack for this product. Both are being included to illustrate the differences in style and opinion. Any comments about this review should be left at the d20 Magazine Rack under the original review location if you wish the reviewers to respond.

By Steven Creech, Exec. Chairman d20 Magazine Rack

Sizing Up the Target
This review is for Lords of the Peaks: The Essential Guide to Giants by James Maliszewski and Steve Kenson. Published by Paradigm Concepts, this 96-page book is part of the Races of Legend series and retails for $18.99. Lords of the Peaks is the OGL Interlink companion to Green Ronin's Hammer & Helm (a book on dwarves). The cover art for each book is meant to be joined together to form a larger image.

First Blood
Lords of the Peaks is designed to be more of a GM toolkit for giants rather than a definitve guidebook. Each "standard" race fo giant is given their necessary space for discussion (pun intended). The entry for each type of giant is typically broken down into physical description, combat and warfare, weapons, strategy, society, realtions with others, environment, and example NPC giants. There are also notes on how to fit giants into Paradigm's campaign world of Arcanis.

In addition to the standard giant races from teh MM, the book also addresses Celestial giants (makes sense, don't it?), giant-kin (such as ettins, cyclopes, ogres and trolls), and half-giants. While not as in-depth as the primary ginats' entries, there is still interesting information here.

The remainder of the book discusses game mechanics features like templates, prestige classes, skills, feats, religions, spells and magic items. There are two new skills and 43 new feats that are not necessarily restricted to giants. Five giant prestige classes really add flavor (except for the giant-slayer PrC whic is rather self explanatory) to giants.

Critical Hits
Giants have long been ignored in regards to being developed to their full potential. They are cunning cretures and this book shows that fact very well. The "crunchy" stuff is where the hits lie. The introduction of the epic level celestial giant gves high-level parties something to be cautious about. Until now, I would have never considered using templates in the fashion they have been used in the book. The example giants listed further underscore this fact. Who would have dreamed of a could giant ghost or a frost giant werewolf?

Critical Misses
Honestly, there isn't much to complain about with this book. The only shortcomings deal with the brevity of certain sections such as the celestial giant and half-giant. It would have been nice to have seen more written in these sections.

Coup de Grace
Lords of the Peaks is certainly a book any giant lover should own. While primarily of use to GMs, it has potential for use amoung some players. It contains some great world neutral information for making giants more life-like and formidable. By using templates, you will quickly have your players running for their lives. In short, this is a great book. Buy it.

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By Bruce Boughner, Staff Reviewer d20 Magazine Rack and Co-host of Mortality Radio

Sizing Up the Target
Lords of the Peaks is a 95-page soft cover accessory published by Paradigm Concepts and is the first in the series of OGL Interlink supplements and dovetails into Green Ronin’s Hammer and Helm: Guide to the Dwarves. Steve Kenson and James Maliszewski are co-authors of Lords of the Peaks, penned this Handbook. The cover is by Jim Pavelec and is a triptych cover to Hammer and Helm, interior art is by a handful of artists and is very well done and fits the content of the pages they’re sported upon. Lords of the Peaks retails for $18.99.

First Blood
My broadcast partner, Adlon, first showed me this book a few months ago right after GenCon and I could wait to get a copy of it. This again is an example of the d20 Open Gaming License at it’s finest. As described by Team Paradigm, Paradigm and Green Ronin both announced on the same day with similar release schedules a guide for Dwarves. Creative co-operation ensued and the OGL Interlink was born. Giants and Dwarves, Elves and Orcs, Drow and Mind Flayers are the initial pairings, each with the same tryptich cover idea pitting Paradigm’s Races of Legend against Green Ronin’s Races of Renown.

The book opens with sections on what is product identity and what is open gaming content is given. Well-defined sections break them up into very easily identified information. Paradigm’s Codex Arcanis world is generally the product identity section as each grouping of giants is applied to the Living Arcanis setting. Mr. Kenson, again kudos to all, this co-operation is exactly what d20 is all about.

Giants, a long overlooked subject. Mot since Gary Gygax’s Giant G1-3 series have the behemoth’s been given such a great treatment. Giants got put on the backburner to other races as time wore on and they became oversized cannon fodder for DM’s, well NO MORE!!!!!!

Giants are treated as more than rock throwing, mountain living recluses and more like the deadly foe they should be, taking their place along side the dragons, vampires and drow for character destruction.

Each of the core class giants are treated in their own section, Hill, Stone, Frost, Fire, Cloud and Storm, are each given a physical description, combat tactics, favored weapons, society (and these differ from sub-race to sub-race), relationship to others, environment and use as characters. Then a short section on how to use these brutes in Arcanis and examples of each one in generic, low medium and high level NPC form. NPC’s like a 4th level Frost Giant Barbarian, a 7th Fire Giant Sorcerer or a 7th level Storm Giant Cleric.

A new Giant race, the Celestial Giant is then laid out for use. Statue-like in appearance, these gargantuan creatures tower over the other giant races and stride across the multi-verse studying it’s secrets. 10th level Psions and 12th level sorcerers are given as examples.

The differences between True Giants and Giant-kin are defined leading into a short treatment on Ettins, Cyclopes, Ogres, Ogre Magi and Trolls. Half-Giants are then focused on, with the same treatment as True Giants.

Friends and Foes are then the foci, Dwarves, elves, humans, giant beasts, goblinoids and Orcs are given a base relationship to go by. Then the book takes an unexpected turn. It applies the Template system to the giants!!!! They then give as examples, a Cloud Giant Ghost, a Half-Red Dragon/Half-Fire Giant and a Frost Giant Werewolf!!! Outstanding!!!!!

Feats and skills are given to these now very-dangerous creatures. Bones for My Bread (fee, fie, foe, fum, indeed), Greater Monstrous Cleave, Stomp and Swat are examples of a large section of devastating feats. Prestige classes follow, Blood Disciple, Catapult, Reaver of Wyrms and Terramancer are great classes for the Giants.

Giant Magic and Religion are delved into, giving good plot ideas for Dieties for giants, familiars for mages and a dozen new spells for the giant spell caster. Magic item for the big and tall follow and the book closes with sample lairs complete with keyed maps.

Critical Hits
As the first of the series on arch-typical race enemies AND a cross company product, this book is Awesome.

Giants are returned to their rightful place in the D&D universe, large, deadly and most of all, NOT STUPID!! Much like the giant novel series TSR put out 8 years ago, this book give you the tools to host an all-giant campaign for the adventurous DM.

Critical Misses
Brevity is the only thing I can find wrong here, some of the newer giant races, Mountain, Fog, Forest, Ocean, Sun that came out in the MMII deserve this treatment as well. But as they are Johnny-come-Latelies their lack of coverage is very understandable (sequel???).

Coup de Grace
Buy this book!!! The wealth of ideas and plot ideas are incredible. The template ideas alone are worth getting the book for.

To see the graded evaluation of this product and to leave comments that the reviewer will respond to, go to The Critic's Corner at www.d20zines.com.

 

[johnsemlak]

I've just looked through Lords of the Peaks briefly, and haven't immersed myself in the mechanics. It was published well before 3.5 came out, but my initial impression is most of the book is still pretty usable.

The book focuses on the 6 Giant types in the MM. It also covers to a lesser degree Ogres, Trolls, Ettins, and Cyclopes. Two new Giant races are provided: Celestial Giants and Half Giants (Playable as PCs, and very different from the Half Giants found in the ExPsiHB).

The book also offers a number of new feats, spells, domains, skills, prestige classes, plus some magic items. Most of the above crunch is designed for giants (many of the feats have Size: Large or greater as a prerequisite), though some is designed for Giant foes, such as the obligatory Giant Slayer prestige class.

The feats provide a lot of options for making combat with giants more interesting. I liked the Stomp feat, which allows a Giant two sizes larger than its opponent to use an AoO to simply step on an opponent.

I'm not much of a critic of illustrations, but in a book like this the main thing I would look for in the art would be pictures that demonstrate the scale of Giants versus human beings, which I think is done satisfactorily.

This book was designed to accompany Green Ronin's Hammer and Helm dwarf racebook. There are a few references to material in HaH, including use of the Bloodgift feats introduced there, and several new Bloodgift feats. As I have Hammer and Helm and liked it a lot, I think these cross-references are nice, but not too much for those who don't have both books.

The spells section contains a list of spells and makes notes on ramifications of Giant spellcasters using spells. It notes a number of spells that don't work for Giants because of size restrictions. A small amount of Giant-researched spells are provided to fill in some of these gaps.

In general, I have so far found the book readable and enjoyable. There's a lot of good fluff text talking about Giant culture.

A the end of the book there are maps of two small sample Giant lairs.

Overall, I find the book very worthwhile for those who either want to base a campaign around Giants (a.la. Against the Giants) or if you just have them as occasional foes. I currently fall into the latter category, though this book may make me want to run the former. I have a lot of d20 books and there are few which present stuff that I instantly want to put in my game. This one provides plenty.

 

[PCIHenry]

Hello John,

Thank you very much for the kind words and for taking the time to review Lords of the Peaks.

Giants have always been a favorite monster of mine and we wanted a book that would add a greater dimension and versatility to them.

Glad you enjoyed it.

Best,

Henry Lopez
President
PCI