Why would a frost giant have a frost weapon?

[Jolly Giant]

A question that's bee nagging me for some time just got that much more pressing after I got Frostburn: Why does frostgiants and other cold-type creatures always favor weapons with the frost ability? Why do their spellcasters always use so many cold spells? Just about everyone and everything remotely treathening in their habitat is immune to cold, or at the very least resistent to cold! It would make so much more sense for them to use spells and weapons that dealt fire damage.

The same goes for creatures from the plane of fire; fire weapons and fire spells all around, and everyone's immune to fire... Sure, a fire elemental deals fire damage with their slams, I have no problem with that; how could it be any other way? What I don't get is why a genie sorceror's favorite spells always has to be scorching ray and fireball, and every decent azer fighter has a fire axe...

The only explanation I can see is that it's supposed to add "flavor"... But is it flavorful for every fighter to have the least useful magic enhancement imaginable on his weapon, and for every spellcaster to favor the spells most likely to have no effect what so ever? Or is it just stupid? I feel the answer is pretty obvious... :\

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

Think of it this way....

The frost giant jarl's greatsword has been steeped in the blood of countless enemies of his clan, and now that bitter chill has become infused in the steel.

Wizards in search of rare arcane knowledge often bargain with spirits of ice and wind that howl across the tundra.

Spellcasters learn early on that interlopers to their lands are vulnerable to cold, allowing them to cast more freely without endangering their comrades.


Not everything has to be metagamed or min-maxed.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

Hm. Perhaps Cold creatures hate and fear fire. Perhaps having a flametongue is painful to a Frost Giant. Perhaps, when it's -40 degrees outside, fire magic is more difficult to manifest. Perhaps fire is taboo. Perhaps they are unable to harness the power of fire, because it is too alien for them, or simply inaccessible.

AR

 

[Jolly Giant]

All of these are possible explanations, I guess, but they all seem rather far-fetched... :\ To me, the more likely explanation is a designer saying: "Oh, he's a cold subtype, wouldn't it be really clever if he had a lot of cold-based attacks?"

 

[Nightfall]

Cause the giant would look awfully silly with a "plant bane" weapon?

 

[Jolly Giant]

Cause the giant would look awfully silly with a "plant bane" weapon?

LOL! Makes about as much sense as a frost weapon, IMHO...

 

[Nightfall]

Hey! It's the best I could do. If he had another bane type, might make sense. Maybe human or giantbane.

 

[VirgilCaine]

Hm. Perhaps Cold creatures hate and fear fire. Perhaps having a flametongue is painful to a Frost Giant. Perhaps, when it's -40 degrees outside, fire magic is more difficult to manifest. Perhaps fire is taboo. Perhaps they are unable to harness the power of fire, because it is too alien for them, or simply inaccessible.

AR

Doesn't sound like a reach to me.

 

[Jolly Giant]

Doesn't sound like a reach to me.

Maybe not. Doesn't explain why it has to be cold, though! Why not a shock weapon, or a keen? Why not just up the enhancement bonus one extra point? Why not spells that deal acid or eletric damage?

 

[DMH]

I would tailor the weapon qualities to the most common opponent of the tribe. Human bane (or human dread) are both useful but if dragons are the major problem, then shocking burst, quickened, spellcutter, or forceful weapons might be a better option. If a relatively weak opponent, like winter wolves, then cascading or blinding would be the ticket.

Those qualities mentioned above that are not in the SRD are in Arms and Armor 3.5. For those DMs who want to be really evil, skewering and crushing weapons are great for leaders (think vorpal for piercing and bludgeoning weapons).