Yaarel
🇮🇱 🇺🇦 He-Mage
Here the method is. Looking at the small amount of information, and extrapolating from it a context where it can make sense.
In Dark Sun the Goliath are a retcon to replace the playable Half-Giant species.
D&D 5E (2024) WotC Should Make 5.5E Specific Setting
- Thread starter Reynard
- Start date
mamba
Legend
I never cared much for FR, I would not mind a new setting where all the species are incorporated in its history and have a place in the world
Yaarel
🇮🇱 🇺🇦 He-Mage
Looking at the Players Handbook, the Goliaths "descend" from Giants. They seem to have evolved from the Giant creature type to the Humanoid creature type. The size of Giants is a magical trait, and the Goliaths retain the ability ("supernatural boon") to temporarily exhibit this Giant size.
The "species" of Goliath can reproduce with each other. Nevertheless, each child only exhibits the traits of one of the ancestors: Frost, Fire, Storm, etcetera. A family might have children that are one of each.
The reference, "Goliaths seek heights above their ancestors", suggests a shared culture that honors - or rather rivals - their ancestors. In other words there is an indigenous culture that blends a Pan-Giant heritage from the various Giant "kin": Frost, Fire, Storm, etcetera, fusioning. That this culture seems to compete with their ancestors, might be a factor in their evolving into Humanoids. Also, the Giants live long, so there might be literal competitions between Goliaths and Giants, for various sports and contests. Great great great grandson is in a contest with a great great great grandmother.
As such, the setting can locate Goliaths anywhere Giants are present, especially where diverse Giant kin - Frost, Fire, Storm, etcetera - all happen to neighbor each other.
The "species" of Goliath can reproduce with each other. Nevertheless, each child only exhibits the traits of one of the ancestors: Frost, Fire, Storm, etcetera. A family might have children that are one of each.
The reference, "Goliaths seek heights above their ancestors", suggests a shared culture that honors - or rather rivals - their ancestors. In other words there is an indigenous culture that blends a Pan-Giant heritage from the various Giant "kin": Frost, Fire, Storm, etcetera, fusioning. That this culture seems to compete with their ancestors, might be a factor in their evolving into Humanoids. Also, the Giants live long, so there might be literal competitions between Goliaths and Giants, for various sports and contests. Great great great grandson is in a contest with a great great great grandmother.
As such, the setting can locate Goliaths anywhere Giants are present, especially where diverse Giant kin - Frost, Fire, Storm, etcetera - all happen to neighbor each other.
Hussar
Legend
Let's see if I can use some personal anecdotes to get my point across better.
Some time ago, I was a player in a Hoard of the Dragon Queen campaign. So, I made a dragonborn character, thinking that, well, in that campaign, that would make quite a lot of sense. So, I did my due diligence as a player and hit up the FR wikis and some source books to build a background for my character. And, there was basically nothing as far as the Sword Coast is concerned.
So, I created the idea that my parents were adventurers, had made it to the Sword Coast before retiring and settling down with a family in a nice farm outside of Greenest. Now, again, this isn't impossible or even implausible really, but, it was completely generic. I could have plonked this background down in any setting (or nearly any setting) and not had to change at thing other than a couple of proper nouns. IOW, there was absolutely nothing that made this character or this background a "Forgotten Realms" character.
Later on, I played in a Decent into Avernus campign. So, again, I hit up the wiki. This time I played a Thayan priest of Kossuth who was raised in the Thayan Enclave in Baldur's Gate. I had connections to the named NPC's in the setting, I had a history, I had a goal built in with the Thayan diaspora. This was a quintessentially Forgotten Realms character. I couldn't plonk this character down into another setting without pretty much entirely rewriting his entire background.
THAT'S what you get when you have species that are actually tied into a setting. That's what I expect for every single PHB race when played in a given setting. If I am playing a standard option from the PHB in a WotC setting, I don't think it's too much to expect that I could build a character that is actually tied into that setting. I shouldn't be forced to play Father Generic the Cleric just because I happened to pick a species from the PHB to play in a setting.
Being able to create characters that are tied to the setting when choosing bog standard PHB races should be the bare minimum of any setting which allows for PHB races. Since that's not actually true, then having a 2024 D&D setting built from the ground up that incorporates bog standard PHB options isn't a terrible idea.
Some time ago, I was a player in a Hoard of the Dragon Queen campaign. So, I made a dragonborn character, thinking that, well, in that campaign, that would make quite a lot of sense. So, I did my due diligence as a player and hit up the FR wikis and some source books to build a background for my character. And, there was basically nothing as far as the Sword Coast is concerned.
So, I created the idea that my parents were adventurers, had made it to the Sword Coast before retiring and settling down with a family in a nice farm outside of Greenest. Now, again, this isn't impossible or even implausible really, but, it was completely generic. I could have plonked this background down in any setting (or nearly any setting) and not had to change at thing other than a couple of proper nouns. IOW, there was absolutely nothing that made this character or this background a "Forgotten Realms" character.
Later on, I played in a Decent into Avernus campign. So, again, I hit up the wiki. This time I played a Thayan priest of Kossuth who was raised in the Thayan Enclave in Baldur's Gate. I had connections to the named NPC's in the setting, I had a history, I had a goal built in with the Thayan diaspora. This was a quintessentially Forgotten Realms character. I couldn't plonk this character down into another setting without pretty much entirely rewriting his entire background.
THAT'S what you get when you have species that are actually tied into a setting. That's what I expect for every single PHB race when played in a given setting. If I am playing a standard option from the PHB in a WotC setting, I don't think it's too much to expect that I could build a character that is actually tied into that setting. I shouldn't be forced to play Father Generic the Cleric just because I happened to pick a species from the PHB to play in a setting.
Being able to create characters that are tied to the setting when choosing bog standard PHB races should be the bare minimum of any setting which allows for PHB races. Since that's not actually true, then having a 2024 D&D setting built from the ground up that incorporates bog standard PHB options isn't a terrible idea.
Paul Farquhar
Legend
Why? I live near London now, but I’m not from London and don’t consider myself a Londoner. People of all kinds from all over the world are drawn to settle in major cities.
