Giants are a classic adversary in Dungeons and Dragons, and they continue to be featured prominently in Fifth Edition.  Whether it is the thundering roar of a hungry hill giant, the Olympian-esque hurl of a boulder from a disturbed stone giant, or the sharp *crack* of a streaking bolt of lightning from a towering storm giant, these creatures are a powerful force to be reckoned with. Despite their place of honor in D&D lore (one of the first officially published adventures in 5e revolved around the giants) there is a pitiful lack of variety in these deadly, but mechanically bland, foes. 

Over the next few weeks we are going to examine each of the “true giant” types and create a few varieties to pair with the traditional, base examples given in the Monster Manual. In each article, we will:

• Discuss the key features and tendencies of that giant type.

• Identify what possible roles/functions are missing. 

• Create several new statblocks for variant giants of that type. 

Giants adhere to a strict social structure called the ordning. Essentially, each giant type occupies a social position in relation to each other type. Then within each type, status is broken down further by considering the strength, size, and role of each giant. Despite the cookiecutter statblock in the MM, no two giants are equal in the ordning. Those distinctions are what we want to capture in this series.

Next up: Frost Giants. 

Frost Giants, Basically

Frost giants live brutal, violent lives as the most dangerous raiders and pilagers in the frozen tundras across 5e. They generally see the crafting and raising of food and supplies as beneath them, preferring to take what others have produced through force or threat of it. As a result of this way of life, it is unsurprising that above all else a frost giant respects raw physical strength. With a Strength score of 23 and a Constitution score of 21, and considering their whopping scores of nine and ten in Intelligence and Wisdom respectively, these giants are bruisers first and foremost. However, they do have their own runic versions of bards (called Skalds), that record the history and triumphs of a given clan. Their clerics and shamans worship Thrym, son of Annam All-Father and the giant god of cold and ice. 

Frost giants make their lairs in the freezing expanse of the arctic tundra or high within a snowy mountain range. They are so resilient to the cold that some even make their home in the Para-Elemental plane of Ice (commonly described as being somewhere between the Elemental Planes of Water and Ice) and Stygia, the frozen 5th layer of the Nine Hells. Frost giant clans prefer to make their base in ginormous castles and fortresses, but when that is not possible they will seek out caverns deep within arctic mountains. They are known to capture and tame winter creatures of all sort, including: winter wolves, owlbears, mammoths and remorhazes. A few clans have positive relationships with nearby yetis or have even managed to capture and press into service a white dragon. 

What is Missing?

Clan Leadership. Every type of giant is going to have someone who has risen to the top, typically the strongest member of the community. Frost giant leaders have the title of “Jarl.” They frequently wield enchanted weapons and are clad in powerful armor, sometimes these items are made from the scales and bones of slain dragons. Some Jarls hunt and challenge white dragons as a way to prove their strength and worthiness to lead. Unsurprisingly, many never return. 

Divine Magic. In third edition, when spellcasting variations of monsters were more commonplace, frost giant clerics typically belonged to the domains of Chaos, Destruction, Evil, or War. Our best bet in fifth edition is likely sticking with the War domain, given the violent way of life that is commonplace in most frost giant societies. 

The Skalds. Family lineage is quite important among the frost giants, and they trust the recordkeeping of both their bloodlines and the great deeds of their clan to their skalds. While not as artistic as their stone giant counterparts, the frost giant skalds do spend a lot of their time writing epic poems that capture the exploits of the clan’s great leaders and warriors.  Within a frost giant community a skald performs many of the functions we would see a bard take on in a humanoid settlement. An important distinction between a skald and a bard is that a skald is not a traditional spellcaster, but instead uses runic spellcasting. Essentially these giants are able to create runes that allow them to cast specific spells. 

Lycanthropes. Back in 1999 the 266th issue of Dragon magazine had an article which suggested that frost giants are susceptible to lycanthropy (the disease that gives rise to werewolves and other “were” creatures. Specifically, frost giants inflicted with lycanthropy become werebears, gaining the ability to change into massive polar bears. They do not have a “hybrid” form like some other lycanthropes and tend to live alone, away from a clan. 

Variant Statblocks

Frost Giant Jarl (CR 12)

Frost giant clans are led by jarls, giants who have proven their strength and tactical cunning in battle time and time again. They are notably smarter and wiser than a typical frost giant, as well as being a top physical specimen. The jarl is also in possession of the best gear the clan has at its disposal. While that equipment might vary from clan to clan, I've given the standard jarl a +2 maul (made from dragon bone) and White Dragon Scale Mail. Jarls will sometimes prove themselves by seeking out and slaying a dragon, which is how they acquired these particular items. If you randomly generate loot for your adventures, consider doing so ahead of time when using a frost giant jarl- they will likely carry anything of use in their hoard and utilize it during combat. 

Tactics. Like standard frost giants, the jarl prefers to confront its opponents in melee rather than at range. However, instead of throwing rocks while it closes the distance, the frost giant jarl will instead use its first legendary action to charge if it would be unable to reach it’s nearest enemy with its 40 foot movement speed. Once they are in melee range, the frost giant will use it’s leadership legendary action as soon as it is able. If it does not need to charge, and has used leadership, it will use its remaining two legendary actions to swing. 

Frost Giant Shaman (CR 11)

A frost giant shaman is a servant of Thrym, the patron deity of frost giants. Contrary to the average humanoid priest, the first giant shamans are battle-hardened warriors. While they have access to up to 5th level cleric spells, their true danger lies in their combat prowess that has been divinely enhanced. The shaman is modelled closely after the 5e War Domain cleric subclass, with a few changes to make combat more streamlined. 

Tactics. Despite being a divine caster, the shaman prefers to attack in melee. If they are unable to get in melee range, or have at least 2-3 other stone giant allies, they will spend their first turn casting a buff spell such as bless or spirit guardians. On subsequent turns the shaman closes into melee and uses it’s War Priest bonus action. If it does not have War Priest recharged, it instead casts spiritual weapon with its bonus action. 

Frost Giant Skald (CR 8)

Skalds are the story-tellers and legend-keepers of the frost giants. They witness and participate in great battles of which they write epic stories and poems. They also are gifted in runic magic. Rather than a typical arcane spellcaster, they tap into the magic of the giants and their language. While fierce warriors in their own right, a skald is more likely that the typical frost giant to hang back and support their brethren; after all, they need to be able to observe the battle to recount it accurately. 

Tactics. The skald is here for a good story. As long as the battle seems to be in the giants’ favor, a skald will hang back and cast minor support spells such as bane (I can hear the stories now- “Those puny tiny folk couldn’t even land a hit on ole Strustag the Great! Bwahahahaha”). If the tide seems to be turning against them, the skald will use its more potent spells, like hypnotic pattern, to shift the odds back in their favor. When the battle is dire, the skald will draw their greataxe and wade into melee. If fighting with a Jarl or other important giant in the community, they will be the most frequent recipient of the skald’s bardic inspiration. 

Frost Giant Werebear (CR 10)

Werebears are rare amongst the frost giants and they tend to live isolated lives far away from the main community. This isolation, combined with their lycanthropy, means that most werebears an adventuring party might encounter will be near feral. They hunt in the nearby mountains and tundra, preying on all manner of creatures lesser than a white dragon or remorhaz. Their homes resemble the den of an extremely large cave bear. 

Tactics. An isolated frost giant werebear spends most of its time in its bear form. A newly inflicted or strong of mind werebear may shapechange back into its giant form to plead for its life if it is on death’s door. Otherwise, they fight to the death- perhaps giving little indication of their frost giant origin until transforming back after it is slain. 

Making your own clan

If you want to use these statblocks in your home game, it might be helpful to generate your own frost giant strongholds. Here are some rough guidelines on how to create a typical clan. 

• 1 Frost Giant Jarl

• 1d4-1 Frost Giant Shaman

• 1d4 Frost Giant Skalds

• 5d8+5 (Many of whom may be out raiding, sailing, and exploring)

• Minions: 

  • 2d6 Winter Wolves

  • 1d6 Mammoths

  • 25% chance of 2d8+2 Yetis

  • 10% chance of a White Dragon (no older than an Adult).

Next week: Surviving the heat with the industrious fire giants.