Stone Giants: The Reclusive Artists
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.
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.
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.
Next up: Stone Giants.
Stone Giants, Basically
Stone giants are an interesting case amongst the true giants. Despite their low ranking amongst the ordning, according to Volo’s Guide to Monsters the stone giants are considered by their fellow giantkin to be the wisest of all the giant types (a statement not supported by the statblocks of these creatures). Perhaps more than any other giant, the stone giants prove that a type's position amongst the ordning is determined by their physical might. With a 23 Strength score, stone giants tie with frost giants as the second weakest of the true giants (ahead of the hill giants).
Within stone giant society however, an individual's position is determined not by their raw might. Rather, they are ranked in accordance with their artistic ability. In particular, the skill of stone carving is held in such high regard that the best craftsmen are seen as holy vessels for their deity, Skoraeus Stonebones. Those who show little proficiency in the art of carving are thrust to the bottom of the social ladder, becoming hunters and guards. Interestingly, Volo’s notes that the first stone giants a party is likely to encounter are these social rejects. That lends a bit of insight as to why the “wisest” of the giantkin have an average Wisdom score of 12 in the base statblock. Due to this, the standardized statblock may be serviceable for a random encounter, but leaves much unaccounted for if you want to build a session or an adventure around stone giants.
As the name implies, stone giants are most commonly found in mountainous areas. They make their homes in massive, sprawling caverns and even the upper reaches of the Underdark. Stone giants strongly prefer the darkness of these underground dwellings, even the hunters and guards dare not stray above ground for too long. Some of those that do find themselves lost in a dreamstate, becoming twisted versions of themselves known as dreamwalkers (you can read about these giants and view their statblock in Volo’s Guide). In general stone giants tend not to domesticate animals in the same way that humanoids would, although they sometimes share space with giant bats or cave bears that act as guards and even food when necessary.
What is Missing?
As mentioned above, the base statblock provided in the Monster Manual seems to reflect the stone giants at the bottom of the internal ordening. Those giants will be found on the periphery of a clan’s home or wandering above ground at night searching for food or other resources. But the idea of this philosophical, artistically minded ruling class deep within the mountains is simply too cool to ignore.
Divine Magic/Clan Leadership. The obvious missing piece here is the actual artists, the giants that become so skilled at their craft that they are actually gifted divine powers. Given that the internal stone giant ordning is based on artistry, I imagine there are a few tiers of carvers. At minimum, there are “apprentices,” giants that maybe are a bit younger but show real promise, and “masters,” the older, wiser giants that have a philosophical approach to their art and are leaders of the community.
Stone Giant Sub-Types. There are a few stone giant sub-types that have been present in past editions that are worth revisiting. These giants don’t often live with their stone giant cousins, but make for interesting enemies in their own right. Back in 3rd edition there were the Craa’ghoran giants, stone giants that had been warped by prolonged exposure to energy from the Elemental Plane of Earth. These giants were even taller than stone giants (which already average around 18 feet tall), had an 8,000 year old lifespan, and weighed well over ten thousand pounds. Although a bit cruel and feral, they retain their cunning and artistic nature. They use their innate ability to control stone to create complex mazes and traps to catch their prey, now THAT sounds like a fun encounter.
In 4th edition, the stone giants had a close relative in the ash giants. Ash giants are essentially to volcanos what stone giants are to mountains. They have some control of flames, particularly embers and hot ash. While it is unlikely (although not impossible) to find ash giants living and working with stone giants, they could be a great mid-tier addition to the volcanic region of your game setting (let's be honest, we all have one).
Variant Statblocks
Stone Giant Carver (CR 8)
A stone giant carver has shown great skill and potential in its discipline, typically carving and sculpting. However, you could use this statblock for a different type of artist or even a philosopher. These artists have drawn the attention of their patron deity, Skoraeus Stonebones, through the demonstration of their skills and have been granted a measure of divine power. Although these carvers comprise around 30 percent of a clan's population, they are rarely, if ever, seen on the periphery of the clan’s territory. Instead, they remain deep underground, honing their craft. If called to defend the territory from invaders or ambushed within their den, they are fierce combatants. In combat, carvers combine the might of a typical stone giant with the magical prowess of a formidable cleric.
Tactics. A stone giant carver rarely faces battle alone and prefers to avoid it all together. If combat is unavoidable their preferred method of engagement is to first buff their allies with a spell such as bless, triggering their Spark of Inspiration ability, and then hurling rocks from a distance while healing itself and its allies with mass healing word. If the battle turns against the stone giants (more than half of their allies have been slain or they themselves are below 50 hitpoints), the carver will cast wall of stone to cover their retreat.
Stone Giant Master Craftsman (CR 12)
A stone giant Master Craftsman is one of the oldest, most respected leaders of a stone giant community. They teach young carvers how to hone their craft and create masterpieces of their own, sometimes spending years finding the best materials and then perfecting a piece. They have grown in their divine power to such an extent that they have gained a mastery over stone itself. A small community may only have one master craftsman that leads it, while a large, thriving population may have several that practice their own distinct disciplines.
Tactics. A Master Craftsman follows a similar strategy to a carver with a few added wrinkles. In addition to their superior spellcasting, the Master Craftsman also has a bonus action called Master of Stone. Essentially, they can create pillars of stone to protect themselves and harass their enemies. This means they are less likely to use their bonus action to heal, instead waiting until the situation is dire to cast, well, heal. You’ll notice the Master Craftsman has access to earthquake, an 8th level spell that represents true master over the elements of stone and earth. However, this spell creates massive fissures in the area in which it is cast, causing massive damage to the stone giant’s home (and likely many works of art and carvings). The Master Craftsman will only use this spell as a measure of last resort, a sort of nuclear option if it is clear that the community is unlikely to survive the battle.
Craa’ghoran Giant (CR 10)
Craa’ghoran giants are stone giants that have been warped by elemental energy, and they are NASTY. They stand 20 feet tall, weigh seven tons, and can move through stone and ear without a trace or the smallest sound. They have innate spellcasting that allows them to control stone and carve beautiful statues, murals, and other decor. Despite the artistic connection to stone giant carvers, these Craa’ghoran giants are cruel and demented, enjoying the anguish they cause those trapped in their mazes. While capable of this long-term planning, in the moment they can become almost feral and unpredictable seemingly at random. These giants tend to live away from other giants, instead carving out their own territory. They will often have orcs, goblins, and/or ogres that it has pressed into slavery or otherwise controls. These minions serve as scouts and guards, as well as potentially luring other humanoid creatures into the giant’s labyrinth. Craa’ghoran giants also greatly value dwarves and their expertise in stonework and metalwork. If there is a dwarf in the party, the giant may attempt to capture them rather than kill them.
Tactics. Craa’ghoran giants are tactical in taking down their victims, preferring to use wall of stone and similar abilities to separate lost groups of adventurers and attack their enemies one by one. Once they begin their attack, they are vicious melee combatants. If both their claw attacks land on the same target, they deal a significant amount of extra damage as they rend their target in either direction.
Ash Giant (CR 11)
Ash giants are physically similar to stone giants in nearly every way, but with slightly dark, soot colored skin that aids them in blending into their volcanic environment. Much like the base stone giants, ash giants are ambushers and use ash and soot to further camouflage themselves. An ash giant has innate spellcasting abilities that allows them to harness the latent heat and flame in ash, as well as wielding flaming stone greatclubs. They live in small tribes that lack significant contact with other tribes of ash or stone giants.
Tactics. Ash giants will attempt to ambush their prey, using their Ash Cloud action to hopefully blind and suffocate their foes. While the cloud is not toxic to ash giants, it does limit their visibility. On subsequent turns, the giants will launch fireballs into the cloud in an attempt to down anyone who managed to succeed on their Constitution saving throw. Once the cloud clears or their enemies exit from it, they will close into melee with their flaming greatclubs.
Making your own clan
If you want to use these statblocks in your home game, it might be helpful to generate your own stone giant communities. Here are some rough guidelines on how to create a typical clan.
1d3 Stone Giant Master Craftsman
2d4+1 Stone Giant Carver
3d8 Stone Giants (1/3 of which are off hunting)
Minions: 25% chance of 2d10+2 Giant Bats, 25% chance of 1d4+1 Cave Bears
For Ash Giants, there are typically 2d8+2 members in a tribe. Typically they hunt and patrol in groups of 2-3. At any given time about half of the population is away from the main encampment in these smaller patrols.
Craa’ghoran giants live alone or with one other of their kind in rare cases. However, they often have a number of humanoid servants.
1d4+1 Ogres
75% chance of 4d10+5 Goblins
50% chance of 3d8+3 Orcs
50% chance of a dwarven commoner
Next week: Braving the north with the raiders of giantkin: the frost giants.
