Page 151 - D&D Bestiary

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CLOUD GIANT (:hi/ClrelJ 'oft~e Trickster. The patron,go.d and
f<!.ther of the·cloud giants is Memnor the :fr-1ckster, the
Clomd giants live extravagant lives high above the world,
clevere'st and slyest of the giant deities. Cloud giants
showing little concern for the plights of other races
align themselves according to the aspects and exploits
except as amusement. They are muscular with light skin of Meinnor that they most admire, with evil cloud
and have hair of silver or blue.
giants emulating his deceitfulness and self-interest and
High and Mighty. Cloud giants are spread to the
good cloud giants emulating his intellect and silver-
winds, encompassing vast areas of the world. In times
tongued speech. Family members usually align in the
of need, scattered cloud giant families band together as
same direction.
a unified clan. However, they can seldom do so quickly. Wealth and Power. A cloud giant earns its place in
Attuned to the magic of their airy domains, cloud
the ordning by the treasure it accumulates, the wealth
giants are able to turn into mist and create clouds of
it wears, and the gifts it bestows on other cloud giants.
billowing fog. They dwell in castles on high mountain
However, value is only one part of the assessment. The
peaks, or on the solid clouds that once held their fiefs. extravagances a cloud giant wears or places about its
Stili gracing the skies on occasion, these magic clouds
home must also be beautiful or wondrous. Sacks of gold
are a lasting remnant of the giants' lost empires.
or gems are worth less to a cloud giant than the jewelry
Better spellcasters than most other giants, some cloud that might be crafted from those materials, creating
giants can control weather, bring storms, and steer the treasures that bring esteem to a cloud giant's household.
wind almost as well as their cousins, the storm giants.
Rather than steal from one another or fight over
Affluent Princes. Although cloud giants are lower
treasures, cloud giants are inveterate gamblers with a
in the ordning than storm giants, the reclusive storm
hunger for high risks and high rewards. They frequently
giants rarely engage with the rest of giantkind. As a
bet on the outcome of events nominally outside their
result, many cloud giants see themselves as having control, such as the lives of lesser creatures. Ordning
the highest status and power among the giant races.
ranks and kings' ransoms can be won and lost in bets
They order lesser giants to seek out wealth and art
over the military triumphs of humanoid nations. Fixing
on their behalf, employing fire giants as smiths and
wagers by interfering in the conflict causes the loss of
crafters, and using frost giants as reavers, raiders, and
the bet, but such deceit is considered to be cheating
plunderers. Dimwitted hill giants serve them as brutes only if it is discovered. Otherwise, it is cleverness
and combat fodder-sometimes fighting for the cloud honoring Memnor.
giants' amusement. A cloud giant might order hill or
frost giants to steal from nearby humanoid lands, which FIRE GIANT
it considers to be a fair tax for its continued beneficence.
Master crafters and organized warriors, fire giants
On their mountain summits and solid clouds, cloud
dwell among volcanoes, lava floes, and rocky mountains.
giants keep extraordinary gardens. Grapes as big
They are ruthless militaristic brutes whose mastery of
as apples grow there, along with apples the size of
metalwork is legendary.
pumpkins, and pumpkins the size of wagons. From
Fire Forged. Fire giant fortresses are built around
· the errant seeds of these gardens, tales of cottage-
and inside volcanoes or near magma-filled caverns.
sized produce and magic beans are spread in the
The blistering heat of their homes fuels the fire giants'
mortal realm.
forges, and causes the iron of their fortress walls to
As humanoid nobles keep an aerie for hunting hawks,
so do cloud giants keep griffons, perytons, and wyverns glow a comforting orange. In lands fanemoved from
as their own flying beasts of prey. Such creatures also volcanic heat, fire giants mine coal to burn. Traditional
patrol the cloud giants' gardens by night, along with smithies occupy places of honor in their demesnes, and
trained predators such as owlbears and lions. the giants' stony fortresses constantly belch plumes of
sooty smoke. In more remote outposts, fire giants burn
wood to keep their forge fires lit, deforesting leagues of
land in all directions.
liiLL GiANT BouLDER
FRosT GIANT BouLDER