Hill Giant Brute

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Hill Giant Brute (CR 14)

Hill Giants are massive creatures, covered in huge masses of thick muscle and fat. While they are technically size Large, they are definitely at the very upper end of that size category due to their simple bulk. Hill giants exude a sense of huge power mixed with dull frustrated rage at a world they simply don't understand. Indeed, Hill Giants are the second strongest breed of Giants, their physical power exceeding the strength of far more dangerous clans of giants, such as Cloud giants, who are frail weaklings compared to Hill giants.

Luckily for every other creature in the world, their incredible strength is also their downfall, as Hill Giants, charitably, are musclebound idiots. They are physically clumsy, slow of action, and awkward when they manage to do something, as likely to break a weapon as use it to smash a foe. Even worse, they are crude and stupid creatures. Ogres are mental giants compared to a Hill Giant. Hill Giants struggle to sustain even the most rudimentary of social structures, like family, or language. The actions of most other races are incomprehensible to a Hill giant, who is too limited to even grasp what a farm is, never mind understand why agriculture is a good idea.

As a result of their incredible physical strength and incredible mental deficiencies, Hill giants on their own live lives of desperate poverty, lacking fire, shelter, and far too often, even clothing. Despite this, Hill giants thrive on their own, their size and strength serving quite well in Nature to sustain their lives. Groups of Hill giants are uncomfortably common in untamed lands, and they are disgustingly fertile, to boot.

Many Hill giants find themselves working as serfs for other races. Ogres and especially Trolls find Hill giants to be excellent companionship, and those creatures serve to improve the life of Hill giants tremendously. Other Giant races also employ Hill giants as serfs, especially Frost and Fire giants, as well as Death giants and the terrible Fomaori. No one tries to enslave a Hill giant, by the way. No chain will hold them and no punishment will deter them, so there is little point. Give them a warm place to sleep, food to eat, things to torment, and rugged, simple work to do, and Hill giants will be loyal forever.

Hill giants usually live in small tribal groups, and make crude mud huts out of sticks and wattle. They will roam out daily, in a more-or-less random direction, and forage for food and victims. If Hill giants are serving as serfs for other classes of creatures, they will arise, take their food, and then happily perform whatever jobs they are given, as long as those jobs are within their intellectual grasp. As long as they are given lots of things to do, Hill giants are surprisingly tractable. If some of those duties involve killing and hurting things, all the better!

Hill Giant Brutes represent tougher than normal examples of their breed. They may be simply a Hill Giant who was born stronger and meaner than normal, or they may represent a whole tribe of giants who managed to get more food than normal and are just healthier in general, or they may be serfs who have survived long enough to learn that being meaner and quicker than their relatives is a good way to get favorable treatment. Whatever the reason, Hill Giant Brutes look and act about the same as other Hill Giants. They may have a slightly wilder, shaggier look to them, jagged teeth, or simply a feral glint of cruelty swimming in the dull stupor in their eyes. Whatever the reason, Hill Giant Brutes are much more dangerous than your average Hill Giants. As if this horrible race needed anything to make them even more repulsive.

General

CR 14 Hit Dice 20

XP 38,400

NE, Large, Humanoid, Giant

Init +6; Senses low-light, scent, Perception +21

Defense

AC 35, touch 21, flat-footed 32 (+9 armor, +3 dex, +6 natural, +7 deflection)

hp 345

Fort +17, Ref +13, Will +13

Aura -

SR -

Special Defenses -

Immunities -

Weaknesses -

Offense

Speed 40 ft.

Space / Reach: 10 ft. / 10 ft.

Single Melee Giant Club +19 (2d8+12/19-20x2)

Full Melee 3x Giant Club +19 (2d8+12/19-20x2)

Ranged Giant Rock +19 (2d8+14/x2)

Special Attacks Earthen Smash, Giant Stomp

Action Points 0

Statistics

Str XX, Dex XX, Con XX, Int XX, Wis XX, Cha XX <copy from source>

Base Atk +14; CMB +23; CMD 31

Feats <pick one or two thematically relevant feats; avoid complicated ones.>

Skills <choose only if relevant, values around 1.5 x creature’s CR>

Languages <copy from source>

Special Abilities

<special abilities should have a save DC 22>

<special attack damage (standard action): 7d6+1>

<special attack damage (aoe’s, swift actions or inflicting status effects): 3d6+3>

<ability name>

<ability description>

<ability name>

<ability description>

Treasure

sell value of approximately 13,750 gp

Combat Tactics

<describe typical actions taken during combat here>