Giant, Cyclops

A diminutive relative of true giants, cyclopskin are single-eyed giants that live alone or in small bands.

The typical cyclopskin weighs around 350 pounds, and stands 7½ feet tall. A single large, red eye dominates the center of its forehead. Shaggy black or dull, deep blue hair falls in a tangled mass about its head and shoulders, its skin tone varies from ruddy brown to muddy yellow, and its voice is rough and sharp. Cyclopskin commonly dress in ragged animal hides and sandals. They smell of equal parts dirt and dung.

Combat: Cyclopskin are armed with either a club or a bardiche. Each will also carry a heavy hurling spear (1d6 damage) and a sling of great size (1d6 damage). They never wear armor or use shields, for their tough hide gives them ample protection from most attacks.

Cyclopskin do not bother with strategy or tactics in combat. If their opponents are out of reach, they use slings or hurl heavy spears. They can not throw boulders like their larger cousins. Since the single eye of the cyclopskin gives them poor depth perception, they suffer a -2 penalty to all missile attack rolls, but not to damage. If the opponents are close, the cyclopskin rush in to fight with their clubs or bardiches.

Habitat/Society: The single-eyed humanoids shy away from organized settlements. If left alone, they tend to leave armed groups alone, though they are not above attacking a much weaker force if they stumble across one. Cyclopskin have no regard for any form of life other than themselves. Captives are either enslaved or eaten. This doesn't happen very often, since the cyclopskin tend to live in remote rocky places. They rarely wander more than 10 miles from their caves.

Being poor hunters, most cyclopskin clans keep small herds of goats or sheep. Some clans are nomadic, while others stay put in their caves. Each spring, regional clans meet to exchange goods and slaves and to select mates. On rare occasions a charismatic cyclopskin will arise and bring together several clans to form a wandering tribe. The largest known tribe numbered around 80 fighting cyclopskin. Such a band will aggressively raid outlying areas with a boldness uncommon in a single clan. All group decisions are made by the strongest and toughest cyclopskin in the group, usually through intimidation. This in turn leads to brawls and fist fights. There are no rules in such fights, and they can lead to permanent injury or death for the loser.

A cyclopskin cave is sealed with boulders and there is but one entrance. Inside, if size permits, there will be wooden pens to house both animals and slaves. The pens always have roofs of either wooden bars or the natural cave ceiling.

At night, a large boulder or stout wooden gate is placed at the entrance of the cave to protect the cyclopskin from predators. There are no interior fire pits, since cyclopskin use fire infrequently, and then only outside their lairs. Any cyclopskin treasure will be kept in a sack in the cave.

Ecology: Cyclopskin can survive on almost any animal or plant diet. They enjoy meat of all sorts and prize it above vegetable foods. While they live off the land, they do not live with it. They have absolutely no sanitary practices, and rarely even cook their meals. They take no care to preserve their environment while hunting, and are considered to be one of the easiest creatures of their size to track.

The life of a cyclopskin is hazardous, and hence they have a short life expectancy. Besides human adventurers, there are many predators, such as tigers, giants, wyverns, and trolls, that are not above attacking a small group of these giants. However, mountain dwarves actually go out of their way to hunt cyclopskin, receiving the dwarven bonus against giants.

Cyclops

These larger versions of their slightly more common cousins are usually found in the extreme wilds or on isolated islands, where they scratch out a meager existence by shepherding their flocks of giant sheep. Cyclopes can hurl boulders up to 150 yards away, inflicting 4d10 points of damage.