Giant, Frost

Like all evil giants, frost giants have a reputation for crudeness and stupidity. This reputation is deserved, but frost giants are crafty fighters.

Frost giants have muscular, roughly human builds. The typical adult male is 21' tall and weighs about 8,000 pounds. Females are slightly shorter and lighter, but otherwise identical to males. Frost giants have snow-white or ivory skin. Their hair is light blue or dirty yellow, with matching eyes. They can live to be 250 years old.

A frost giant's natural Armor Class is 5. Warriors usually wear chain mail and metal helmets decorated with horns or feathers (AC 0). They also wear skins and pelts, along with any jewelry they own.

Frost giants carry their belongings in huge sacks. A typical frost giant's sack contains 2-5 (1d4+1) throwing rocks, the giant's wealth, and 3-12 (3d4) mundane items. Everything in a giant's bag is old, worn, dirty, and smelly, making the identification of any valuable items difficult.

Frost giants speak their own language and the language common to all giants.

Combat: Frost giants are immune to cold. Adult frost giants can hurl rocks for 2-20 (2d10) points of damage. Their minimum range is 3 yards while their maximum is 200 yards. They can catch similar large missiles 40% of the time. They usually will start combat at a distance, throwing rocks until they run out of ammunition, or the opponent closes. One of their favorite strategies is to ambush victims by hiding buried in the snow at the top of an icy or snowy slope where opponents will have difficulty reaching them.

Warriors favor huge battle axes. A frost giant's oversized weapons do double normal (man-sized) damage to all opponents, plus the giant's strength bonus. Thus, a frost giant battle axe does 2-16 (2d8) +9 points of damage.

Habitat/Society: Frost giants live in small bands consisting of a chief, his henchmen, and their camp followers. A band usually will occupy a crude castle or frigid cavern. When encountered in their lair there will be 9-16 1d8+8) giants; half of whom will be immature. To determine a giant's maturity, roll 1d4. A roll of 4 indicates an infant with no combat ability and hit points of ogre; rolls of 1-3 indicate older progeny with hit dice, damage, and attack rolls equal to that of a stone giant.

Particularly strong or intelligent frost giant chieftains will command bands three or four times normal size. A chieftain who commands 20 or more giants is called a jarl. Jarls always will have better than normal armor and a weapon of +1 to +3 enchantment.

There is a 20% chance that any band of frost giants will have a shaman (80%) or witch doctor (20%). If the group is led by a jarl, there is an 80% chance for a spell caster. Frost giant shamans are priests of up to 7th level. A shaman can cast normal or reversed spells from the healing, charm, protection, divination, or weather spheres. Frost giant witch doctors are priest/wizards of up to 7th/3rd level; they prefer spells that can bewilder and confound other giants. Favorite spells include: unseen servant, shocking grasp, detect magic, ventriloquism, deeppockets, ESP, mirror image, and invisibility.

Frost giants often capture and tame other creatures as guards. There is a 50% chance that a frost giant lair will contain 1-6 winter wolves. Larger than normal groups check once for every eight giants. Bands with 20 or more giants have a additional 30% chance to have 1-4 yeti, larger groups check once for every 16 giants. A jarl's band has a 20% chance to have 1-2 subdued white dragons in addition to other guards. The dragons will be age category 2-5 (1d4+1). Frost giants also take captives to hold for ransom or use as slaves. There is a 15% chance that a lair will contain 1-2 captives, larger bands check once per eight giants. Captives can be of any race.

Ecology: Frost giants live in frigid, arctic lands with glaciers and heavy snowfall. Frost giants eat mostly meat, which they can hunt and kill themselves. They raid human and demi-human settlements for foodstuffs and other booty.