Giant, Verbeeg

Known as “human behemoths”, these human giants inhabit areas infested with hill giants and ogres.

Verbeeg vary in height from 8½ to 10 feet tall, and weigh between 300 and 400 pounds. They are unusually thin for their height, although this does not inhibit their fighting ability. Some have minor deformities, such as club foot, uneven eyes, hair lips, etc. In all other respects they appear human, including skin, hair, and eye color. They wear as much protective clothing and armor as they can obtain, which isn't much. Usually they wear furs and hides with pieces of metal armor stitched into strategic places. They almost always carry shields and have the best weapons they can steal. Typically this means clubs and spears.

Combat: Verbeeg are smart enough to let others soften up the enemy first. This does not mean that they are cowards, only selfish and practical. Since they are commonly found with hill giants and ogres, in the first few rounds of combat verbeeg drive their less intelligent companions before them into battle. This is accompanied by many curses, oaths, and highly descriptive accounts of the giants' and ogres' parentage.

Once the battle has begun, the verbeeg take on the stragglers and use their missile weapons, usually spears. The Strength of the giant determines how much further than normal the weapons can be hurled.

Whatever their weaponry, the verbeeg get a Strength bonus for damage. Each giant must have his Strength determined individually (or once for the whole group, at the DM's option) by rolling 1d10 and consulting the following table. Armor is always at least the equivalent of AC 4, and sometimes better, although never better than AC 1.

Habitat/Society: Verbeeg are found in the same climates as ogres and hill giants. These human behemoths are never found wandering alone. Thirty percent of wandering verbeeg encounters find 1d6 of these giant-kin with 1d4 hill giants or ogres (equal chance), which also share their lair; 50% of the time 1d6 verbeeg are with 1d6 wolves or worgs (in polar climes winter wolves or polar bears); the rest of the time (20%) 1-2 of them are encountered with a normal sized group of wandering monsters found in that area (DM must use reasonable judgment in this case).

A verbeeg lair is usually an underground place, such as a cave or inside old ruins. There 5d6 of them can be found, an equal number of females (equal to males in combat), and 2d6 young. Half the young fight as bugbears, the other half fight as goblins. A lair usually includes 2d4 wolves (75% chance) or 1d4 worgs (25% chance). In arctic climes substitute 1-2 polar bears for wolves, and 1-3 winter wolves for wargs.

There is a 2% cumulative chance per giant of a shaman with the tribe. The verbeeg are jointly ruled by the shaman (if there is one) and a warrior chieftain. The shaman can be up to 7th level. The warrior chieftain always has 18/00 Strength and no fewer than 40 hit points. The chieftain is responsible for all activities involving hunting, war and negotiations with strangers. The shaman is responsible for all activities inside the tribe, dispensing judgments concerning law and all magic. Any magical items in the tribe belong to the shaman; he has a 90% chance of knowing how to use these. Most magical items that he does not understand are thrown into the tribal refuse heap before too long.

Ecology: Verbeeg eat almost anything, but they love flesh of all sorts. They maintain a mutually beneficial relationship with the giants and ogres that share their lair. The verbeeg provide the intelligence and direction that these giant types lack, and the giants provide protection by their greater fighting prowess. To watch a group in action can be hilarious, so long as you are not their intended victim. Hill giants and ogres are too stupid to think much on their own. They tend to follow directions too literally. This usually infuriates the verbeeg. They hop back and forth from foot to foot screaming insults at the befuddled giants that tower over them in height and size, as even the simplest instructions are misinterpreted by these denser humanoids.