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Documentation Area

Document Path: /doc/monsters/hill_giant

Name:
	Hill Giant  (Humanoid)

Stats:
	No. Appearing  : 1-12
	Climate/Terrain: Any hills and mountains
	Frequency      : Rare
	Organization   : Tribal
	Activity Cycle : Any
	Diet           : Omnivore

Description:
	Hill giants are selfish, cunning brutes who survive through hunting and
	by by terrorizing and raiding nearby communities. Despite their low in-
	telligence, they are capable fighters.

	Hill giants are oddly simian and barbaric in appearance, with overly
	long arms, stooped shoulders, and low foreheads. Even though they are
	the smallest of the giants, their limbs are more muscular and massive
	than those of the other giant races. The average hill giant is 16 feet
	tall and weighs about 4500 pounds. Females have the same builds as
	males. Their skin color ranges from a light tan to a deep ruddy brown.
	Their heir is brown or black, and their eyes are black. Hill giants can
	live to be 200 years old.

	Hill giants usually wear crudely-sewn animal hides, which are the equi-
	valent of leather armour. Nearly all hill giants wear these hides,
	which are a symbol of esteem in some hill giant communities - the more
	hides a giant has, the more large kills to his credit. Only a few (5%)
	of the giants fashion metal armour from the armour of men they have
	defeated. Like other races of giants, hill giants carry their belon-
	gings with them in huge hide sacks. A typical hill giant's bag will
	contain 2-8 throwing rocks, the giant's wealth, and 1-8 addtitional
	items.

	Hill giants speak their own language and a tongue common to all giants.
	In addition, 50% also speak ogre.

Combat:
	Hill giants prefer to fight their opponents from high rocky outcrop-
	pings where they can pelt their targets with rocks and boulders while
	limiting the risks posed to themselves.

	Hill giants' favourite weapons are oversized clubs (doing the double
	damage of a man-sized club plus their strength bonus). They can also
	hurl rocks at targets between 3 and 200 yards away from the giant. They
	can catch rocks or other similar missiles 30% of the time.

Habitat/Society:
	A hill giant lair will have 9-16 giants; usually an extended family.
	Sometimes these families will accept lone hill giants into their folds.
	If six or more giants are encountered in a lair, half ot them will be
	male, one quarter will be female, and the remainder will be immature
	giants. With a 25% chance, an offspring is an infant with no combat
	ability and the hit points of a gnoll. In the other case it is an older
	progeny with hit points, damage, and attack rolls equal to that of an
	ogre.

	Occasionally a hill giant with an average intelligence can be found.
	Such a giant is capable of rallying bands of his peers so 2, 3, or 4
	times the number of giants usually appearing can be encountered. These
	'giant kings', as they call themselves, stage raids on human towns or
	against other races of giants.

	Although hill giants prefer temperate areas, they can be found in prac-
	tically any climate where there is an abundance of hills and mountains.
	They lair in caves, excavated dens, or crude huts. Those who live in
	colder climates have developed more skills with preparing and using
	skins to keep themselves warm and to keep the harsh winds out of their
	lairs.

	There is a 50% chance a band of hill giants will have guards in their
	lairs, and the guarding creatures will be 2-8 dire wolves (50%), 1-3
	giant lizards (30%), or a group of 2-8 ogres (20%).

	The majority of hill giants are suspicious of magic and will seek to
	destroy magic items they acquire as treasure. They ceremonially kill
	mages.

Ecology:
	Hill giants' main diet consists of meat, which they obtain by hunting.
	The flesh of young green dragons is considered a delicacy, and fre-
	quently giants who live on hills and mountains covered with forests
	will organize hunting parties in search of green dragon lars. In turn,
	green dragons have been known to hunt hill giants.

	Sometimes bands of hill giants will trade with each other or with bands
	of ogres to get foodstuffs and trinkets.