Giant, Hill (CR 7)
Large Giant
Alignment: Often Chaotic Evil
Initiative: -1 (Dex); Senses: low-light vision and Spot +6
AC: 20 (-1 size, -1 Dex, +9 natural, +3 hide armor), touch 8, flat-footed 20
Hit Dice: 12d8+48 (102 hp)
Fort +12, Ref +3, Will +4
Speed: 40 ft. (30 ft. in hide armor)
Space: 10 ft./10 ft.
Base Attack +9; Grapple +20
Attack: Greatclub +16 melee; or slam +15 melee, or rock +8 ranged
Full Attack: Greatclub +16+11 melee; or 2 slams +15 melee, or rock +8 ranged
Damage: Huge greatclub 2d6+10; slam 1d4+7, rock 2d6+7
Special Attacks: Rock throwing
Abilities: Str 25, Dex 8, Con 19, Int 6, Wis 10, Cha 7
Special Qualities: Rock catching
Feats: Cleave; Improved Bull Rush; Improved Sunder; Power Attack; Weapon Focus (greatclub)
Skills: Climb +7, Jump +7, and Spot +6
Advancement: By character class
Climate/Terrain: Temperate hills
Organization: Solitary, gang (2-5), band (6-9 plus 35% noncombatants), hunting/raiding party (6-9 plus 2-4 dire wolves), or tribe (21-30 plus 35% noncombatants plus 12-30 dire wolves, 2-4 ogres, and 12-22 orcs)
Treasure/Possessions: Standard
Source:
Monster Manual
Hill giants are selfish, cunning brutes who survive through hunting and raiding.
Hill giants have an oddly simian appearance, with overlong arms, stooped shoulders, low foreheads, and thick, powerful limbs. Their skin color ranges from tight tan to deep ruddy brown. Their hair is brown or black, with eyes the same color. Hill giants wear layers of crudely prepared hides with the fur left on. They seldom wash or repair their garments, preferring to simply add more hides as their old ones wear out.
Adults are about 10 1/2 feet tall and weigh about 1,100 pounds. Hill giants can live to be 200 years old.
A hill giant's bag usually contains 2d4 throwing rocks, 1d4+4 mundane items, and the giant's personal wealth. These possessions tend to be well worn, filthy, and stinky. The items are usually crude and often jury-rigged or salvaged from some similar item. Examples include a hand chopper made from a broken battleaxe head, a wooden bowl and spoon, or a drinking cup made from a big gourd or a skull.
Combat
Giants relish melee combat. They favor massive two-handed weapons and wield them with impressive skill. They posses enough cunning to soften up a foe with ranged attacks first, if they can. A giant's favorite ranged weapon is a big rock.
Rock Throwing (Ex): Adult giants are accomplished throwers and receive a +1 racial bonus to attack rolls when throwing rocks. A giant of at least Large size can hurl rocks weighing 40 to 50 pounds each (Small objects) up to 5 range increments. The size of the range increment varies with the giant's variety. A Huge giant can hurl rocks of 60 to 80 pounds (Medium-size objects).
Rock Catching (Ex): A giant of at least Large size cart catch Small, Medium-size, or Large rocks (or projectiles of similar shape). Once per round, a giant that would normally be hit by a rock can make a Reflex save to catch it as a free action. The DC is 15 for a Small rock, 20 for a Medium-size one, and 25 for at Large one. (If the projectile has a magical bonus to attack, the DC increases by that amount.) The giant must be ready for and aware of the attack.
Hill giants prefer to fight from high, rocky outcroppings where they can pelt opponents with rocks and boulders while limiting the risk to themselves. Their thrown rocks have a range increment of 120 feet.
Hill giants love to make overrun attacks against smaller creatures when they first join battle. Thereafter, they stand fast and swing away with their massive clubs.
Hill Giant Society
Solitary giants are usually young adults striking out on their on. Gangs are usually made up of young adults who hunt or raid (or both) together. Giant bands are usually large or extended families. Sometimes a band contains unrelated young adults that the band has taken in as mates, servants, or guards.
Giant clans and tribes are similar to bands but have more members, plus contingents of guard animals and non-giant servants. Parties include guard animals and giants from a nearby tribe, or from several bands, working together.
About a third of the giants in a band or tribe are children. Giant children can be formidable creatures in their own right. When a group of giants includes children, roll d% for each child to determine maturity: 01-25 = infant (no combat ability); 26-50 = juvenile (two sizes smaller than an adult, 5 fewer HD, Strength Constitution scores -8, and 1 rank in each skill that an adult has) and 51-100 = adolescent (one size smaller than an adult, 4 fewer HD, Strength and Constitution scores -4, and 2, 3, or 4 ranks in each skill that an adult has). Giant children can throw rocks if they meet the minimum size requirement (see above). Except where noted here, giant children are identical with adults of their variety.
Although hill giants prefer temperate areas, they can be found in practically any climate where there is an abundance of hills and mountains. Individuals and bands tend to be aggressive and prefer taking what they want over trading. Tribes (and some bands) often trade with other giants or with groups of ogres or orcs to get foodstuffs, trinkets, and servants.