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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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PFS StandardPlague Giant

Plague giants are rasping behemoths, whose weeping sores, fetid breath, and filthy fingernails all bear a terrible wasting disease. Like sewer rats or flies that swarm a fresh battlefield, plague giants bear an inborn pathogen that does little harm to the giants themselves (their wretched physical appearances are purely superficial) but can wreak devastation on afflicted victims.

Whatever their origin, the majority of plague giants are so accustomed to being viewed as monstrosities by other humanoids, giant and otherwise, that they become vehemently xenophobic. Some of their communities do permit other types of shunned humanoids—especially those with leprosy and other stigmatized diseases— to join their fold. Whether because they are expelled to the world's worst badlands or because they purposefully seek out such locales, plague giants often settle amid abandoned battlefields, sewer outlets, and other despoiled places. Their close ties to disease lead many to worship Apollyon, the Horseman of Pestilence, or other deities associated with disease. Plague giants claim that their kind is as death itself, violently rejecting the theory often touted among non-giants that they are an offshoot of some other giant ancestry afflicted with a terrible divine curse. (Most other giants also reject this theory.)

Plague giants measure 24 feet tall and weigh 15,000 pounds.

Recall Knowledge - Humanoid (Society): DC 32
Unspecific Lore: DC 30
Specific Lore: DC 27

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Plague GiantCreature 14

Legacy Content

NE Huge Giant Humanoid 
Source Bestiary 3 pg. 111
Perception +25; low-light vision
Languages Common, Jotun
Skills Athletics +30, Intimidation +24, Religion +25, Stealth +26
Str +8, Dex +6, Con +7, Int +3, Wis +5, Cha +4
Items +1 striking flail, sack with 5 rocks
AC 35; Fort +27, Ref +24, Will +23
HP 285; Immunities disease
Catch Rock [reaction] Retaliatory Scratch [reaction] Trigger A creature within 10 feet makes a melee Strike against the plague giant; Effect The plague giant makes a claw Strike against the triggering creature.
Speed 45 feet
Melee [one-action] flail +31 [+26/+21] (disarm, magical, reach 15 feet, sweep, trip), Damage 2d6+14 bludgeoning plus 3d6 poison and atrophic plagueMelee [one-action] claw +30 [+26/+22] (agile, reach 10 feet), Damage 3d6+14 slashing plus atrophic plagueRanged [one-action] rock +28 [+23/+18] (brutal, range increment 120 feet), Damage 3d8+14 bludgeoningDivine Innate Spells DC 34; 6th cloudkill, death knell (×3), take its course
Atrophic Plague (disease, divine, necromancy) Saving Throw DC 34 Fortitude; Stage 1 enfeebled 2 and fatigued (1 day); Stage 2 enfeebled 3 and fatigued (1 day); Stage 3 enfeebled 4 and fatigued (1 day); Stage 4 deadHurl Corpse [one-action] The plague giant picks up a dead or dying creature within reach and flings it at a foe. The giant makes a rock Strike, using the body instead of a rock. If the body is a corpse, on a hit it explodes in a cloud of thick gray vapor, exposing all creatures in a 10-foot burst to atrophic plague. If the body is a dying creature, on a hit its dying value increases by 1 (or 2 on a critical hit).Pustulant Flail A plague giant's flail is covered in pus, causing it to deal 3d6 additional poison damage.Throw Rock [one-action]

Sidebar - Additional Lore Diseased Worshippers

Many plague giant societies are theocratic. In such communities, the most powerful plague giants are clerics or champions of the Horseman of Pestilence Apollyon, Urgathoa, or some other deity associated with plague.

All Monsters in "Giant"

NameLevel
Cave Giant6
Cloud Giant11
Desert Giant9
Fire Giant10
Frost Giant9
Hill Giant7
Marsh Giant8
Plague Giant14
Rune Giant16
Shadow Giant13
Giant, Smog7
Stone Giant8
Storm Giant13
Taiga Giant12
Tomb Giant12
Wood Giant6

Giant

Source Bestiary pg. 170
Giants are massive humanoid creatures who live in remote regions throughout the world. They are divided into a number of subtypes.

Sidebar - Treasure and Rewards Giant Bags

Giants often keep an eclectic collection of treasures in their knapsacks or bags. Among these can be found a staggeringly wide range of unexpected and odd treasures and valuables.

Sidebar - Locations Giant Locations

As oversized as they are, giants tend to dwell in remote regions of the world, where they have the luxury of claiming larger territories of their own.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Giant Pets

As with many people, giants enjoy keeping pets. Yet for giants, what constitutes a pet is often categorized as beast to others. Large animals like bears and lions, and megafauna like woolly mammoths and dinosaurs are popular, as are more magical creatures like hell hounds, manticores, griffons, and the like.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Other Giants

Beyond the giants detailed here, many others dwell in remote regions of the world. Marsh giants are cultists who worship strange sea deities, shadow giants have ties to the Shadow Plane, and mountain giants are horrific butchers even other giants fear.

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Oversized Themes

Giants are larger-than-life foes. While many giants have themes that tie them to elemental or magical forces, the primary theme giants share is that they embody a classic cultural trope as their basis. Fire giants, for example, can be seen as oversized smiths, while hill giants should evoke the flavor of an oversized bully.