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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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PFS StandardShadow Giant

Shadow giants are fierce natives of the Shadow Plane, where they have dwelled in perpetual twilight for millennia. Their cultures vary greatly depending on whether the giants reside in their land of origin or have relocated to the Material Plane. On the Shadow Plane, they live in familiar groups and uphold a nomadic way of life as they roam across ancestral lands between shadowy forests and misty chasms. These hunter-gatherers pass down lore through oral histories, conduct pilgrimages to unholy ziggurats of black stone, and bathe in the blood of their long-standing foes, including rival shadow giant clans and velstracs intent on enslaving their kind. On the Material Plane, conversely, they are secretive and isolationist, keeping apart from other peoples in forbidding structures of black stone in high, isolated mountain valleys.

Standing 15 feet tall, with gray skin and hair only a shade lighter, shadow giants are fearsome foes with a well-earned reputation as zealous warmongers and ruthless combatants. They rarely interact with outsiders, though they may treat with proven warriors who show the giants the respect and deference they feel they deserve. Only a small subset of shadow giants worship Zon-Kuthon, and most of these Kuthites are so firmly entrenched in the culture of Nidal that their Shadow Plane-dwelling kin would hardly recognize them. Most shadow giants instead practice an ancient religion, unique to their people, with its own bloody themes of sacrifice and self-mutilation.

Recall Knowledge - Humanoid (Society): DC 31
Unspecific Lore: DC 29
Specific Lore: DC 26

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Shadow GiantCreature 13

Legacy Content

LE Large Giant Humanoid Shadow 
Source Bestiary 2 pg. 127 2.0, Pathfinder #147: Tomorrow Must Burn pg. 79
Perception +20; darkvision
Languages Common, Jotun, Shadowtongue
Skills Athletics +27, Intimidation +22, Stealth +21 (+23 to Hide in dim light)
Str +8, Dex +2, Con +5, Int +0, Wis +1, Cha +3
Items +1 striking spiked chain, +1 resilient breastplate, sack with 5 rocks
AC 33; Fort +25, Ref +20, Will +23
HP 275
Attack of Opportunity [reaction] Catch Rock [reaction]
Speed 35 feet
Melee [one-action] spiked chain +27 [+22/+17] (disarm, reach 10 feet, trip), Damage 3d8+18 slashing plus pall of shadowMelee [one-action] fist +26 [+22/+18] (agile, reach 10 feet), Damage 3d8+18 bludgeoning plus pall of shadowRanged [one-action] rock +26 [+21/+16] (brutal, range increment 120 feet), Damage 2d8+18 bludgeoningPall of Shadow (divine, necromancy, shadow) When a shadow giant hits with a melee Strike, the target must succeed at a DC 30 Fortitude save or become drained 1 and take a –1 status penalty to Perception checks involving sight as long as they remain drained. On a critical failure, this condition doesn't heal naturally and can be removed only with magic.Shadowcloak [one-action] (divine, illusion, shadow) The shadow giant becomes shrouded in shadows and becomes concealed. As the nature of this effect leaves the giant's location obvious, it can't use this concealment to Hide or Sneak. This effect lasts for 1 minute or until it is exposed to direct sunlight, whichever comes first.Throw Rock [one-action]

Sidebar - Locations Shadow Giant Locations

Some shadow giants travel to the Material Plane to serve as agents in Nidal's Umbral Court. Rumors of these massive shock troops deployed by the court's mysterious members are common, and such rumors often place them in the mountains near Cheliax and Molthune.

Sidebar - Locations Umbral Court Agents

Some shadow giants travel to the Material Plane specifically to serve as agents in Nidal’s Umbral Court. One needs not stalk the streets of Pangolais or Nisroch for long to hear rumors of the massive shock troops deployed by the court’s mysterious members.

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.