Half-giants are one of the newer races to walk upon
the burning sands of Athas. The race was created by the
magical experiments conducted during the first years of
the Age of the Sorcerer-Kings. At the time, the sorcerer kings were looking to create ultimate warriors to protect
their domains. Because of these origins, half-giants have no
culture of their own to draw upon, no ancient traditions
and homelands to turn to for inspiration.
Typical half-giants stand between 10 and 12 feet tall,
weighing about 1,600 pounds. They have human features
that are exaggerated in some way.
Along with the size
gained from their giant heritage comes low intelligence
and great physical strength. From the human side, half giants get an interest in communication and cooperation,
curiosity, a willingness to learn, and a general tendency
toward kindness. They don’t gather in communities of
their own, but instead tend to adopt the cultures of those
they admire or have access to.
Half-giants can produce offspring by mating with other
half-giants. All half-giants that exist in modern Athas are
the descendants of the first magically created half-giants
produced in the early years of the rule of the sorcerer kings. There is no natural way for giants and humans to
mate and create half-giant children.
In the city-states, half-giants serve as soldiers, guards,
or laborers. In the wilderness, they attach themselves
to charismatic leaders or communities demonstrating
tendencies that they admire. Wherever they are, half giants have to deal with the fact that they are too big for
the world around them, for things built for the use and
convenience of humans don’t work well in the hands of
half-giants.
