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Fire giants, called ildjotunen in their own language,[14] were master craftsmen giants that lived in volcanic and mountainous environments.[1]

If you want forge work fit for a king, you have two options: dwarves and fire giants. If you don't want to be forced to slave in the mines until you're tossed in the coals, you have really only one option.
— Volo[15]

Description[]

Fire giants had very broad bodies, making them sort of dwarf-like in appearance, and bulky.[6][8] They stood roughly 18 feet (5.5 meters) tall,[7][13][16] but they weighed over 7,000 pounds (3,200 kilograms),[6][7] much heavier than a human of that height would weigh.[note 1] Their skin was very dark, reminiscent of coal, and the color of their hair tended towards a spectrum of flaming orange or red,[6][8] with similarly colored red eyes.[8]

Their clothing was usually flame-colored or black and singed. They also tended to wear armor that was forged from steel[6] or dragonscales.[8]

Personality[]

Fire giants often considered bravery as being one of the highest virtues anyone could and should have.[17] They relished opportunities in which they could test their fortitude against formidable opponents.[4]

Abilities[]

Much like all giants, a fire giant could see and hear twice as far as the average human. Unique to their race were senses well adapted to high temperature environments. Their eyes in particular were capable of seeing through the hazes and shimmers often associated with such temperatures.[18]

Although their bodies were impervious to harm from fire, even that exhaled by a red dragon,[8] some fire giants were particularly vulnerable to cold.[6]

Magic[]

Fire giants possessed an average affinity for runecasting as well as traditional sorcery. This affinity was superior to many of their kin, but paled in comparison to that of cloud and storm giants.[19] They typically preferred to memorize spells that would help them in detecting and thwarting intruders.[20]

Combat[]

Fire giants were known to attack their enemies with rocks heated in fire or lava, thereby softening the targets before engaging in close quarters combat.[6] When it came to close quarters, fire giants favored the use of large swords,[8] typically enchanted with flames.[6]

Having had caltrops used against them one too many times, innovative fire giants developed boots made of either iron or dragonskin to protect their feet. These were typically covered in either fur or leather in order to conceal the material from any crafty magic user that might think to use spells of cold or heat. It was rumored that some giants had become specialists in fighting with these boots.[21]

History[]

The fire giant race began with an individual by the name of Masud, one of the mortal children of Annam All-Father and Othea, who in the kingdom of Ostoria was ceded control of the southern volcanoes.[22] They managed to tame such chaotic environs, building cities of adamantine and mithral.[23] Within this mighty kingdom they acted as its craftsmen, engineers, and military officers.[15] Their craftsmen created some of the kingdom's greatest works of craftsmanship.[24]

Society[]

Fire giants lived in small family groups, called huslyder.[18]

Habitats[]

They preferred to dwell in hot environments like volcanic areas, either in caverns or castles, and existed in societies often led by a king or a queen.[6]

Languages[]

Fire giants were known to speak the general giant language Jotun, their own specialized version of it known as Jotunild, as well as common.[12] However, they were often largely illiterate due to education being undervalued in their culture.[25]

Names[]

Common given names among fire giants included the following:[26]

Males
Fforl, Ffuldr, Fulluk, Hauk, Hulbro, Ilkurt, Snarr, Zund, and Zundr.
Females
Edrelle, Emba, Ffaelane, Ghenjra, Hulda, Lukue, Marra, and Vrolka.

Religion[]

Like all giants, they were generally known to worship Annam All-Father and those that did viewed their lives as being one long opportunity to emulate him.[27] However, by the late-15th century DR their views regarding Annam turned sour and very few directly worshiped him anymore. The deity primarily worshiped by fire giants, especially after the late 15th century, was Annam's son Surtur.[28] Though some were also known to worship the giant goddess Hiatea.[29]

Beyond the giant pantheon, many were known to worship to a lesser extent elemental fire,[30] and by extension Kossuth,[31] which they would show their devotion to by ritually performing complex and intricate dances along the edges of vast firepits and streams of lava. Tribes would sometimes invite visitors to join them in their dance, but the steam and heat involved often led other races to hallucinate and experience effects similar to that of the spell phantasmal killer.[30]

Priests often held a role of leadership in fire giant communities, positions such as architect of forger. If such a position was not held then they were typically charged with making sure others in their tribe remained productive. This was largely achieved by composing inspiring tales that lauded the features of Gudheim, the crystal palace of Annam.[32]

Relationships[]

Many fire giants, at least in the Ice Spires region, were known to enslave fomorians and verbeegs, as well as occasionally dwarves and gnomes. Slaves held the lowest role in their societal structures and were often treated with little dignity.[32] They typically worked as laborers in their forges and strongholds.[4]

Fire Giants were often hostage takers and took payments from less powerful creatures in their surrounding area in exchange for not attacking them.[6]

They were known to occasionally forge alliances with, and even serve, red dragons.[33] They were also known to domesticate hell hounds, keeping them as pets or guards.[4][8]

Notable Fire Giants[]

  • Gommoth, a cult leader who was shunned by his fellow giants for being so minuscule.[34]
  • Zalto, the lord of the fire giants during the time of the ordning shattering.[35]

Appendix[]

Notes[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Giant heights and weights have varied wildly across editions. The heights of the major races of giants were shorter in 1st edition and 3rd edition and taller in 2nd edition and 5th edition. (4th edition did not provide information on the heights of giants.) This wiki follows the policy that Forgotten Realms sources take priority over core sources when determining giant heights. (For example, the sourcebooks Giantcraft and Volo's Guide to Monsters are considered canon when they conflict with various Monster Manuals.) The matter of weight, however, is more complicated, because—as at least a couple Dragon magazine articles have admitted (e.g., "How Heavy Is My Giant", The Dragon #13 and "Realistic Vital Statistics", Dragon #91)—some of the published values for the weights of giants are physically absurd. As is clear from basic geometry and physics, as an object is doubled in height with proportional changes in the other dimensions, its change in mass is multiplied eightfold, but this seems to have been taken into account in some sources yet not in others. In the case of a male fire giant, which, according to Realms sourcebooks, is over 18 feet (5.5 meters), the given weight is only 1,812 pounds (821.9 kilograms)! That is a reasonable weight for a 12‑foot (3.7‑meter), 1st- or 3rd-edition fire giant but is not even close for a Realmsian fire giant of 18 feet. A human of that height would weight around 5,000 pounds (2,300 kilograms). 2nd edition's Monstrous Manual offers 7,500 pounds (3,400 kilograms) for its 18-foot fire giant, and most sources suggest that fire giants have bulky dwarf-like builds, so this is the source that we choose to cite here as the only reasonable weight. (Interstingly, 3rd edition, in this case, provides an unrealistically heavy 7,000 pounds (3,200 kilograms) for its 12-foot fire giant, perhaps suggesting that the heights were shortened from 2nd edition to 1st edition values later in the design process.)

Appearances[]

Adventures
City of the Spider QueenDungeon #28, "The Pipes of Doom"Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad MageStorm King's ThunderBaldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus
Novels
The Ogre's PactThe Titan of Twilight
Video games
Pool of RadianceSecret of the Silver BladesPools of DarknessGateway to the Savage FrontierIcewind DaleBaldur's Gate II: Throne of BhaalNeverwinter NightsNeverwinter (Elemental EvilThe Heart of Fire)
Card Games
Dragonfire (Shadows Over Dragonspear Castle)
Board games
Assault of the GiantsDungeons & Dragons Adventure Begins
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
The Occupation of Szith MorcaneIt's All in the Blood

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 150–151, 154. ISBN 978-0786965614.
  2. Mike Mearls, et al. (November 2016). Volo's Guide to Monsters. Edited by Jeremy Crawford, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 25–26. ISBN 978-0786966011.
  3. Mike Mearls, et al. (November 2016). Volo's Guide to Monsters. Edited by Jeremy Crawford, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 147. ISBN 978-0786966011.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 123–124. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
  5. Skip Williams, Rich Redman, James Wyatt (April 2002). Deities and Demigods. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 200. ISBN 0-7869-2654-6.
  6. 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 121–122. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Doug Stewart (June 1993). Monstrous Manual. (TSR, Inc), p. 137. ISBN 1-5607-6619-0.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 8.8 Gary Gygax (December 1977). Monster Manual, 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 44. ISBN 0-935696-00-8.
  9. Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 150–151, 155. ISBN 978-0786965614.
  10. Jeff Grubb, Bruce R. Cordell, David Noonan (September 2001). Manual of the Planes 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 76. ISBN 0-7869-1850-8.
  11. Gary Gygax (December 1977). Monster Manual, 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 44. ISBN 0-935696-00-8.
  12. 12.0 12.1 Ray Winninger (September 1995). Giantcraft. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 27. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.
  13. 13.0 13.1 Ray Winninger (September 1995). Giantcraft. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 19. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.
  14. Ray Winninger (September 1995). Giantcraft. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 28. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.
  15. 15.0 15.1 Mike Mearls, et al. (November 2016). Volo's Guide to Monsters. Edited by Jeremy Crawford, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 26. ISBN 978-0786966011.
  16. Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 153. ISBN 978-0786965614.
  17. Ray Winninger (September 1995). Giantcraft. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 15. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.
  18. 18.0 18.1 Ray Winninger (September 1995). Giantcraft. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 23. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.
  19. Ray Winninger (September 1995). Giantcraft. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 59, 70. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.
  20. Jim Butler (1996). The Vilhon Reach (Dungeon Master's Guide). (TSR, Inc), p. 52. ISBN 0-7869-0400-3.
  21. Paul F. Culotta (December 1998). “...The Harder They Fall”. In Dave Gross ed. Dragon #254 (TSR, Inc.), pp. 36–46.
  22. Ray Winninger (September 1995). Giantcraft. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 7. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.
  23. Tuque Games (2020). Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance. Wizards of the Coast.
  24. Mike Mearls, et al. (November 2016). Volo's Guide to Monsters. Edited by Jeremy Crawford, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 19. ISBN 978-0786966011.
  25. Mike Mearls, et al. (November 2016). Volo's Guide to Monsters. Edited by Jeremy Crawford, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 20. ISBN 978-0786966011.
  26. Ed Greenwood on Twitter. (25-08-2020). Retrieved on 25-08-2020.
  27. Ray Winninger (September 1995). Giantcraft. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 107. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.
  28. Mike Mearls, et al. (November 2016). Volo's Guide to Monsters. Edited by Jeremy Crawford, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 19, 26. ISBN 978-0786966011.
  29. Ray Winninger (September 1995). Giantcraft. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 49. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.
  30. 30.0 30.1 Ray Winninger (September 1995). Giantcraft. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 110. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.
  31. Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), p. 88. ISBN 978-0786903849.
  32. 32.0 32.1 Ray Winninger (September 1995). Giantcraft. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 108–109. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.
  33. Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 83. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
  34. Cryptic Studios (June 2013). Neverwinter. Perfect World Entertainment.
  35. Christopher Perkins, et al. (September 2016). Storm King's Thunder. Edited by Kim Mohan, Michele Carter. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 11–12. ISBN 978-0-7869-6600-4.

Connections[]

True Giants
Cloud EttinFire (Fire titan )FogFrostHill (Earth titanMouth of Grolantor)MountainStoneStorm Titan

True Giant Offshoots
AshCraa'ghoranMaurPhaerlin
Giant-Kin
Cyclops (Cyclopskin)FirbolgFomorianOgre (Oni)VerbeegVoadkyn
Zakharan Giants
DesertIslandJungleOgre giantReef
Other Giants
AbyssalEldritchFensirDeathSand

Related Creatures
GoliathTroll (FellGiant troll)
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