D&D 5E Making Goliaths More Mechanically Appealing

[doctorbadwolf]

So, related to my other recent thread, I like playing a Goliath, but they are somewhat mechanically weak. Well, they’re not quite underpowered in a meaningful sense, but they’re at the lower end of viable, and they lack a real standout feature.

Suggestions I’ve seen or would propose myself:

*Buff Stones Endurance. Make it a bigger number, or usable more often, or just grant Resistance. Or even just DR equal to some scaling character number like Con or Proficiency Mod.

*Give them greater speed and jump distance along with their Powerful Build stuff

*Give them a bonus to unarmed strikes for their stoney skin and dense bones

*Buff their cold acclimation to include resistance to cold damage and/or advantage on saves against cold effects

*Double their range with thrown weapons, and make them proficient with improvised thrown weapons.

*Add a Voice of The Mountain feature that lets them intimidate or inspire with a battle cry or chant? Let them project their voice over great distance?


What do people like and dislike about the mechanics of the Goliath, and these suggestions? How would you make the race more mechanically appealing?

 

[Fenris-77]

Resistance to cold damage would be fluffy and not game breaking. Give them proficiency in the survival skill and/or advantage on survival rolls in mountain terrain too. Both of those are cool.

For Stone's Endurance could we just have it ramp with level? Its currently 3/day given SRs, so maybe 2/SR at 8th and 3/SR at 15th (or something like that?).

 

[Charlaquin]

Maybe make the damage soaked by Stone’s Endurance scale with level, like Dragonborns’ breath weapon damage does.

 

[Mistwell]

So, related to my other recent thread, I like playing a Goliath, but they are somewhat mechanically weak. Well, they’re not quite underpowered in a meaningful sense, but they’re at the lower end of viable, and they lack a real standout feature.

Yeah I think that's fair.

Suggestions I’ve seen or would propose myself:

*Buff Stones Endurance. Make it a bigger number, or usable more often, or just grant Resistance. Or even just DR equal to some scaling character number like Con or Proficiency Mod.

*Give them greater speed and jump distance along with their Powerful Build stuff

*Give them a bonus to unarmed strikes for their stoney skin and dense bones

*Buff their cold acclimation to include resistance to cold damage and/or advantage on saves against cold effects

*Double their range with thrown weapons, and make them proficient with improvised thrown weapons.

*Add a Voice of The Mountain feature that lets them intimidate or inspire with a battle cry or chant? Let them project their voice over great distance?


What do people like and dislike about the mechanics of the Goliath, and these suggestions? How would you make the race more mechanically appealing?

I think these all look OK, though I wouldn't do them all.

Instinctively I think Stone's Endurance is the most key ability, so focusing on that makes more sense to me. I'd tend to increase the number of uses (twice per short rest?), or go with damage reduction as follows: "bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage that you take from nonmagical weapons is reduced by 2."

Another possibility, which could be overpowered, is to let them carry one two-handed weapon in a single hand - though not one in each hand.

 

[Fenris-77]

Being able to go sword and board with a great sword is strong, but I like it. Makes me think of the Toblaki from the Malazan novels.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Does it matter if people don't play Goliaths? D&D got by for 25-30 years without them.

My suggestion: give them a better name, something less Biblical and more Nordic.

 

[Mistwell]

Does it matter if people don't play Goliaths? D&D got by for 25-30 years without them.

My suggestion: give them a better name, something less Biblical and more Nordic.

I don't think he's looking to get you to play a Goliath. HE likes them as a concept (and name), and wants advice on making them more mechanically appealing.

 

[Fenris-77]

I don't think this is the "who cares about Goliaths anyway?" thread. That said, rebranding wouldn't hurt.

Back to the topic at hand though, any thoughts on giant type sub abilities. something that plays on the different possible giant heritage?

Putting those two ideas together - names for the different heritages. Frost Giant Goliath = Jotun, etc

 

[Don Durito]

I would change their Athletics proficiency. If you don't have proficiency you gain it. If you already have it gain expertise.

I would have Stone' Endurance grant resistance. Just seems simpler and it scales better. (But another possibility would be to have it grant a number of D6 DR = to your proficiency bonus). Or because I prefer races to have static bonuses that don't get forgotten you could say they can use their Con instead of there Dex to determine AC when wearing light or medium armour (So no double stacking Con for Unarmoured Barbarians).

Maybe let them use the two handed dice on versatile weapons when they use them in one hand (just make sure it's worded so they can't use Great Weapon Master). Or you could go the other way and say they can use great weapons and one hand but the damage dice is reduced to d10. (The result is the same either way).

Another possibility is to add in something about if they take the shove or grapples actions they are considered to be one size larger. (So for this purpose they are considered large).

But to look at it another way - they have no subraces - this really limits their flexibility. Mechanically they are all melee.

 

[gyor]

Goliath

Goliaths were a nomadic race of humanoids native to the mountainous regions of Toril.[3] Goliaths were massive. They averaged between 7 to 8 feet (2.1 to 2.4 meters) tall, making them even taller than dragonborn and half-orcs.[14] Goliaths had noticeably bony or prominent supraorbital ridges...

forgottenrealms.fandom.com

I thought some context was of value.