D&D 5E Why are 5E Giants Huge size?

[Upper_Krust]

Hey all,

I know this is a bit of a random one but as the thread title suggests I don't really understand the move to making giants Huge size when in previous editions they weren't (and yes I know Cloud and Storm Giant's were typically depicted as 16' + in editions other than 4E ).

Was there some sort of miniatures based reason?

I quite liked the Giant & corresponding Titan dynamic of the 4E era (and I know you can still have whatever in your campaign) and the current 5E iteration of giants seems like a ( giant* ) step down in terms of design.

*with apologies.

Just trying to get inside the heads of the 5E designers when they were making these decisions. Anyone any insight on the subject?

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Hey all,

I know this is a bit of a random one but as the thread title suggests I don't really understand the move to making giants Huge size when in previous editions they weren't (and yes I know Cloud and Storm Giant's were typically depicted as 16' + in editions other than 4E ).

Was there some sort of miniatures based reason?

I quite liked the Giant & corresponding Titan dynamic of the 4E era (and I know you can still have whatever in your campaign) and the current 5E iteration of giants seems like a ( giant* ) step down in terms of design.

*with apologies.

Just trying to get inside the heads of the 5E designers when they were making these decisions. Anyone any insight on the subject?

As far as I know, there is no answer for why they made the change. Some people theorize they did it on purpose to force people to buy new miniatures... but I think that adds too much of a malicious intent for the change.

IMO, the change was made so that giants are... well giant. In 5E, there are a lot of creatures that are large; ogres, minotaurs, displacer beasts... even camels and horses are large! So the decision to me makes a ton of sense to upsize giants into huge. Otherwise, they are roughly the same size of other giant-kin that are really not that big.

 

[Upper_Krust]

As far as I know, there is no answer for why they made the change. Some people theorize they did it on purpose to force people to buy new miniatures... but I think that adds too much of a malicious intent for the change.

Thanks for the reply Urriak Uruk.

Yes I am not sure the miniature idea makes sense since they would just release giants based on the new artwork (regardless of the size of the giants) anyway. Also making the giants Huge means your going to use less of them...especially if you always use miniatures.

IMO, the change was made so that giants are... well giant. In 5E, there are a lot of creatures that are large; ogres, minotaurs, displacer beasts... even camels and horses are large! So the decision to me makes a ton of sense to upsize giants into huge.

Of course they then kept Titans (aka Empyreans) the same size as the giants (again for some reason).

Large Frost Giants riding Huge Mammoths always made sense to me.

Could be someone at WotC watched Jack the Giant Slayer and thought we needed huge Hill Giants.

Going by how the 5E rules work, three Fire Giants are a Challenge Rating of 21. I wonder if, after statting the giants did they think well PCs won't be facing an army of giants so they may as well be Huge to compensate...?

Otherwise, they are roughly the same size of other giant-kin that are really not that big.

We always had the slightly bigger Cloud and Storm giants if you wanted taller giants...and those cool looking Huge-size elemental titans from 4E which made for fun miniatures.

 

[TheDelphian]

I thought rules wise that making them huge makes them indeed giants but also curiously makes them immune to a lot of push/pull effects, grapples etc that effect Large size and smaller. I thought it was an elegant design decision myself. if you don't wnat your giants treated just like taller humanoids but be solid toughthings it makes sense.

 

[Vaalingrade]

I think the main issue is that giants have never been depicted in art as Large.

They're never shown as horse-sized or even ogre sized. They're towering over houses, picking up trees to use a clubs, and generally being... giant.

Honestly Huge even feels like a stretch. They seem bigger than mammoths or triceratopses in most art.

 

[Upper_Krust]

I thought rules wise that making them huge makes them indeed giants but also curiously makes them immune to a lot of push/pull effects, grapples etc that effect Large size and smaller. I thought it was an elegant design decision myself. if you don't wnat your giants treated just like taller humanoids but be solid toughthings it makes sense.

Howdy TheDelphian,

If you design the rules so a Dwarf can Push/Pull an 8 foot tall Ogre then I don't see why you would be too upset when it works on a 10 foot tall Hill Giant.

Well even if you don't want giants to be thought of as simply taller humanoids, their very simple stats portray the picture that they are indeed just taller humanoids.

A better approach (if they wanted Huge or even Gargantuan giants) would have been giving them a bunch of options akin to how Warhammer Giants have classically been designed and make them more interesting as individual opponents. The bigger the monster the more interesting it should be to warrant the 'real estate' surely.

 

[Upper_Krust]

I think the main issue is that giants have never been depicted in art as Large.

They're never shown as horse-sized or even ogre sized. They're towering over houses, picking up trees to use a clubs, and generally being... giant.

Honestly Huge even feels like a stretch. They seem bigger than mammoths or triceratopses in most art.

Howdy Vaalingrade,

totally agree with this. Even in D&D's own artwork they almost always have the giants as Huge size.

But then my question becomes "so why make the stats so bland?" Play up to the GIANT SIZE difference in the way Warhammer Giants do.

The way 5E is designed most campaigns probably won't have more than 1-2 giants in play...ever. So make them individually more interesting encounters.

 

[Mind of tempest]

Howdy Vaalingrade,

totally agree with this. Even in D&D's own artwork they almost always have the giants as Huge size.

But then my question becomes "so why make the stats so bland?" Play up to the GIANT SIZE difference in the way Warhammer Giants do.

The way 5E is designed most campaigns probably won't have more than 1-2 giants in play...ever. So make them individually more interesting encounters.

that is a lack of proper us and most settings do not have a huge giant thing to build around for better giants.

 

[Upper_Krust]

that is a lack of proper us and most settings do not have a huge giant thing to build around for better giants.

Hey Mind of Tempest,

the point I raised is that the WotC designers consciously made the giants bigger and in combination with the way the 5E rules work, even high level games will not see armies of giants because as I noted, 3 Fire giants (to use one example) are Challenge Rating 21. So if campaigns are going to use LESS giants (than previous editions) why make them as bland as two sword attacks or throw a boulder?

Overall I just see 5E giants as a major step backwards in design whatever angle you look at it from.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Of course they then kept Titans (aka Empyreans) the same size as the giants (again for some reason).

Large Frost Giants riding Huge Mammoths always made sense to me.

Yeah, I just find that when Hill Giants are the same size as Ogres... they're essentially the same creature. Making them Huge definitely gives them a leg up for not being grappled and such.

I find Empyreans are essentially "angel giants" so I totally like how they are the same size.

Also, I just homebrew that Frost Giants can ride mammoths despite being the same size, it's the rule of cool!