Bosk Giant

The tallest giants of their steaming swamp world are strikingly handsome, as if carved by a master sculptor. Broad shoulders, heavy muscle and long runner's legs make them quick across rough ground. Their skin runs from pale olive to nearly black green, and their green hair sprouts in tufts like marsh grass. Stitched animal hides are about all they wear. That coloring lets them melt into the undergrowth: they gain +3 on surprise rolls and take -3 on chances to be surprised. Their hide is thick enough to give a natural AC 4.

Bosks never throw weapons, unlike most giants. They simply rush in with fists or clubs torn from trees, with no plan at all. The brighter ones whittle their clubs to sharp points, adding 2 points of damage.

Their signature trick is a gush of swamp water mixed with stomach acid, spat in a stream 12 feet long and 6 inches wide. It burns for 1d8, and anyone it hits is left dazed for 1d6 rounds unless a save vs. paralyzation succeeds. A bosk that has gulped its fill can spit twice before it must drink again.

Selfish, greedy and fiercely territorial, bosks attack anything that wanders onto land they claim, however dangerous the intruder looks. Their swamp-giant cousins think them dimwitted; a bosk decides instantly and never broods over a problem. Yet they have a vicious instinctive cunning.

Villages of rough huts built from rotting logs sit in bogs where water stands everywhere. The strongest giant leads, giving few orders but expecting instant obedience. A lair holds 4d4+10 giants, half of them adults and the rest infants (10 HD, +4 damage bonus) and juveniles (12 HD, +6 damage bonus). If the village is attacked, the young fight beside their parents.

Bosks need heat, plant life and abundant water. They prefer it stagnant and foul, relishing the taste and smell, but will drink clean water if they must. They are strict vegetarians, fond of soggy roots and overripe fruit, and nuts are such a treat that they make a decent bribe. For sport, for human servants, and to keep neighboring tribes frightened, they raid nearby human settlements.