Deep Dive - The Giff
Who doesn’t love those spacefaring hippos with a love for gunpowder? Introduced in the Spelljammer campaign setting, the Giff was both a playable race and a creature for your character to do battle with. It’s hard to take the Giff very seriously, as the publishers have gone out of their way to make the Giff look and act like a buffoon who just likes to watch things explode. That’s a shame because there is more to this creature than meets the eye. Sure, they love dressing up in full military uniforms and parading around, but that doesn't mean they always act that way. Their loyalty is unquestionable, and an honorable race of hippo-humanoids is nothing to scoff at, especially because if you do, they’ll headbutt you so hard you’ll splatter to the ground.
We know they love to blow things up, but that doesn’t make them morons. Besides, when you’re up against a horde of kobolds, you’ll be happy to have Gelabrious the Giff at your side with a barrel of gunpowder tucked under each arm.
2e - Giff
Climate/Terrain: Any
Frequency: Rare
Organization: Platoon
Activity Cycle: Day
Diet: Omnivore
Intelligence: Low (7)
Treasure: Nil
Alignment: Lawful neutral
No. Appearing: 10-20
Armor Class: 6 (2)
Movement: 6 base
Hit Dice: 4
THAC0: 17
No. of Attacks: 2
Damage/Attack: 1-6+7 or by weapon +7
Special Attacks: Head butt
Special Defenses: None
Magic Resistance: 10%
Size: L (9’ tall)
Morale: Elite (14)
XP Value: 270
Spelljammer Adventures in Space Box Set, 1989 TSR Inc.
The Giff was introduced in the Spelljammer: Adventures in Space Box Set (1989) as a powerful hippo-humanoid mercenaries race and is later reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993). Little is known about their origins, as no living Giff has seen or knows their home planet's location, though they have their rumors about it. Among the Giff, this mythical homeworld is a perfect place, filled with jungles, weapons, and gunpowder. Lots of weapons and lots of gunpowder. That there are entire mountains with massive caches of gunpowder and weapons in this utopia, and that if a Giff leads a good life, filled with fighting and bravery, they’ll return to this world and its caches of gunpowder.
What makes the Giff unique isn’t so much the fact that they are obsessed with gunpowder or that they are a race of militant hippos, but that their place in this setting is reliant on other races. They cannot use spelljammers, the magical ships that can fly through the void between planets and travel at millions of miles per second, because they have no magical ability themselves. There are no magic users within the Giff society, and they have a deep mistrust of magic, which includes magic items. They rely on other races to ferry them about Wildspace and between the spheres of worlds since magic always has a chance of malfunctioning whenever a Giff touches or tries to use it.
Monstrous Manual, 1993 TSR Inc.
The Giff are renowned throughout the known universes as the best warriors available for hire, they act as bodyguards, mercenaries, and enforcers, selling their services to anyone with enough gunpowder to pay them. Their entire society is based on a military hierarchy, organizing themselves into squads, platoons, and companies, though they have no strict number for how many might be in a platoon or a squad. Depending on the mission at hand, a group could consist of a handful of specialist Giff or hundreds of brawny hippo-bruisers. A Giff will always follow the orders of a higher-ranked Giff even if they know in their heart of hearts that it will get them killed. Many compare this unwavering and unquestioning belief in following orders as a type of Giff religion, and the Giff do nothing to cause other races to believe any differently. It’s not surprising, then, that while Giff can live well into their 70’s, very few do, and those that live to such extreme ages will often try and go out in a blaze of glory and explosions.
Their natural physique is another one of the reasons that they are so good at their chosen profession. A bi-pedal hippo is as beefy as you imagine, stocky yet muscular, they have a massive chest and are living up to the neckless stereotype of bodyguards and goons everywhere. We continue with the buffoon-like character of the Giff as they wear outlandish military grab circa World War I, complete with ribbons and medals. Also, they adorn their skin with tattoos, and an individual Giff’s battle history and prowess is a story drawn in ink on their body. While the majority of the time they don’t wear armor, their natural hide being tough enough for them, some older Giff will have intricate armor that includes majestic helms, crests of monsters, and armor inlaid with ivory and bone.
The loyalty of a Giff is legendary and when you hire a legbreaker, the Giff follows your orders without question. To a Giff, the bad guy is the person their employer tells them is the bad guy. No task is too difficult, or in many cases, too insane. Of course, Giff's first and foremost loyalty is to the Giff race. On the off chance that two competing Giff platoons have been hired to fight, they will retire from the battlefield, drink the day away, and most likely break their contracts and quit, though some might join up into a singular force and switch sides, or decide that it’d be better if they took on their previous employers in a great display of battle and valor.
The harder the task the better as far as the Giff is concerned, for it gives them a reason to pull out one of their many weapons. Swords, daggers, and polearms are just a few of the weapons a Giff may have on their person at any given time as well as their preferred choice, a firearm like an arquebus or wheellock. Even if you do happen to fight a Giff when they are unarmed, they will wade into battle with the giddiness of a child with a new toy. Strong as a hill giant, a Giff will let their fists fly, and can charge into a crowd and deliver a crushing headbutt that will turn most normal humanoids into mush.
Following orders and waging battle will make a Giff happy, but it is gunpowder that puts a genuine smile on the faces of Giff everywhere. The sense of ecstasy an explosion brings to a Giff is beyond measure. When hired as mercenaries the Giff will eschew gold in favor of gunpowder. Sure, you may be able to hire them to fight in return for new weapons and armor, but if you have a supply of gunpowder, you will be able to hire a platoon of Giff for the most ridiculous of tasks. Guns, grenades, and bombs are all used by the Giff, and they are fearless in the face of huge explosions, mostly because they are the ones responsible for those big bangs.
The Legend of Spelljammer 1989 TSR Inc.
In The Legend of Spelljammer (1989), we are given a look at Giff spelljammers and how they fly around space. Since they can’t use spelljammers themselves, they have to hire on outside help, though we can’t imagine too many people are willing to sign up for such a dangerous ship. The Giff’s main spelljammers are known as the Great Bombards, which is just a massive cannon with a ship mounted below it. It requires five Giff to man it and is so large that to reload, a Giff must float to the front of the cannon, drop in a huge amount of gunpowder, and then walk down the cannon, shoving the shot into place. Luckily for the multiverse, there are only a few dozen of these ships in existence as the Giff often relies on others to transport their troops across space. The bad news for the multiverse though, is that the Giff love firing this cannon and if they feel like they are running low on gunpowder, they’ll turn pirate to get more gunpowder so they can fire their cannon as much as they want.
The Giff was presented as a player character in The Complete Spacefarer’s Handbook (1992) and the Giff start with a +2 Strength, due to their giant-like physique, and a -1 to their Intelligence, since they lack creativity. We aren't sure anyone should tell a Giff to their face they lack creativity, especially if that Giff has a loaded firearm nearby. They are limited to being fighters and thieves as magic doesn’t really work with their kind. The Giff have traveled extensively and are known to all the other races, but will avoid the neogi and the beholders whenever possible. As they are nonmagical, the Giff have trouble using magical items, and every time a player would like to use one, there is a 10% chance the magic item will fail each time. It’s tough out there for the Giff, but they at least have very thick skin to protect them from the dangers of combat.
The Complete Spacefarer’s Handbook, 1992 TSR Inc.
3e/3.5e - Giff
Large Monstrous Humanoid
Hit Dice: 4d8+8 (26 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (-1 Size, +5 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +4 / +14
Attack: Greatsword +9 melee (3d6+9/19-20), or large arquebus1 +3 ranged (3d6/x3)
Full Attack: Greatsword +9 melee (3d6+9/19-20), or large arquebus1 +3 ranged (3d6/x3)
Space/Reach: 10 ft. / 10 ft.
Special Attacks: Head Butt
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft.
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +3
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 10, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 8, Cha 10
Skills: Craft (armorsmithing) +5, Hide -4, Intimidate +7
Feats: Exotic Weapon Proficiency (firearms), Great Fortitude
Environment: Any land
Organization: Squad (2-5), Platoon (5-20), Company (20-40), Regiment (40-100+)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: 1/2 coins
Alignment: Usually lawful neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +3
In the 3rd edition, we break from our normal source material. The Giff stat block above was created by Chris Dickinson and can be found on the website Spelljammer - Beyond the Moons (2004). The website is the official website for Spelljammer and was authorized by Wizards of the Coast back when 3rd edition was first released. It is used as a repository for conversions and updates from 2nd edition to 3rd edition, though these conversions are not from WotC itself or anyone that works for them. Instead, this is fan-created content that is turned ‘official’ and posted to the website. With that said, there are few changes for the Giff beyond updating their mechanics for a new edition.
Dragon #339, 2006 WotC
Luckily for the Giff, they do get another chance to shine in this edition, though shine isn’t really the right term. In Dragon #339 (Jan. 2006) they appear as a player character race in the article Races of Spelljammer - Wanderers of Wildspace by Joshua Cole and they take a bit of a turn. Their buffoonish aspects are amplified and there are plenty of pointed comments about the Giff and how unintelligent they are simply because they enjoy fighting and conflicts. We are fairly confident that the Giff would take offense to be referred to as just a soldiering race and not a warrior race. Sure, military rank still means a great deal to them, but they live to fight, and they are still the best for-hire soldiers out there. Their strict adherence to military structure means that they abhor those of chaotic alignment, as the Giff will always be lawful and follow orders - unless it means taking on another Giff platoon.
While the author does state that the Giff has agility and grace that beguiles their natural appearance, he immediately destroys that goodwill when talking about how they dress. So what if the Giff like to wear full dress military uniforms at all times? Just because they take pride in their victories and insists on wearing every single medal and ribbon earned from previous battles doesn’t make them silly or pompous, just prideful. Maybe it is all a part of their plan to hide their massive bulk and full plate mail armor under such outfits, or it could be the Giff know that it is hard to take them seriously on the battlefield when they dress up in such a manner, which makes the pain and destruction they rain down upon their foes just that sweeter. The author even has the nerve to state that the Giff make up new titles and medals to place upon themselves, and we find that to be incongruous to what we know about the Giff. They are boastful, sure, but we aren’t ever led to believe in the previous edition that they outright lie about their accomplishments or that they con other people into thinking they have done certain deeds. That feels almost entirely not Giff as they are so focused on valor.
If you are hoping to hire some Giff, they still desire gunpowder over everything else, so it’s pretty easy to know how to sway them to your side. Considering how big the Giff is, it is not uncommon to find a Giff with several pistols, revolvers, and the occasional blunderbuss on their person. Barrels of gunpowder can buy a Giff army to destroy your enemies, usually in a very explosive way. Gold may be shiny, but if it can’t go boom then the Giff will search out someone who will pay them in gunpowder, exotic weapons, or food if you and them can’t come to another arrangement. They have little time for gold, even if it could buy them more gunpowder, though we think that that comes down to not wanting to waste time in the markets trying to haggle for gunpowder when they could be on the frontlines using gunpowder.
Beyond that, not much changes for our hippo-buddies. There is no talk about their ability to use magic, but the fact that if you want to make a Giff character, you take a -2 to your Intelligence and a -4 to your Wisdom, we are going to assume that it wouldn’t be very ideal to do so.
5e - Giff
Medium humanoid, lawful neutral
Armor Class 16 (breastplate)
Hit Points 60 (8d8+24)
Speed 30 ft.
STR 18 (+4) DEX 14 (+2) CON 17 (+3) INT 11 (+0) WIS 12 (+1) CHA 12 (+1)
Senses passive Perception 11
Languages Common
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Headfirst Charge. The giff can try to knock a creature over; if the giff moves at least 20 feet in a straight line that ends within 5 feet of a Large or smaller creature, that creature must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or take 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone.
Firearms Knowledge. The giff's mastery of its weapons enables it to ignore the loading property of muskets and pistols.
Multiattack. The giff makes two pistol attacks.
Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) slashing damage, or 9 (1d10 + 4) slashing damage if used with two hands.
Musket. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 40/120 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d12 + 2) piercing damage.
Pistol. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 30/90 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d10 + 2) piercing damage.
Fragmentation Crenade (1/day). The giff throws a grenade up to 60 feet. Each creature within 20 feet of the grenade's detonation must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 17 (5d6) piercing damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes, 2018 WotC
The Giff is brought back to us with its introduction in Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes (2018). Unfortunately, we have yet to see the Spelljammer campaign revived, but it does give us a glimmer of hope. While no information on the Spelljammer setting is provided, we’ll take what we can get, and what we get is a 7-foot hippo-humanoid who is finally shown a bit of respect.
Yes, they still have the over-the-top military attire and are armed to the teeth with firearms, but no longer is their strict military hierarchy written about in negative terms. A Giff always has a ranking - one can only assume that they are deemed to be a private at birth - and that rank determines where they fit into society. Training starts early on, with military strategy and combat techniques being required course selections. You won’t find many Giff studying the arcane arts, but they are allowed to become wizards, and even clerics though no specific deity is pointed out for them, so you may actually stumble upon a fireball casting hippo. The rankings are followed no matter the setting or circumstance, and a Giff of a lower-ranking will always comply with orders from a Giff with a higher rank without hesitation or question.
No conversation about the Giff, no matter the edition, is complete without talking about their love of gunpowder. The 5th edition Giff core belief is the bigger the boom, the better, so to this end, they carry around kegs of gunpowder. Since the Giff can now have their own spaceships, they have plenty of space to store a stupid amount of the stuff. What will they do with that much gunpowder? Well, building a bomb big enough to level a castle or fortification is a good start. In dire times, or maybe just because they are bored, a Giff will light up a whole keg and hurl it at clusters of creatures. Of course, you might have even bigger problems if you happen to be near a Giff’s powder keg stash, as the explosion has a 50% chance of igniting another keg in its range, which in turn could set off a chain reaction of massive proportion. Death by explosion isn’t a fun way to go unless you are a Giff, who probably has sweet dreams of dying in an epic blaze of glory.
While little else is revealed about these mysterious gunslingers, we do know that they see life as fleeting but their regiment endures for generations and that to lay your life down for your regiment is the greatest honor a Giff can give. They still refuse to fight each other, and they detest working with other creatures. There is no information on them hating other races, so we can only assume that they dislike working with other creatures since their skill in fighting requires proper Giff troops who can react to orders in a timely fashion and that others just don’t have the necessary training required to hang with the massive explosions and hippo-platoons.
All-in-all, the Giff are given a more serious take on their culture, instead of just labeling them buffoons. In fact, it is even specified they are as smart as humans, but their regimented style of thinking can make them appear dull to outsiders. It’s a great change of pace for the Giff, and we for one agree that these spacefarers are awesome. Mostly because we don’t want a platoon of them to arrive and start causing explosions in our home as they prove their point.
We hope to one day see Spelljammer brought back, and along with it, more information on the Giff. They are a fascinating race of hippo-humanoids with such a fascination with gunpowder that it brings a whiff of fresh air to a fantasy setting so focused on swords and sorcery. Who knows, maybe in the future there will be an adventure across the Wildspace to the lost homeworld of the Giff! Or, WotC continues the trend from 3rd edition and the Giff will soon get relegated back down to just being dumb brutes who only want to watch some pretty explosions.
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