General Rules: Monsters - Plague Giant (Template)

Plague Giant (from Giant Lore)

Giant-kin whisper among themselves of a strange and horrible fate, of a disease that strips the body and mind of health while granting terrible strength. Giant healers search vainly for a cure while priests invoke whatever divine powers they can to stave off the illness.

No one knows the origins of the plague. It appeared mysteriously several hundred years ago, wiping out colonies of giants far removed from civilization. Further eruptions of the plague occur every decade or so. Sometimes the plague strikes isolated settlements. Sometimes it consumes giant villages near other intelligent creatures.

The first symptoms of the plague can easily be mistaken for a cold or flu. Several days after tjhe initial onset, the giant develops distinctive black boils along with a high fever. His skin turns bright red. During this stage the plague can be treated, but only with modest success. once the black boils burst, the giant's flesh begins to die, becoming rotted meat hanging from his living bones.

A combination of giant kind's immense constitution and the magical nature of the plague prevents a giant in the third stage from dying. Instead, he suffers as his body dies around him. The plague also taints his spirit, fanning the spark of evil that exists in all mortal beings. As his grip on his mind and body loosen with every passing moment, the infected giant becomes an agent of the plague, seeking to spread it to others of his own kind.

A giant can survive in he third stage of the plague almost indefinitely. Fortitude by the synergy between his constitution and the plague, he grows new tissue almost as quickly as it necrosis. His mind does not fare as well, degenerating under the constant burden of incredible pain. These infected giants looks like pale, gaunt versions of their former selves. Their skin has a white undertone, save for where rot has already set in. There the skin turns green or black. it ma also ooze puss or rot.

All giants fear plague victims. Good giants try to care for the afflicted without coming into direct contact with them. They may employ intermediaries or nursemaids from other races to do the work. Evil giants cast out any among them who show signs of the sickness, hoping that it has not yet spread to the others. Evil giant plague victims tend to wander until the plague overtakes them. After that, they seek out other giants, with whom they wish to share their pain.

Plague-ridden giants have two conflicting motivations: To spread the plague and to end their own suffering. The first impulse comes from the giant's plague-infected mind. The second is all that remains of the giant's original personality.

The plague does not transmit from giants-kin to any other creature types. It may be that it is a unique curse for their race, while some suggest that this plague has some kind of sinister awareness and chooses to only infect giant-kin.

"Plague" is a template that can be added to any giant (hereinafter referred to as the "base creature"). It uses all the character's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Hit Dice: Increased to d10s.

Speed: Same as the base creature -10 feet.

Armor Class: The base creature's natural armor bonus increases by +4.

Attacks: Same as the base creature.

Damage: Same as the base creature.

Special Attacks: A plague giant retains all the special abilities of the base creature and also gains the following special attack:

• Plague Touch (Su): Any non-giant creature touching a plague giant or struck by the giant's melee attacks must make a DC 12 Fortitude save or contract filth fever. Any giant touching the plague giant or struck by a melee attack must make a Fortitude save (DC 20 + 2 per plague level of the plague giant) or contract giant plague.

Special Qualities: A plague giant retains all the special qualities of the base creature. It also gains the following ones:

• Damage Reduction (Su): The plague giant's body cannot feel the pain of wounds and exists in a balance between life and death. This gives the giant damage reduction 3/-.


• Nauseating Aura (Su): The plague giant radiates a nauseating stench that forces every living creature within a 30-foot radius to make a Fortitude save with a DC based upon the plague giant's plague level (see below) or be nauseated for as long as they remain within the nauseating aura and for 1d4+1 rounds thereafter. Creatures that successfully save against the aura are immune to that particular plague giant's nauseating aura for one day.


• Plague Carrier (Su): The plague giant becomes immune to other diseases and poisons.

Saves: Same as the base creature.

Abilities: Change from the base creature's as follows: Constitution +4 and -4 Wisdom. He also receives a Strength bonus and an Intelligence penalty based upon his plague level. The plague magically enhances the giant's already tremendous strength and endurance while the pain reduces his ability to reason clearly.

Skills: Same as the base creature, except that a plague giant suffers a -4 penalty per plague level to all Charisma-based skills.

Feats: Same as the base creature.

Climate/Terrain: Same as the base creature.

Organization: Solitary.

Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature +2 for plague levels 1 to 3; same as the base creature +3 for plague levels 4 to 5.

Treasure: Half normal.

Alignment: Initially same as the base creature, eventually chaotic evil.

Advancement: Once a giant has acquired the plague giant template, he may not gain levels in any class.

The Plague

Giant plague is a magical disease for which there is no known natural cure. It has an incubation period of seven days. if an infected giant makes two successful Fortitude saving throws in a row or is the recipient of a remove disease spell cast by a caster of at least 12^th level, he may shake off the plague. if he fails, he becomes a plague giant on the eighth day. Once a giant has acquired the plague giant template, he may not be cured by any thing short of a wish or miracle spell.

Plague Levels: the further along in the plague process the giant is, the worse his physical and mental degeneration and the greater his strength increase. This is represented by the giant's plague level. An infected giant's plague level goes up by one every month until he reaches level five, at which point he may subsist for up to one year before dying.

Plague Levels
Level	Str Bonus/Int Penalty	Nausea DC	Appearance
1	+2/-1	15	Mostly normal with boils, some rotted skin, loss of some small features such as earlobes, nose tips, and so on.
2	+4/-2	18	Visible rot and decay on all major features.
3	+6/-3	21	Extensive physical deterioration with visible infection in all parts of the body.
4	+8/-4	24	Appears barely alive, resembles a rotting undead more than a living being.
5	+10/-5	27	Rotted mass of flesh and puss, supported by bowed bones and raw muscle.

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