The goliath makes a good defender, too, as you said.
It feels like a big dwarf.Other races have interesting fluff/attributes that gives the character much more than a stat block boost.
Granted Dwarves already have that benefit so I guess the Goliath is out of luck.Stone’s Endurance is a great encounter power, allowing the Goliath to gain resist 5 to all damage until the end of its next turn. Recognizing that Goliaths really are defender type character who may suffer from a low will defense they’ve provided a +1 built in.
Being able to roll twice for jump checks makes pulling off stunts a lot less of a gamble.Echoing what Swordgleam said. I apologize if I am simply adding on or repeating earlier comments, but I believe they are sound: the usefulness of the Goliath’s Athletic’s reroll is quite comparable to, say, the Dwarven saving throw bonus for poison or the Elf’s Wild Step ability: it depends on what your DM is going to throw at you.
Also the Stoneblessed paragon path is fantastic, especially with a reach weapon. Yes, it compliments the Strength and Athletics bonus, but boring.I think Dwarves get the racial benefit that Goliaths should, which is stand your ground. But a sick and injured individual is treated. I really did. Dragonborns, Tieflings, and warforged, bring so much more to the table than the elements you find in their stats.
– the rarest race of them all!!
The tendency in selecting a race that has attribute bonuses that both feed into a particular role or class is to embrace it. I’m never one to turn down a bonus to a defense and for the Goliath this is a welcome addition.Roll twice for Athletics when jumping or climbing? This makes them great in the defender role. I know I hate all things undead but mind you this is my first paladin and I really would like some story board help here.
“My character backstory!” you say triumphantly as his eyes go wide. I can see a use for all three powers in different common combat situations.I tend to disagree, as long as you stick to one of the ‘ideal’ classes. Descended from giants, goliath culture is one in the same vein of many warrior cultures, where fame and honor are paramount, but they have a unique spin in that their cultural predilection to compete with others is less about aggression and more about survival.
The truth is I use this race when I’m playing a defender in a dungeon delve.
Even then, the affinities are different, and Goliaths love the open sky, while dwarves love finely built stone halls.I remember in one game a friend who used a barbarian goliath did an athletic’s check to jump onto a roof to kill the poison crossbow wielding halfling rogue douchebag trying to kill our wizard. one of the saddest things is that while they are meant to be larger, they don’t receive treatment as oversized to get access to more powerful weapons because of it. They make a good artillery piece for melee heavy groups.My favorite d&d character for years was my Goliath Fighter. Too few humans in a typically human-dominated world makes a party of players seem more like a group of carney freaks that travel from town to town for money/fame. These strong bois are adapted to the harsh environment they inhabit. Have I missed some glaringly obvious point that makes the Goliath a shining beacon of a race?“Roll twice for Athletics when jumping or climbing?”Depending on the campaign, that can be huge.
lady, and even a normal person! My Goliath it a Warden and @ lv 7 I have him doing 112 damage in one hit then geting 10 health back because of one of his encounter abilites that allows him to roll twice and with my enhanced double axe it just destroys people. I’m jumping all over the place like you wouldn’t believe.
PLANE AND SIMPLE.I actually like the Goliath. Goliath name generator - Dungeons & Dragons . At the very least, you’re forced to come up with a more interesting backstory than “became an adventurer” to get them down off that mountain.
You will pay for it down the road.The following classes use either Strength or Constitution as a primary attribute: Barbarian, Battlemind, Fighter, Paladin, Warden, Warlock and Warlord.
I like Goliaths from a less mechanical perspective as well, probably because the old 3.5E Races of Stone book did a good job making them interesting.