Wizards of the Coast has shared a sneak peek at the species in the DnD 2024 Player’s Handbook. Though fans’ opinions come in every shape and size, if there’s one thing they seem to agree on, it’s that the new version of the mighty Goliath is very strong indeed – to the point where some are already suggesting it might be overtuned.
Whereas the 5e Goliath was connected to giants, the new version of this DnD race makes that link a lot more explicit, giving each Goliath character a Giant Ancestry that unlocks a different ability, in a similar vein to the 5e Dragonborn’s Draconic Ancestor feature.
The new article doesn’t reveal these features in detail, but going by playtest material, it seems the Stone’s Endurance damage-dampening effect, which was a base ability of the 5e Goliath, is now specifically linked to Stone Giant Goliaths, while other variants get options ranging from more damage, an attack that knocks an enemy prone, or even a short ranged teleport. If these effects are unchanged in the new Player’s Handbook, it’s going to give the race a lot more versatility.
But that’s not where the fun ends for the Goliaths. They also get Powerful Build, a slight tweak on their existing ‘Little Giant’ trait which makes them better at carrying stuff and escaping from grapples – Orc’s meanwhile have lost this feature, so it’s now Goliath exclusive.
Then, on top of that, you have another ability, Large Form. This gives you the power to change your DnD size to Large for 10 minutes, giving advantage on Strength checks and increasing your movement speed by 10 to an impressive 45 (oh, Goliath’s also have five more movement than other species by default).
We think the bonus to movement speed could be the most important feature here, allowing martial DnD classes to plough through difficult terrain and close ground with an enemy more easily. Being Large could also help in melee combat, since it allows you to control more squares on a battlemap.
However, on social media, some people are saying that there’s now no point picking any other race if you’re creating a melee DnD build, which seems a bit much. We wonder if fans are assuming the Large Form feature also increases your damage output like the ‘Enlarge’ DnD 5e spell (and there’s no indication of this).
We’re also a bit confused by fans touting the extra carrying capacity as a game changer – since many groups prefer to avoid nitty gritty rules like this altogether. It seems one point of concern is that power gamers will take advantage of this power to benefit from heavy armor while not investing any points into Strength.
We have to admit though, these new ancestry powers, adding a unique bit of flavor to each type of Goliath, are pretty cool – we’re excited to see them all in their final form.
For more DnD content, check out the upcoming changes to the Monk, a much maligned class that’s about to get way stronger. And if you need help getting ready for a game, here’s our guide to the best DnD character creators.
Source: Wargamer
