D&D Monster Spotlight: Space Hippos Are the Gifft That Keeps on Giving
Giffs are militarized space hippos, and that may not seem like something you’d expect to find in D&D, but we love that they are.
If you’re like me, you’re probably pretty excited about the return of Spelljammer. Adventures in Space may not seem like they should be part of the D&D setting. But if you’ve been around for a while, you may remember the previous version of Spelljammer‘s deep space D&D fantasy madness. It’s awesome.
But little bits of Spelljammer have been with us through 5E if you knew where to look. For example, the Giff! They would look out of place in most D&D encounters, but in fantasy-space? They’re (literally) right at home. Is it a naval hippo? Why does it have a gun? Are they actually monsters, or is military hippo a race I should try to find a way to play in the future? Let’s find out!
Second Edition
Giffs make their first D&D appearance in 2E’s Spelljammer. If you’re not familiar with the setting, this article J.R. wrote will help you understand a little more the truly out-of-this-world setting the Giff is a product of. They’re military minded, very organized, pride themselves on their skills with most if not all weapons, and are real real good at following orders. This all makes them highly effective mercenaries. They are resistant to and somewhat suspicious of magic and are happiest when in communities of other Giffs. There, everybody can be organized neatly into ranks at all times.
Third Edition
Finding the 3E Giffs was is difficult than you might think. They appear in Dragon Magazine 339 with just a short mentions and one-off comments. But these weird and delightful hippopodopeople deserve so much more appreciation. Within the Spelljammer lore they’re creatures that are feared by others with their ogre-esque size and solider’s reputation. But their military uniforms with all of the pomp and ribbons seem to make it a little harder for enemies to take them as seriously as they deserve. And Giffs, for their part, are almost hilariously stuffy, seeing every non-Giff as either a potential employer or troublemaker.
Fifth Edition
I was most interested to see how 5E handled the Giff thus far. Up until very recently, Spelljammer wasn’t a part of the 5E universe, and these are beings rooted strongly in extraterrestrial travel. 5E is full of small space themes and references if you know where to look or have taken a deep-dive into D&D lore, but it’s not been an obvious part of the game in a while. But when you flip to the Giff’s page in Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes the most recent Giff are “spacefaring mercenaries.” I can’t help but think that the reintroduction of Spelljammer has long been on the queue. The biggest change that 5E brings to the Giff is their ability to use and appreciate magic. Previous Giffs have been suspicious of magic and generally chose to actively avoid the entire concept unless completely necessary. But now it’s not uncommon for them to become wizards, clerics, and other varieties of spellcaster. Imagine with me, if you will, the Giff above in an oversized wizard’s hat. You’re welcome.
Are you excited for the return of Spelljammer in August? Have you met a Giff before? Would your current character be an employer or a troublemaker? Let us know in the comments!
Happy Adventuring!
