D&D: Giff Updates Spoiled In ‘Spelljammer’
In Spelljammer, Giffs will once again be everyone’s favorite firearm-wielding hippos with gods-given proficiency with firearms.
The Giff are one of the more iconic parts of Spelljammer. These space-faring hippos are famous for two things: being from space and using arquebuses.
In their most recent Unearthed Arcana, Giff had lost some of these signature abilities. However, a new video reveals that the Giff one more have their guns, and what’s more, it’s apparently a gods-given trait.
Spelljammer Giff Updates
In the video above we get an idea of what Spelljammer holds for the Giff. They will have new “story beats unveiled.” Mysteries and melancholy line their backstories. And the biggest mystery involves their origins and connection to the Astral Plane.
In 5th Edition, the Astral Plane is a timeless realm. A realm of thought and ideas. Time occurs but doesn’t elapse. Creatures don’t age, and entropy, if it exists in D&D, has no place there.
But the Giff have a connection to it. It’s a part of their identity. So much so that it is one of the defining aspects of their being in the new Spelljmer setting.
This takes the form of a feature called an Astral Spark. It’s a mysterious connection to the Giff’s creator, here hinted to be some kind of god of firearms. Which I guess means it’s the state of Texas.
The Giff, however, don’t know where they’re from. Nor do they know who their gods are. Or even why they have an Astral Spark, just that it’s there. And that it makes them good with guns.
In Spelljammer 5E, many Giff will once again have a propensity for firearms that traces all the way back to their lost gods. Giffs often have blunderbusses, but in D&D Firearms are Firearms, from a blunderbus to an antimatter rifle.
Mechanically speaking, the Astral Spark means a Giff deals extra damage when using firearms. But on top of that, they gain a trait called Firearm Mastery, which feels about on par with a feat:
- You have proficiency with firearms.
- You ignore the loading property of firearms.
- Attacking at long range with firearms doesn’t impose a disadvantage on attack rolls.
Also mentioned in the video is their old Hippo Build feature: advantage on checks and saving throws. And they have a swim speed. You know, as hippo people do. But this is important because it will allow them to act freely in the cold reaches of Wildspace.
Happy Adventuring!
