Firbolg

Firbolg
Official artwork of a Firbolg for Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition.
Biological Information
Type	Humanoid
Abilities	Firbolg Magic Hidden Step Powerful Build Speech of Beast and Leaf
Physical Characteristics
Size	Medium
Lifespan	Up to 500 years
Average height	Between 7 and 8 feet
Average weight	Between 240 and 300 pounds
Distinctions	Cow-like nose and ears Towering height
Sociocultural Information
Planes	Material Plane (Exandria)
Locations	Crispvale Thicket Savalirwood
Language	Giant Elvish
Notable members	Caduceus Clay Nila Pumat Sol

Firbolgs (pronounced: /ˈfɪərboʊlg/ FEER-bolg) are a tall race of forest-dwelling humanoids, distantly related to giants.

Appearance

The first thing one will notice about firbolgs is their size, being among the tallest humanoid races in Exandria. Firbolgs average between 7 and 8 feet tall and can weigh between 240 and 300 pounds. Firbolgs are covered in thick fur, ranging from earthy colors like brown and ruddy red, to cool grays and blues. Their faces are somewhat cow-like, having long, floppy ears and broad, pink noses.

Society

Firbolgs are not known to exist outside of Wildemount. A nature-based, free-spirited peoples, firbolgs live mainly towards the Dunrock Mountains and the northern forests in the Greying Wildlands, and as such are rarely seen ingrained in common society, preferring to spend their days in quiet harmony with the woods. When provoked, firbolgs demonstrate formidable skills with weapons and druidic magic.

Powers and Abilities

Firbolgs possess great wisdom, living in concert with the natural world. This allows them to communicate with beasts and plants, though they possess no innate ability to understand the creatures in turn. They are capable of detecting the presence of magic around them, and can briefly become invisible to slip away from threats. When a firbolg desires to, they can cloak themselves in a magical disguise, allowing themselves to blend in with the shorter folk of the world. Despite their gentle nature, firbolgs are also capable of prodigious feats of strength.

Notable Firbolgs

Campaign 2: The Mighty Nein

PCs

• Caduceus Clay: Taliesin Jaffe's second character in the second campaign. For many seasons, he looked after the Blooming Grove, a graveyard in the woods north of Shadycreek Run that his family had spent generations tending, before joining the Mighty Nein when they asked for his help.
• Nila: A druid member of the Guiatao Clan. Following an attack by the Iron Shepherds, she returned home to find her love and child taken. She briefly joined the Mighty Nein to rescue them.

NPCs

• Pumat Sol: The shopkeeper of the Invulnerable Vagrant in Zadash and a member of the Cerberus Assembly.
• The Clay Family: The family of Caduceus, keepers of the Blooming Grove.
• The Guiatao Clan: The clan of Nila, including:
  • Kitor: Nila's partner.
  • Asar: Nila's son.
  • Jumnda: An elderly firbolg and a member of the Guiatao Clan.
  • Ombo: A young boy who did not speak. Recovering from his injuries sustained by attack of the Iron Shepherds on the Guiatao Clan, he was tended to by Jumnda.

Trivia

• Nott is shown to be insensitive to Firbolg individuality, and she assumes because she has not met many firbolgs, that they must all know each other--specifically the first one(s) she has met, Pumat Sol. Eventually the Mighty Nein shame her out of this reflex.
  • "Do you know someone named Pumat Sol?"
    • Said to Jumnda of the Guiatao Clan of Firbolgs
    • Nott follows up with "How about one of his friends, Pumat Sol, or Pumat Sol, or Pumat Sol?" "I don't know how many of these there are"  Caleb responds sarcastically: "Do you know a goblin named Furgle Burgle?
  • "Do you know Pumat Sol?" Said to Caduceus Clay after meeting him. 
    • Keg tells Nott to stop: "NOTT!"
• Though Firbolgs in standard D&D lore do not have individual names and only assume them as needed when dealing with others, this is shown to not be the case in Critical Role's setting.

References

Art

External Links

• Firbolg on D&D Beyond
• Firbolg on The Forgotten Realms Wiki (Forgotten Realms lore is not canon to Critical Role)