Firbolg

Firbolg
Official art of an Exandrian firbolg, by Nikki Dawes.
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	Amaris Caduceus Clay Nila Pumat Sol Timpani Guff Dancer

Art of Nila, a firbolg of the Guiatao Clan, by Ari.

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

Appearance

Firbolgs are among the tallest humanoid races in Exandria, averaging between 7 to 8 feet tall and weighing 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 can be somewhat cow-like, having long, floppy, pointed ears and broad, pink noses, or take on a range of shapes to resemble other animals they live among in the wilds.

Society

Firbolgs are most common in Wildemount, but have been known to live in Tal'Dorei and at least one individual in the Oderan Wilds of Marquet. A nature-based, free-spirited peoples, firbolgs live mainly towards the Dunrock Mountains and the northern forests in the Greying Wildlands of Wildemount, or travel across the Dividing Plains in Tal'Dorei, 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

Fan art of Caduceus Clay, by Sam Hogg.

• 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

Fan art of Pumat Sol changing the color of Jester's Fantastic Haversack, by Carlos Lerma.

• 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.

The Re-Slayer's Take

• Timpani Guff, a cousin of Pumat Sol and member of the Re-Slayer's Take

Campaign Three: Bells Hells

NPCs

• Tejana, member of The Verdict
• Dancer, a tinkerer from Bassuras
• Amaris, the husband of Trist, shown in an arcane recording in the ruins of Aeor

Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn

• Camellia Springshower, a blighted druid that wanders the Dividing Plains.

Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep

• Foghome, a follower of Melora who tends to a garden in Bazzoxan's ancient temple to Avandra

Trivia

Official art of a firbolg stoneguard surrounded by butterflies, by Anna Grinenko from Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 229.

• 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 the world of Exandria, with even entire secluded clans having family names and individual names for each of their members.
• The original depiction of firbolgs portrayed them as giant humanoids with greyish skin, hairy limbs, pointed ears and large noses. However, Matt described Pumat as a being covered with fur, and described his nose as cow-like. The official art of Caduceus and Nila, portraying them with a bovine nose and ears, further separated the Exandrian firbolgs from the original race described in Volo's Guide to Monsters.
  • Critical Role's influence led many people to believe firbolgs were "giant cow people", and this depiction became popular in some D&D circles.
  • In the Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, this physical description was made official, and sourcebooks after that have portrayed firbolgs with a slightly bovine nose.
• Nott the Brave strongly believed that all firbolgs knew each other.

References

Art

External links

• Firbolg on D&D Beyond
• Firbolg on The Forgotten Realms Wiki (note)
• "Putting the Fur in Firbolg: The Evolution of a Character Race" by James Haeck on D&D Beyond