FromDungeons & Dragons' first edition to the newly released expansionBigby Presents: Glory of Giants, Giants are a humongous and foundational part of the D&D series, featured as both memorable, compelling characters and foes that need full party cooperation to vanquish. Such mighty behemoths often carry with them hordes of valuables, knick-knacks, and junk, all tucked away in their Giant Bags.
RELATED:Bigby Presents: Glory of Giants - Path of Giants Barbarian Build
Whether rewarding your players with fun loot or fleshing out the quirks of a big, friendly NPC, a good Dungeon Master should know what each Giant is carrying in their sack, and recent editions and expansions give plenty ofhelpful suggestions for brainstorming DMs.
10Dented Armor
Giants have little use for armor too small to wear, but that doesn’t stop them from collecting beat-up metal objects they find lying around. Luckily for Small and Medium-sized player characters, those items will be a perfect fit, especially as makeshift armaments in a pinch.
As a DM, ask yourself: what uses would a Giant see in such tiny trinkets? What a player sees as a buckled metal helm could have been used as a drinking bowl for a Giant, and a damaged metal shield could have formerly been a dining plate for the same creature. Think outside the box, and let your imagination soar.
9Dragon Scales
As precious as jewels but far more sturdy, these rare drops will put a smile on any player’s face. Depending on the size of the dragon, each scale can be sold for 10 (large), 20 (huge), 40 gold (gargantuan), and a Giant Bag can hold anywhere from one to six scales at a time. For a price, a skilled blacksmith could incorporate these treasures into your armor, but a full set of dragon scale mail, for instance, will need a boatload of gold and several years to craft.
Imagine how a Giant would find these in their possession. Did they claim them after a raging battle with a feuding dragon, or did they scavenge them from a cave long since abandoned?
8Giant-Sized Personal Trinkets
A Giant’s personal belongings tell a story, and a DM can give intrigued players a taste of their culture and lore. A Giant Bag may contain their favorite necklace, the material of which varies depending on the type of Giant to which it belongs, whether bone (hill), feathers (cloud), iron ingots (fire), beads (stone), or starfish (storm). Giants may also carry a 3-foot idol of their beloved deity. A Fire Giant, for example, would dearly cherish an effigy of Surtur, the fiery god wielding a blazing iron sword.
RELATED:Bigby Presents: Glory of Giants - Runecarver Background, Explained
Players with a high enough History or Religion skill check should be treated with a hint ofworld-buildingand the cultural context of Giant’s personal item, which keeps the players hooked and helps to create a story that feels alive and lived-in. Throw in a stuffed animal to show a softer, more sensitive side of the Giant.
7Hempen Rope (With A Little Extra)
From rappelling down a steep surface to immobilizing a slippery troublemaker, the versatile utility of a length of rope can never be overstated enough in a D&D game. Even Giants can find a use these!
A Giant Bag may contain a 50-foot coil of rope (a classic staple of every adventuring kit), a 30-foot rope attached to a wooden bucket, a 10-foot rope connected to a rowboat anchor, or all of the above. In the hands of a creative (or chaotic) party, the possibilities are endless.
6Food & Drink
Giants gotta eat, and so do adventurers. Though, what a Giant may find delectable and worth saving for later may not sit well in an adventurer’s stomach. Possible unsavory food stuffs may include a moldy, stinky wheel of cheese or 1d6 loaves of old, moldy bread. More palatable options can range from a haunch of meat, 1d6 dead trout, a bag of dried mushrooms, a giant-sized watermelon, or even a live animal (chicken, pig, sheep, goat, etc.), most of which can be turned into a hearty meal for the party with a little prep and enough time on the fire.
you’re able to even treat your players with a half-full cask of ale or a whole beehive full of oozing honeycombs, a key material component for some spells and a delicious addition to beverages like mead and tea. If you want to be mean to your players, you can give them an active hive to deal with, a challenge before they can claim their sweet snack.
5Cooking Gear
Every adventuring party needs the proper gear to make fulfilling meals and restore their energy, and Giants are no different. Want to give your players utensils for the grub they just looted? Pack a Giant Bag with gear like an iron cooking pot or a cauldron. The raw materials found in the bag will pair nicely with the cooking tools, and your players will thank you.
Other items that might be found in a Giant Bag include a giant-sized skinning knife or a giant-sized drinking horn, both of which may be somewhat cumbersome for the party members to wield, but it adds a little flavor to the bag’s contents.
4Giant-Sized Clothing
Every Giant may not be a fashionista, but even Huge creatures need clothing too. None of the player characters may be able to wear them comfortably, but that does not mean that they are without their uses.
RELATED:Bigby Presents: Glory of Giants - Giant Foundling, Explained
For instance, a shabby wool cloak fit for a Giant will be a too heavy and awkward for active wear, but it can be re-purposed as a cozy blanket the whole party can share for those long winter nights. Need extra fabric to repair the sails of your boat? Get back on the high seas after patching it up with scraps from a Giant’s trousers.
3Gold
Hard to beat a classic loot drop like gold. DMs love it, players need it, and a Giant Bag can store a whole lot of shiny coins, enough for everyone in the party. This is an especially rewarding loot drop a DM can bestow to the party.
An example formula provided by theStorm King’s Thunder adventure moduleis 3d6 x 100 gold, providing the players with between 300 and 1,800 gold per Giant Bag. The players' next challenge, however, may include planning how they’re able to drag that much weight in gold back to town.
2Giant-Sized Treasures
Giants may also stuff their bags with expensive valuables, like elaborate art, glimmering jewels, or ornate room decorations, all of which could fetch a pretty penny at the local merchant shop. Adventurer’s love being rewarded with priceless treasures after felling a difficult foe, so why not give them what they want?
These treasures, however, will most likely fit the hands of a Giant, so transporting these goods will prove immensely complicated for the party. If you really want to make your players' heads spin, overwhelm them with several enormous treasures but make them choose which ones they can carry and which ones they have to leave behind.
1Magic Items
The ever-covettedmagic itemsthat make D&D even more fun and wild are not uncommon finds in a Giant Bag. Whether the Giant knows what they are and how they work should be determined at the DM’s discretion, and if they do happen to use a magic item, make it unique to the Giant character. Maybe a Frost Giant has a Ring of Fire Resistance on his person, for instance, to compensate for an elemental weakness.
Magic items found in a Giant Bag may also be a great opportunity to grant players objects that they’ve been craving a while. Field the group with questions beforehand on what their hearts desire and then gift them a boon when they least expect it. They’ll thank you for it in the future.
