Giff, the militaristic hippo-folk of the D&D universe, bring a hefty dose of strength and strategy to any adventuring party.
Choosing the right background for your Giff character can add layers of depth and tactical flair to their backstory.
What Are Backgrounds in D&D 5e?
Backgrounds are more than simple stat boosts in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition. They reveal where your character came from, why you became an adventurer, and your place in the world.
Before choosing your Background, ask yourself a few questions:
- What was I before I became an adventurer?
- Why did I stop doing what my Background explains and become an adventurer?
- Where did I get the money to buy my starting equipment?
- Where did I learn the skills used in my class?
- What’s different about me compared to others with the same Background?
Best Backgrounds for the Giff
5. Hermit
Skill Proficiencies – Religion, Medicine
Tool Proficiencies – Herbalism kit
Languages – Choose one
Equipment – A set of common clothes, a winter blanket, a scroll case stuffed full of notes from your studies or prayers, a Herbalism kit, and 5 GP.
Why the Hermit?
A Hermit lives a Life of Seclusion, but this seclusion resulted in a campaign-changing discovery.
Whether you picked up a cursed artifact, discovered a secret of the universe, or befriended a god, anything is possible when you’re a Hermit Giff.
The Giff may not seem like it, but due to their psychic link with the Astral Plane, some can channel their spark in search of wisdom instead of war.
It is unknown what a wise Giff would search for, but many speculate they will try to look for their homeworld, so maybe you’ll be the first to find it.
4. Wildspacer
Skill Proficiencies – Survival, Athletics
Tool Proficiencies – Vehicles (space, but you can always ask your DM to change it if it doesn’t fit your campaign), Navigator’s tools
Equipment – A set of traveler’s clothes, a belaying pin (club), 50 feet of hempen rope, a grappling hook, and a pouch with 10GP.
Why the Wildspacer?
Wildspacer gives your Character the Close Encounter and Wildspace Adaptation features.
Close Encounter means that you’ve had a near-death experience with a create and escaped with a recurring night or scars. Wildspace Adaptation gives you the Tough Feat, and being weightless won’t give you disadvantage on melee attack rolls.
The Giff have experienced untold horrors of the Astral Plane, which is one of the reasons for their militaristic nature, and with Wildspacer, you understand how easily death can come and that you need to be tough to escape it.
3. Far Traveler
Skill Proficiencies – Perception, Insight
Tool Proficiencies – One musical instrument or gaming set you choose (most likely something native to your homeland)
Languages – Choose one
Equipment – Set of traveler’s clothes, one gaming set or musical instrument you’re proficient with, a small piece of jewelry worth 10GP in the style of your homeland’s craftsmanship, poorly wrought maps from your homeland depicting where you are in Faerûn, and a pouch with 5GP.
Why the Far Traveler?
Far Traveler gives you the All Eyes on You feature, marking you as foreign and garnering attention from everyone, including commoners, scholars, nobles, merchants, princes, and kings.
The Giff aren’t easy to miss, and when looking at them, you can notice how their forms were changed due to exposure to the Astral Plane.
Although the Giff are drawn to the Astral Plane, some do come to the Material Plane as adventurers or to seek knowledge unknown to them.
2. Acolyte
Skill Proficiencies – Religion, Insight
Tool Proficiencies – None
Languages – Choose two
Equipment – One holy symbol (gift to you when you entered the priesthood), a set of common clothes, a prayer book or prayer wheel, 5 sticks of incense, vestments, and a pouch with 15GP.
Why the Acolyte?
Acolytes receive the Shelter of the Faithful feature, granting you access to resources of temples and sanctuaries sharing your faith.
This allows you to receive free healing, food, and stay, though you’ll have to compensate them for any materials used in spells.
The Giff are linked to the divine beings who created them, and although most Giff have forgotten about them, some recall knowledge of their existence and praise them as their creators. Some even become Acolytes.
1. Soldier
Skill Proficiencies – Intimidation, Athletics
Tool Proficiencies – Vehicles (land), One type of gaming set
Languages – None
Equipment – A trophy you took from a fallen enemy (a piece of a banner, dagger, or broken blade), a set of common clothes, a deck of cards or a set of bone dice, an insignia of rank, and a pouch with 10GP.
Why the Soldier?
Soldiers receive the Military Rank feature, allowing you to exert your rank and impose authority over soldiers lower than you.
This authority can grant you and your party access to fortresses, encampments, simple equipment, and horses.
The Giff are known for using the psychic powers imbued within them to empower their weapons, making them a feared militaristic power throughout the planes.
It’ll be no surprise if, upon meeting a Giff, he proceeds to boast about being in the army and once serving as a Soldier as he slew hundreds if not thousands of beings.
Final Thoughts
Backgrounds like the Soldier, Acolyte, or Wildspacer can provide a strong foundation for their disciplined background, while the Hermit or Far Traveler backgrounds can add a humorous twist to their character.
Choose a background that resonates with your Giff’s personality and backstory, and prepare for a campaign filled with unique challenges and memorable moments.