Editing B'rohg

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The '''B'rohg''' are one of the few races of [[giant]]s to have survived in the blasted, post-apocalyptice wasteland that is the [[Dungeons & Dragons]] world of [[Dark Sun]].

Standing 15 feet tall on average, with sharp, angled features, a flat nose, pointed ears located towards the backside of their skull, and burnt orange skin, the most notable feature of the b'rohg is their possessing four arms, like a [[thri-kreen]]. Similarly to the [[ogre]]s and [[Hill Giant]]s of other worlds, b'rohg are notoriously dim-witted; their official [[Intelligence]] score averages 5-7 - luckily for most, they are an inoffensive and retiring race by nature, rather than brutal, bullying savages like their counterparts.

B'rohg culture is that of a [[Stone Age]] nomadic hunter-gatherer; they roam the wastelands in small bands made up of 1d4 cliques, a family unit consisting of a male, 1-2 females, and up to 4 children. They use simple drag-sleds made of skins and leather stretched across a triangle of wooden poles to carry their meager belongings, and also use these to form simple shelters, usually exploiting available rocks or crevasses that are sufficiently sized to augment their primitive construction methods. Though they haven't figured out how to master fire, they aren't afraid of it and are aware that it can be useful - as a result, roaming b'rohg are often ''attracted'' to sources of fire, which can be quite a shock when they come looming out of the darkness! 
The dimwitted nature of b'rohg shines through in their inability to learn or understand any language other than their own primitive tongue, which relies on a combination of grunts and gestures - even telepathy can only communicate simple ideas. They don't even really have a solid grasp on the concept of death, and tend to just leave alone anything that doesn't exhibit signs of life.

When hunting, or defending themselves against attackers, most b'rohg use a combination of two massive spears wielded in their upper arms and two clubs in their lower arms, but older b'rohg may cover their arms in padding and/or plates of chitin, bone or wood to use them as crude shields. Their only ranged weaponry are thrown weapons, usually boulders - D&D giants love to throw them rocks! When led by a smart alpha male, b'rohg will use ambushes and retreat from clearly lost battles - otherwise they tend to just charge in and will fight to the death rather than flee. Also, playing dead in combat is a ''bad move''; b'rohg aren't '''that''' dumb and will make sure to give anything they were fighting that just keels over a couple of extra good, hard whacks, stabs or kicks just to be sure.

Unlike their [[ogre]] and [[Hill Giant]] counterparts, b'rohg don't specifically regard other humanoids as prey, but they will scavenge non-b'rohg corpses. Ironically, b'rohg are more in danger ''from'' the [[human]]s of Athas than the other way around; their huge stature and their four arms, which allows them to quad-wield like a [[thri-kreen]] or throw two boulders at once, makes them very flashy and deadly opponents in the [[gladiator]] pits. Whilst a few b'rohg are lured into serving as gladiators with simple but effective bribes of fresh water, sweetmeats and other low-level "luxuries", the vast majority are beaten into submission by armed mobs of "recruiters" and dragged into the city-states to serve as entertainment.

As dull-minded as they are, b'rohg aren't mindless animals; they have a low cunning, and more than one b'rohg has successfully escaped from the pits. These "renegades" have had their mind expanded by their interactions with the "higher" culture of Athasians, to the point they have learned how to forge armor and fight with much greater coordination. Renegade b'rohg usually avoid their simpler tribal cousins out of a sense of embarrassment - both in themselves for being caught, and of the "dumdums" around them. But they do sometimes hook up with slave tribes, where the combination of the familiar trappings of gladiatorial companionship and the lack of abuse make them loyal and devoted members of the community.

Unusually for a [[Dark Sun]] race, b'rohg have no inherent antipathy towards [[magic]], and instead treat spellcasters of all kinds based on their behavior towards the b'rohg and its kinsfolk; those who act peacefully will be regarded with awe, whilst those who act with hostility will be crushed by angry giants.

=In Later Editions=
Weirdly, b'rohg completely failed to make any translation to [[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition]], but did resurface in the two subsequent editions. Even [[Paizo]] dropped the ball, leaving the b'rohg notably absent from both of their Dark Sun [[Monster Manual]] conversions in [[Dungeon Magazine]] #110 and #111. It was left to the fans to move them to 3rd edition. Which makes for a very weird contrast with the [[Braxat]].

In [[Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition]], b'rohg, now renamed '''Brohg''' for some reason, returned in the Dark Sun Creature Catalog. Largely identical to 2nd edition, these brohg are slightly smarter (base Int of 6), having developed at least a primitive religion based around the [[Primal Spirits]] and [[Archomental|elemental powers]], and also smaller, having gone from Huge sized to Large sized. They also now instinctively hate and loathe arcane magic, as you'd expect of an Athasian race. The biggest change is to the concept of the Renegade Brohg, which in 4e is a brohg [[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)|sorcerer]]; cursed with arcane powers that its people fear, driven away by its family who only spare its life because they fear the "evil spirits" within will curse them if they kill it, these brohg invariably become [[Defiler (Dark Sun)|Defilers]], lacking any training or cultural impetus to consider that there may be another path.

In [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]], b'rohg returned once more (now re-sporting their iconic apostrophe) in "Boo's Astral Menagerie", the [[Monster Manual]] for [[Spelljammer]]. Their lore in this edition is largely a retread of their classic lore, but trying to downplay how dullwitted they are. There is an added emphasis that is possible to befriend b'rohg, though they are suspicious of being tricked. Most notable in this edition is they picked up a new "Hideous Rend" attack, where they grab a Large sized or smaller foe and try to dismember them by yanking them between all four hands simultaneously.

=Playing B'rohg?=
Now, you might think that DMs of [[Dark Sun]] campaigns would instinctively balk at the idea of letting somebody play a 4-armed 15ft tall giant, but you have to remember, this is the same setting where [[thri-kreen]] and [[half-giant]] debuted - as core setting races, no less! So, the mad fans of Athas have tried to convert b'rohg to a playable race twice over.

The AD&D version can be found in The Complete Book of Athasian Humanoids, and looks like this:
::Ability Score Minimum/Maximum: Strength 17/20, Dexterity 5/15, Constitution 13/20, Intelligence 5/12, Wisdom 5/17, Charisma 5/17
::Ability Score Adjustments: +4 Strength, +2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma (note: increase b'rohg base Charisma by +2 when interacting with other b'rohg)
::Racial Class/Level Limits: [[Fighter]] 16, [[Gladiator]] 14
:::Racial Thieving Skill Adjustments: N/A
::Natural Armor Class: 10
::Movement: 15
::Special Advantages:
:::Quad-Wield: B'rohg can attack with 4 weapons at the same time, but only if wielding paired weapons. Primary weapons suffer no penalties, but the secondary pair of weapons suffer a -2 to hit penalty.
:::Infravision: 60 feet
::Disadvantages
:::Huge Sized: B'rohg are 15' tall and thus may suffer penalties when trying to move or fight in too-confined spaces. Equipment costs are doubled, and b'rohg require 4 gallons of water per day.
:::Psionic Dullness: B'rohg cannot take the [[Psion]]icist class or even develop psionic wild talents.
:::Roleplaying Disadvantage: B'rohg are prized targets for slavers working with the gladiator pits and slave soldier armies. A "wild" b'rogh will also only be armed with the most primitive weapons; clubs, spears and thrown rocks.

The 3e version can be found in "Terrors of Athas", and looks like this:
::Ability Modifiers: +14 Str, +4 Dex, +8 Con, -4 Int
::Size: Huge (–2 penalty to Armor Class, -2 penalty on attack rolls, -8 penalty on Hide checks, +8 bonus on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits quadruple those of Medium characters.
::Space/Reach: 15 ft. / 15 ft.
::Base Land Speed: 40 feet.
::Low-light vision.
::Racial Hit Dice: A b‘rohg begins with 6 levels of giant, which provide 6d8 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +4, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +5, Ref +2 and Will +2. 
::Racial Skills: A b‘rohg‘s giant levels give it skill points equal to 9 x (2 + Int modifier). Its class skills are Climb, Listen, Spot and Survival.  A b‘rohg‘s giant levels give it 3 feats.
::Weapon Proficiency: A b‘rohg is proficient with simple and martial weapons as well as its natural weaponry.  +6 natural armor bonus. 
Natural Weapons: 4 slams (1d6).
::Special Attacks:
::: Rock Throwing (Ex): Adult b‘rohg are accomplished rock throwers and receive a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls when throwing rocks. A b‘rohg of at least Huge size can hurl rocks weighing 60 to 80 pounds each (Medium objects) up to five range increments. The size of the range increment is 140 feet. 
::Special Qualities:
:::Rock Catching (Ex): Once per round, a b‘rohg that would normally be hit by a rock can make a Reflex save to catch a rock (or similar projectile) as a free action. The DC is 15 for a Small rock, 20 for a Medium one, and 25 for a Large one (if the projectile provides a magical bonus on attack rolls, the DC increases by that amount.) The b‘rohg must be ready for and aware of the attack in order to make a rock catching attempt.
::Automatic Languages: B‘rohg.
::Bonus Languages: none.
::[[Favored Class]]: [[Ranger]].
::[[Level Adjustment]]: +5. 

[[Category: Dark Sun]] [[Category: Spelljammer]] [[Category: Monsters]]