Giants in the Earth

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Giants in the Earth was an article series that ran in Dragon Magazine primarily during the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons era. It revolved around providing example PC stats for various mythical and literary figures under the D&D rule sets, and continued all the way into the early days of Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition. Whilst a number of different writers submitted to the series, the bulk of the articles were written by either Tom Moldvay or Roger E. Moore.

Ironically, as the opening spiel for the article series admits, many of these characters actually break established rules from AD&D, especially in regards race/class limits and multiclassing.

Initially, each article's collection of characters was eclectic, but during the short-lived revival in the post-200s issues, each article would be devoted to multiple characters from a single source.

Issue #26

• Cugel the Clever (Male Human Thief 14), from The Eyes of the Overworld, by Jack Vance.
• Kane (Male Human Fighter 30/Magic-User 20/Assassin 14), from the Sword & Sorcery stories by Karl Edward Wagner.
• Tros of Samothrace (Male Human Paladin 15) from the titular trilogy by Talbot Mundy.

Issue #27

• Durathror (Male Dwarf Fighter (or "Dwarvish Paladin") 13), from The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner
• Fafhrd (Male Human dual-classed Fighter 20/Thief 8) and The Gray Mouser (Male Human multi-classed Fighter-Thief 18), from the titular novels by Fritz Leiber.
• John Carter of Mars (Male Human Fighter 30), from the titular novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Issue #28

• Eric John Stark (Male Human Fighter 15) and his Northhounds from the Space Opera pulp stories by Leigh Brackett.
• Welleran (Male Human Ghost) from "The Sword of Welleran" by Lord Dunsany.

Issue #29

• Shadowjack (Male Demigod Thief 25/Fighter 9/Magic-User 9 - Fighter & Magic-User level doubles when in shadows), from the titular novel by Roger Zelazny.
• Iucounu, the Laughing Magician (Male Human Magic-User 20), from The Eyes of the Overworld by Jack Vance.

Issue #30

• Sol of All Weapons (Male Human Fighter 20/Monk 14), from the Battle Circle trilogy by Piers Anthony.
• Zorayas (Female Human Magic User 23), from Night's Master by Tanith Lee.
• Maal Dweb (Male Human Magic User 20) and his Iron Golems, from Lost Worlds by Clark Ashton Smith.

Issue #35

• Muirtagh the Bowman (Male Human Bard 16/Fighter 7/Thief 5), from The Kings in Winter by Cecelia Holland.
• Umslopogaas (Male Human Fighter 15), from H. Rider Haggard's Allan Quatemain.
• Edward Bond (Male Human Fighter 9), Ganelon (Male Human Fighter 25) and Sword of Llyr, from The Dark World by Henry Kuttner

Issue #36

• Captain Blood (Male Human Fighter 17/Thief 10/Cleric 8), from Rafael Sabatini's Captain Blood novels.
• Richard Upton Pickman (Male Human Ghoul Fighter 9), from Pickman's Model by H. P. Lovecraft.
• Silverbells (Male "Forest Minotaur" Ranger 15/Paladin 13), from Cry Silver Bells by Thomas Burnett Swann.

Issue #39

• Bodvar Bjarki (Male Human Fighter 16), from Hrolf Kraaki's Saga, by Poul Anderson.
• Egil Skallagrimson (Male Human Fighter 14), from Egil's Saga, by Hermann Palsson and Paul Edwards

Issue #41

• Jirel of Joiry (Female Human Fighter 14), from the titular story by C.L. Moore.
• Ayesha (Female Human Cleric 27/Fighter 9), from the Ayesha series of Gothic-Fantasy novels by H. Rider Haggard.
• Valeria (Female Human Fighter 17/Thief 8), from the Conan story Red Nails by Robert E. Howard.
• Sigurd Fafnirsbane (Male Human Fighter 20/Magic-User 12/Cleric 8), from the Nordic myth of Sigurd and Fafnir.
• Starkad (Male Half-Elf/Half-Giant crossbreed Fighter 23) from obscure Nordic legends.

For the curious, Conan the Barbarian himself never appeared in his article series... but he did get an AD&D 1e writeup by Gygax himself in Dragon #36!

Issue #42

• Tauuno Kraken's Bane (Male Half-Elf Ranger 8), from The Merman's Children by Poul Anderssion
• Sir Geros Lahvohettos (Male Human Fighter 9), from 'Revenge of the Horseclans by Robert Adams.
• James Eckert (Male Human NPC 0) and Gorbash (Male Dragon 10 HD), from The Dragon and the George by Gordon R. Dickson.
• Orvar-Odd (Male Troll-blooded Human Fighter 21), from Arrow-Odd: A Medieval Novel
• Heidrek (Male Human Fighter 15), from Hervor's Saga.

Issue #44

• Reepicheep (Male Humanoid Mouse Fighter 7), from the Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis.
• Professor Challenger (Male Human Fighter 16 with Sage abilities) from assorted stories by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Issue #47

• Camilla (Female Human Fighter 10), from the Aenid, Books VII and XI.
• Medea (Female Human Magic-User 18 with Sage abilities), from Greco-Roman Mythology.

Issue #48

• Sparrowhawk (Male Human Illusionist 21/Magic-User 20/Druid 14), from the Earthsea novels by Ursula K. LeGuin.
• Tiana Highrider (Female Human Fighter 12/Thief 12), from Demon in the Mirror and The Eyes of Sarsis's', both by Andrew Offut & Richard Lyon

Issue #49

The entries in this article were written by Roger E. Moore.

• Holger Carlsen (Male Human Paladin 14), from Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Andersson
• Hugi (Male Gnome Fighter 5), from Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Andersson
• Ellide (Female Human Fighter 6), from Woman of the White Waste, by T. J. Morgan.

Issue #52

• Duke Prospero of Milan (Male Human Magic-User 14),Ariel (Male Air Elemental), and Caliban (Male Half-Orc), from William Shakespeare's play "The Tempest".
• Circe (Female Demigoddess Magic-User 18), from Greco-Roman Mythology.

Issue #54

• The Four Lords of Demonland; Juss (Fighter 15/Magic-user 14), Spitfire (Fighter 16), Goldry Bluszco (Fighter 20) and Brandoch Daha (Fighter 18) from The Worm Ouroboros by E. R. Eddison.
• Gaveral Rocannon (Male Human Fighter 11) from Rocannon's World by Ursula K. LeGuin.

Issue #57

• Morgaine (Female Half-Elf Fighter 17/Magic User 3), the evil sword Changeling, and Vayne (Male Human Fighter 7), all from the novels '"Gate of Ivrel, Well of Shiuan and Fires of Azeroth by C.J. Cherryh.
• Rifkind (Female Human Fighter 14/Cleric 16) from Daughter of the Bright Moon and The Black Flame, both by Lynn Abbey.
• Belit (Female Human Fighter 10), from the Conan stories by Robert E. Howard.
• Dark Agnes de le Fere (Female Human Fighter 11/Thief 9), from Sword Woman by Robert E. Howard.

Issue #59

• Sir Roger de Tourneville (Male Human Fighter 10), from The High Crusade by Poul Andersson.
• Harold Shea (Male Human Fighter 7 with unique spellcasting abilities), from The Complete Enchanter, Wall of Serpents and The Green Magician by L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt.
• Anthony Villiers (Male HUman Ranger 10/Thief 7), from Starwell, The Thurb Revolution, and Masque World, all by Alexei Panshin
• Mark Cornwall (Male Human Fighter 4 with full Sage abilities) and Sniveley (Male Gnome Fighter 3 with special spell abilities) from Enchanted Pilgrim by Clifford D. Simak

Issue #61

• Deucalion (Male Human Cleric 10/Fighter 18) from The Lost Continent by C. J. Cutliffe Hyne
• Tarl Cabot (Male Human Fighter 20) from the Gor Sword & Sorcery novels pinched out by John Norman.
• Dossouye (Female Human Ranger 7 with Assassin abilities), from Agwebe's Sword by Charles R Saunders.

Issue #64

• Myal Lemyal (Male Human Bard 9/Fighter 5/Thief 8), from Tanith Lee's Kill the Dead.
• John Henry (Male Human Fighter 7, can inspire listeners with his song as per a Bard), from American folklore.
• Finn MacCumhal (Male Human Ranger 15/Bard 8), from Irish folklore.

Issue #249

"The Waterborn", as it's subtitled, details three notable adventurers from the fantasy novel of the same name, and even gives some basic material for running games set in that world.

• Perkar Kar Barku (Male Human Fighter 4)
• Hezhi Yehd Chadune (Female Human Shaman 11)
• Tsem (Male Half-Giant Fighter 2)

Issue #268

This article's subtitle is "The Band of Four", as it adapts the titular adventurers from The Kingless Land, by Ed Greenwood.

• Craer Delnbone (Male Human Thief 7)
• Hawkril Anharu (Male Human Fighter 9)
• Lady Embra Silver (Female Human Mage 16)
• Sarasper Codelmer (Male Human Cleric 8)

Issue #269

Subtitled "Legends of the Nile", this article adapted a number of famous Egyptian historical-mythical figures to AD&D 2e:

• Imhotep (Male Human Fighter 13/Cleric 21)
• Ramses II "The Great" (Male Human Fighter 20)
• Ramses III (Male Human Fighter 15)
• Wenamon (Male Human Cleric 10 of Amon)

Issue #270

Adapts the protagonists of Nodwick to AD&D 2nd edition, with full page writeups for Artax, Yeager, Piffany and, of course, ol' Melon-Schnozz himself, Nodwick.

Issue #279

As its subtitle "Heroes of the Persian War" suggests, we have another Historical Fantasy outing with... do you really need me to say it?

• Xerxes, King of Persia (Male Human Fighter 10)
• Militiades of Athens (Male Human Fighter 5)
• Leonidas, King of Sparta (Male Human Fighter 7)
• Epialtes (Male Human Rogue 2)
• Megistias (Male Human Diviner 5/Warrior 2)
• Artemisia (Female Human Fighter 4)
• Themistocles (Male Human Fighter 4)