Titan (Dungeons & Dragons)

This article is about the Dungeons & Dragons race. For other uses, see Titan.
Titan
Characteristics
Type Outsider
Image Wizards.com image
Stats Open Game License stats
Publication history
Mythological origins Titan

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, a titan is an enormous, powerful, and godly outsider. Though titans are supposedly of both chaotic good and chaotic evil alignments, the majority of them seem to be good. In appearance, a good titan resembles an enormous (25 feet tall) humanoid, with perfect beauty and strength. They are hardy and muscular, but nonetheless extremely handsome/beautiful. Every aspect of them (teeth, hair, etc.) is also perfect. Based on the Titans of the Greek and Roman pantheons, they dress themselves in traditional Greek garb such as togas and loincloths. They also dress themselves in rare and valuable jewellery to make themselves seem even more overpowering and beautiful.

Publication history

Dungeons & Dragons (1974-1976)

The titan was introduced in the earliest edition of the game, appearing in the Dungeons & Dragons "white box" set (1974),[1] the Greyhawk supplement (1975),[2] and the Eldritch Wizardry supplement.[3]

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)

The titan appeared in the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in the original Monster Manual (1977).[4] The sea titan appeared in Dragon #116 (December 1986).

Dungeons & Dragons (1977-1999)

The titan appeared in the Dungeons & Dragons Immortal Rules (1986), and the Wrath of the Immortals set (1992).

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)

The titan appeared in the second edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in the Monstrous Compendium Outer Planes Appendix (1991),[5] and reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993) with the greater titan.[6]

Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition (2000-2007)

The titan appeared in the third edition Monster Manual (2000),[7] and in the 3.5 revised Monster Manual (2003). The elder titan appeared in the Epic Level Handbook (2002).[8] The titan was further detailed in Dragon #357 (July 2007).[9]

Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-2014)

In 4th Edition of the game, Titans were changed to becoming larger, more powerful, and more ancient versions of giants empowered with a specific kind of elemental energy. Accordingly, they appear in that edition's Monster Manual as the Death Titan , Earth Titan, Fire Titan, and Storm Titan.[10] The Monster Manual II (2009) added the Eldritch Titan, Frost Titan, and Stone Titan.[11] Finally, the Monster Vault (2010) reintroduced the Earth Titan, Fire Titan, and Frost Titan.

Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition (2014-)

Titans are renamed Empyreans in the 5th Edition Monster Manual, described in terms identical to the noble entities called Titans in the earliest editions of Dungeons and Dragons.[12]

Characteristics and habits

The titans are a godlike race. They were originally created by gods in the lawful and chaotic good aligned outer planes, such as Mount Celestia and Elysium, to act as servants, consorts, advisors, representatives, and avatars. They are only one step down from the gods as rulers of the universe, and not even the greatest celestials can match their might. Titans are not omnipotent or omniscient. The gods are and always have been the true rulers of the planes and titans are beneath them. They can still, however, cause god-like things to happen, and are incredibly powerful.

Titans have strange personalities. They are wild and chaotic, and have a lot of alternate selves and aspects. They display emotions more openly and powerfully than mortal races, and are fiery and passionate. Titans are quick to anger, but quicker to forgive, and are known to be the most lawful and devoted creatures in existence. They have enormous tempers, often getting angry with mortal followers and unleashing war, disease, and disaster upon them, but they never stay angry for long and try to make amends. Titans are also vain, and some titans establish themselves as gods and live the luxury of mortal worship and admiration for centuries. Titans develop and lose obsessions frequently. They may discover something which interests them, and focus on it for weeks at a time, only to lose interest and move onto something else. They may also get into arguments and debates with other Titans and celestial beings, and quarrel for weeks, only to forget and forgive.

Titan culture is similar to that of their god masters. They wear similar clothing, have similar personalities, eat similar food, play similar music, etc. So close are they, in fact, to the gods, that when gods are off on whatever errand, they will leave a titan to watch in their place, who in turn will be almost exactly the same in power and personality to that god.

Titans also seem to have a kinship with giants, storm giants and cloud giants in particular. Storm giants, who are the closest to titans ecologically, are often accepted by titans as peers and consorts, and in a group of titans, there is a 35% chance of there being a storm giant accompanying them. They can speak each of the six main dialects of giant.

Titans are devastating in combat. They can conjure up volcanoes, locusts, lightning storms, and the like at the snap of a finger, and can focus them to be apocalyptic. Though a bare-handed punch is enough to cause a mortal to explode, they prefer to fight with enormous warhammers of adamantine. An impact from one of these weapons can cause an earthquake, and the strikes are nearly unstoppable. Virtuous defenders of gods, good, and the planes, Titans seek out those who would disrupt them wherever they are, and can eliminate them at a whim. They would never break an oath or a vow, and are strongly lawful. Titans both regenerate and are ageless. They cannot be harmed by mortal weapons, and only magic can damage them.

Types of Titan

Because titans are so diverse and chaotic, many individuals have special powers that others do not have. Such examples of this uniqueness exist in the form of:

Algorn, a titan that has influence over the seas, has the ability to create water whenever he chooses to. This water can be vast as he desires, up to the volume of a medium-sized lake. Algorn can simply cause the water to flow, he can cause it to jet out from his hands (washing away everything in its path away), or he can even cause the water to be frozen.

Mane, a titan with dominion over felines, has the ability to change into a giant form of any cat. When he transforms, he is instantly cured of all wounds, poisons, and diseases. Mane may change into a cat and back again five times per day.

Porphyl is a titan with the power of growth. He may cause any immature life to grow to maturity. Thus, he can cause crops to grow, he can make a boy grow to manhood, etc. Porphyl is very wise and would never abuse his ability.

Malephus, a titan with influence over law and justice can unerringly detect any spoken lie and any bad intention. He is often used by many greater powers in trials of justice. Malephus is totally honest; he is incapable of lies or deception.

Syllia, a titan with power over love, can remove any negative feelings from any being (except deities and powers). She has the ability to remove hatred, unhappiness, depression, etc. Syllia cannot remove the feeling permanently, but for at least a day or so. The deities of the upper planes often employ her power when trying to stop wars.

Girzon, a titan with dominion over death, can take the life from any living being. Girzon has only used this ability when commanded to by a deity. Girzon's restraint and self-control is revered by other titans.

The Greater Titans: Rumors exist of a race of titans more powerful still than common titans. These greater titans are said to be very close to the gods and always accompany one (with some deities and powers being attended by more than one greater titan). Perhaps greater titans were formally common titans who have grown so great in power that the gods brought them closer to themselves. Such matters are not common knowledge.

Titans can speak Abyssal, Common, Celestial, Draconic, and Giant.

They are chaotic in alignment, either chaotic good or chaotic evil, despite distinctly lawful habits. The ones described here are good.

References

  1. ↑ Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson. Dungeons & Dragons (3-Volume Set) (TSR, 1974)
  2. ↑ Gygax, Gary and Robert Kuntz. Supplement I: Greyhawk (TSR, 1975)
  3. ↑ Gygax, Gary; Blume, Brian (1976), Eldritch Wizardry (1 ed.), Lake Geneva, WI: TSR
  4. ↑ Gygax, Gary. Monster Manual (TSR, 1977)
  5. ↑ LaFountain, J. Paul. Monstrous Compendium Outer Planes Appendix. (TSR, 1991)
  6. ↑ Stewart, Doug, ed. Monstrous Manual (TSR, 1993)
  7. ↑ Williams, Skip, Jonathan Tweet, and Monte Cook. Monster Manual. Wizards of the Coast, 2000
  8. ↑ Collins, Andy, Bruce R. Cordell, and Thomas M. Reid. Epic Level Handbook (Wizards of the Coast, 2002)
  9. ↑ Logue, Nicolas. "The Ecology of the Titan." Dragon #357 (Paizo Publishing, 2007)
  10. ↑ Mearls, Mike; Wyatt, James; Schubert, Stephen (2008). Monster Manual (4th ed.). Wizards of the Coast. pp. 120–125. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
  11. ↑ Heinsoo, Rob; Schubert, Stephen (2009). Monster Manual 2. Wizards of the Coast. pp. 120–125. ISBN 978-0-7869-5101-7.
  12. ↑ Christopher, Perkins (2014). Monster Manual (5th ed.). Wizards of the Coast. p. 130. ISBN 978-0-7869-6561-8.
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