Bestiary - Mythological Ettin for Pathfinder and 5e

by Ty Hulse

Ettins are the love child of fairy tales about Norse giants and English trickster fairies, making them some of the more interesting and unique figures of fairy tales and mythology. They use silver wands, kidnap people, live in enchanted castles, and love riddles. Yet they are massive, terrifying brutes who in their most famous fairy tale use a giant ax as their weapon of choice.

Unlike the stupid brutes of the Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder,  the ettins of mythology were clever and dangerous opponents. They offer a good quest for mid level PCs to build their fame and make allies in high places, for ettins love to kidnap important people which they hold prisoner in their castles.

Ettins are a creature of Northumbrian lore (England) their name is derived for Norse Jötunn. The Jotunn existed before the world, indeed the earth is made from the body of their dead father and they in turn seem to hold a lingering hatred for the beings who dwell on his corpse. Within your case it might be that the father of the jotonn was killed in order to allow the world to be made, or to protect the world, but in either case the jotonn and their kin are often bitter against the mortal races. The ettins are also related to trickster spirits of English lore, and bare many similarities to bogles, and so are a cross between giants and fae.

As with the Jotunn from which they are descended the Ettins take a sadistic pleasure in tormenting the beings the the world that spelled the end of their own world and the life of their father. The three headed Red Ettin (from the fairy tale "The Red Ettin) http://zeluna.net/english-fairytales-redettin.html preferred to spread this suffering by kidnapping and torturing his victims. In the aforementioned fairy tale he was said to have: "stole King Malcolm's daughter... He beats her, he binds her, He lays her on a band; And every day he strikes her With a bright silver wand."

The silver wand in this story gives the ettin the power to turn people to stone, and gives the hero who takes it the power to turn the people back again. This power of petrification makes sense for the ettin, for he does not seem to revel in death like many of the giants. Instead he would rather his victims suffer for years. They do, however, have other pleasures, including riddles and would play a game of riddles with those bold enough to enter their home.

Stealthy Creatures
Being part bogle, the ettins are tricky and stealthy creatures, which is why they are able to continue to sneak through the mortal world in order to kidnap people. They take their victims back to a prison in their castles in order to torture them as a way of sating their desire to punish humanity, elves, dwarves and the other mortal races.

Organization
Ettins live as reevers in castles on the edges of the mortal world, often in fairyland or some similar supernatural world. Typically 6-24 lesser ettins live in a castle with a greater ettin.


5e Stats

Greater 3 Headed Ettin

Large Giant

Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points 161 (14d10 + 84)
Speed 40 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
23 (+6)	13 (+1)	22 (+6)	16 (3)	15 (+2)	18 (+4)

Skills Perception +4, Stealth +7
Senses darkvision 60 ft., Scent 120 ft. passive Perception 18 (Multiple heads and scent)
Languages Common, Jotunn, Giant
Challenge 11 (7,200 XP)

Wand Casting.

Ettins are related to both the jotunn and the trickster spirits of England. Because of this they can use a wand to cast a number of spells which they used to sneak through the mortal world. Their wand is useless to other characters, except to remove the ettins stone curse from the ettin's victims. 

1/Day: Alter Self, Invisibility, Major Image.  

Prison - The Ettin can build a prison under their primary home in which the targets of their flesh to stone spell remain stone until they are touched with the wand again. 

ACTIONS

Multiattack. The ettin makes three attacks with their ax.

Ax. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) slashing attack.

Flesh to Stone (Recharge 5–6). The ettin can cast flesh to stone on those they strike with their silver wand. The saving throw for this spell is successful DC 16. If the ettin picks up an opponent they've used this ability on they can choose to keep them stone until they put them down again. They use this ability to kidnap mortal prisoners. 

Lesser 2 headed ettin

Large Giant

Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 114 (12d10+48)
Speed 40 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
21 (+5)	13 (+1)	19 (+4)	12 (+1)	12 (+1)	13 (+1)

Skills Perception +2, Stealth +5
Senses darkvision 60 ft., Scent 120 ft. passive Perception 18 (Multiple heads and scent)
Languages Common, Jotunn, Giant
Challenge 7 

Wand Casting.

Ettins are related to both the jotunn and the trickster spirits of England. Because of this they can use a wand to cast a number of spells which they used to sneak through the mortal world. Their wand is useless to other characters, except to remove the ettins stone curse from the ettin's victims. 

1/Day: Alter Self, Invisibility, Major Image. 

Prison - The Ettin can build a prison under their primary home in which the targets of their flesh to stone spell remain stone until they are touched with the wand again. 

ACTIONS

Multiattack. The ettin makes three attacks with their sword.

Sword. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 4) slashing attack.