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64-640: For the Dungeons and Dragons location, see Shaar (Dungeons & Dragons) . Shaar (also written Al Shaar ) is a surname. People with the surname include: Bassel Al Shaar (born 1982), Syrian football player Edwin W. Shaar (1915–2001), American writer and graphic artist Hisham Al Shaar (born 1958), Syrian politician Mohammad al-Shaar (born 1950), Syrian military officer and politician Mohammad Nidal al-Shaar (born 1956), Syrian politician and economist [REDACTED] Surname list This page lists people with

128-430: A 2016 review of Volo's Guide to Monsters . In 2021, Comic Book Resources counted the firbolg as one of the "7 Underused Monster Races in Dungeons & Dragons", stating that "Firbolgs are a blend of strength and magic, making them useful for classes that blend the two. Firbolgs work well as Clerics and Druids, but they can also make for a good Ranger. Your harmony with nature will leave you definitely wanting to have

192-449: A lightning-edged greatsword when the battle gets up close and personal". The elder titans, who "stand above giants and possess even more power in terms of their physical and magical capabilities", was ranked among the strongest creatures in the game by Scott Baird from Screen Rant . Bleeding Cool found the firbolg one "of the more distinctive race options in the D&;D multiverse" in

256-827: A mystical field called the Weave , the source of magical energies on Toril . Faerûn has a pantheon of deities that are worshipped by the followers of this region. These are comparable to mythological deities of the ancient Greek pantheon and cover a range of ethical beliefs and portfolios of interests. Faerûn is home to many non-human creatures of varying degrees of civilization or barbarism. Among these are several different races of dwarves , gnomes , halflings and elves , as well as goblins , orcs , lizardmen , ogres , various giants , and even dragons . There are several organized alliances in Faerûn, with each pursuing their particular agenda. A few are dedicated to decent and honest causes, such as

320-487: A nature focus, but you'll also stand out in a crowd. As a naturally shy race, be sure to consider that when playing your character. Typically speaking, Firbolgs aren't aggressive." Role-playing game author Graeme Davis considered Dungeons & Dragons a major factor in current perceptions that "giants and trolls are regarded as very different creatures", while the names were used interchangeably in Norse mythology. Giants

384-435: A self-involved social focus and are usually presented as the "bad guys" in the game. They "often create their own societies away from the other races". All giants have low-light vision. As a group, they have no other special abilities or immunities. Dwarves have a bonus to their armor class against attacks from creatures of the giant type, due to their experience with fighting these oversized foes. Giants are based both on

448-575: A type of creature. Giants appearing in this book include the cloud giant, the fire giant, the frost giant, the hill giant, the stone giant, and the storm giant. The fog giant and the phaerlin giant appear in the Monstrous Compendium: Monsters of Faerûn (2001) for the Forgotten Realms setting. The forest giant, the ocean giant, and the sun giant appear in this edition's Monster Manual II (2002). The Jotunheim frost giant and

512-471: A vast region of steppe that separates it from Kara-Tur . In the north are massive glaciers, named Pelvuria and Reghed, and a region of tundra . South of the continent, separated by the Great Sea, is a sub-tropical land called Zakhara. To the northwest, Faerûn is a region of wilderness, difficult winter weather, hordes of orcs, and barbarous human tribes. This region is generally referred to as "The North". It

576-467: A wide variety of locations, each with its own hazards and potential rewards for the participants. Likewise, the region that the players explore can determine what types of monsters they will face, which famous individuals they will encounter, and what types of missions they assume. Besides the exterior coastline to the west and south, the most dominant feature on the continent is the Sea of Fallen Stars. This

640-755: Is a mostly-untamed region that lies between the large Anauroch desert in the east and the expansive Sea of Swords to the west with a mountain range at the far north called the Spine of the World. This area contains huge wooded regions such as the High Forest and the Lurkwood , the frozen Icewind Dale to the north, and an untamed region called the Savage Frontier, which includes the Silver Marches (Luruar). The coastal region

704-400: Is an eclectic land, rich in history, that has witnessed the rise and fall of kingdoms, forever bearing the scars of centuries of war." A major difference between the setting and Earth is the presence of magic . The system of magic is subdivided into divine and arcane categories, with the former empowered by a Faerûnian deity , and the latter by rituals or innate abilities which manipulate

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768-508: Is an irregular inland sea that keeps the neighboring lands fertile and serves as a major trade route for the bordering nations. Next in significance is the Shaar, a broad region of grasslands in the south that, together with a large body of water called the Lake of Steam, separates the area around the inland sea from the coastal nations at the southern edge of the continent. To the east, Faerûn is bordered by

832-566: Is called the Sword Coast, "a haven for adventurers". Here lie the "iconic locastions" of the city-state of Neverwinter and the large port city of Waterdeep. Undermountain is a vast dungeon crawl under the area of Waterdeep, rated among the "deadliest" and most iconic in the game. The Ten Towns are located within Icewind Dale with the Sea of Moving Ice at the northernmost place in known Faerûn. In

896-435: Is different from Wikidata All set index articles Shaar (Dungeons %26 Dragons) Economically and technologically, Faerûn is comparable to Western Europe during the late Middle Ages , giving most new players using this campaign setting an intuitive grasp of the way the society functions. Gunpowder, known here as the magical substance smoke powder and different in its composition from historical gunpowder,

960-554: Is presented as a playable character class in The Sea People (1990). Giants also appear in the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991), including the hill giant, the stone giant, the frost giant, the fire giant, the cloud giant, the storm giant, the mountain giant, and the sea giant. The cloud giant, fire giant, frost giant, hill giant, stone giant, and storm giant also appear in the Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1991), and

1024-527: Is starting to make an appearance, but much of the armament is still dominated by pre-gunpowder weaponry such as swords, spears, and bows. Most of the population of Faerûn consists of farmers, who are organized somewhat loosely in a semi- feudal system . There are also several notable cities and trade between nations is common, as in the Renaissance era. Likewise, there are regions where more barbaric tribes and customs persist. Home to many different cultures, "[i]t

1088-613: The Arabian Nights setting Al-Qadim , are also on this continent. Maztica , home of a tribal, Aztec -like civilization is far to the west, across an Atlantic-like ocean called the Trackless Sea. The subterranean regions underneath Faerûn are called the Underdark . Faerûn includes terrain that is as varied as that of Europe , western Asia , and much of Africa is on our planet Earth . Role-playing campaigns in Faerûn can be set in

1152-608: The Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1994). Giants appear throughout the 2nd edition Monstrous Compendium series. Giants appear first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989), including the cloud giant, the fire giant, the frost giant, the hill giant, the stone giant, and the storm giant. Giant-kin appear in the Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (1989), including the cyclops ,

1216-582: The D&;D game includes its own version of giants, in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1977), including the hill giant, the stone giant, the frost giant, the fire giant, the cloud giant, and the storm giant; these same giants also appear in the Expert Set (1981 and 1983), The mountain giant and the sea giant appear in the Dungeons & Dragons Master Rules (1985), in the Master DM's Book . The sea giant

1280-609: The Monstrous Compendium Fiend Folio Appendix (1992). The firbolg giant-kin and the voadkyn giant-kin are detailed as playable character races in The Complete Book of Humanoids (1993), Many of these giants are reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993), including the cloud giant, the cyclops, the desert giant, the ettin , the firbolg, the fire giant, the fog giant, the formorian, the frost giant,

1344-633: The firbolg , and the verbeeg appear in the first edition Monster Manual II (1983). The wood giant appears in the "Dragon's Bestiary" column in Dragon #119 (March 1987). "[R]ampaging giants" feature as the eponymous center of the trilogy of adventure modules Steading of the Hill Giant Chief , Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl , and Hall of the Fire Giant King . This edition of

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1408-426: The giants from mythology and those appearing in J.R.R. Tolkien 's work. Their stone-throwing ability indicates their creative roots in wargaming . Giants were some of the earliest creatures introduced in the D&D game, appearing in the first 1974 edition. Giants were among the first monsters introduced in the earliest edition of the game, in the Dungeons & Dragons "white box" set (1974), including

1472-499: The ogre race with Vaprak . The storm giant was ranked fourth among the ten best high-level 4th Edition monsters by the authors of Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition For Dummies . The authors described the storm giant as being "at the top of the giant world, at least as far as the Monster Manual is concerned", as they are encountered with "hurling thunderbolts from afar, using howling winds to scatter enemies, and fighting with

1536-439: The surname Shaar . If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name (s) to the link. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shaar&oldid=1245260772 " Categories : Surnames Arabic-language surnames Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description

1600-495: The "true giants" were introduced in Volo's Guide to Monsters , including cloud giant smiling ones, fire giant dreadnoughts, frost giant everlasting ones, mouths of grolantor, stone giant dreamwalkers, and storm giant quintessents. Firbolgs and goliaths were made available as player character races. The adventure Storm King's Thunder centers around giants and details their rune magic. There are six types of classic "true giant" in

1664-644: The Companions of the Hall, Cowled Wizards, Cult of the Dragon, Drow houses (like Baenre and Do'Urden), Elk Tribe, Flaming Fist, The Four (Mirt the Moneylender, Durnan, Asper and Randal Morn), Harpers, Iron Throne, The Kraken, Moonstars, Red Wizards of Thay, Seven Sisters, Shadow Thieves, and Zhentarim. Vartha Do'Urden was the previous matron mother of House Do'Urden whose unexpected death allowed her daughter Malice to take control of

1728-609: The Cthonic Apostle. The Monster Vault (2010) reprises the earth, frost, hill, and storm giants for the Essentials line. Giants, within the fifth edition of the Dungeon & Dragons Monster Manual include cloud giants, fire giants, frost giants, hill giants, stone giants, and storm giants. Each race of giants listed is no longer labeled as humanoids , as in the fourth edition, but are labeled as huge giants . Variants of each of

1792-556: The Golden (collectively called the Shining Lands ), Luiren, the land of Halflings, Ulgarth, the easternmost extent of Faerûn, and Veldorn, the land of monsters, as well as The Great Rift, a large, powerful nation of dwarves, within a titanic canyon The immense complex of caverns and passages that lie beneath many parts of the continent of Faerûn is known as the Underdark. It contains cities of

1856-569: The Great Glacier dominate the landscape in blinding white. To the south are the equatorial jungles of Chult and the tropical coasts of Halruaa. It's bordered on the west by the Trackless Sea and on the east by the Endless Wastes and the Hordelands that separate it from Kara-Tur". Kara-Tur, which was the original setting of the D&D Oriental Adventures campaign setting, and Zakhara , home to

1920-606: The Harpers, who protect the good-natured races and seek a balance between civilization and nature. The Harpers are opposed by evil organizations, including the Red Wizards of Thay and the nihilistic Cult of the Dragon . In the northern lands, the Zhentarim is an evil network seeking to dominate the region. Their efforts are being resisted by the Lords' Alliance, a council of knights that pursues

1984-561: The Muspelheim fire giant appear in Deities and Demigods (2002) for this edition. Savage Species (2003) presents the fire giant, the frost giant, and the stone giant as both races and playable classes. The bog giant and the shadow giant appear in the Fiend Folio (2003) for this edition. Giants appear in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003), including the cloud giant,

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2048-582: The Realms. The wizards rebelled from the Egyptian-based Mulhorand, while their occupied land is somewhat reminiscent of India. However the best parallel to Thay may actually be Stygia, an evil land from Robert E. Howard's Conan stories". Tharsult is an island of unscrupulous traders in the Shining Sea. To the southwest lies along the great Chultan peninsula that juts out toward the west. The waters to

2112-599: The Sea of Fallen Stars drained into the Underdark. The northern Realms were less affected by the Spellplague, but during the 100-year gap between the third and fourth editions of the setting, it was revealed that the Netherese wizards of the city of Shade had eliminated the desert of Anauroch, returning the land to its pre-Fall state. The borders of some of the kingdoms were changed to reflect this. In addition to these changes, floating islands of earth known as 'earthmotes' appeared in

2176-451: The Sea of Swords. The west includes the city of Baldur's Gate (named for the great seafaring hero Balduran), the library-fortress of Candlekeep, both considered among "D&D's most iconic locations", the nations of Amn, Tethyr, Calimshan, the region of Western Heartlands and the elven stronghold of Evereska. These regions were the setting for the Baldur's Gate series of computer games. To

2240-625: The coastline of the Moonsea with the infamous Zhentil Keep, and the bitterly cold steppes of The Ride. Along the east coast of the Dragon Reach (a northern branch of the Sea of Fallen Stars) is a temperate region called The Vast, consisting of farmlands, forests and the Earthsea mountains. This area includes the city of Ravens Bluff, which for many years was home to the RPGA 's Living City role-playing campaign and

2304-548: The core Dungeons & Dragons game: Giant-kin are large humanoids related to the 'true' giants. The mythology of the Forgotten Realms has it that the mother of all giants, Othea, cheated on her unfaithful husband, Annam, the father of giants, with Ulutiu, a minor deity associated with the Great Glacier . Othea and Ulutiu sired the four giant-kin races: Firbolgs, Verbeegs, Voadkyn , and Fomorians . Othea also conceived

2368-749: The desert Athasian giant, and the plains Athasian giant were later reprinted in the expanded and revised Dark Sun Campaign Setting (1995) The shadow giant appears in the Dark Sun Monstrous Compendium Appendix II: Terrors Beyond Tyr (1995). The crag giant first appeared in The Wanderers Chronicle: Mind Lords of the Last Sea (1996), and was reprinted in Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Four (1998). The athach and

2432-485: The elf-related drow including the infamous Menzoberranzan and the ruins of Ched Nasad, as well as Maerdrimydra, Llurth Dreir and Sshamath; cities of duergar such as Gracklstugh and Dunnspeirrin; and almost unpronounceable cities of creatures called the kuo-toa , illithids , and beholders . When the third edition of the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting was released in 2001, the designers took

2496-592: The firbolg, the fomorian, and the verbeeg. Two more giant-kin, the voadkyn and the spriggan, appear in the Monstrous Compendium Greyhawk Appendix (1990). The spacesea giant appears in the first Monstrous Compendium Spelljammer Appendix (1990). Three Zakharan giants, including the desert giant, the jungle giant, and the reef giant appear in the Monstrous Compendium Al-Qadim Appendix (1992). The fog giant appears in

2560-479: The fire giant, the frost giant and the frost giant jarl, the hill giant, the stone giant, and the storm giant. The hill giant dire wereboar appears as a sample creature under the lycanthrope entry. The death giant, the eldritch giant and eldritch giant confessor, and the sand giant and sand giant champion first appear in Monster Manual III (2004). The frost giant mauler, the frost giant spiritspeaker, and

2624-403: The fire titan), and storm giants (the storm giant and the storm titan). Giant is no longer a creature type; instead, giants belong to the humanoid type. Giants generally have the natural origin, although death giants and death titans have the shadow origin, and earth, fire and storm titans have the elemental origin. The Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition Player's Handbook 2 included

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2688-633: The frost giant tundra scout appear in Frostburn: Mastering the Perils of Ice and Snow (2004). The craa'ghoran giant appears in the Monster Manual IV (2006). Giants appear in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008), including death giants (the death giant and the death titan), earth giants (the hill giant and the earth titan), fire giants (the fire giant, the fire giant forgecaller, and

2752-686: The hephaeston appear in the Monstrous Compendium Mystara Appendix (1994). The book Giantcraft (1995) describes the giants of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting in detail. Several giants for the Dragonlance campaign setting appear in Dragon #256 (February 1999), including the cave lords, the desolation giants, and the earth giants. Giants appear in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000), where they are presented as

2816-567: The hill giant, the jungle giant, the mountain giant, the reef giant, the stone giant, the storm giant, the verbeeg, and the wood giant (voadkyn). The beasthead Athasian giant and the humanoid Athasian giant first appeared in the original Dark Sun Campaign Setting (1991). The beasthead Athasian giant, the desert Athasian giant, and the plains Athasian giant appear in the Monstrous Compendium Dark Sun Appendix: Terrors of Athas (1992). The beasthead Athasian giant,

2880-512: The hill giant, the stone giant, the frost giant, the fire giant, and the cloud giant. The storm giant first appears in the original Greyhawk supplement (1975), where it is described as an intelligent giant found only in out-of-the-way places. A number of unique giants appear in Supplement IV: Gods, Demi-gods & Heroes (1976), including Antero Vipunen, Hymer, Hyrm, Mimir, Mokkerkalfe, Sterkodder, Surtur, and Vafthrunder, as well as

2944-419: The house. The sub-continent of Faerûn is set in the northern hemisphere of the planet Toril , or, more formally, "Abeir-Toril". The continent has a "landmass of approximately nine and a half million square miles". Faerûn is the western part of an unnamed supercontinent that is quite similar to real-world Afro-Eurasia . Within the setting, "sub-arctic extremes chill its northern reaches, where ice sheets like

3008-528: The interests of the northern cities. Other organizations of Faerûn include the magical Seven Sisters, a band of assassins called the Fire Knives, a group of ruthless thieves operating out the city of Waterdeep named Xanathar's Guild, and the mysterious Shades—the returning survivors of the long-fallen Netheril empire. Faerûn is home to a large and diverse pantheon of deities, including: Numerous organizations of different types operate throughout Faerûn, including

3072-473: The mist giants of Melniboné . Giants appear in the first edition Monster Manual (1977), including the cloud giant, the fire giant, the frost giant, the hill giant, the stone giant, and the storm giant. The stone giant appeared as a character class in White Dwarf #17, by Lewis Pulsipher . The fog giant and the mountain giant are introduced in the first edition Fiend Folio (1981). The fomorian ,

3136-567: The module Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden , the titular Frostmaiden Auril makes her home on an island in this sea. Deep inland are the ancient dwarven citadels of Mithral Hall, Citadel Felbarr and the largest of the three, Citadel Adbar, which was featured in the Legacy of the Drow series of novels. This area is one of the most popular regions for role-playing campaigns set in Faerûn, and has been

3200-462: The north are named the Shining Sea, a body bounded by Calimsham to the north and joined to the Lake of Steam through the Straits of Storm. To the south of the land is the Great Sea. Located in this area are Chult, Lapaliiya, Samarach, Tashalar, and Thindol. South of the Sea of Fallen Stars is a region somewhat isolated by the Lake of Steam in the west, and the vast length of the Shaar. It is bordered along

3264-492: The opportunity to redesign the continent of Faerûn. Its size was reduced slightly to remove 'empty space' from the map and the Chultan Peninsula was moved several hundred miles north, reducing the size of the empty grassplain known as the Shaar. Additionally, the designers slightly adjusted the projection of the map to better reflect the curvature of the planet. There was no in-universe explanation given for these changes as it

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3328-496: The playable character race of the Goliaths (originally found in Races of Stone ). These stone-skinned mountain dwellers are larger than regular races, and have giant ancestry. Eldritch, frost, and stone giants appear in the Monster Manual 2 (2009). The verbeeg return in the Monster Manual 3 (2010), along with additional fire, frost and hill giants, and a "giant" keyword creature,

3392-425: The relatively peaceful Western Heartlands and the more savage North along the Sword Coast. The village of Daggerford lies along the Shining River along the Sword Coast. The sunken city of Northkeep was the first city built around the Moonsea by humans. Miyeritar and Ilythiir were ancient elven empires. The western part of Faerûn includes the nations south of Waterdeep and north of the Shining Sea , that border along

3456-428: The scenes by spiritual witches, and it is the location of the Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer computer game. The lands of Damara and Vaasa were described in a 1989 publication, FR9, The Bloodstone Lands . This area formed the setting for the " H Series " of modules that used the Battlesystem rules to resolve battles. Secomber is a small town of nearly 1,500 that acts as a de facto border town between

3520-414: The sea extends far to the west, ending close to the Western Heartlands. To the south, the Vilhon Reach forms a second arm leading to the southwest. The notable areas within this region include Chondath, Cormyr, the Dragon Coast, Hlondeth, the Pirate Isles and Prespur, Sembia (and its largest city of Selgaunt), Sespech, Turmish, and the Shining Plains. Along the eastern expanses of the Sea of Fallen Stars,

3584-412: The setting for a number of popular role-playing video games . Another city is Mirabar, the mining center for the Sword Coast. North of the Sea of Fallen Stars is a region that stretches from the wide Anauroch desert in the west to the eastern edge of the inland Moonsea , in the northern region of the continent. It is a region of contrasts, with the forested Dalelands, the desert wastes of Anauroch,

3648-405: The site of the Living City series of game modules . The Dragonspine Mountains , which house the infamous Citadel of the Raven on their western slopes, is a mountain range northwest of the Moonsea. Northeastern Faerûn is a remote area that begins in the cold, forbidding lands along the great ice sheets and continues south toward the northeastern shores of the Sea of Fallen Stars. It is bordered on

3712-432: The skies above Faerûn and the continent of Maztica across the western ocean vanished along with the Faerûnian colonies on its east coast. Giant (Dungeons %26 Dragons) In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, giants are a collection of very large humanoid creatures based on giants of legend, or in third edition, a "creature type". Giants are humanoid creatures of great strength and size with

3776-400: The south by the Great Sea; to the west by the Chultan peninsula region, and in the east by Luiren. The south includes the Border Kingdoms, Dambrath, the Great Rift, Halruaa, the Lake of Steam, and The Shaar. South and east of the grassy plains is an area known as the Shaar, along the shores of the Great Sea opposite the land of Zakhara. The region includes the lands of Durpar, Estagund and Var

3840-443: The south of Chondath and Chessenta. Thay is a magocracy ruled by the Red Wizards which was described in the 1988 publication FR6: Dreams of the Red Wizards . The nation has made multiple attempts to invade neighboring countries and following a civil war, the lich Szass Tam became Thay's leader. Shannon Appelcline, author of Designers & Dragons , highlighted that "Thay doesn't have an obvious real-world derivation like some of

3904-403: The water forms a long arm that travels to the east before turning south to become the Alamber Sea. The northern nations of this mysterious area are termed the "Unapproachable East" and the southern nations the "Old Empires" in campaign setting publications. This region includes the nations of Aglarond, Ashanath, Altumbel, Mulhorand, Murghôm, Thay and Unther. Chondalwood is a long, forested region to

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3968-404: The west by the mountain-hemmed land of Vaasa and stretches east to the vast steppes of the Hordelands, with its largest city of Winterkeep. This region also contains the lightly populated kingdom of Damara, the druidic forests of the Great Dale, the coastal kingdom of Impiltur, the fallen and once evil empire of Narfell, and the trading nation of Thesk. Mystical Rashemen is a land ruled from behind

4032-418: The west in the vast ocean called the Trackless Sea is a multitude of islands, collectively named the Nelanther Isles. Other island kingdoms include the gnomish realm of Lantan, the country of Nimbral and, further west, the Moonshae Isles. With the exception of the Shining Plains, the interior lands of Faerûn lie along the irregular coastline of the western Sea of Fallen Stars. In the north the Dragonmere arm of

4096-399: Was classified as a retcon . The fourth edition of the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting , released in 2008, saw major changes to the geography of Faerûn and the world of Abeir-Toril . Due to a magical cataclysm known as the Spellplague, the southern parts of Faerûn were devastated. Chult became an island detached from the mainland, the kingdom of Halruaa was utterly destroyed, and parts of

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