Dungeons & Dragons/Monsters/Giff

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game's Spelljammer setting, the giff is a humanoid. A giff is a cross between a human and a hippopotamus in appearance.

Publication history
The giff has appeared in the following publications:
 * It was introduced in the second edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.
 * It first appeared for the Spelljammer campaign setting in the Spelljammer: AD&D Adventures in Space campaign setting box, in the Lorebook of the Void booklet (1989).
 * It is detailed as a playable character race in the supplement Complete Spacefarer's Handbook (1992).
 * In an adventure in Dungeon #34 (March 1992).
 * In the Monstrous Manual (1993). The giff is presented as a playable character race in Player's Option: Skills & Powers (1995).
 * The giff appears as a playable character race for the Spelljammer setting in Dragon #339 (January 2006).

Fictional creature description
A giff is usually lawful neutral in alignment. They are a disciplined, militaristic race who live as mercenaries in the strange culture of those who travel between stars and planets. They adore war and battle, and are particularly fascinated with firearms of all types - even in situations where such weapons can be potentially lethal to their users.

They are generally inferior to other races in intelligence, but are far stronger and more resilient. The only factors reducing their power to terrify others are their names (Algernon Kilburne and Ophelia Hadley being typical) and their dress sense, which tends towards extreme ornamentation; giff have been known to cover their armor in campaign ribbons, for example.