Ettin 5e: Stats, Two Heads and the Axe-and-Morningstar Combo

An ettin is a CR 4 Large two-headed giant with AC 12, 85 hit points, and a Multiattack of one battleaxe and one morningstar at +7, each hitting for 14. Its two heads make it hard to sneak up on and hard to shut down: in 2014 it rolls with advantage on Perception and on saves against blindness, charm, deafness, fear, stunning and being knocked unconscious, and one head is always awake. The 2024 ettin goes further and is immune to all six of those conditions, and its weapons gain riders: the battleaxe knocks targets prone and the morningstar gives them disadvantage on their next attack.

Table of Contents

• •Ettin Stat Block (2014)
• •The Ettin in the 2024 Rules
• •How Ettins Fight
• •Running an Ettin Encounter
• •How Players Beat an Ettin
• •Ettin Encounter Ideas
• •Frequently Asked Questions

Ettin Stat Block (2014)

This is the ettin from SRD 5.1, matching the 2014 Monster Manual.

The 2014 ettin is two traits on top of a simple brute:

• •Two Heads. Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks and on saving throws against being blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, stunned and knocked unconscious.
• •Wakeful. When one head is asleep, the other is awake.

AC 12 is low for CR 4, so most attacks in the party hit it. The ettin pays for that with 85 hit points and 28 damage a round if both weapons land.

One rules wrinkle: the stat block prints passive Perception 14. The SRD 5.1 rule for passive checks adds 5 when the creature has advantage on the check, and Two Heads gives advantage on Perception checks, so a strict reading puts the ettin's passive Perception at 19. Using 19 is a DM option, not the printed number. Decide which you use before the rogue tries to sneak past it.

The Ettin in the 2024 Rules

The 2024 ettin (SRD 5.2.1) keeps its AC, hit points, attack bonus, damage and CR. It drops both traits and replaces them with immunities and weapon riders.

The changes that matter:

• •Advantage became immunity. A 2014 ettin hit by a charm or fear effect still rolls the save, with advantage, and can fail. A 2024 ettin doesn't roll: those conditions simply don't apply. The 2024 Sleep spell can still incapacitate it for a turn, but its second step (Unconscious) does nothing. The frightened and stunned conditions are off the table.
• •Its attacks now control the fight. Every battleaxe hit knocks a Large or smaller target prone, with no save. Every morningstar hit makes the target's next attack roll worse.
• •It lost the Perception advantage. The 2024 ettin is easier to sneak past. It has Perception +4 and nothing else.

How Ettins Fight

Axe first, then morningstar (2024). The order of the two attacks matters. If the battleaxe hits, the target is prone, and the morningstar attack that follows (from 5 feet) has advantage. Against AC 16, +7 hits on a 9 or higher (60%), and with advantage about 84% of the time.

A target hit by both weapons spends half its movement standing up and then attacks with disadvantage. Against the ettin's own AC 12 that costs less than it sounds: a +7 attack drops from an 80% hit chance to 64%. The rider hurts more when it lands on someone about to attack a better-armored ally of the ettin.

Split its attacks when two enemies are adjacent. The two attacks can go to different targets. Axe the archer who stepped in close to knock them prone; morningstar the fighter to blunt their next swing.

It doesn't need tactics to be a threat. Intelligence 6, speed 40 feet, no ranged attack. An ettin charges whoever is closest or whoever hurt it last. It is a good monster for a DM who wants a straightforward brawl while running more complex creatures alongside it.

Use Wakeful in the story (2014). An ettin can't be caught entirely asleep. If the party plans to sneak into a cave while it rests, one head is watching, and with advantage on Perception it's very likely to notice.

Running an Ettin Encounter

An ettin is 1,100 XP.

The 2014 Dungeon Master's Guide guidelines (used by our encounter calculator) put one ettin at Hard for four level 3 characters and Medium for four level 4 characters. Two ettins against a level 5 party come to 3,300 adjusted XP with the ×1.5 multiplier, which is Hard.

Ettins work well as the muscle of a mixed group. The 2014 ettin speaks Orc as well as Giant, so an ettin with an orc war band makes sense. As a solo boss at level 3, its 85 hit points against low AC make for a long, swingy brawl. Make sure the party has a way to retreat.

How Players Beat an Ettin

• •Hit it, a lot. AC 12 means a +5 attack hits 70% of the time. The ettin has no resistances and no reaction. Damage is the plan.
• •Use Dexterity saves. It has no save proficiencies. Intelligence (−2) is its lowest save, but few spells target it; Dexterity (−1) is the useful one. Fireball, Faerie Fire and other Dexterity-save effects land most of the time.
• •Don't waste control spells on the 2024 ettin. It's immune to being charmed, frightened, stunned and knocked unconscious. Hold Person doesn't work in either edition, because it's a Giant, not a Humanoid. Effects that restrain, slow or knock prone still work.
• •Keep your distance. It has no ranged attack, only a 40-foot speed and 5-foot reach. Archers and casters who stay behind a front-liner and keep moving give it nothing to hit but the front-liner.

Ettin Encounter Ideas

The bridge with two answers. An ettin guards a toll bridge for a bandit lord. Ask it a question and you get two answers, one from each head, and they don't agree. Clever players can play the heads against each other. (The disagreeing heads are a roleplaying idea, not a rule.)

The night watch. A goblin war camp sleeps easy because an ettin stands watch, and in the 2014 rules one head is always awake. The party has to find another way in: a distraction, a disguise, or a fight they choose the timing of.

The quarry slave. Orc slavers have chained an ettin to work a quarry. It hates the orcs. Free it, and the party gains a dangerous, short-tempered ally for one fight. Leave it chained, and the orcs will turn it loose on intruders.

Frequently Asked Questions

What CR is an ettin in 5e?

An ettin is CR 4 (1,100 XP) in both editions. It has AC 12, 85 hit points and a speed of 40 feet.

What does Two Heads do in 5e?

In 2014, Two Heads gives the ettin advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks and on saving throws against being blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, stunned and knocked unconscious. The 2024 ettin doesn't have this trait; it's immune to those conditions instead.

What does Wakeful mean for an ettin?

In 2014, when one of the ettin's heads is asleep, the other is awake, so it can't be caught fully asleep. The 2024 ettin has no Wakeful trait but is immune to the Unconscious condition.

How much damage does an ettin do?

It makes two attacks a turn, a battleaxe and a morningstar, each at +7 to hit for 14 damage. That's 28 if both hit. In 2024 the battleaxe also knocks Large or smaller targets prone, and the morningstar gives the target disadvantage on its next attack roll.

Is an ettin a giant?

Yes. It's a Large Giant in both the 2014 and 2024 rules, so Humanoid-only spells like Hold Person and Charm Person don't affect it.

Stat blocks: System Reference Document 5.1 (2014) and 5.2.1 (2024), Wizards of the Coast, CC-BY-4.0. Tactics, encounter math and ideas are Loreify's own.