A Troll is a creature that can be encountered in the Spelljammer campaign setting.[1]
Overview[]
Trolls are vicious predators found in all climes, from arctic wastelands to tropical jungles. Most creatures avoid them if possible, since they are fearless and attack ceaselessly when hungry.[2]
Description[]
Trolls appear thin and frail, but are surprising strong. Their arms and legs are long and ungainly, with great three-toed feet and wide, powerful hands with sharp claws. A troll's rubbery hide can range in color from moss green, to mottled green and gray, to putrid gray. They have a writhing hairlike mass growing out of their skulls, which is usually greenish black or iron gray in color, and their sunken eyes are dull and black. Females are easily distinguished from males as they are both larger and more powerful.
Trolls are bipedal but walk hunched forward with sagging shoulders. A trolls' gait is uneven and, when running their arms dangle low enough to drag along the ground. For all their apparent awkwardness, trolls are very agile and are masterful climbers, scaling even the sheerist cliffs with ease. Trolls have poor hearing, but their sense of smell is superior and they can see in the dark up to 90-feet.
Trolls speak a hybrid tongue known as "trollspeak", which is guttural mishmash of common, giant, goblin, orc, and hobgoblin. Trollspeak is highly mutable and trolls from one area find it difficult to communicate with trolls from another.[2]
Behavior[]
Trolls prey on all but the most powerful of creatures. They respect and fear dragons, but they hate giants of good alignment and wage war on them frequently. Trolls combine a ravenous appetite with limited intelligence, so they are frequently distracted and break off pursuit half of the time to pick up food dropped by fleeing prey.[2]
Combat[]
Trolls attack prey using their clawed hands and their teeth, and are quite capable of fighting multiple opponents. Trolls rarely wield a weapon, but when they do such attacks can be devastating. Trolls heal at an amazing rate and begin regenerating any injuries within 3 minutes of being wounded. Trolls that appear to have been fatally wounded will collapse, but have in fact only been incapacitated, rather than slain. Incapacitated trolls will continue to regenerate until they have recovered from their injuries somewhat and will then rise from the ground and continue fighting.
A trolls limbs are so thin that an opponent wielding n edged weapon is quite capable of severing an arm or a leg on a critical hit. However, any limbs that have been severed will continue to fight on (hands squeeze, heads bite if stepped on, etc.). Severed limbs will continue fighting independently until the end of the battle, when they will then be reattached to their original bodies. Limbs that are not reattached within 24 hours expire, but this is of little consequence since trolls can regenerate lost body parts (including their heads) within 7 days. If a troll is dismembered and the pieces scattered, the largest surviving piece will regenerate, forming a new body. The other pieces will expire within 24 hours if they cannot rejoin the regenerating piece. Only fire- and acid-based attacks can cause permanent damage to a troll, nullifying its regenerative ability. A troll that has been fatally wounded and then immersed in acid or burned with fire will be killed.
Trolls have no fear of death, and launch themselves into combat, flailing wildly at their opponents and biting whoever comes closest. They occasionally throw stones before closing with their victims, with a maximum range of 20 yards and weighing in the region of 10 to 20 pounds. If confronted by a large fire - whether it be natural or magical - trolls will always try to find some way around the flames.[2]
Society[]
Trolls can survive in all climes, but prefer dense forests and subterranean locales, since bright sunlight hurts their eyes. They usually make their lairs in caves, using great boulders to block the entrances. Inside a troll cave are a number of rough nests made of straw and grass, plus the detritus and debris of past meals. If there are no natural caves in a particular area, trolls will dig themselves a trollhole and cover its opening with twigs and leaves. Trollholes are usually built near trees and are almost completely undetectable. Anyone who steps on a trollhole is quite likely to fall through the leafy door and tumble into the den below.
Trolls live in small packs of up to 12 adults led by a dominant female who acts as pack shaman as well as chieftain. Leadership is determined through personal by combat, so fights for control of the pack are quite frequent. Trolls will often rend each other limb from limb, but these battles are never fatal. Still, it is customary for the winner to toss the loser's head a great distance from the lair, forcing the loser to sit and stew for a week until they grow a new head.
The pack chieftain's duties are few. She leads the pack on nightly forays, loping along and sniffing the air for prey. If prey scent is found, the trolls race off in pursuit, competing to see who will get their first, and letting out a great cry once prey is spotted. As pack leader, the shaman has first choice of mates in the pack. Females give birth to a single pup every five years.
Trolls have ravenous appetites, devouring everything from simple grubs to bears and humans. Their lairs are often situated close to human settlements or along well traveled roads, but not too near, for even trolls have grown to respect organized resistance by fire-bearing humans. Wandering trolls, in search of a new lair, travel by night and sleep by day. Ravenous from walking, these packs will, on occasion, attack and devour entire humanoid villages.[2]
Types of trolls[]
Giant troll[]
Giant Trolls are hideous hill giant/troll crossbreeds who resemble normal trolls, except for their unnatural size. Giant trolls are 10-feet tall, with reddish-brown skin and red-rimmed eyes. Despite their pot-bellied appearance, they are immensely strong and can inflict enormous damage when using their weapon of choice - a large spiked club made from a tree trunk or a house timber. In those rare instances when a giant troll doesn't have a weapon it can use its claws; however, unlike normal trolls, giant trolls never attempt to bite an opponent. This is due to the fact that they are much taller than their favourite meals (humanoids, of course), and they find it difficult to bend forward. Then too, the head of a giant troll is almost identical to that of a hill giant, meaning that they lack the razor sharp teeth possessed by normal trolls.
When facing numerous gnome- or human-sized opponents, giant trolls will often grab and hurl the heartier warriors into nearby trees, giving them more time to deal with the softer, squishier enemies. Instead of using their claws, weaponless giant trolls are more likely to grab a human-sized opponent and wield the struggling victim like a club, beating their comrades with their bloodied body. Note that giant trolls, like their hill giant cousins, can catch missiles a quarter of the time and can hurl boulders at their opponents.
Giant trolls can regenerate damage, but at a slower rate than a normal troll, and are unable to reattach severed limbs. To kill a giant troll, the fatal blow must be inflicted using fire - if this condition is not met, the giant troll is merely incapacitated and will slowly regenerate until it has recovered from its injuries enough to return to the fight.
Giant trolls are found in nearly every clime, and are often on good terms with local hill giant tribes. Some giant trolls may even serve as elite bodyguards for the hill giant chieftain.[3]
Freshwater troll[]
Aquatic trolls, also known as scrags or river trolls, are the most loathsome of all the trolls. River trolls, as their name implies, travel the waterways in search of victims. Their arms are thin and frail but their mouths are wide and lined with dozens of needle-sharp fangs. They are 8-feet tall and range in color from blue-green to olive. Scrags closely resemble normal trolls, but can only regenerate when immersed in fresh water. Scrags can survive out of water for up to an hour and often come ashore in search of prey. River trolls devour anything they catch, but prefer humanoids and have a fondness for dwarves.
Scrags are devious hunters and often carry a few baubles with them. They place gems near the water's edge and wait for someone to spot them and reach down. Other strategies include burying themselves in mud in shallow water, and waiting to be stepped on, or tangling the rudders of small boats. River trolls occasionally lair beneath a bridge or near a ferry, and will demand a toll in exchange for passage. Livestock and children frequently disappear when river trolls are near.[4]
Saltwater troll[]
Marine scrags, like their freshwater cousins, resemble normal trolls, except they can only regenerate when immersed in saltwater. They can also survive out of water for up to an hour. Saltwater trolls are 10-feet tall and pot bellied, and have thick, green, heavily-scaled skin and limp sea-weed colored hair that hangs to their shoulders. Scrags have wide, webbed feet to aid them in swimming, though their limbs are generally shorter and weaker than those of ordinary trolls. Their moths are larger than normal trolls and are filled with hundreds of needle-sharp teeth.
Marine scrags can subsist on fish and shellfish, but crave human flesh. They establish their lairs in shallow ocean caves or beneath city docks, and emerge at night to hunt, climbing over ship railings in search of sailors or slinking along the piers hunting for a strolling couple or a lone drunk.[4]
Desert troll[]
Desert trolls are usually a tan color, but can alter their coloration from bleached tan to mottled rock brown in an effort to blend in with their environment. Their keen senses and animal cunning means they are difficult to surprise. Desert trolls are immune to normal fire, heat, and cold. However, they cannot regenerate damage caused by acid-based attacks or magical fire, including fire-based breath weapons. In addition, normal water splashed on a desert troll causes damage similar to acid, and cannot be regenerated. Purified water (including holy water) causes aggravated damage, while a potion of sweet water can kill a desert troll outright.
Desert trolls are tougher and more tenacious than ordinary trolls, though they are also more solitary. They skulk at the edges of settled areas, waylaying travelers and polluting sources of pure water.[4]
Ice troll[]
Ice trolls, or arctic trolls,[5] are smaller and relatively more intelligent than normal trolls. Ice trolls closely resemble their more common cousins, but have semi-transparent, ice-cold skin. They are cunning, evil creatures who are infamous for keeping humans and other humanoids as livestock. Because ice trolls need water to regenerate, they never leave their frozen lakes and rivers, and instead create elaborate traps to lure their prey to them.
Ice trolls are organized and intelligent enough to compensate for their own weaknesses. They rarely start a fight if they are at a disadvantage, and unlike their larger and less intelligent cousins, do not wade into combat blindly. Instead, they try to pick off weaker opponents one by one, hoping to bring back live prey. Ice trolls do not regenerate as fast as normal trolls, and must be immersed in water to be able to regenerate at all, and often take advantage of any nearby shallow pools of water.
Because of their thin, brittle nature, an ice trolls limb's can be severed using an edged weapon on a critical hit. Severed limbs will continue to regenerate as long as they are immersed in water. If a severed limb is not in contact with water, it will move up to 30 feet in search of water, always moving toward it if it is in range.
Fire- and acid-based attacks negate an ice troll's regenerative ability, and due to their physiology, ice troll's are particularly vulnerable to fire-based attacks. Ice trolls are unaffected by cold or cold-based spells, and can only be injured by magical weapons or missiles.
Ice trolls live in packs of up to 12 in arctic and sub-arctic regions, near open water. Because they are smaller and less resilient than their larger cousins, they have been forced to learn to cooperate to survive. Each group has a leader, usually the most intelligent individual, who is responsible for keeping the group safe and well-fed.
Ice trolls live near settled regions, hoping to waylay and capture humans or other humanoids. Ice trolls will frequently set traps baited with items salvaged from previous victims. Settlements also provide more common livestock, which, although less preferable than human flesh, is considered edible in times of need. Ice trolls will usually have up to 20 captive humanoids, which are kept well-fed on grains and vegetables, so that the ice trolls need never go too long without food.[6]
Uses[]
A troll's green blood is used to manufacture both poison antidotes and healing potions. The blood from one troll can make up to three such potions, and is worth 400 gp.[2]
Appendix[]
External Links[]
- Troll article at the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.
- Troll article at the Chronicles of Astinus, a wiki for the Dragonlance campaign setting.
- Troll article at the Eberron Wiki, a wiki for the Eberron campaign setting.
- Troll article at Greyhawkonline.com, a wiki for the Greyhawk campaign setting.
- Troll article at the Dungeons and Dragons Lore Wiki, a wiki for official Dungeons & Dragons content from every edition.
- Troll article at the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition Wiki, a wiki for official Dungeons & Dragons content from 2nd edition AD&D.
References[]
- ↑ Tim Beach et al, Monstrous Manual, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Troll entry, pages 349-351
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Tim Beach et al, Monstrous Manual, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Troll entry, page 349
- ↑ Tim Beach et al, Monstrous Manual, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Troll entry, pages 350-351
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Tim Beach et al, Monstrous Manual, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Troll entry, page 350
- ↑ J. Paul LaFountain, SJA3 Crystal Spheres, 1990, (TSR Inc.), chapter 5, page 31
- ↑ Tim Beach et al, Monstrous Manual, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Troll entry, page 351