Troll

Troll

Species	humanoid
No. Appearing	1–3
Behaviour	solitary
Range	alpine, barrens, steppe, woodland
Size	8½ ft. tall
Weight	350-400 lbs.
Intelligence	5 to 6
Armour Class	4
Hit Dice	6+6
Action Points	5
Max. Stride	11
THAC0	17
Hp/Die	2d4
Attack Forms	3: two claws; fangs
Damage	5–8/5–8 & 2–12 (or by weapon type)
Special Attacks	club, infravision, regeneration, strength

Trolls are a species of mutant humanoid with origins that remain unknown, a mystery that has confounded scholars for millennia. While often mistaken for giants, ogres, or corrupted demi-beings, trolls bear no biological link to any of these groups. Their grotesque physiology and unnatural resilience set them apart, making them one of the most enigmatic creatures in existence.

The greatest challenge to understanding trolls lies in their extraordinary regenerative properties, which make post-mortem examinations nearly impossible. A severed limb will often continue to function independently, and even a seemingly destroyed troll may reconstitute itself unless extreme measures are taken. Because of this, scholars attempting to study trolls must rely on arcane containment methods, magical stasis, and specially designed tools that can suppress the creature’s unnatural vitality. These difficulties have significantly hindered scientific inquiry, leaving many unanswered questions about the species’ evolution, life cycle, and possible origins.

Origin

Legends and folklore abound with conflicting theories, some claiming that trolls are the remnants of ancient experiments, others that they are the descendants of a forgotten primordial race. However, without definitive evidence, such claims remain speculative, adding to the deep and enduring mystery that surrounds these creatures. It has been posited that these creatures are hylomorphic in construction, composed of both human-like material and wooden matter. This theory suggests that the presence of trolls in virtually every part of the old world confirms that their origin most likely dates back to the Hyborian Age, predating the last ice age, a period beginning roughly 30,000 years ago.

The troll’s physical properties are thought to be related to some unnatural magical precipitate within its fibrous tissue, granting it its regenerative capabilities and extraordinary resilience. It is believed that trolls live for as long as six to seven thousand years, though no evidence has confirmed whether they eventually die of old age. It's not known whether trolls breed, as no juvenile trolls or reproductive behaviors have ever been documented. Some have suggested that trolls do not reproduce in any conventional biological sense, but instead occur through abiogenesis, arising spontaneously from lifeless matter under unknown conditions.

Nature

The myth that trolls "turn to stone" when exposed to sunlight appears to have originated as a metaphor rather than a literal truth. This belief likely arose during the last century's large-scale efforts to eradicate trolls from civilized Europe. The phrase refers to the troll’s instinctive reaction to danger—when caught outside during daylight, they become motionless and rooted to their surroundings, blending into the environment like petrified wood. This strategy allowed them to avoid detection by patrols. However, there is ample evidence that trolls remain active during the day, capable of destruction and violence, making travel in troll-controlled lands dangerous at all hours.

Despite their towering size, trolls are emaciated creatures, with little flesh covering their branch-like bones. They are far less robust than humans, their wiry forms built for speed and agility rather than brute strength. There exist numerous species and variations of trolls, each adapted to different environments. They stand on the balls of their feet, moving with a lithe, quick gait, striking with unnatural speed when attacking.

A troll’s hide resembles gnarled, living wood, its surface rough, tough, and knotted with brown and black growths. Some trolls have patches of living green moss clinging to their bodies, while others exhibit a discernible grain pattern in their hardened flesh. An oily secretion seeps from knobs on their upper chest and throat, giving them a foul, resinous odor. Their hair is composed of thin, vine-like tendrils, draping down from their scalp in tangled strands. As trolls age beyond four or five centuries, this growth fades to a silvery-grey, further blending them into the landscapes they haunt.

File:Troll image.jpg

315px

Minor Advantages

Trolls have infravision and are often heard moving about at night. Their brawn is formidable, for they possess a strength of 18/60, with bonuses of +2/+3 to hit and damage. Trolls have been known to use clubs, causing 2-7 damage, or 5-10 with strength bonus, in place of a claw attack. If so, they will still have three attacks per round (claw, weapon & bite).

Regeneration

Most dangerous, however, is the creature's ability to regenerate. This restores 3 hit points that the creature has lost, per round. requiring no effort or rest. To render a troll unresistant, the creature must be reduced to less than -4 hit points. Even then, the troll is not "dead." It will revive once regeneration restores it to -3 hit points or more. By hacking at the creature, it's nominal hit points can be reduced to no less than -10 points with weapons; whereupon it will regain consciousness in but three rounds. Still, this gives time to strike the troll with flasks of oil or reduce it with acid, either of which will reduce the troll's hit points to as much as -100. Even then, slowly, the creature's regeneration will eventually restore it to life.

The only sure way to permanently kill a troll is to immerse it in acid, or to place it within a sustained fire that will burn continuously for at least one hour. It is recommended that this be a large bonfire; some have said that an arm or leg, untouched by the flame, can come alive spontaneously and attack. Once an hour has passed, if the troll is not eaten entirely away or reduced completely to ash (a 10% chance), the fire must be rebuilt and sustained for another 20-30 minutes, until it is finally safe. A troll burns like a dense, damp wood, producing much smoke.

If a troll is attacked with an axe, any wound that is caused will cleave a limb from the body. The wound will quickly seal up, causing no damage, while the limb will seek to escape, where it will eventually grow into a full-fledged troll. This limb can move fairly fast, 3 hexes per round. It must be caught, contained and then disposed of, as described above. Using a sword of sharpness or vorpal blade will produce similar results.

For reasons that are unclear, multiple trolls will not arise from the body parts of one troll. Rather, the essence of the original troll seems able to transfer from part to part. If one part escapes, the troll's soul will find it; but it will not abandon it's main body until there is no chance this body will survive. The soul is alive within the troll, until every part of the troll is destroyed. There are some who argue that even then, the soul will "find a way." Perhaps, they say, this is how abiogenesis in some random part of the world occurs.

See Bestiary