Troll (4e PC race)

[Ivan Ooze]

First and foremost, let me say that I like trolls quite a bit. Secondly, this is my first homebrew, and I'm a bit of a novice at D&D, so I'm not sure how well I've balanced this. Anyway, trolls:

Trolls-
Medium Natural Humanoid (I know, the MM trolls are large, but just go with it)
Ability Scores: +3 STR, +2 CON, -1 INT
Speed: 5 squares
Vision: low-light
Languages: Common, Giant
Skill Bonuses: +2 athletics, +2 endurance


Regeneration
Daily ∞ Standard Action ∞ Personal
Effect: Regain d10 hitpoints
Increase to 2d10 hitpoints at 5th level, 3d10 at 11th level, 2d20 at 21st level, and 3d20 at 30th level
This power may not be used if just hit with fire or acid damage, or if the troll is currently suffering from ongoing fire or acid damage.

Comments? Criticisms? Any and all would be appreciated!

[RTGoodman]

Not bad, but I think it could use several changes to make it a better all-around race.

For starters, it's a major conceit of 4E design that NO races get ability penalties. Just give 'em +2 Str, +2 Con, and be done with it as far as ability scores go. Or maybe +2 Str and +2 Wis - that makes them different from Goliaths, the other big brutish race out there.

Second, I might call them Trollkin or something like that to make them troll-like, but not necessarily full trolls. That way, you can feel free to make them as smart or as dumb as you like anyway with the pigeonholed racial stupidity thing, and you don't have to worry about them working just like NPC trolls or being the wrong size or anything.

Third, maybe change up the skill bonuses. Give 'em something interesting besides "They're tough and strong." Maybe +2 Endurance, +2 Nature or something like that. Also, the Speed 5 could probably be bumped up to 6, like everyone else normal-sized.

For the regeneration, I think you should make it an Encounter power, and maybe could change the numbers around. And actually, there's a low-level Fighter power that gives regeneration while bloodied, and you could just model it after that. You regenerate a number of HP per round for the rest of the encounter (while bloodied?), but it doesn't function the round after you're hit with a power with the Fire or Acid keyword.

Anyway, these are all just quick suggestions off the top of my head. You certainly don't have to use them, but it's what I'd do if I were designed a troll(-like) race.

[Krazddndfreek]

I completely agree with rtg0922 you should definitely consider those changes and like he said NONE of the races have penalties, only a pair of bonuses. Personally, I would change the speed back up to 6 and give it a Wisdom bonus instead of constitution like he said. Or do something else that might make them good rangers.

[Alteran]

The ability score thing has been mentioned, so I'll skip over that. Regardless, it doesn't seem like a very strong race right now. Regeneration gives you a tiny amount of HP for a standard action once per day. All racial powers so far are encounter, and I'd go with that for now. Here's an example of a power I might consider:

Regeneration - Troll Racial Power
Encounter * Healing
Minor Action - Personal
Effect: You gain regeneration 2 while bloodied until the end of the encounter.
Increase to regeneration 3 at level 11 and regeneration 5 at level 21.

That may be overpowered, I'm not sure. I'd also consider giving them one final feature, to make them a bit more interesting. This may be hard to balance with a more powerful regeneration, but I find just a power to be a little bit boring. At least regeneration will come up often.

Finally, I have a fluff complaint. Trolls are large (or bigger), brutish, and savage. They are not the adventuring type, and I'd find it hard to reconcile a troll as a PC, especially a medium-sized one. I can see this as a half-troll (even though I shudder to think of how that may come about) or something otherwise related to a troll. I'm sure there are options besides a crossbreed.

Hmm, another possibility for regeneration.

Regeneration - Troll Racial Power
Encounter * Healing
Immediate Reaction - Personal
Trigger: Use when you take damage.
Effect: You regain health equal to your healing surge value.

This is also very powerful, perhaps too much. Maybe heal 10/tier? You make the final decisions, after all.

[Ivan Ooze]

Thank you all very much for your comments. I have since made some revisions (in green):

Trolls-
Medium Natural Humanoid (I know, the MM trolls are large, but just go with it)
Ability Scores: +2 STR, +2 WIS
Speed: 5 squares
Vision: low-light
Languages: Common, Giant
Skill Bonuses: +2 nature, +2 endurance


Regeneration
Encounter ∞ Standard Action ∞ Personal
Effect: Gain regeneration 5/10/15 until the end of the encounter
This power may not be used if just hit with fire or acid damage, or if the troll is currently suffering from ongoing fire or acid damage.

With regards to Trolls not exactly being the adventuring type, I may change this to trollkin or half-troll (though half-trolls don't seem right in any sense, mainly because I can't think of any way for that to be biologically possible...), though one could argue that adventurous trolls are rare, but still existent.

[Alteran]

Well, I definitely like it better. I do like the idea of Trollkin. It explains the differences from normal Trolls (such as size and intelligence), but it doesn't involve any horrifying troll-other humanoid relationships. I do think the regeneration should only happen while bloodied, since no encounter powers last for an entire encounter. The healing may be too high as is, but it is the only real racial feature. I suppose it's fair in this case. A minor action may also make more sense.

You should define how long ago they have taken acid or fire damage for it not to work, something like this: "Special: This power may not be used if you have taken acid or fire damage on your current or previous turns. If you take acid or fire damage, you do not regenerate any health on your next turn." That may be too much of a nerf, you could reduce healing to 2/4/7 per turn after you take damage. That's just a bit more complex.