Obvious troll thread is obvious

[Waffle_Iron]

Hey all,

I'm looking to re-skin some trolls for an upcoming series of encounters, and I'm fishing for ideas on how to do so.

Perhaps a group of alchemically adventuresome gnomes have developed a Jekyll/Hyde potion that effectively grants them troll stat blocks for the duration of the potion, enlarging them and making them aggressive, while still appearing to be (large) gnomes?

Or perhaps a Lich is super-charging his minions with eldritch magics?

The characters are a party of six, levels 6-10, averaging 8.

What fun tricks have you used, or encountered, regarding trolls and their power set?

Also, this is an obligatory, polite request that you now be incensed at this thread, and all of it's trollish behavior

[Aett_Thorn]

Well, besides just reskinning, also make sure to throw some (potentially obvious) curveballs into them. So, if they are a lich's creation, maybe they aren't vulnerable to fire damage, but instead radiant. If it's a gnome's alchemy, maybe poison instead.

A Divine Troll would be interesting to see. The creation of a priest of healing gone horribly wrong, where a potion was applied that causes people to keep healing like Wolverine, but it still causes disfigurement, limbs that fall off not only heal back, but the arm regrows a whole new person as well. Basically, it was meant to help people and cause people to not die from injuries, but now these people are going mad from enduring so much pain and not being able to really die.

[Submortimer]

Alchemical expy of the FEV from Fallout.

That said, maybe try coming up with an original idea, YOU TALENTLESS HACK.

[Regitnui]

Maybe have the trolls in reverse; the players encounter a bunch of scattered body parts throughout the dungeon ignoring them but all moving in a certain direction. The heads can be muttering profanities in Giant, but they're not interested in the players and will not fight even if provoked. The players also find green lumps of flesh at certain points in the dungeon. They even get to their destination unharmed.

However, the trolls that live here have managed to literally pull themselves together by now, so the way out is blocked by hungry monsters.

[JackPhoenix]

Giant (blackscale) lizardfolk. Lizards (though not crocodiles) are already somewhat associated with regeneration, and trolls have nice animalistic attack routine with he claw and bite attacks.

[Waffle_Iron]

Well, besides just reskinning, also make sure to throw some (potentially obvious) curveballs into them. So, if they are a lich's creation, maybe they aren't vulnerable to fire damage, but instead radiant. If it's a gnome's alchemy, maybe poison instead.

A Divine Troll would be interesting to see. The creation of a priest of healing gone horribly wrong, where a potion was applied that causes people to keep healing like Wolverine, but it still causes disfigurement, limbs that fall off not only heal back, but the arm regrows a whole new person as well. Basically, it was meant to help people and cause people to not die from injuries, but now these people are going mad from enduring so much pain and not being able to really die.

I really like the divine troll idea. The encounters can happen in our primary city, and perhaps even include NPCs that the party know and like. Now the quest includes the question of whether the party is willing or able to stop the rampage while looking for a cure. A potentially dark magic, get-all-involved-in-future-badness kind of thing. Hmmm...


Alchemical expy of the FEV from Fallout.

That said, maybe try coming up with an original idea, YOU TALENTLESS HACK.

I haven't played any Fallout, care to expand on that?

Why you mad, though?


Maybe have the trolls in reverse; the players encounter a bunch of scattered body parts throughout the dungeon ignoring them but all moving in a certain direction. The heads can be muttering profanities in Giant, but they're not interested in the players and will not fight even if provoked. The players also find green lumps of flesh at certain points in the dungeon. They even get to their destination unharmed.

However, the trolls that live here have managed to literally pull themselves together by now, so the way out is blocked by hungry monsters.

I like this a bunch, but it would feel a bit to close to another adventure I ran recently. I called it "The Hangover". The adventure begins with the PCs at half HP, and a small number of low level spells already expended, they're all holding potion bottles clearly marked as "Potion of Forgetting", one is holding a silver chain leash around the neck of a mongoose, another has the entire dungeon map with some notes in their own handwriting, and they're surrounded by dead orcs and orc wizards. They're in a sparsely stocked lower level alchemy lab, and the door is barred from the inside...

[Scathain]

Alchemical expy of the FEV from Fallout.

That said, maybe try coming up with an original idea, YOU TALENTLESS HACK.

You know I was just thinking of the Glowing Ones from Fallout while reading this.

For OP, FEV stands for Forced Evolutionary Virus, and it’s the cause of many people in the post-apocalyptic world becoming something called Super Mutants. Google image a picture of them for reference. I like the idea of taking the radiation fluff from them and making it, Idk, magical radiation, or something similar. Or maybe a deity of disease created it.

[Beelzebubba]

Fey plant creatures that regenerate in water, in a very wet, sludgy mud. You have to burn the ground dry or or lift them out of the muck before they stop regenerating.

Fey spirit-infused creatures that regenerate under the light of the full moon, in a room with lots of holes placed in the roof that create several 'pools' of lunar radiance in strategic areas. The party has to block the light, or prevent their movement into those spots to take them down.

[Easy_Lee]

Go with the potions idea, but give the potion to kittens. Your players think they're killing trolls, but each time they do it's the body of a poor, defenseless kitten. Then chastise your players for the terrible thing they just did. That's how you "troll" your players.

Please don't actually do this.

[Unoriginal]

You could make a Troll that's kind of like what a Nilbog is to a Goblin, and have them be healed by stuff that generally hurt trolls (like fire and acid).


Calling them "Llort" could be fun.

[ImproperJustice]

Stealing an idea from an old video game:

The PCs begin captured by a powerful enchantress who has used ritual magic to turn the PCs into Trolls.

They escape, but as time passes, their mental stats degrade and they become more and more vulnerable to commands given by the enchantresses minions.
If they do not reverse the process by midnight, they will forever be Trolls in her service.

Plan B:
Ever sincr playing XCrawl: Memphis, my players keep hoping for a return of Vrusk, the Proffesional Wrestler Troll.
Be sure to include ring, audience, and something deadly outside the ring.

[Joe the Rat]

So what does the potion do... Heals you, with some rather transformative side-effects.

Building on JackPheonix's Blackscales, a potion that grants the amazing healing powers of a reptile, and also happens to make you huge and monstrous. You're now The Lizard. Beware snarky teenagers with webslingers. Consider replacing one of the vulnerabilities with Cold.

From Beezlebubba - A potion that grants the resilience and healing properties of Plants. Go Swamp Thing (the original origin story, not the "plant elemental that thinks he's a person," or whatever it is now). Or better yet, Man-Thing - and now you don't take acid damage. Having water access nullify their regeneration weaknesses adds a lovely puzzle element.

A variation: Fungus. You are now a giant green partially mushroom man with a bad case of WAAAAGH!. Sunlight inhibits regeneration as well. (This is actually an improvement; the last mushroom healing potion turned the gnome test subjects into redcaps!)

Incorporating an Ooze - The potion grants you some of the properties of a Pudding or Jelly. Your color options will be more varied, and acid comes off the list of vulnerabilities. Loathsome Limbs plays nicely from the slashing... or the removed parts "revert" to normal oozes. Colors move away from green, and your "rubbery" trait is a titch more literal - allow extended reach and squeezing movement.



Go with the potions idea, but give the potion to kittens. Your players think they're killing trolls, but each time they do it's the body of a poor, defenseless kitten. Then chastise your players for the terrible thing they just did. That's how you "troll" your players.

Please don't actually do this.
As I was reading this, I imagined hacking off a troll's forearm, and when the limb hits the ground, it turns into a kitten. Trolls as giant humanoid sacks of cats.

[smcmike]

As I was reading this, I imagined hacking off a troll's forearm, and when the limb hits the ground, it turns into a kitten. Trolls as giant humanoid sacks of cats.

Nice.

Though this makes me imagine a creature that carries around a sack of kittens. The kittens are the regeneration potion. “I’ll regrow my mittens if I eats me kittens...”

[Unoriginal]

Oh, you could have the PCs be transported in a bard's story where they have to play the role of the trolls.

[Laserlight]

Hey all,

I'm looking to re-skin some trolls for an upcoming series of encounters, and I'm fishing for ideas on how to do so.

Also, this is an obligatory, polite request that you now be incensed at this thread, and all of it's trollish behavior

Stats wise, make your troll separable into two (or more) parts. When someone hits it with enough slashing damage, the troll loses an arm or its head...but the detached piece keeps fighting. If the troll can get to the piece and pick it up, it can reassemble itself. Idea from Three Hearts and Three Lions.

ITS, not IT'S, vile caitiff!

[Kuulvheysoon]

Stats wise, make your troll separable into two (or more) parts. When someone hits it with enough slashing damage, the troll loses an arm or its head...but the detached piece keeps fighting. If the troll can get to the piece and pick it up, it can reassemble itself. Idea from Three Hearts and Three Lions.

ITS, not IT'S, vile caitiff!

That's actually the "official" variant presented in the Monster Manual. It's called "Loathsome Limbs".

[Arkhios]

Actually, I'd say Cold vulnerability for alchemical gnomes would be more appropriate. Maybe describe their movements as blurry jitter and supernaturally fast (maybe even explaining their increased damage by the fact that they are so fast?)

Kinda like they had drank fantasy-equivalent to Red Bull® or something! :smallbiggrin:

I admit, the idea is due to recently watching The Flash, where his super fast regeneration is countered by extreme cold temperature.

[Waffle_Iron]

ITS, not IT'S, vile caitiff!

Your the first to notice that. their's a prize for that around here somewhere...

What are some fun tactics or set pieces that make trolls fun to encounter?

I'm thinking I might use terrain where hit and run tactics are viable for the trolls but not the PCs, like tunnels lined with blades. Moving down the tunnel at half speed in fine, normal speed requires a DC 15 dex (Athletics or Acrobatics) check, and dashing is auto-fail, take 2d6 damage.

Any other ideas?