[3.5] New monster: The forum Troll

[Vulaas]

/inserts tongue into cheek



Forum Troll

Size/Type: Medium Monstrous Humanoid
Hit Dice: 4d8-4 (14 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (+1 Dex, +3 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+9
Attack: Claw +9 (1d4+5, plus 1 fire)
Full Attack: 2 claws +9 (1d4+5, plus 1 fire)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Inassailable Arguement
Special Qualities: Delusions, Regeneration
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +5
Abilities: Str 20, Dex 12, Con 8, Int 12, Wis 8, Cha 6
Skills: Listen +5, Spot +9, Survival +1
Feats: Craft Pointless Argument, Skill Focus (Knowledge: Bull****)
Environment: Any online community of sufficient size to feed them
Organization: Single, Pair, /b/ (20d10 "active" trolls, and at least twice as many lurkers)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: Standard, plus computer.
Alignment: Whatever will cheese you off the most.
Advancement: -
Level Adjustment: Don't even bother. The DM will never let one into their game.

Delusions (ex): A forum troll's poor charisma actually works in its favor, seeming to incite cackling mirth in it whenever people grow irritated around it. It gains a +1 profane bonus on attack, saves, damage, and skills per hostile individual adjacent to it. Furthermore, its charisma penalty adds to its conviction giving a equal bonus to its will saves as its penalty

Inassailable Arguement (su): The troll is so convinced of its superiority that it continues to babble inanely even through combat, critiquing everything from your race ("That's not optimal" or "That's a munchkin choice!!!1eleven!") to your weaponry. Each round any characters within charging distance must make a DC 14 will save (charisma based) or do their best to physically assault the troll in any way they can, even if they must bludgeon it with their holy symbol to do so. This ability lasts 1 round. This ability also applies to any time the forum troll attempts a charisma based skill besides Use Magic Device, as they can't help but try to get a rise out of people. Diplomacy can never raise a targets attitude towards the Forum troll above indifferent.

Regeneration 1 (su): Forum trolls are a hearty bunch, and not easily vanquished. Their regeneration can be overcome by any creature that is not under the influence of the trolls Inassailable Arguement ability, but that has been subjected to a save against it in the last round.
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New skill: Knowledge (Bull****)
Similar to the Sense Motive skill, the Knowledge (Bull****) skill allows you to figure out from logical inconsistencies, nonverbal cues, and knowledge of psychology when a person is lying to you. This can be used to oppose Bluff instead of Sense Motive, but should not be allowed along side it (if you're using your brain, you're ignoring your gut, and vice versa).

New Feat:
Craft Pointless Argument:
Coming once ideas are had.

Well, that's that. What do people think?
Edit:
Changelog:
Clarification of the Inassailable Arguement and Regeneration abilities. Correction of the DC, duration, ect.
Working on a Flame attack, to come. Currently just 1 point of fire damage per claw.
Corrected the HP to follow the formula.

[gkathellar]

The forum troll is the natural enemy of the Usenet Monk.

[Mulletmanalive]

There are similarly amusing stats for this in the Munchkin RPG.

[smiles to himself]

[137beth]

There are similarly amusing stats for this in the Munchkin RPG.

[smiles to himself]

oo I'm not the only one who has played True Munchkin (not the card game, the d20 game by the same company)!!

Anyways, I think this should have a flame attack, which deals fire damage, and subjects the target to a Will Save to resist the urge to argue back. If the target fails their saving throw, they must waste a full round yelling insults at the troll.

[DracoDei]

I prefer my joke monsters to ALSO meet all the technical requirements of good homebrew in general: game balance, clear formatting, etc.

As such, I recommend listing Knowledge(Bull****) on the skills line of the statistics block. If you are feeling really energetic, you could come up with some examples of its use. Seems like its major use would be substituting for, or providing a synergy bonus to certain bluff or (reversed) diplomacy checks.

On a similar note, does anyone, Original Poster or not, have ideas for the mechanics of the "Craft Pointless Argument" feat?

Regeneration should be listed on the "Special Qualities" line of the stat-block.

Try bolding the names of the special ability titles at the start of each paragraph below the stat-block.



Regarding "Inassailable Argument":
According to my spell-checker this should be "Unassailable Argument", but I think such a spelling error might be better left in as a stealth nod to the level of language skills possessed by the stereotypical troll.

The will save DC doesn't seem to add up.
10 + (4 HD/2) -2 (Charisma Mod) = 10
Now, I could easily see you forgetting to reverse the troll's charisma modifier for this purpose (I recommend it in fact), but in that case the DC would be 14.

You probably need to specify that the effects of a failed save last exactly one round. The ability to by-pass the regeneration should last the same amount of time.

[Vulaas]

There are similarly amusing stats for this in the Munchkin RPG.

[smiles to himself]

I never played it, but I'm amused regardless

Anyways, I think this should have a flame attack, which deals fire damage, and subjects the target to a Will Save to resist the urge to argue back. If the target fails their saving throw, they must waste a full round yelling insults at the troll.

Great idea! Adding it in.

I prefer my joke monsters to ALSO meet all the technical requirements of good homebrew in general: game balance, clear formatting, etc.

As such, I recommend listing Knowledge(Bull****) on the skills line of the statistics block. If you are feeling really energetic, you could come up with some examples of its use. Seems like its major use would be substituting for, or providing a synergy bonus to certain bluff or (reversed) diplomacy checks.

To be honest, I completely forgot to change the skill line from the d20srd monster I stole the formatting block from. Changing that, and I'll add in some uses for it. (I can see it being synergistic with Sense Motive as well)

On a similar note, does anyone, Original Poster or not, have ideas for the mechanics of the "Craft Pointless Argument" feat?

Perhaps a tactical type feat, giving Knowledge (BS) combat applications, similar to the Goad feat?

Regeneration should be listed on the "Special Qualities" line of the stat-block.

Changing

Try bolding the names of the special ability titles at the start of each paragraph below the stat-block.

Will do

Regarding "Inassailable Argument":
According to my spell-checker this should be "Unassailable Argument", but I think such a spelling error might be better left in as a stealth nod to the level of language skills possessed by the stereotypical troll.

That actually was an intentional error, and I am glad you caught the intent as well. I was a bit worried that it might not happen that way.

The will save DC doesn't seem to add up.
10 + (4 HD/2) -2 (Charisma Mod) = 10
Now, I could easily see you forgetting to reverse the troll's charisma modifier for this purpose (I recommend it in fact), but in that case the DC would be 14.

I never knew that formula. Thank you much, changing

You probably need to specify that the effects of a failed save last exactly one round. The ability to by-pass the regeneration should last the same amount of time.

Will do. Thank you for all the helpful critique!

[ericgrau]

Horrible class scrap everything.

I know we're normally not supposed to talk about it, but this seemed like a fair and unrelated enough exception...
<==

[Debihuman]

How's this:

Craft Pointless Argument
Benefit: You get a +4 bonus on all Bluff checks made on the Internet but it always results in a in anyone you successfully Bluff to be Unfriendly towards you.

Shouldn't the Forum Troll have ranks in Knowledge (Bull****)?

Debby