[Crossroads, Ritual, PEACH] Ritual of Heritage Returned

[Amechra]

The Ritual of Heritage Returned

In the eyes of some, the Trollkin are merely debased Trolls, who have stuffed themselves into a small and pathetic form. Amongst such Trollkin, the scholars argue that there must be a way to return to their primal glory; most look towards the path of the Troll Revivalist.

However, there is another way. One only undertaken by the desperate, and the hungry. You see, flesh and blood is truth, and the consumption thereof brings them one step closer to that flesh's nature.

It's so simple, so clear! A single act of cannibalism, and the path is opened.

Requirements:
This ritual may only be performed by Trollkin who have the Troll Culture; while flesh remembers, the mind must desire the change. In addition, the Trollkin to be fed upon must have been killed by the Ritualist's hand, and their flesh must be eaten uncooked.

A Note on Age
Any time this text references the Ritualist's Age, refer to this table to see when they gain the benefits thereof.

Age Category	Age
Young	5-10
Young Adult	11-20
Adult	21-30
Mature	31-60
Old	61-100
Elder	101-150
Ancient	151-300
Jotunnar	301+

DM's Note:
This ritual is not intended for, or balanced for, player characters.

The First Generation:
When one of the Trollkin consume one of their peers, it lights a spark of hunger, both in their stomach and beyond their eyes. Their bodies remember their primordial Troll nature, laughing in the face of age; as such, they replace the effects of aging with the following, and no longer have a maximum age.

Age Category	Fey HD	Size	Str	Con	Dex	Int	Wis/Cha	NA	Regeneration	Special
Mature	1 HD	M	+0	+0	+0	+0	+0	+0	-	Extra Shed, Regrowth (Rest)
Old	1 HD	M	+0	+0	+0	+0	+0	+1	-	Ancient Blood, Veiled Claws
Elder	2 HD	M	+0	+0	+0	+0	+0	+1	-	Extra Shed, Veiled Scent
Ancient	2 HD	M	+0	+0	+0	+0	+0	+2	-	Ancient Blood, Regrowth (1 hour), Stubborn Life
Jotunnar	3 HD	M	+0	+0	+0	+0	+0	+2	-	Giant Subtype, Shattered Mask

Spoiler

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Fey HD: The number of Fey HD that the Ritualist has at a given age; if they have any class levels, the number of Fey HD that they have is reduced by 1.

Size: The size category of the Ritualist at a given age; all adjustments for increased size have already been incorporated into the above table. If the size category has a + next to it, that means that the Ritualist has Powerful Build (as the Half-Giant racial ability) at that age.

Ability Score Bonuses: As the Ritualist grows, their bodies and minds reflect their altered state; as such they modify their ability scores as given on the above table. The modifier in the Wis/Cha column applies to Wisdom if the Ritualist is female, and Charisma if they are male.

NA: As the Ritualist ages, their skin toughens considerably; as such, they have a Natural Armor bonus to AC as given on the above table.

Regeneration (Ex): A sufficiently old Ritualist's body reassembles itself in record time; they have Regeneration, bypassed by Fire and Acid, as given on the above table.

Extra Shed (Ex): The Ritualist's Troll nature asserts itself; they gain an extra daily use of Shed the Mask once they reach Mature age, and once again when they achieve Elder age.

Regrowth (Ex): Flesh remembers, and wants to stay together; as such, the Ritualist recovers any limbs, organs, or appendages they may have lost whenever they rest for 8 hours. They are still vulnerable to death by appendage loss; they can't recover from a lost head or heart (yet).

Once the Ritualist reaches Ancient age, they regrow any lost limbs, organs, or appendages that they might have lost 1 hour after losing them.

Veiled Claws (Ex): What good are fingers if they can't be used in the hunt? A Ritualist of Old age gains a pair of claws that deal 1d6 damage as a Medium Trollkin for the duration of that ability while under the effects of Shed the Mask..

Ancient Blood (Ex): Troll blood cannot be repressed, especially when it has flowed over the gullet and down the throat. Once the Ritualist reaches Old age, they gain the Ancient Blood ability as a Troll Revivalist of 2nd level; once they reach Elder age, they gain the 4th level version of Ancient Blood.

Veiled Scent (Ex): As the Ritualist ages, their body begins to make them a more ideal predator; as such, a Ritualist of Elder age gains the Scent ability while under the effects of Shed the Mask.

Stubborn Life (Ex): A lost head? A mere scratch! Once a Ritualist reaches Ancient age, they become immune to death by lost limbs, appendages, or organs; if they lose body parts that would previously kill them, they are instead unconscious until that body part regrows.

Shattered Mask (Ex): A Ritualist who manages to become Jotunnar gains the Shattered Mask ability, as the Troll Revivalist class feature.

The Second Generation:
Unfortunately, the Ritual is corrupt, broken by the necessity of violent hunger. As such, it corrupts the children of Ritualists.

• If the Ritualist has a child with another Trollkin, the resulting child is considered to be a Ritualist of the First Generation.
• If the Ritualist has a child with another Ritualist, the resulting child is a Ritualist of the Second Generation.

With Ritualists of the Second Generation, the potent yet corrupt vital power of their parents is focused in their flesh; as such, the growth of their power is greatly accelerated.

Age Category	Fey HD	Size	Str	Con	Dex	Int	Wis/Cha	NA	Regeneration	Special
Young	1 HD	M	+0	+0	+0	+0	+0	+1	-	Ancient Blood, Extra Shed, Regrowth (Rest), Veiled Claws
Young Adult	2 HD	M	+0	+0	+0	+0	+0	+1	-	Extra Shed, Veiled Scent
Adult	2 HD	M	+0	+0	+0	+0	+0	+2	-	Ancient Blood, Regrowth (1 hour), Stubborn Life
Mature	3 HD	M	+0	+0	+0	+0	+0	+2	-	Giant Subtype, Shattered Mask
Old	3 HD	M+	+0	+0	+0	+0	+0	+3	-	Lost Culture
Elder	4 HD	M+	+1	+1	+0	+0	+0	+3	-	Regrowth (5d6 Minutes), Broken Mask, Troll Vitality +1
Ancient	4 HD	L	+4	+4	-2	-1	-1	+6	1/Acid and Fire	Vast Hunger (x2)
Jotunar	5 HD	L	+5	+5	-2	-2	-2	+6	2/Acid and Fire	Vast Hunger (x3), Troll Vitality +2

Spoiler

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Fey HD: The number of Fey HD that the Ritualist has at a given age; if they have any class levels, the number of Fey HD that they have is reduced by 1.

Size: The size category of the Ritualist at a given age; all adjustments for increased size have already been incorporated into the above table. If the size category has a + next to it, that means that the Ritualist has Powerful Build (as the Half-Giant racial ability) at that age.

Ability Score Bonuses: As the Ritualist grows, their bodies and minds reflect their altered state; as such they modify their ability scores as given on the above table. The modifier in the Wis/Cha column applies to Wisdom if the Ritualist is female, and Charisma if they are male.

NA: As the Ritualist ages, their skin toughens considerably; as such, they have a Natural Armor bonus to AC as given on the above table.

Regeneration (Ex): A sufficiently old Ritualist's body reassembles itself in record time; they have Regeneration, bypassed by Fire and Acid, as given on the above table.

Extra Shed (Ex): The Ritualist's Troll nature asserts itself; they gain an extra daily use of Shed the Mask once they reach Young age, and once again when they achieve Young Adult age.

Regrowth (Ex): Flesh remembers, and wants to stay together; as such, the Ritualist recovers any limbs, organs, or appendages they may have lost whenever they rest for 8 hours. They are still vulnerable to death by appendage loss; they can't recover from a lost head or heart (yet).

Once the Ritualist reaches Adult age, they regrow any lost limbs, organs, or appendages that they might have lost 1 hour after losing them. Once they reach Elder age, they regrow any lost body parts 5d6 minutes after losing them.

Veiled Claws (Ex): What good are fingers if they can't be used in the hunt? A Ritualist of Young age gains a pair of claws that deal 1d6 damage as a Medium Trollkin for the duration of that ability while under the effects of Shed the Mask..

Ancient Blood (Ex): Troll blood cannot be repressed, especially when it has flowed over the gullet and down the throat. Once the Ritualist reaches Young age, they gain the Ancient Blood ability as a Troll Revivalist of 2nd level; once they reach Adult age, they gain the 4th level version of Ancient Blood.

Veiled Scent (Ex): As the Ritualist ages, their body begins to make them a more ideal predator; as such, a Ritualist of Young Adult age gains the Scent ability while under the effects of Shed the Mask.

Stubborn Life (Ex): A lost head? A mere scratch! Once a Ritualist reaches Adult age, they become immune to death by lost limbs, appendages, or organs; if they lose body parts that would previously kill them, they are instead unconscious until that body part regrows.

Shattered Mask (Ex): A Ritualist who reaches Mature age gains the Shattered Mask ability, as the Troll Revivalist class feature.

Giant Subtype: Once a Ritualist reaches Mature Age, they gain the Giant subtype, their body rapidly growing in mass.

Lost Culture: What point is language and ettiquette? Once a Ritualist reaches Old age, they lose their Refugee Culture racial trait, along with all cultures other than the Troll Culture. When they lose their additional Culture, they lose any all benefits associated with that Culture.

Broken Mask (Ex): It is soon coming time for the charade to end. Once a Ritualist reaches Elder age, the duration of Shed the Mask becomes Permanent, and it can no longer be voluntarily ended.

Troll Vitality (Ex): When troll ichor replaces blood, and the horrid vitality of a troll's hunger lodges in the heart, it can be quite difficult to reverse. Once a Ritualist reaches Elder age, they gain a +1 bonus on all saves against Death effects, as well as a +1 bonus to AC against Sneak Attacks and critical confirmation rolls.

Once a Ritualist becomes Jotunnar, these bonuses increase to +2.

Vast Hunger (Ex): A Troll's metabolism is vastly faster than that of practically any other being, as they must support the rapid regrowth of their flesh. As such, a Ritualist that reaches Ancient age must eat twice as much food each day as a normal creature of their size to fend off starvation. A Ritualist that becomes Jotunnar must eat three times as much.

In addition, magic that removes the need for food has a reduced effect; for each effect that would remove the need to eat, the multiplier from this ability is reduced by 1 (to a minimum of 0.)

The Third Generation:
Oh, the sins of the fathers and mothers! Oh, weep for the world!

• If a Ritualist of the Second Generation has a child with a normal Trollkin, the resulting child is considered a Ritualist of the First Generation.
• If a Ritualist of the Second Generation has a child with a Ritualist of the First Generation, the resulting child is a Ritualist of the Second Generation.
• If a Ritualist of the Second Generation has a Child with another Ritualist of the Second Generation, the resulting child is a Ritualist of the Third Generation.

A Ritualist of the Third Generation is a terrifying brute, a walking mountain of flesh and hunger. In most cases, those who know what they will become smother them in the cradle, to spare the world another monster.

Age Category	Fey HD	Size	Str	Con	Dex	Int	Wis/Cha	NA	Regeneration	Special
Young	3 HD	M+	+0	+0	+0	+0	+0	+3	-	Ancient Form, Giant Subtype, Regrowth (1 Hour), Stubborn Life
Young Adult	4 HD	M+	+1	+1	+0	+0	+0	+3	-	Regrowth (5d6 Minutes), Broken Mask, Troll Vitality +1
Adult	4 HD	L	+4	+4	-2	-1	-1	+6	1/Acid and Fire	Vast Hunger (x2)
Mature	5 HD	L	+5	+5	-2	-2	-2	+6	2/Acid and Fire	Troll Vitality +2, Vast Hunger (x3)
Old	5 HD	L+	+6	+6	-2	-3	-3	+7	3/Acid and Fire	Regrowth (1d6 minutes), Vast Hunger (x4)
Elder	6 HD	L+	+7	+7	-2	-4	-4	+7	4/Acid and Fire	Troll Vitality +4, Vast Hunger (x5)
Ancient	6 HD	H	+10	+10	-4	-5	-5	+11	5/Acid and Fire	Fading Mind, Vast Hunger (x6)
Jotunnar	7 HD	H	+12	+12	-4	-6	-6	+11	6/Acid and Fire	Troll Vitality (Immunity), Vast Hunger (x7)

Spoiler

Show

Fey HD: The number of Fey HD that the Ritualist has at a given age; if they have any class levels, the number of Fey HD that they have is reduced by 1.

Size: The size category of the Ritualist at a given age; all adjustments for increased size have already been incorporated into the above table. If the size category has a + next to it, that means that the Ritualist has Powerful Build (as the Half-Giant racial ability) at that age.

Ability Score Bonuses: As the Ritualist grows, their bodies and minds reflect their altered state; as such they modify their ability scores as given on the above table. The modifier in the Wis/Cha column applies to Wisdom if the Ritualist is female, and Charisma if they are male.

NA: As the Ritualist ages, their skin toughens considerably; as such, they have a Natural Armor bonus to AC as given on the above table.

Regeneration (Ex): A sufficiently old Ritualist's body reassembles itself in record time; they have Regeneration, bypassed by Fire and Acid, as given on the above table.

Ancient Form (Ex): The Ritualist's true form is a throwback to atavistic monstrosity. Once a Ritualist reaches Young age, they gain a pair of claws that deal 1d6 damage and Scent while under the effects of Shed the Mask. In addition, they gain the benefits of Ancient blood as if they were a 4th-level Troll Revivalist, and may use or suppress Shed the Mask at will, with no daily limit.

Regrowth (Ex): Flesh remembers, and wants to stay together; as such, the Ritualist recovers any limbs, organs, or appendages they may have lost 1 hour after they lose them.

Once the Ritualist reaches Young Adult age, they regrow any lost limbs, organs, or appendages that they might have lost 5d6 minutes after losing them. Once they reach Old age, they regrow any lost body parts 1d6 minutes after losing them. Upon becoming Jotunnar, they regrow any lost body parts 1 round after losing them.

Stubborn Life (Ex): A lost head? A mere scratch! A Ritualist is immune to death by lost limbs, appendages, or organs; if they lose body parts that would otherwise kill them, they are instead unconscious until that body part regrows.

Giant Subtype: A Ritualist has the Giant subtype, their body rapidly growing in mass.

Broken Mask (Ex): It is soon coming time for the charade to end. Once a Ritualist reaches Young Adult age, the duration of Shed the Mask becomes Permanent, and it can no longer be voluntarily ended.

Troll Vitality (Ex): When troll ichor replaces blood, and the horrid vitality of a troll's hunger lodges in the heart, it can be quite difficult to reverse. Once a Ritualist reaches Young Adult age, they gain a +1 bonus on all saves against Death effects, as well as a +1 bonus to AC against Sneak Attacks and critical confirmation rolls.

Once a Ritualist reaches Mature age, these bonuses increase to +2; when a Ritualist reaches Elder age, these bonuses increase to +4. If the Ritualist becomes Jotunnar, they become immune to critical hits, sneak attack, and Death effects, their bodies revitalizing faster than they can be killed.

Vast Hunger (Ex): A Troll's metabolism is vastly faster than that of practically any other being, as they must support the rapid regrowth of their flesh. As such, a Ritualist that reaches Adult age must eat twice as much food each day as a normal creature of their size to fend off starvation. Each age category that they reach thereafter increases this multiplier by 1.

In addition, magic that removes the need for food has a reduced effect; for each effect that would remove the need to eat, the multiplier from this ability is reduced by 1 (to a minimum of 0.)

Fading Mind (Ex): The Ritualist has become a monster; their mind's concerns are as far from those of their childhood as can be. As such, a Ritualist of Ancient age adds their Troll Vitality bonus to saves against Mind-Affecting and Language-Dependent effects. If they ever become Jotunnar, this becomes immunity to any effects with those descriptors.

The Fourth Generation:
There is no fourth generation; or rather, there haven't been any yet. Such monsters would be the equal of any Third Generation Elder by their tenth summer, and would only continue to grow in monstrosity.

Luckily, the massive hunger of the Third Generation prevents them from thinking of much other than eating. Otherwise...

That way lies monsters.

[Admiral Squish]

I must say, it's quite interesting to see two of my creations hybridized in such a graceful fashion!

I definitely like what you've got. It seems like it works well, but I'll have to give it a more in-depth look at what the mods total up to. I would suggest including a table of some sort to make it easier to figure out what the total modifiers/benefits/abilities are at different ages.

Math for the totals on a third-generation jotunnar:
4 fey HD
+12 Str, +12 Con, -4 dex, -4 int, -4 wis or cha
Huge size
Two 1d6 claws
+3 NA
Regeneration 6
Immune to death effects
(You say that NA increases to +2 twice, first in the first-generation jotunnar and again in second-generation ancient)

I think the NA bonus is a bit low for a huge/gargantuan creature, and maybe the claws could get a bump up there somewhere, but other than that, it looks great! Maybe just a (this increases the damage of all natural weapons by one size) after the size-boosts.

[Amechra]

Oops, they should have +4 NA. I'll fix that. And you know what? You're right! I'll give it to them a little faster.

Remember the fact that they have Ancient Blood! For example, A male Jotunnar Titan Ritualist of the Third Generation would be Collosal, while a female one woud be Gargantuan.

After all, after the 2nd Generation, the Ritualist is going to hit permanent Shed the Mask sooner or later.

Oh, and about the table... I'll put one in. I'm just wary about it because the code's gonna change soon-ish.

EDIT: Oh, and I'm going to smooth the ability scores a bit more. So the penalties to mental ability scores will be -1 at each step.

[Admiral Squish]

I think the NA should be, at minimum, enough to counteract the penalty to AC from size and still provide a decent benefit.

Yeesh, a titan trollkin could be a pretty terrifying baddie. A colossal living weapon to smash the crap outta everybody. OH! If you're gonna do a table, you should probably try to include a CR modifier column, so you can figure out what level the party should be before you throw this monster at them.

What, a code change?! You have any idea how many tables I use?

[Amechra]

I know, right; check the top of the subforum.

Remember that they do get extra NA from size increases (I didn't include that because... reasons. Screw it, I'll toss it on the table when I get to it.)

Don't forget fighting a Third Generation Formari Jotunnar. Hope you like getting your ship torn up from below!

Which brings me to ask you two questions?

1. After I get this all brushed up, do you want this as a thing in Crossroads? As in, make it "canon"? I give permission to use it, if you do.

2. More 1st level Racial feats, plz? I mean, if you can figure out more trolls as inspiration.

[Admiral Squish]

Okay, to answer your questions:
1: I would definitely include it, I'm not sure where it'd go, but it's a cool idea and it's quite flattering to have somebody think a couple of my ideas are cool enough to fuse them like this.

2: Well, if you can think of other trollish myths to stat up, I'd be glad to do them. There was a suggestion to do oni a while ago, and there's a chinese ogre myth that I could do, but neither really had much in the way of unique abilities. Maybe oni gets an extra str boost, but that's all I can think of.

[Amechra]

They have been updated with tables, and have been ramped up a bit. They are now a bit hungrier, a bit dumber, and eventually immune to people trying to talk them down.

[Admiral Squish]

Awesomesauce! They be seriously hardcore, yo.