TROLLS

135 points

ST 30/20 (146 pts)
DX -2 (-15 pts)
IQ -2 (-15 pts)

Dark Vision (10 pts), Instant Regeneration * (80 pts), Regrowth (40 pts)

Appearance, Ugly (-10 pts), Bad Temper (-10 pts), Callous (-6 pts), Code of Honor, Troll Customs (-10 pts), Inconvenient Size (-10 pts), Increased Life Support, 2 levels (-20 pts), Loner (-5 pts), Odious Racial Habit: Eats other sentients (-15 pts)

Racial Intolerance (-5 pts), Racial Reputation -2 (As dumb, regenerating uncivilized savages, -10 pts), Short Lifespan, 1 level (-10 pts), Thought Bound (-5 pts)

* = Special Limitation: Fire/heat damage cannot be healed by Instant Regeneration normally, instead such damage must be healed either by medical, psionic or mundane "natural" healing. Note that Fire/heat damage is healed at the rate of someone with the Rapid Healing advantage (Cost Formula: 100 points - 20% = 80 points).

Trolls average 9 feet tall and weight an average of 300 pounds. Use the modifications from the Height and weight charts using the above as a base.

Trolls are green in color, shades range from a yellow-lime to olive-drab. Usually with dark green or black hair and black nails. Faces are usually long and large hooked noses are common.

Weapons, armor and equipement for Trolls cost at least twice as much as normal.

"Thugthug's Guide ta Barshin'" by Thugthug, Troll Warrior

(translated, transcribed, edited and commented by Brother Mardigan, Human Cleric of Tempus, God of War)

"Oy! So yas wanna be a barsher like Thugthug? Dat gud. Us trolls make gud barshers. Weez got rejraner....ah....regenerema…..um, weez heal fast. Weez can see in da dark. Dat gud 'cause da swamp is dark and youze gotta see dem froggies afore ya can barsh em gud. We also very tuff an strong, doh not so much as our barshin' bruvahs, da ogres. But, when we take a break from da barshin', Thugthug is ready ta barsh much sooner dan his ogre barshin' bruvahs. "

Ed note: Trolls are foul looking, boisterous and somewhat dimwitted. In short, they make perfect warriors. They have the innate ability to regenerate damage (1 HP every second), in addition to Night Vision (which can be a tremendous aid in the dark swamp, rest assured.) Troll PCs are second only to Ogres PCs in starting strength. What makes the troll an ideal choice as a campanion as opposed to the ogre is the lengthy period Ogres need to recover from their wounds between battles.

"As da bab-bee troll Ah start in Grobb. Grobb pretty. Grobb good fer barshin'. Grobb got lotsa barshin' stuffs fer trolls, doh it all very 'spensive. Youze gotta barsh lots to buy da good stuffs. Da big troll barshas are right close to da entrance, all da new troll warriors should go see 'em fast. Dey teach Thugthug more 'bout usin' da sword. Da spellin' barshers is far inta da city, an da Shadowy Knights home is thru a wood tunnel near da entrance to Grobb. Dem teach all gud stuffs to trolls."

Ed note: Grobb is obviously a troll city. Unlike my beloved Felwithe, it's dirty, simple and lacking in any grace. That does, however make it easy to get around, if one can avoid the discarded body parts of those foolish enough to intrude uninvited into the city. One can find all manner of large armor and most weapon types for sale in and around the same building (Trolls would rather bash than build, so the city layout is rather utilitarian). Young Trolls are quickly abandoned by their mothers, with their regeneration ability, they usually are able to survive most encounters. Adult Troll warriors teach Troll youth brawling and weapon usage with real weapons.

"So, once yas leave da city, da whole world full o fun stuffs ta barsh is roit outside. Da swarmp is a gud place fer barshin', but not as a young'un barsher. Dem froggies have lotsa friends and youze can find yerself surrounded by dem in less time den it takes ta pick a halfing outta yer teef. If yas go to da Feerrott first, youze'll find lotsa bats an little itty bitty jungle spidahs, and frogloc tads, an even some lizardman bros. Dem pretty easy ta kill and afore too long youze'll be ready ta go back to Grobb and get some more learnin' "

Ed note: The Swamp of Despair is confusing, dank and depressing. The froglings who call it home are in a constant state of war with the Trolls and Ogres. The Froglings range in toughness from tads (as the youngest froglings are called) through fishers, to warriors, to foragers (the toughest, kindred to rangers). They have a tendency to be able to call on each other when in need, so it is quite easy for their foes to find themselves outnumbered and surrounded in an unfamiliar part of the swamp, with no knowledge of which way to go. Developing ones innate ability to Sense Direction is vital to navigating and surviving the Swamp of Despair. One should also be aware that froglings are not the only hostile denizen of the swamp. There are many rumors of strange fungus-men and other mosters. Be that as it may, Swamp Giants often wander about in close proximity to the froglings. The amount of damage a single Swamp Giant hunter running amok in a group of youthful Troll warriors can inflict is impressive to say the least. Most young trolls find it more expedient to confine their early hunting activites to The Feerrott, which is just a short trek from the Grobb entrance.

"Me likes barshin' in da swamp. Dem froglocs give gud loot. Dey tricky, and dey run into da water and swim away when dey been barshed gud, so youze gotta learn ta swim gud too. Once Thugthug get go try ta barsh some froglocs. Me werk on da direction sense so dat I know where ta run ifen I get in trouble. Dem Troll guards make gud barshers and dey save me life many times. But me stay in da swamps fot many ayear. By den Thug be makin' gud money and fightin' lots of froglocs at da same time. 'Course me buy leather arma and a real sword fer gud barshin'. Also, me in trainin' 'n practices fer useful skills dat I wanta learn when I get tuffer like Dodge, Parry, Dual Wield and Double Attack. "

Ed note: Plundering in the swamp proved to be a boon for young Thug as froglings provided him nice loot and experience while not requiring a very lengthy travel from safety to find them. With the money garnered, Thug was able to buy some striking large leather armor, which, when combined with the various magical pieces of "netted" armor that he was able to retrieve from various froglings, made him even tougher on the frogling population. His first large purchase however, was to trade his cheap sword (that he started with) for a fine, shiny new Bastard Sword. Thugthug explains his view on 1-handed vs 2-handed below.

"Thugthug like 1 handed swerds. Thugthug Troll and Ogre friends like 2 handed swerds an big sticks. Thugthug can hit fer fairly fast wit his 1 handed swerd, but his friends hit fer barshin' harder and dey are only a little bit slower. But Thugthug is lookin' ahead to da future. Thugthug in trainin' 'n practices rill hard, he get learned Dual Wield an Double Attack. So dat mean dat wit 2 axes, Thug can hit fer 4 times each set of attacks, plus he can kick fer some damage too, and his attacks come fasta dan wit da 2 handed weapon. But Thug realize dat at lower levels, da 2 handed weapon do MUCH betta barshin' an it not a bad weapon ta use. Asides, Thug tink that it look very kewl to have 2 axes in hands.
When Thugthug is red day, he realize dat the froggies just ain't payin' off enuf in shineys or in exp ta keep swimmin' round da swamp barshin' em. So, Thug make some new friends and go off ta barsh lizardmens wit' dem. Thug find dat his friends Kirak (Troll Shadow Knight), Kilaka (Troll Warrior), han Tyrg (Ogre Warrior) make a great barshin' bruvahs. We go to home o da lizardmens and we barsh lots of dem. With 2 er 3 of us, we barsh em fast and make lots o gud money and learnin' Lizardmen dere have a trick of runnin' off and hiding in the entrance to da dungeon where yas can't hit 'em, den dey come back with a bunch o friends to barsh on yas. Dem very smert lizards. It gud dat we better barshers. Some of dem tuff lizards drop bronze weapons, and dem werth a coupla gold, which is gud, 'cause Thug is savin' fer chainmail. Lizards be gud barshin' until when dey get a bit borin.' "

Ed note: Regenerate means Trolls suffering from mortal wounds only need to sit for a minute or two before they can charge back into the action. However, facing multiple foes, teamwork becomes essential. Essentially Thugthug made more progress by working with a small group and spliiting loot but killing more and tougher monsters than he could have done alone. He confided to me that a Shaman would have been very nice to have around, as would a spell caster of any sort as it appears that Ogres and Trolls are not well suited for intellectual pursuits (surprise, surprise.)

"Thugthug is him a gud barsher. But lizardmen is startin' ta be too easy and dem not always give gud loot, so him look fer udder stuffs ta kill. Barsh-bruvah Tyrg an' his friends show Thug and company da wonders of Aqua Goblins. Dem give gud exp and great loots. All that an' Thug get to meet humies, elfs, halflings and udders. It turn out dat them helpful (but ugly!) So Thug vow ta not eat 'em any more. Da place we huntin' is full o big crocs and orcs and giants. It like a barshin' playground. Most of dis stuff too tuff fer Thug ta fight alone, so Thug puttin' on his best manners ta make new friends fer when his old ones ain't around. Thug even brush his toofs. Thug startin' ta think 'bout da future. It a great big world out here, and lots of stuff fer Thug ta barsh. Stuff me not ever hear of or see. Trolls like ta see new stuff and den barsh it! Thug excitied about da future. Thug hear dat dere are some yummy Orcs called da Deathfist near da hummie city o Freeport, meybe Thug go barsh dem and try ta get a gud name fer himself with them humies. Thug will tell ya all 'bout his new friends and learnin' once he gets 'em." -Thugthug, 'Prentice Barsher

Ed note: While not always the most pleasent of company, adventuring with a Troll Warrior has its advantages and I will persist deciphering his pedantic, childish prattle for the understanding of the warrior brethern everywhere. No matter our race or the color of our skin, we are all truly brother warriors serving the "Great Warlord in the Sky" as best and where we may. May all of your foes be worthy of your steel.

Brother Mardigan, Chaplin of Tempus

PLEASE NOTE This is a rough first draft, and while usable as is, there is a lot more information that could be added when I have more more time and inclination.

Patyrsun's Main GURPS Page
My Main GURPS Index Page

The Adarian Campaign
The Index Page for my personal RPG Campaign that has been run for over 20 years....


This page has been visited times.