Special Conversion Thread: Finishing off giants and their kin

[Shade]

Originally Posted by Big Mac

One point though. If the gray troll crumbles and turns to dust in sunlight, should they also crumble to dust if they die normally? And should severed limbs crumble to dust?

I'm guessing it was based off the mythological trolls that were petrified in sunlight, so slaying through normal means wouldn't necessarily turn them to crumble to dust. I'm fine with either approach, though.

Originally Posted by Big Mac

These creatures are already bordering on being undead. Would pushing it further in that direction make for a more interesting creature? (How many undead trolls are there?)

I think it might make them more interesting to give negative energy affinity.

Negative Energy Affinity (Ex): A gray troll is affected by cure spells and inflict spells as if it were an undead creature.

Originally Posted by Big Mac

Considering what this is, I'm tempted to suggest gray troll should be a template that can be applied to any troll.

It is tempting, but I'd be content to mention in the flavor text that variant trolls may produce different types of gray trolls, but to date none have been encountered.

Updated. Challenge Rating: 8? They seem on par with crystalline and cave trolls.

Anything else?

[freyar]

I like it, and I think CR 8 is fair. I think it's done!

[Shade]

Great!

While looking up one of the others on the list, I found one we didn't have listed:

Skovtrolde
The skovtrolde are neutral-evil wood trolls found in dark forests. Their statistics are the same as for normal trolls, except for these changes:
#AP 1-20; HD 8; THAC0 13; SZ L (8' tall). They have low to average intelligence and often make their lairs in trees. Some skovtrolde (30%) carry crude long bows; their arrows are -2 to hit and do 1-4 points damage.

These wood trolls have skin that is dark-green and covered with brown blotches. It is 85% likely that the skovtrolde will not be seen in a vegetated environment. If 15 or more trolls are present, they sure type E.

Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #158 (1990).

This one should be fairly easy. Advance a troll to 8 HD, improve Int to 8-11, change alignment and environment, give 'em longbows, and add a racial bonus on Hide checks.

[freyar]

Decrease Dex due to the -2 to hit on arrows? Or were trolls "less dexterous" back then?

[Shade]

I think the -2 is due to the "crudeness" of their longbows.

I'd prefer not to penalize Dex since they're ranged attackers.

[freyar]

Just remembered: we need to put something in the gray troll about when its limbs get severed. This was part of impeded fortification for the troll mutate. Here's my suggestion for the gray troll:

Brittle Flesh (Ex): The flesh of a gray troll is crackly and brittle due to its exposure to negative energy. When an opponent scores a successful critical hit against a gray troll, there is a 50% chance that one of the trolls arms (or other limbs) will be severed from the troll.

[freyar]

Let's see if replying to two different posts gets past the automerge...

Should we give the skovtroldes a special kind of longbow for the penalty, or do you want to ditch that?

[Shade]

Good suggestion with brittle flesh.

For the longbows, I'm fine with dropping the penalty, as other "dumb brutes" with weapons described as crude don't suffer penalties.

[freyar]

Well, I guess the skovtroldes are basically done once you get a chance to homebrew them.

[Shade]

Added to Homebrews.

I used the same skill bonuses as the forest landwyrm. Does that work?

They have 22 skill ranks. Mix between Hide, Listen, Move Silently, and Spot?

Do we want to swap out any of the standard troll feats for ranged feats?

[freyar]

Racial skill bonuses work. Ranks: Hide 6, Listen 5, Move Silently 6, Spot 5? Or we could go with Survival instead of Move Silently.

Let's do Point Blank Shot and Rapid Shot rather than Iron Will and Track (alternately, if we put ranks in Survival, keep Track and drop Alertness).

[Shade]

Updated.

Look good?

[freyar]

Looks good to me. Pretty easy!

[Big Mac]

Originally Posted by freyar

Looks good to me. Pretty easy!

Wow. I blinked and I missed it. Nice job anyway.

[demiurge1138]

Um... looks good! I totally missed it, but looks good!

[Shade]

Ragnhilder
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Rocky or mountainous terrain
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION: Group
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Low
TREASURE: Q (C)
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
NO. APPEARING: 1-8
ARMOR CLASS: 7
MOVEMENT: 15
HIT DICE: 4
THAC0: 17
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-6/1-6/1-8 or by weapon type
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Hurl rocks
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Regeneration, camouflage
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: L (9’ tall)
MORALE: Elite (14)
XP VALUE: 420

The ragnhilder are as large as normal trolls but are weaker (18 strength, +2 damage) and sometimes use hand-to-hand weapons. Their favorite form of attack is to hurl 5-10 lb. rocks out to 60', doing 1-6 hp damage. The ragnhilder have stone-gray hides that conceal them 60% of the time in rocky terrain.

Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #158 (1990).

[Shade]

Drop a troll to 4 HD, lower Str to 18, add rock throwing and camouflage?

[demiurge1138]

Sounds good to me!

[Shade]

Added to Homebrews.

Should we give them rock catching as well?

What weapon shall we provide in the stat block?

Skills: 7
Put it all in Hide, or give them Listen and Spot like normal trolls?

Feats: 2
Alertness, Point Blank Shot?

Do we want to lower natural armor by 3 to get the converted AC of 13?

[demiurge1138]

Let's keep the natural armor where it is. Let's not give them rock catching.

...should they really have rend? They seem to me like they rely more on weaponry.

Point Blank Shot and Precise Shot for feats. Greatclub for the weapon?