New troglodytes

[Steely Dan]

Or at worst, Kermit the Frog.

What's green and smells like pork?

 

[OakwoodDM]

Wow, I was clearly looking at the wrong part of the initial image. I saw the trog, went "Meh.", then I saw the Gargoyle.

I like the gargoyle. Very cool looking. Makes me want to include them in an adventure.

 

[Plane Sailing]

I've never used the D&D version of Troglodyte. I remember reading the entry in BD&D and wondered where the hell they came up with a stinky lizard-guy. Especially since they already had Lizardmen.

This is more what I expected the Troglodyte to be like.

Me too. Troglodyte means (iirc) cave-dweller; it has typically been used to represent cave dwelling humanoids (rather than reptiloids), so the D&D meaning always came as a surprise to me.

trivia: troglodytes troglodytes is the scientific name for the Wren, one of the smallest British birds (beaten in the size stakes only by the goldcrest and firecrest)

Cheers

 

[Cthulhudrew]

I know but the cave dwelling trog in previous editions was too skinny. They should dwarf-like I guess, Neanderthal even.

Why, though? I can't think of any cave dwelling lizards offhand that are stout and muscular. There really doesn't seem to be any reason that they should be, and since that's not how Trogs have been traditionally, this seems like change just for the sake of change, with no real rationale behind it.

 

[Rechan]

Why, though? I can't think of any cave dwelling lizards offhand that are stout and muscular. There really doesn't seem to be any reason that they should be, and since that's not how Trogs have been traditionally, this seems like change just for the sake of change, with no real rationale behind it.

Maybe they're just trying to distinguish them from liqardfolk.

 

[Cthulhudrew]

trivia: troglodytes troglodytes is the scientific name for the Wren, one of the smallest British birds (beaten in the size stakes only by the goldcrest and firecrest)

The word itself actually means "cave dweller", though. And Pan Troglodytes are none other than chimpanzees- which might be mistaken for primitive cave-dwelling men among the more superstitious (and less informed).

 

[Cthulhudrew]

Maybe they're just trying to distinguish them from liqardfolk.

*shrug* Could be, but considering all the many subraces with minimal differences, that's never been much of a problem before.

Then again, 4E appears to be splitting at least one race into two (elves), so maybe that's their new M.O. on races and subraces?

 

[Mad Mac]

Why, though? I can't think of any cave dwelling lizards offhand that are stout and muscular. There really doesn't seem to be any reason that they should be, and since that's not how Trogs have been traditionally, this seems like change just for the sake of change, with no real rationale behind it.

Well, it does bring their appearance in line with their stats. 3.5 Trogs had +6 natural armor (highest I can think of for a medium humanoid) +6 Con and -2 Dex. Stat-wise, they were natural tanks, while being depicted as these emaciated lizardmen knock-offs.

Of course, giving them a unique visual appearance is also part of it, and something they've never really had, IMO. Trogs have never been far apart from lizardmen, visually. With the Dragonborn (who reportedly look like lizardmen) becoming a core race, you have all the more reason to give Trogs a more distinct look.

I'm not a huge fan of the new look, but it still works for me.

 

[Lurks-no-More]

Hmm, looks a bit like an armadillo or one of those armored dinosaurs, doesn't it?

Works for me; troglodytes haven't exactly been prominent monsters in most settings and adventures that I know of.

 

[Simia Saturnalia]

Hmm, looks a bit like an armadillo or one of those armored dinosaurs, doesn't it?

Works for me; troglodytes haven't exactly been prominent monsters in most settings and adventures that I know of.

Without being those stupid armadillo-men, they really do.

I think I've used them once, as I haven't gotten the chance to D-G-Q my "I never played 1e" group, with a tribe worshiping a five-headed hydra trapped in a fault in their caves as an incarnation of their hungering god. Of course I'd just read the applicable Slayer's Guide, so I was sorta keen to.