Mutant Trolls
The 2nd
Edition AD&D Monstrous Compendium Annual Vol. 4 is probably
my least favorite of the series, but it contains an entry called
“Troll Mutate” (pg. 84) that always seemed just shy of great.
Mutating trolls are way more fun than regular trolls. Why even use
regular trolls? Sadly, not only is the mutation table in the book
merely a 1d12, it only has TEN? entries.
I have expanded that weak
list to one hundred entries, specific to these mutant trolls, but
potentially useful as a general Biological Mutation table. The
trolls in the MCA4 at half
size were too small, I've made them one quarter smaller than normal
(i.e. 6 HD in 5e). Also, I prefer the mutations to begin after
twenty HP are regained, and that they are created fully formed and
functional. It's also more fun to fight a monster that mutates
during the course of a battle and the MCA4
trolls don't really achieve that the way they're written.
Whut? We have Jon Pickens to thank for this. |
Beyond the ability
of normal trolls severed body parts to keep moving and attacking,
mutant trolls possess another power. If multiple trolls are reduced
to zero HP (without using fire or acid) in the same area and allowed
to regenerate, they may fuse together into a huge Troll Abomination,
adding their HD together and increasing their combined strength and
attacks.
You can use the
table as a single d100 or two separate d50 lists. The first fifty
contains all the “no effect”, low effect, and negative effect
results (among some good ones), while the second fifty are all good
rolls except for 00. Rolling for the first mutation with d50 and
each subsequent one with d100 works. Some of the entries have a
second, greater effect to use if duplicates are rolled.
You can randomize
mutation placement, particularly if the obvious location gets
crowded, by using a “body die” or rolling 1d12: 1 Full Body, 2
Head, 3 Stomach, 4 Chest, 5 Left Arm, 6 Left Hand, 7 Left Leg,
8 Left Foot, 9 Right Arm, 10 Right Hand, 11 Right Leg, 12 Right
Foot.
Mutant Troll Mutation Table
01 Suction Cup
Fingers – scale sheer surfaces with ease, may be able to climb
upside down.
02 Extra Fingers
– no effect.
03 Extra Thumbs
– no effect.
04 Longer Claws
– slight increase to claw attack damage.
05 Extra
Knuckles - no effect.
06 Extra Hands
– slight increase to claw attack or damage.
07 Extra Arm
Joint – extended claw attack reach.
08 Disease
Vector – ten percent of bite, claw, or any other physical
attacks transmit a randomly chosen debilitating disease (1d4).
Double chance of transmission if rerolled.
1 Nausea
2 Weakness
3 Boils
4 Death
09 Extra Leg
– increase to movement rate.
10 Extra Leg
Joint – slight increase to movement rate.
11 Tentacle
– additional grapple attack.
12 Suction Cup
Toes – scale sheer surfaces with ease, may be able to climb
upside down.
13 Horn Clubbed
Tail – tail tipped with a mace-like knot of horn.
14 Extra Liver
– additional external liver, no effect.
15 Prehensile
Tail – dexterous tail able to grapple and manipulate objects.
16 Scaled Skin
– armor class increases somewhat.
17 Chitinous
Plating – armor class increases significantly.
18 Stinging
Nematocysts – body covered in venomous cells that cause
wracking pains.
19 Extra Bladder
– additional external bladder, no effect.
20 Sticky Blood
– highly adhesive ichor, weapons may stick in wounds, difficult to
grapple.
21 Acidic Blood
– oxygen activated acidic ichor.
22 Greasy Blood
– slippery ichor may grease
surfaces, difficult to grapple.
23 Stinking Musk
– may spray nauseating oil from specialized glands once every three
rounds. Spray once per round if rerolled.
24 Extra Teeth
– slight increase to bite attack damage.
25 Extra
Heart – additional external heart, no effect.
26 Madness –
erratic behaviors, takes actions as if confused, attacking trolls and
non-trolls alike.
27 Black Ink
Spit – may spew blinding ink once every three rounds. Spew
once per round if rerolled.
28 Bat Ears
– highly developed hearing, enhances perception, more difficult to
surprise.
29 Poison
Immunity – immune to normal poisons, half effect from
magical poisons.
30 Pincer –
an appendage ends in a crab-like pincer.
31 Quills –
substantial portion of body covered with hollow spines or quills,
deals additional grapple damage and has a chance to harm melee
attackers.
32 Telescopic
Neck – extended bite attack reach.
33 Exaggerated
Spinal Ridge – resists decapitation.
34 Heightened
Immune System – immune to normal diseases, half effect from
magical diseases.
35 Digging Claws
– heavy fused fingernails that can tunnel through earth at half
movement. Tunnel at full movement if rerolled.
36 Segmented
Antennae – able to “taste” trace compounds in the air.
37 Vestigial
Wings – no effect.
38 Additional
Nostrils – enhances perception, harder to surprise.
"Nearly all troll mutates have additional eyes and a third limb." 0/2, I wonder if this is Brian Despain's fault, or whoever gave him the description? |
40 Albinism
– lack of pigment results in white skin run through with green and
black veins, minor issues with vision and hearing, hyper-sensitive to
light to the point of damage.
41 Choking Smoke
– when burned with fire or acid, oily black nausea inducing smoke
is created in great volume.
42 Enlarged
Mouth & Stomach – swallows creatures one
size smaller on a critical hit.
43 Dorsal Fin
– slight increase to swimming speed.
44 Tail Fin
– slight increase to swimming speed.
45 Hand &
Foot Webbing – slight increase to swimming speed.
46 Eyestalks
– enhances perception, harder to surprise.
47 Extra Eyes
– additional 1d3 eyes, enhances perception, harder to surprise.
48 Current Sense
– able to detect the electromagnetic fields produced by living
tissue, enhances perception, harder to surprise.
49 Semi-permeable
Skin – amphibious.
50 Gill Slits –
amphibious.
51 Sonic Shriek
– deafens and damages those within earshot once every three rounds.
May shriek once per round if rerolled.
52 Summoning
Shriek – tone that can carry for miles, drawing more mutant
trolls and potentially other interested creatures.
53 Extrudeable
Tongue – frog or chameleon-like tongue, may use it to drag a
target closer and bite once every three rounds.
54 Hypnotic Gaze
– may attempt to paralyze a target meeting and maintaining its
gaze.
55 Wizard Eyes
– able to see invisible creatures, through illusions, and true
forms.
56 Bone Blades
– sharp protrusions of bone from the joints, additional slashing
attack.
57 Extra Head
– additional bite attack and higher intelligence, +2.
58 Stinger
Tail – tail tipped with a venomous scorpion stinger adds a
randomly chosen poison effect (1d4).
1 Nauseating
2 Paralytic
3 Necrotic
4 Deadly
59 Straight
Horns – antelope-like horns, may use a charge attack.
60 Antlers –
elk-like antlers, may use a charge attack.
61 Chromatophores
– color changing cells allow near perfect camouflage.
62 Extra Arm
– additional claw attack.
63 Spiral Horns
– ram-like horns, may use a charge attack.
64 Proboscis
– blood-sucking facial appendage latches on and drains
continuously.
Scaled up spinnerets pointing at you. |
66 Spinnerets
– silk-spinning organs, may ensnare a target once every three
rounds. May ensnare once per round if rerolled.
67 Bioluminescent
Organ – bulbous glowing organ, may use it to create a blinding
flash attack once every five rounds.
68 Venomous
Fangs – bite attack adds a randomly chosen poison effect (1d4).
1 Nauseating
2 Paralytic
3 Necrotic
4 Deadly
69 Chiropteran
Wings – functional membranous wings allow flight at three
quarters movement speed. Fly at one hundred and fifty percent
movement speed if rerolled.
70 Solar
Protection – unaffected by ultraviolet radiation, half damage
from light attacks. Immune to light attacks if rerolled.
71 Extra
Mouth – allows an additional bite attack.
72 Conductive
Skin – half damage from electrical attacks. Immune to
electrical attacks if rerolled.
73 Cold
Resistant Fats – half damage from cold attacks.
Immune to cold attacks if rerolled.
74 Acid
Resistant Waxes – half damage from acidic attacks.
75 Fire
Resistant Mucous – half damage from fiery attacks,
cannot be set alight.
76 Mitochondrial
Burst – may forego regeneration for a short period to act as
if hasted twice daily.
77 Adrenal
Rage – may auto-mutilate and enter a berserk frenzy twice
daily.
78 Feathered
Wings – functional feathery wings allow flight at three
quarters movement speed. Fly at one hundred and fifty percent
movement speed if rerolled.
79 Acidic Spit –
may spew burning acid once every three rounds. May spew once per
round if rerolled.
80 Sharper Wit
– higher intelligence, +4. Gets 1d3 wizard spellcasting levels if
rerolled.
81 Focused Mind
– higher wisdom, +4. Gets 1d3 cleric spellcasting levels if
rerolled.
82 Telekinetic
– may forego bite to employ a crushing attack or manipulate an
object up to intelligence x10 feet away.
83 Telepathic
– able to communicate with or read the thoughts of intelligent
beings up to intelligence x10 feet away.
Suriname Toad. This picture is so good I'm tempted to make trolls look pretty much the same. |
85 Troll Spawn
Carrier – covered with tiny parasitic troll-lets inside
individual breeding pouches, they can be transferred to a target with
a claw attack and behave like rot grubs.
86 Parasitic
Cancers – covered with tumorous growths, the disease is
transferable to targets with a bite, claw, or any physical attack,
and begins to slowly transform the host into a troll.
87 Detachable
Appendages – may drop an arm, leg, tail, etc. at will.
88 Dense
Flesh – weight is doubled, half damage from slashing and
piercing attacks.
89 Rubbery
Body – skeleton becomes cartilaginous, able to squeeze
through tight spaces, half damage from falling and crushing attacks.
90 Radioactive
– causes withering effects on close contact with non-trolls. May
create a radioactive burst once every three rounds if rerolled.
91 Rapid
Mutation Cycling – reroll this mutation every three rounds.
92 Antimagic
Organ – visible crystalline structure cancels half of nearby
magics.
93 Double in
Size – doubles evenly in size, adjust strength and constitution
accordingly.
94 Triple in
Size – triples evenly in size, adjust strength and constitution
accordingly.
95 Regeneration
Factor Doubles – recovers twice as many HP per round.
96 Regeneration
Factor Triples – recovers three times as many HP per round.
97 Mentally
Dominates Other Trolls – able to psychically control other
trolls up to intelligence x10 feet away.
98 Physically
Absorbs Other Trolls – able to undergo fusion
with other trolls on contact.
99 Evolutionary
Leap – progress further on the path of the Über Troll, +2
to all abilities.
00 Collapse into
Green Slime – troll's body loses cohesion and decomposes into a
like amount of green slime.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
In case you are interested in the MCA4 Troll Mutate entry in its fully wonky glory. The poor little things don't seem to mutate meaningfully unless you beat on them then run off and do something else for a day. Which in my experience is not how players deal with trolls. The queen troll thing is fine, if played, but I prefer sexless trolls that reproduce through hormone triggered fits of intra-species violence: limbs are severed and rather than reconnecting are compelled to grow into troll-lets. But I also like trolls as cancer, trolls as virus, and the above parasitic troll spawn (Suriname Toad lifecycle) thing.
In case you are interested in the MCA4 Troll Mutate entry in its fully wonky glory. The poor little things don't seem to mutate meaningfully unless you beat on them then run off and do something else for a day. Which in my experience is not how players deal with trolls. The queen troll thing is fine, if played, but I prefer sexless trolls that reproduce through hormone triggered fits of intra-species violence: limbs are severed and rather than reconnecting are compelled to grow into troll-lets. But I also like trolls as cancer, trolls as virus, and the above parasitic troll spawn (Suriname Toad lifecycle) thing.
Brilliant
ReplyDelete