a Troll bad guy [Archive] - Wizards Community

a Troll bad guy [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Angus Cotton
02-24-08, 03:49 PM In an up and coming campaign, I want to throw an army or trolls at my PCs. The leader of said army will be a epic troll warrior of some sort. He and the trolls are not the main BBEGs, but more like mercs he hired. So...the trolls are not the main focus.

Here is what I want. I want a troll warrior build that would be a challenge, but not party wipe a group of SIX level 20s. He can be barbarian, fighter, some rogue or ranger hybrid, whatever. His level is up to you.

I don't want:
1) him to rely on magic too much.
2) him to be educated.
3) and I don't want any charger builds.

I want a troll champion that can get in the middle and cleave away and actually stand up a few rounds. If it means anything, he will lead an army of trolls 1000 strong with a few higher level lieutinents.

Let me see what yall come up with to give me a few options.
Taeldrin Laesrash
02-24-08, 05:15 PM How about you give us your ideas first, and then we'll offer constructive criticism and improvements? You sound like you know what you want.
BillTheManiac
02-24-08, 07:01 PM He knows what he doesn't want.

Got ToB? That would help.

Otherwise, maybe you want to make him a Barbarian/Frenzied Berserker/Epic Frenzied Berserker?
Paladin's Pride
02-24-08, 08:22 PM I'm not really an optimizer, but how about a barbarian5/war hulk10/occult slayer5. It produces the straight-forward brute, cleaving troll you seem to want, with a grudge against casters thrown in (which seems to go well with the "not reliant on magic" clause)

Occult slayer grants it immunity to mind-influencing abilities and allows it to deflect a spell attack or two, which goes a long way towards keeping it safe from a 20th level caster. You could also take the mage-slayer line from Complete Arcane, which would fit thematically and make it more difficult for casters to avoid the trolls strikes.

War Hulk ups the strength of the creature a huge amount, but grants you no base attack, but that's not really a problem because if you use the trolls natural attacks, you don't need the BAB anyhow. Massive Swing woud allow it to attack with it's natural weapons against every opponent in reach, which also means that it could rend every opponent in reach, resulting in a devestating amount of damage against multiple members of the party.
Angus Cotton
02-24-08, 09:50 PM Billthemaniac is right, I know more what I don't want, as far from mechanics point of view.

If it seems like I know what I want, I do--from a roleplaying standpoint only. I envision a big, uneducated, yet charismatic leader of trolls, who rules by his own strength and by fear. Ykesha from the Everquest game/mythos comes to mind...the returning troll hero, coming to the troll clans and demanding to be clan chieftain, and dueling all opposition to the title--to the death on the precipice of a volcano (not a good place to be for a troll, mind you), killing troll after troll and chunking them over the side into the magma...

Anyway, I will check out both War Hulk and the Occ Slayer. I do not have Tome of Battle, but I could probably get my hands on any ToB material you might speak of as a good build in this situation ( I think my buddy owns that book actually). War Hulk, I had seen before and I think would be an awesome idear, I think I will tack that in.

More options?
Acrid
02-25-08, 12:19 AM Give it two heads.
Taeldrin Laesrash
02-25-08, 12:40 AM I'd go for a Barbarian/Frenzied Berserker, maybe with a variant of the Orc Warlord PrC from Races of Faerun.
Eldritch_Id
02-26-08, 01:25 AM Give it two heads.I vote for two heads & levels in barbarian & frenzied beserker classes. I know you said keep the magic use limited, but some heavy resistance to fire and acid only makes sense - the thing has to be at least smart enough to have gained the leadership position.
Eldritch_Id
02-26-08, 01:29 AM I vote for two heads & levels in barbarian & frenzied beserker classes. I know you said keep the magic use limited, but some heavy resistance to fire and acid only makes sense - the thing has to be at least smart enough to have gained the leadership position.

And for those who like rhetorical sarcasm: Besides, this is epic 3.5 D&D; the troll chieftain's got a 40 major-magic-items-owned head-minion minimum - he's got a nametag. :P
Angus Cotton
02-26-08, 08:09 AM I vote for two heads & levels in barbarian & frenzied beserker classes. I know you said keep the magic use limited, but some heavy resistance to fire and acid only makes sense - the thing has to be at least smart enough to have gained the leadership position.

Unfortunately, I can not go into too much detail as I fear my players might read this sight. That said, I do have the fire and acid part covered. As to two heads, wow that is some good idear, we could go even further with that idea and make one head a "dumb" one and one head a "smart" one. The dumb one controls the body, while the smart one has an oxford degree and has levels in psion. Wow, what a villain.

In the end, I will probably just go with one head though. I am trying to go for a certain kind of feel. I want a troll that is serious, brutal, and cunning. He made it to where he is today with his head, and by killing his way to the top. The two head idea just doe not seem to fill that role for me.

I might however, now that I think about it, make him a cohort that has two heads (with one having levels in psion and one head controling the body), cause that idear is just too good to ignore.
yellowdingo
03-03-08, 07:18 AM In an up and coming campaign, I want to throw an army or trolls at my PCs. The leader of said army will be a epic troll warrior of some sort. He and the trolls are not the main BBEGs, but more like mercs he hired. So...the trolls are not the main focus.

Here is what I want. I want a troll warrior build that would be a challenge, but not party wipe a group of SIX level 20s. He can be barbarian, fighter, some rogue or ranger hybrid, whatever. His level is up to you.

I don't want:
1) him to rely on magic too much.
2) him to be educated.
3) and I don't want any charger builds.

I want a troll champion that can get in the middle and cleave away and actually stand up a few rounds. If it means anything, he will lead an army of trolls 1000 strong with a few higher level lieutinents.

Let me see what yall come up with to give me a few options.

Halftroll-elf 7' tall, mudgreen, leathery, regenerates, Monk
malignor
03-04-08, 07:13 PM Six level 20s hmm?

so CR21 should be good... starts at CR5... so we have 16 character levels to toy with... he needs enough levels in Ranger to cast Resist Energy, so let's give em 6 levels in Ranger... he can then go into Horizon Walker...

Okay, okay I got it. Start with the Troll hunter in the MM and add 10 levels of Horizon Walker. His history is that he became the cohort of a planar explorer, and challenged himself by facing his worst fears - drowning, fire and acid. Luckily, being able to cast resist energy, and being able to heal himself (via curing wands and scrolls), he was well equipped to make himself a sort of super-troll by conditioning his mind and body against the trials of a hundred worlds, and honing his senses to unprecedented levels. Some years ago, his master died, but he carried on until he found himself among his own kind, where he became a sort of leader.

Gularrak Rundus the World Tamer (Large Giant6/Ranger6/HorizonWalker10)
HD: 6d8+6d8+10d8+132 (235 hp)
Init: +1
Move: 30 ft. (6 squares)
AC: 15 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +5 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 14
BAB/Gr: +20/+32
Att: Claw +27 melee (1d6+8)
F.Att: 2 Claws +27 melee (1d6+8) and Bite +22 melee (1d6+4)
Size/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Att: Rend 2d6+12, spells
Special Q: Darkvision 120 ft., favored enemy elves (+4), favored enemy humans (+2), low-light vision, regeneration 5, scent, wild empathy, terrain mastery (desert, underground, hills, mountains, aquatic), planar terrain mastery (fiery, cavernous, shifting, corrosive, aligned) - Tremorsense 30', fire & acid resistance 20, dimension door 1/1d4 rounds, impervious to alignment-dependent effects and fatigue.
Saves: Fort +23, Ref +11, Will +12
Abilities: Str 26, Dex 12, Con 22, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 10
Skills: Balance +6 (5r), Climb +17 (5r), Diplomacy +5 (5r), Handle Animal +5 (5r), Hide +2 (5r), Jump +13 (5r), Know Dungeoneering +5 (5r), Know Geography +8 (8r), Know Nature +7 (5r), Listen +16 (9r), Move Silently +6 (5r), Speak Language (undercommon, also knows giant and common), Spot +12 (10r), Survival +13 (10r; +2 underground or navigating or natural), Swim +14 (2r)
Feats: Endurance(b), Leadership, Iron Will, Manyshot (b), Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, Quickdraw, Rapid Shot(b), Track(b), Precise Shot, Weapon Focus (longbow), Improved Critical (longbow)
Align: CE
CR: 21

... now to equip him (be back later)

EDIT 03/07/08
== WEAPONS ==
Well first off, he needs a composite longbow str26. Make it +3, give it seeking, shocking burst and thundering. Call it the "Storm Hurler". Damage output is 2d6+11+1d6shock/19-20x3+2d10shock+2d8sonic... ignores miss chance (aim for the square), base range as a normal composite longbow.
Next he should get greater bracers of archery and gloves of dexterity +6. This adds 5 to hit and 1 to damage with the bow... so +30/25/20/15, or +28/28/23/18/13 with rapid shot, or +22/22/22/22 with manyshot (standard action).
For melee he has his claws. The only reason he'd have anything different is to overcome high DR. Being sensitive to encumbrance, he'd use light weapons that can be used 2-handed (since he doesn't like to use a shield and uses PA). Let's go with a trio of large shortspears... make them +1 of returning, so he can toss them or use them in melee, 1handed or 2handed. One is adamantine, one is cold iron and one is silver. Best part about this is it can all fit in a Quiver of Elohnna. That should cover weapons handily.
== ARMOR ==
Obviously, light armor. Studded leather, when it's masterworked (For enchanting) loses it's ACP, which means it's as heavy as it gets before impairing movement. Plus it's partially buoyant. So studded leather mmmmm +4. Give it fire and acid resistance, so it survived Galurrak's travels. Give it improved shadows as a "recently added" enhancement since Galurrak obviously spent effort learning to hide, but isn't all that great. I'm not bothering with silent moves, since Galurrak's preference is to be a sniper, and once things get up close and personal, he's not stealthy at all, but a flesh rendering giant.
== RINGS ==
For this I'll roll randomly... we'll say Galurrak, in his travels, has had 3 opportunities to get minor rings, 2 to get moderate, and 1 to get a major. For minor, I got 07, 10 and 17... all rings of protection +1. For moderate, I got 84 and 29, so Wizardry I and Improved Climbing. For major, I got 75, or Spell Storing. *sigh* looks like it will be protection +1 and spell storing. The spell storing ring has 5 levels worth of spells, and Galurrak has access only to level 1 spells... so it will have Entangle, Alarm, Pass Without Trace, Speak with Animals and Magic Fang, and he'll cast Longstrider every day (6 hours)
== WANDS/SCROLLS ==
I know, I know... he's a ranger. But he can certainly take advantage of the fact that he has a few good spells on his list. So A good 'ol wand of Cure Light Wounds (32 charges left) for emergencies is always nice to have. His Wisdom is 16, so he can use any scroll on the ranger spell list (Caster check DC = scroll caster level +1). He would have a scroll of Tree Shape, held in reserve for emergencies (to help escape or buy time to regenerate; DC6 to use).
== WONDROUS ==
Well he already has Bracers of Archery and Gloves of Dexterity. I'll just roll up 3 moderate and 1 major, he'll use or sell those and use whatever money to buy minor items to fill up the remaining slots.
Mod: 55,54,93 = GlovesDex+4, CloakResist+4, PeriaptVs.Poison. Selling the gloves and Pariapt (+23 Fort save... 27 with the clock, c'mon!), wearing the cloak. (16k+27k)/2 = 21500gp for minor items.
Major: ... ahh the dice were kind to me. Manual of Quick Action +2. Well that adds 2 to his dexterity!
Minor: 21500gp = that Quiver of Elohnna (1800), Slippers of Spider Climbing (4800; 6k total so far), Gray Bag of Tricks (to locate hidden folks; 900; 6.9k total so far), Eversmoking Bottle (provide concealment, use seeking bow; 5400gp; 12.3k so far), A pearl of Power I (in case he needs another Longstrider; 1k; 13.3k now), Helm of Comprehend Languages and Read Magic (he plays dumb, but listens in on conversations; 5200gp; 18.5k now), Amulet of Natural AC +1 (2k; only 1k left!) and 2 Feather Token - Tree and a Feather Token - Fan.

Gularrak Rundus the World Tamer (Large Giant6/Ranger6/HorizonWalker10)
HD: 6d8+6d8+10d8+132 (235 hp)
Init: +5
Move: 30 ft. (6 squares) (40 ft from longstrider), Climb 20 ft.
AC: 28 (-1 size, +5 Dex, +6 natural, +7 armor, +1 deflect), touch 15, flat-footed 23
BAB/Gr: +20/+32
Att: Claw +27 melee (1d6+8) or shortspear +28 melee (1d6+13) or longbow +30 ranged (2d6+8+1d6shock/19-20x3+2d10shock+2d8sonic) or 4 longbow +22 ranged (2d6+8+1d6shock/19-20x3+2d10shock+2d8sonic) or shortspear +25 ranged (1d6+9)
F.Att: 2 Claws +27 melee (1d6+8) and Bite +22 melee (1d6+4) ... or shortspear +28/23/18/13 melee (1d6+13) or longbow +30/25/20/15 ranged (2d6+8+1d6shock/19-20x3+2d10shock+2d8sonic) or longbow +28/28/23/18/13 ranged (2d6+8+1d6shock/19-20x3+2d10shock+2d8sonic) or shortspears +25/20/15 ranged (1d6+9)
Size/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Att: Rend 2d6+12, spells
Special Q: Darkvision 120 ft., favored enemy elves (+4), favored enemy humans (+2), low-light vision, regeneration 5, scent, wild empathy, terrain mastery (desert, underground, hills, mountains, aquatic), planar terrain mastery (fiery, cavernous, shifting, corrosive, aligned) - Tremorsense 30', fire & acid resistance 20, dimension door 1/1d4 rounds, impervious to alignment-dependent effects and fatigue.
Saves: Fort +27, Ref +19, Will +16
Abilities: Str 26, Dex 20(14), Con 22, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 10
Skills: Balance +10 (5r), Climb +17 (5r), Diplomacy +5 (5r), Handle Animal +5 (5r), Hide +16 (5r), Jump +17 (5r; includes +4 from Longstrider), Know Dungeoneering +5 (5r), Know Geography +8 (8r), Know Nature +7 (5r), Listen +16 (9r), Move Silently +10 (5r), Speak Language (undercommon, also knows giant and common), Spot +12 (10r), Survival +13 (10r; +2 underground or navigating or natural), Swim +14 (2r)
Feats: Endurance(b), Leadership, Iron Will, Manyshot (b), Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, Quickdraw, Rapid Shot(b), Track(b), Precise Shot, Weapon Focus (longbow), Improved Critical (longbow)
Align: CE
CR: 21
Gear: Stormhurler (Large Composite Longbow Str26 +3, seeking, shocking burst, thundering), Flesh of the Unburning Stalker (Large Studded Leather +4, fire resistance, acid resistance, improved shadows), The 3 Spires (Large Adamantine & Cold Iron & Silver Shortspears +1 of Returning) Greater Bracers of Archery, Gloves of Dexterity +6, Quiver of Elohnna (holds arrows & shortspears), 60 arrows (large; 20 adamantine, 20 cold iron, 20 silver), Ring of Protection +1, Ring of Spell Storing (Entangle, Alarm, Pass Without Trace, Speak with Animals and Magic Fang), Wand of Cure Light Wounds (32 charges), Cloak of Resistance +4, Slippers of Spider Climbing, Gray Bag of Tricks, Eversmoking Bottle, Pearl of Power, Helm of Comprehend Languages & Read Magic, Amulet of Natural Armor +1, 2 Feather Tokens (tree), 1 Feather token (fan).

Tactical Ideas: Fire from within partial concealment (smoking bottle), then when they approach, fall back to full concealment, hide, D-Door away and shoot them within the smoke. Use animals from gray bag to find hidden foes (via scent) and shoot foes in the square (I just love that bow of seeking) Lure into superior terrain, such as cliff faces, walk up the cliff faces and gain upper ground on some foes Use bottle to fill dark area with smoke and use tremorsense to locate foes. Bow of Seeking again rules the day. Take advantage of superior range nightvision, again with bow. Fight in a forest fire Use darkness and smoke to scatter party, use tremorsense to find less martially skilled foes and rend them apart DDoor + bow + smoking bottle + tremorsense + climb speed. Use your imagination.
Thanael
03-07-08, 06:04 AM In 2E the Two-headed troll was a separate monster, said to be the offspring of an ettin and a troll.

So how about a Half-Troll Ettin Barbarian/Warhulk ? Make sure to give him a few shamans as lieutenants.

Dragon # 301 has the article "Malignant Growth: The Ecology of the Troll," (pp. 63-69.)
Includes troll variations: the scrag, fiendish troll, half-fiend/half-troll, rock troll, ice troll, deep sea troll, and slime troll. Also includes the savage claw, a class combination for trolls (cleric/barbarian).

It's not 3.5, but there is a half-troll template in the Fiend Folio.

Or you can use ENworlds conversion of the 2E monster and advance from there: http://www.enworld.org/cc/converted/giant/two-headed_troll.htm
Starmage21
03-07-08, 10:07 AM It may sound unoriginal, but a fighter 20 or 21 vs 6 level 20 PCs is pretty frickin deadly, especially when put on top of a regenerating troll.

The only magic he would need is fire and acid resistance to cover his weaknesses, and whatever you can throw in there to increase his ability to regenerate. A ring of Vigor would be quite nasty(fast healing on top of regeneration).
Saefal
03-07-08, 01:22 PM I would make it require a more creative approach. Make a Half-Black Dragon war Troll and toss in a few levels of Ranger. The character is immune to damage from physical sources and will take some creative thinking to keep down. Also he is quite bright.
malignor
03-07-08, 01:54 PM updated Glurrak above.
rob_douglas
03-08-08, 01:05 PM Glurrak is pretty cool. I like him.

ROB

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Angus Cotton 02-24-08, 03:49 PM	In an up and coming campaign, I want to throw an army or trolls at my PCs. The leader of said army will be a epic troll warrior of some sort. He and the trolls are not the main BBEGs, but more like mercs he hired. So...the trolls are not the main focus. Here is what I want. I want a troll warrior build that would be a challenge, but not party wipe a group of SIX level 20s. He can be barbarian, fighter, some rogue or ranger hybrid, whatever. His level is up to you. I don't want: 1) him to rely on magic too much. 2) him to be educated. 3) and I don't want any charger builds. I want a troll champion that can get in the middle and cleave away and actually stand up a few rounds. If it means anything, he will lead an army of trolls 1000 strong with a few higher level lieutinents. Let me see what yall come up with to give me a few options.
Taeldrin Laesrash 02-24-08, 05:15 PM	How about you give us your ideas first, and then we'll offer constructive criticism and improvements? You sound like you know what you want.
BillTheManiac 02-24-08, 07:01 PM	He knows what he doesn't want. Got ToB? That would help. Otherwise, maybe you want to make him a Barbarian/Frenzied Berserker/Epic Frenzied Berserker?
Paladin's Pride 02-24-08, 08:22 PM	I'm not really an optimizer, but how about a barbarian5/war hulk10/occult slayer5. It produces the straight-forward brute, cleaving troll you seem to want, with a grudge against casters thrown in (which seems to go well with the "not reliant on magic" clause) Occult slayer grants it immunity to mind-influencing abilities and allows it to deflect a spell attack or two, which goes a long way towards keeping it safe from a 20th level caster. You could also take the mage-slayer line from Complete Arcane, which would fit thematically and make it more difficult for casters to avoid the trolls strikes. War Hulk ups the strength of the creature a huge amount, but grants you no base attack, but that's not really a problem because if you use the trolls natural attacks, you don't need the BAB anyhow. Massive Swing woud allow it to attack with it's natural weapons against every opponent in reach, which also means that it could rend every opponent in reach, resulting in a devestating amount of damage against multiple members of the party.
Angus Cotton 02-24-08, 09:50 PM	Billthemaniac is right, I know more what I don't want, as far from mechanics point of view. If it seems like I know what I want, I do--from a roleplaying standpoint only. I envision a big, uneducated, yet charismatic leader of trolls, who rules by his own strength and by fear. Ykesha from the Everquest game/mythos comes to mind...the returning troll hero, coming to the troll clans and demanding to be clan chieftain, and dueling all opposition to the title--to the death on the precipice of a volcano (not a good place to be for a troll, mind you), killing troll after troll and chunking them over the side into the magma... Anyway, I will check out both War Hulk and the Occ Slayer. I do not have Tome of Battle, but I could probably get my hands on any ToB material you might speak of as a good build in this situation ( I think my buddy owns that book actually). War Hulk, I had seen before and I think would be an awesome idear, I think I will tack that in. More options?
Acrid 02-25-08, 12:19 AM	Give it two heads.
Taeldrin Laesrash 02-25-08, 12:40 AM	I'd go for a Barbarian/Frenzied Berserker, maybe with a variant of the Orc Warlord PrC from Races of Faerun.
Eldritch_Id 02-26-08, 01:25 AM	Give it two heads.I vote for two heads & levels in barbarian & frenzied beserker classes. I know you said keep the magic use limited, but some heavy resistance to fire and acid only makes sense - the thing has to be at least smart enough to have gained the leadership position.
Eldritch_Id 02-26-08, 01:29 AM	I vote for two heads & levels in barbarian & frenzied beserker classes. I know you said keep the magic use limited, but some heavy resistance to fire and acid only makes sense - the thing has to be at least smart enough to have gained the leadership position. And for those who like rhetorical sarcasm: Besides, this is epic 3.5 D&D; the troll chieftain's got a 40 major-magic-items-owned head-minion minimum - he's got a nametag. :P
Angus Cotton 02-26-08, 08:09 AM	I vote for two heads & levels in barbarian & frenzied beserker classes. I know you said keep the magic use limited, but some heavy resistance to fire and acid only makes sense - the thing has to be at least smart enough to have gained the leadership position. Unfortunately, I can not go into too much detail as I fear my players might read this sight. That said, I do have the fire and acid part covered. As to two heads, wow that is some good idear, we could go even further with that idea and make one head a "dumb" one and one head a "smart" one. The dumb one controls the body, while the smart one has an oxford degree and has levels in psion. Wow, what a villain. In the end, I will probably just go with one head though. I am trying to go for a certain kind of feel. I want a troll that is serious, brutal, and cunning. He made it to where he is today with his head, and by killing his way to the top. The two head idea just doe not seem to fill that role for me. I might however, now that I think about it, make him a cohort that has two heads (with one having levels in psion and one head controling the body), cause that idear is just too good to ignore.
yellowdingo 03-03-08, 07:18 AM	In an up and coming campaign, I want to throw an army or trolls at my PCs. The leader of said army will be a epic troll warrior of some sort. He and the trolls are not the main BBEGs, but more like mercs he hired. So...the trolls are not the main focus. Here is what I want. I want a troll warrior build that would be a challenge, but not party wipe a group of SIX level 20s. He can be barbarian, fighter, some rogue or ranger hybrid, whatever. His level is up to you. I don't want: 1) him to rely on magic too much. 2) him to be educated. 3) and I don't want any charger builds. I want a troll champion that can get in the middle and cleave away and actually stand up a few rounds. If it means anything, he will lead an army of trolls 1000 strong with a few higher level lieutinents. Let me see what yall come up with to give me a few options. Halftroll-elf 7' tall, mudgreen, leathery, regenerates, Monk
malignor 03-04-08, 07:13 PM	Six level 20s hmm? so CR21 should be good... starts at CR5... so we have 16 character levels to toy with... he needs enough levels in Ranger to cast Resist Energy, so let's give em 6 levels in Ranger... he can then go into Horizon Walker... Okay, okay I got it. Start with the Troll hunter in the MM and add 10 levels of Horizon Walker. His history is that he became the cohort of a planar explorer, and challenged himself by facing his worst fears - drowning, fire and acid. Luckily, being able to cast resist energy, and being able to heal himself (via curing wands and scrolls), he was well equipped to make himself a sort of super-troll by conditioning his mind and body against the trials of a hundred worlds, and honing his senses to unprecedented levels. Some years ago, his master died, but he carried on until he found himself among his own kind, where he became a sort of leader. Gularrak Rundus the World Tamer (Large Giant6/Ranger6/HorizonWalker10) HD: 6d8+6d8+10d8+132 (235 hp) Init: +1 Move: 30 ft. (6 squares) AC: 15 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +5 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 14 BAB/Gr: +20/+32 Att: Claw +27 melee (1d6+8) F.Att: 2 Claws +27 melee (1d6+8) and Bite +22 melee (1d6+4) Size/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft. Special Att: Rend 2d6+12, spells Special Q: Darkvision 120 ft., favored enemy elves (+4), favored enemy humans (+2), low-light vision, regeneration 5, scent, wild empathy, terrain mastery (desert, underground, hills, mountains, aquatic), planar terrain mastery (fiery, cavernous, shifting, corrosive, aligned) - Tremorsense 30', fire & acid resistance 20, dimension door 1/1d4 rounds, impervious to alignment-dependent effects and fatigue. Saves: Fort +23, Ref +11, Will +12 Abilities: Str 26, Dex 12, Con 22, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 10 Skills: Balance +6 (5r), Climb +17 (5r), Diplomacy +5 (5r), Handle Animal +5 (5r), Hide +2 (5r), Jump +13 (5r), Know Dungeoneering +5 (5r), Know Geography +8 (8r), Know Nature +7 (5r), Listen +16 (9r), Move Silently +6 (5r), Speak Language (undercommon, also knows giant and common), Spot +12 (10r), Survival +13 (10r; +2 underground or navigating or natural), Swim +14 (2r) Feats: Endurance(b), Leadership, Iron Will, Manyshot (b), Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, Quickdraw, Rapid Shot(b), Track(b), Precise Shot, Weapon Focus (longbow), Improved Critical (longbow) Align: CE CR: 21 ... now to equip him (be back later) EDIT 03/07/08 == WEAPONS == Well first off, he needs a composite longbow str26. Make it +3, give it seeking, shocking burst and thundering. Call it the "Storm Hurler". Damage output is 2d6+11+1d6shock/19-20x3+2d10shock+2d8sonic... ignores miss chance (aim for the square), base range as a normal composite longbow. Next he should get greater bracers of archery and gloves of dexterity +6. This adds 5 to hit and 1 to damage with the bow... so +30/25/20/15, or +28/28/23/18/13 with rapid shot, or +22/22/22/22 with manyshot (standard action). For melee he has his claws. The only reason he'd have anything different is to overcome high DR. Being sensitive to encumbrance, he'd use light weapons that can be used 2-handed (since he doesn't like to use a shield and uses PA). Let's go with a trio of large shortspears... make them +1 of returning, so he can toss them or use them in melee, 1handed or 2handed. One is adamantine, one is cold iron and one is silver. Best part about this is it can all fit in a Quiver of Elohnna. That should cover weapons handily. == ARMOR == Obviously, light armor. Studded leather, when it's masterworked (For enchanting) loses it's ACP, which means it's as heavy as it gets before impairing movement. Plus it's partially buoyant. So studded leather mmmmm +4. Give it fire and acid resistance, so it survived Galurrak's travels. Give it improved shadows as a "recently added" enhancement since Galurrak obviously spent effort learning to hide, but isn't all that great. I'm not bothering with silent moves, since Galurrak's preference is to be a sniper, and once things get up close and personal, he's not stealthy at all, but a flesh rendering giant. == RINGS == For this I'll roll randomly... we'll say Galurrak, in his travels, has had 3 opportunities to get minor rings, 2 to get moderate, and 1 to get a major. For minor, I got 07, 10 and 17... all rings of protection +1. For moderate, I got 84 and 29, so Wizardry I and Improved Climbing. For major, I got 75, or Spell Storing. sigh looks like it will be protection +1 and spell storing. The spell storing ring has 5 levels worth of spells, and Galurrak has access only to level 1 spells... so it will have Entangle, Alarm, Pass Without Trace, Speak with Animals and Magic Fang, and he'll cast Longstrider every day (6 hours) == WANDS/SCROLLS == I know, I know... he's a ranger. But he can certainly take advantage of the fact that he has a few good spells on his list. So A good 'ol wand of Cure Light Wounds (32 charges left) for emergencies is always nice to have. His Wisdom is 16, so he can use any scroll on the ranger spell list (Caster check DC = scroll caster level +1). He would have a scroll of Tree Shape, held in reserve for emergencies (to help escape or buy time to regenerate; DC6 to use). == WONDROUS == Well he already has Bracers of Archery and Gloves of Dexterity. I'll just roll up 3 moderate and 1 major, he'll use or sell those and use whatever money to buy minor items to fill up the remaining slots. Mod: 55,54,93 = GlovesDex+4, CloakResist+4, PeriaptVs.Poison. Selling the gloves and Pariapt (+23 Fort save... 27 with the clock, c'mon!), wearing the cloak. (16k+27k)/2 = 21500gp for minor items. Major: ... ahh the dice were kind to me. Manual of Quick Action +2. Well that adds 2 to his dexterity! Minor: 21500gp = that Quiver of Elohnna (1800), Slippers of Spider Climbing (4800; 6k total so far), Gray Bag of Tricks (to locate hidden folks; 900; 6.9k total so far), Eversmoking Bottle (provide concealment, use seeking bow; 5400gp; 12.3k so far), A pearl of Power I (in case he needs another Longstrider; 1k; 13.3k now), Helm of Comprehend Languages and Read Magic (he plays dumb, but listens in on conversations; 5200gp; 18.5k now), Amulet of Natural AC +1 (2k; only 1k left!) and 2 Feather Token - Tree and a Feather Token - Fan. Gularrak Rundus the World Tamer (Large Giant6/Ranger6/HorizonWalker10) HD: 6d8+6d8+10d8+132 (235 hp) Init: +5 Move: 30 ft. (6 squares) (40 ft from longstrider), Climb 20 ft. AC: 28 (-1 size, +5 Dex, +6 natural, +7 armor, +1 deflect), touch 15, flat-footed 23 BAB/Gr: +20/+32 Att: Claw +27 melee (1d6+8) or shortspear +28 melee (1d6+13) or longbow +30 ranged (2d6+8+1d6shock/19-20x3+2d10shock+2d8sonic) or 4 longbow +22 ranged (2d6+8+1d6shock/19-20x3+2d10shock+2d8sonic) or shortspear +25 ranged (1d6+9) F.Att: 2 Claws +27 melee (1d6+8) and Bite +22 melee (1d6+4) ... or shortspear +28/23/18/13 melee (1d6+13) or longbow +30/25/20/15 ranged (2d6+8+1d6shock/19-20x3+2d10shock+2d8sonic) or longbow +28/28/23/18/13 ranged (2d6+8+1d6shock/19-20x3+2d10shock+2d8sonic) or shortspears +25/20/15 ranged (1d6+9) Size/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft. Special Att: Rend 2d6+12, spells Special Q: Darkvision 120 ft., favored enemy elves (+4), favored enemy humans (+2), low-light vision, regeneration 5, scent, wild empathy, terrain mastery (desert, underground, hills, mountains, aquatic), planar terrain mastery (fiery, cavernous, shifting, corrosive, aligned) - Tremorsense 30', fire & acid resistance 20, dimension door 1/1d4 rounds, impervious to alignment-dependent effects and fatigue. Saves: Fort +27, Ref +19, Will +16 Abilities: Str 26, Dex 20(14), Con 22, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 10 Skills: Balance +10 (5r), Climb +17 (5r), Diplomacy +5 (5r), Handle Animal +5 (5r), Hide +16 (5r), Jump +17 (5r; includes +4 from Longstrider), Know Dungeoneering +5 (5r), Know Geography +8 (8r), Know Nature +7 (5r), Listen +16 (9r), Move Silently +10 (5r), Speak Language (undercommon, also knows giant and common), Spot +12 (10r), Survival +13 (10r; +2 underground or navigating or natural), Swim +14 (2r) Feats: Endurance(b), Leadership, Iron Will, Manyshot (b), Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, Quickdraw, Rapid Shot(b), Track(b), Precise Shot, Weapon Focus (longbow), Improved Critical (longbow) Align: CE CR: 21 Gear: Stormhurler (Large Composite Longbow Str26 +3, seeking, shocking burst, thundering), Flesh of the Unburning Stalker (Large Studded Leather +4, fire resistance, acid resistance, improved shadows), The 3 Spires (Large Adamantine & Cold Iron & Silver Shortspears +1 of Returning) Greater Bracers of Archery, Gloves of Dexterity +6, Quiver of Elohnna (holds arrows & shortspears), 60 arrows (large; 20 adamantine, 20 cold iron, 20 silver), Ring of Protection +1, Ring of Spell Storing (Entangle, Alarm, Pass Without Trace, Speak with Animals and Magic Fang), Wand of Cure Light Wounds (32 charges), Cloak of Resistance +4, Slippers of Spider Climbing, Gray Bag of Tricks, Eversmoking Bottle, Pearl of Power, Helm of Comprehend Languages & Read Magic, Amulet of Natural Armor +1, 2 Feather Tokens (tree), 1 Feather token (fan). Tactical Ideas: Fire from within partial concealment (smoking bottle), then when they approach, fall back to full concealment, hide, D-Door away and shoot them within the smoke. Use animals from gray bag to find hidden foes (via scent) and shoot foes in the square (I just love that bow of seeking) Lure into superior terrain, such as cliff faces, walk up the cliff faces and gain upper ground on some foes Use bottle to fill dark area with smoke and use tremorsense to locate foes. Bow of Seeking again rules the day. Take advantage of superior range nightvision, again with bow. Fight in a forest fire Use darkness and smoke to scatter party, use tremorsense to find less martially skilled foes and rend them apart DDoor + bow + smoking bottle + tremorsense + climb speed. Use your imagination.
Thanael 03-07-08, 06:04 AM	In 2E the Two-headed troll was a separate monster, said to be the offspring of an ettin and a troll. So how about a Half-Troll Ettin Barbarian/Warhulk ? Make sure to give him a few shamans as lieutenants. Dragon # 301 has the article "Malignant Growth: The Ecology of the Troll," (pp. 63-69.) Includes troll variations: the scrag, fiendish troll, half-fiend/half-troll, rock troll, ice troll, deep sea troll, and slime troll. Also includes the savage claw, a class combination for trolls (cleric/barbarian). It's not 3.5, but there is a half-troll template in the Fiend Folio. Or you can use ENworlds conversion of the 2E monster and advance from there: http://www.enworld.org/cc/converted/giant/two-headed_troll.htm
Starmage21 03-07-08, 10:07 AM	It may sound unoriginal, but a fighter 20 or 21 vs 6 level 20 PCs is pretty frickin deadly, especially when put on top of a regenerating troll. The only magic he would need is fire and acid resistance to cover his weaknesses, and whatever you can throw in there to increase his ability to regenerate. A ring of Vigor would be quite nasty(fast healing on top of regeneration).
Saefal 03-07-08, 01:22 PM	I would make it require a more creative approach. Make a Half-Black Dragon war Troll and toss in a few levels of Ranger. The character is immune to damage from physical sources and will take some creative thinking to keep down. Also he is quite bright.
malignor 03-07-08, 01:54 PM	updated Glurrak above.
rob_douglas 03-08-08, 01:05 PM	Glurrak is pretty cool. I like him. ROB