Cosmetic Question About Trolls [Archive] - Wizards Community

Cosmetic Question About Trolls [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Snommelp
11-08-04, 11:08 PM When a troll's arm is cut off, it regrows. Unless you put it back, in which case it reattaches itself. Most people know this; it's written in the Monster Manual. But what happens if the arm starts to grow back, but then the pieces are reattached? Would the troll wind up with an extra-long arm?
Melpomene
11-09-04, 12:20 AM Well, you could go with a dramatic Piccolo-style splurt of ichor and pain and the limb sprouts fully-formed.

...or, that the new arm subsumes the old one, twisting like two trees growing together into a single, twisted limb.
Lord_Anthrax
11-09-04, 02:05 AM Well, since it takes a minimum of 3 minutes to regrow a lost limb, you could say that reattachment before that means the old limb reattaches and that's it. Anything longer and the old limb is dead and useless, and the new one has to grow in.

For some kooky ideas about Trolls and their limbs, see the Slayer's Guide to Trolls.
Raymond_Luxury_Yacht
11-09-04, 09:16 PM Well, you could go with a dramatic Piccolo-style splurt of ichor and pain and the limb sprouts fully-formed.

What he/she/it/fhtagn said.
Arquinsiel
11-11-04, 08:10 AM You could rule that the troll won't bother to put it back on as it knows on an instinctual level that the arm will grow into another troll. There's alots of reasons it might not like this to happen but it could be some odd reproductive strategy.
Phrennzy
11-11-04, 09:02 AM You could rule that the troll won't bother to put it back on as it knows on an instinctual level that the arm will grow into another troll. There's alots of reasons it might not like this to happen but it could be some odd reproductive strategy.

Or he could just be grossed out by it.

"Ewww! Get that severed arm away from me, it's icky-poo-poo!"
Dragonlancer
11-11-04, 11:54 AM Maybe a troll with a third arm attached to it might not be able to use it properly. A -4 to attack rolls with the third hand is a balnced thing to do if you decide that this action is valid.

I don't think a troll would mutilate himself over and over just to get many hands. Imagine a troll with three hands on each side of his body, one in the head, two in his torso and three in his back.

Ewwwwwww........
Arquinsiel
11-11-04, 12:49 PM Then again there is Proffit from The Lone Drow who has two heads.
Melpomene
11-11-04, 02:20 PM Mmm... troll grafting. Because it's fun to torment creatures that regenerate.
Ogre4Hire
11-11-04, 02:28 PM Then again there is Proffit from The Lone Drow who has two heads.
Yes, but the Two-Headed troll is an actual type of troll (similar to the 4 armed Sahuagin). Stats for them are found in one of the FR source books (can't remember which one).
Melpomene
11-11-04, 02:37 PM ..or you can apply SS's multihead template.
Snommelp
11-11-04, 02:39 PM You could rule that the troll won't bother to put it back on as it knows on an instinctual level that the arm will grow into another troll. There's alots of reasons it might not like this to happen but it could be some odd reproductive strategy.
Actually, I think I would rule that the only part of a troll that regenerates is a part that contains a piece of the central nervous system (i.e. the spinal cord or brain), so the only way for a troll to clone itself would be for it to be cut in half or for its head to be cut off.
Anyways, I was less interested in cloning and extra arms as I was in trolls ending up with one arm two feet longer than the other, or maybe mis-sized legs.
Melpomene
11-11-04, 03:03 PM Trolls do seem to mate with other's of thier race, so the need to replicate through self-flagilation seems... well, superflous.
primemover003
11-11-04, 03:47 PM Just an aside... but do Any DM's rule that a nat 20 on a troll severs an arm like it did in 2E????

I mean what use is it to say that they can re-attach limbs if there's no mechanic to cut them off in the first place? Perhaps you can sunder their arms, like you sunder a Hydra's head?

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Snommelp 11-08-04, 11:08 PM	When a troll's arm is cut off, it regrows. Unless you put it back, in which case it reattaches itself. Most people know this; it's written in the Monster Manual. But what happens if the arm starts to grow back, but then the pieces are reattached? Would the troll wind up with an extra-long arm?
Melpomene 11-09-04, 12:20 AM	Well, you could go with a dramatic Piccolo-style splurt of ichor and pain and the limb sprouts fully-formed. ...or, that the new arm subsumes the old one, twisting like two trees growing together into a single, twisted limb.
Lord_Anthrax 11-09-04, 02:05 AM	Well, since it takes a minimum of 3 minutes to regrow a lost limb, you could say that reattachment before that means the old limb reattaches and that's it. Anything longer and the old limb is dead and useless, and the new one has to grow in. For some kooky ideas about Trolls and their limbs, see the Slayer's Guide to Trolls.
Raymond_Luxury_Yacht 11-09-04, 09:16 PM	Well, you could go with a dramatic Piccolo-style splurt of ichor and pain and the limb sprouts fully-formed. What he/she/it/fhtagn said.
Arquinsiel 11-11-04, 08:10 AM	You could rule that the troll won't bother to put it back on as it knows on an instinctual level that the arm will grow into another troll. There's alots of reasons it might not like this to happen but it could be some odd reproductive strategy.
Phrennzy 11-11-04, 09:02 AM	You could rule that the troll won't bother to put it back on as it knows on an instinctual level that the arm will grow into another troll. There's alots of reasons it might not like this to happen but it could be some odd reproductive strategy. Or he could just be grossed out by it. "Ewww! Get that severed arm away from me, it's icky-poo-poo!"
Dragonlancer 11-11-04, 11:54 AM	Maybe a troll with a third arm attached to it might not be able to use it properly. A -4 to attack rolls with the third hand is a balnced thing to do if you decide that this action is valid. I don't think a troll would mutilate himself over and over just to get many hands. Imagine a troll with three hands on each side of his body, one in the head, two in his torso and three in his back. Ewwwwwww........
Arquinsiel 11-11-04, 12:49 PM	Then again there is Proffit from The Lone Drow who has two heads.
Melpomene 11-11-04, 02:20 PM	Mmm... troll grafting. Because it's fun to torment creatures that regenerate.
Ogre4Hire 11-11-04, 02:28 PM	Then again there is Proffit from The Lone Drow who has two heads. Yes, but the Two-Headed troll is an actual type of troll (similar to the 4 armed Sahuagin). Stats for them are found in one of the FR source books (can't remember which one).
Melpomene 11-11-04, 02:37 PM	..or you can apply SS's multihead template.
Snommelp 11-11-04, 02:39 PM	You could rule that the troll won't bother to put it back on as it knows on an instinctual level that the arm will grow into another troll. There's alots of reasons it might not like this to happen but it could be some odd reproductive strategy. Actually, I think I would rule that the only part of a troll that regenerates is a part that contains a piece of the central nervous system (i.e. the spinal cord or brain), so the only way for a troll to clone itself would be for it to be cut in half or for its head to be cut off. Anyways, I was less interested in cloning and extra arms as I was in trolls ending up with one arm two feet longer than the other, or maybe mis-sized legs.
Melpomene 11-11-04, 03:03 PM	Trolls do seem to mate with other's of thier race, so the need to replicate through self-flagilation seems... well, superflous.
primemover003 11-11-04, 03:47 PM	Just an aside... but do Any DM's rule that a nat 20 on a troll severs an arm like it did in 2E???? I mean what use is it to say that they can re-attach limbs if there's no mechanic to cut them off in the first place? Perhaps you can sunder their arms, like you sunder a Hydra's head?