Trollkin

With a mottled green and grey skin and a ridge or crest along its spine, the trollkin resembles a strange cross of troll and lizard. Its hissing speech is disturbing, but the trollkin are not always evil, and are more inclined to look after their own interests than to serve dark gods.

Trollkin CR 1

XP 400
N Medium humanoid
Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +2

DEFENSE

AC 15, touch 10, flat-footed 15 (+2 armor, +3 natural)
hp 11 (2d8+2); fast healing 1 (acid or fire)
Fort +2; Ref +2; Will +1

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.
Melee longspear +2 (1d6+1/x3), bite +0 (1d4) or 2 claws +2 (1d4+1), bite +2 (1d4+1)
Ranged javelin +1 (1d4+1)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with longspear)

STATISTICS

Str 12, Dex 10, Con 14, Int 9, Wis 12, Cha 10
Base Atk +1; CMB +2; CMD 12
Feats Multiattack
Skills Handle Animal +5, Perception +2; Racial Modifiers +4 Handle Animal
Languages Draconic, Giant, Northern Tongue

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Fast Healing (Ex)

A trollkin regains 1 hp/round, though not fire or acid damage, nor damage due to starvation or exhaustion. A trollkin gains no hit points from fast healing in any round when it suffers fire or acid damage.

ECOLOGY

Environment any forests or hills
Organization solitary, pair, company (3-12), or clan (13-60)
Treasure NPC gear (leather armor, longspear, 3 javelins, other treasure)

In the frozen climes of the inhospitable northlands, ogres, trolls or even fey sometimes take human mates. The offspring of these pairings are called trollkin, though the exact nature of their inhuman ancestry is often difficult to determine at a glance. Typically tall and lanky with a brutish outward appearance, trollkin who forsake living among their humanoid parents often find themselves outcasts among the civilized races of the north.

With a thick hide of green or rich brown, the trollkin are superficially similar to dragonkin or kobolds. While many trollkin share a rough-hewn and unkempt appearance, their inhuman lineage can take a wide variety of forms. Some female trollkin can even appear quite beautiful except for an outward sign of their monstrosity such as stone-grey skin or talon-tipped fingers.

The trollkin are not especially numerous, but they are feared throughout the northlands, where they once ruled a kingdom. Their influence has waned greatly with the decline of the giants.

Fear and hostility often force trollkin into a life of solitary wandering or roaming in small groups as bandits, but a few make a place for themselves in the civilized world by using their natural gifts to their advantage. Mercenary captains are quick to hire trollkin soldiers to serve as shieldbreakers or frontier scouts, and more than one thieves’ guild employs a trollkin debt collector.

Some trollkin have a natural affinity for sorcery or witchcraft, inheriting a natural sensitivity to ley line energies from their monstrous parent. These trollkin often find themselves leading humanoid bands or working in the employ of bandit lords who are eager to turn their powers into profit.

Trollkin excel at brawling, intimidation, tracking, and stealth. They make canny fighters and excellent shamans, with a keen ability to speak with spirits and animal totems. Trollkin typically choose shaman as a favored class, though barbarians, fighters, rangers, and rogues are common as well. They are often employed as scouts and skirmishers among the vicious little wars and feuds of the north, and can be counted on to fight with honor and skill. Their skill at handling wild and tame animals is widely known, and they often hunt with dogs, wolves, dogmoles, even bears and falcons when conditions permit.

Trollkin often work with humans, dragonkin, kobolds, true trolls, ogres, and giants. They are implacable enemies of dwarves, and the two races despise one another. Trollkin get along surprisingly well with the fey, especially the shadow fey, gnomes, and lorelei.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

The Raven’s Call © 2013, Open Design LLC; Author: Wolfgang Baur.

scroll to top