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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition) Starfinder RPG

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There is a Legacy version here.

PFS StandardTroll Warleader

Long-lived trolls sometimes force their way through the twin distractions of hunger and pain to learn more about the world around them. To manage their regeneration, they learn to cover themselves in crude armor that slowly becomes integrated with the top layer of their flesh. Marked by this armor and aided by their superior wits, these warleaders gather a variety of trolls to serve them in raiding parties.

The warleader presented here is a forest troll, but warleaders can be other types of trolls as well. Many of them are adapted to battle tactics that are best suited to their home environments.

Recall Knowledge - Humanoid (Society): DC 27
Unspecific Lore: DC 25
Specific Lore: DC 22

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Changes from being Weak are marked in red below.
NOTE: The -2 damage penalty to non-strike offensive abilities (-4 if the ability is limited, such as spells) is NOT factored in.

Weak Troll WarleaderCreature 9

Large Giant Humanoid Troll Wood 
Source Monster Core pg. 331
Perception +19; darkvision
Languages Jotun
Skills Athletics +19, Crafting +13, Intimidation +20, Nature +15, Survival +15
Str +7, Dex +3, Con +7, Int -1, Wis +1, Cha +4
Easily Misled The troll warleader gets a –4 circumstance penalty to their Perception DC against Deception checks.
Items +1 striking battle axe (2), half plate
AC 27 (8 plus <%UMR%31%%>all-around vision after Shed Armor); Fort +21, Ref +15, Will +13
HP 220, regeneration 20 (deactivated by electricity or fire); Weaknesses electricity 10, fire 10
Furious Roar [reaction] Trigger The troll warleader takes electricity or fire damage; Effect The warleader uses their Primordial Roar and, if they're aware of the damage's source, can Stride toward it. If the warleader has persistent fire damage, they attempt a DC 15 flat check to remove it.Reactive Strike [reaction]
Speed 30 feet
Melee [one-action] jaws +21 [+16/+11] (reach 10 feet), Damage 2d12-2+13 piercingMelee [one-action] battle axe +22 [+17/+12] (magical, reach 10 feet, sweep), Damage 2d8-2+13 slashingMelee [one-action] claw +21 [+17/+13] (agile, reach 10 feet), Damage 2d8-2+13 slashingPrimordial Roar [one-action] (auditory, emotion, fear, mental) The troll warleader unleashes a bestial roar. Each non-troll creature in a 100-foot emanation must attempt a DC 27 Will save. The creature is then temporarily immune for 10 minutes.
Critical Success The creature is unaffected.
Success The creature is frightened 1.
Failure The creature is frightened 2.
Critical Failure The creature is frightened 3.Shed Armor [one-action] (manipulate) The warleader cuts their armor loose from their flesh. They immediately heal 60 Hit Points in a surge of regeneration as they grow twisted limbs and malformed faces. Without their armor, the warleader's AC drops to 26 but they gain all-around vision from the new faces. Putting the armor back on takes 10 minutes, and this ability can't be used again until 1 hour has passed.Sweeping Axes [three-actions] Requirements The troll warleader is wielding two battle axes; Effect The warleader makes a battle axe Strike against each creature in their reach and the bonus from sweep applies to each attack. These attacks count against their multiple attack penalty, but the multiple attack penalty doesn't increase until after all the attacks.

All Monsters in "Troll"

NameLevel
Cavern Troll6
Forest Troll5
Frost Troll4
Jotund Troll15
Troll, Tombstone1
Troll Warleader10
Two-Headed Troll8

Troll

Source Monster Core pg. 330
Slavering, cruel, invincible brutes: this is the villager's stock description for the dread monsters known as trolls. The roots of these stories are undoubtedly true. Trolls' flesh endlessly regrows, going so far as to sprout aberrant limbs or additional heads if not pruned, and a bottomless hunger is required to feed such unfettered growth. Even in the process of glutting themselves, however, trolls find opportunities to taunt their prey and inflict petty cruelties.

A troll's ability to survive is so strong that they believe even the smallest scrap of flesh will slowly regenerate into a new form, suffering as all the powers of the land are gathered to revive them. Despite the pain, trolls speak of this unassailable vitality as a blessing from their creator. Few trolls have heard the laughter of demons who claim that creator cursed the trolls and cast them down from lofty heights, binding them so they could never rise again. Trolls prefer to remain solitary, keeping every scrap of food for themselves.

In rare instances, an old and powerful troll comes to lead groups of trolls. Such warleaders possess enough cunning to lead their hordes in devastating raids and massacres, and their presence permanently alters the surrounding ecosystem. This link to their environment is an often misunderstood aspect of trollkind, and grows more acute with a troll's age and power. That's not to say trolls are valorous protectors of nature. They're vicious and territorial, and will blight their own territory forever if it means more to eat for a day.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Other Trolls

A wide variety of trolls exist across different climates, sometimes barely resembling each other but sharing in a cursed resilience. Like forest trolls, they're tied to the environments where they live, which changes how they regrow and how they can be killed. Cavern trolls hide from the petrifying sunlight and moss trolls haunt bayous. Other trolls simply mutate, accumulating gangly arms or even multiple functioning heads over the years.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Troll Augurs

A curious group of trolls claim to possess the “gift of sight.” These augurs practice a disturbing method of fortune-telling, slashing open their own abdomen and pulling out entrails to interpret the prophecies. In the Varisian city Kaer Maga, augurs practice their trade in the street for coin, leaving visitors with more questions than answers.