Keywords: Troll, Frost Giant, Golem, Fire Giant
Alignment: Trolls are Neutral. Sometimes they are employed for so long that their alignment changes to that of their employer. During times of war, Trolls gather for Conclave, and then the Elder Trolls decide for the race which ‘side’ to join – though there will always be a few that wish to remain with the ‘side’ they have already been with for so long.
Appearance: Troll appearances vary wildly. Some are short and thin, others tall and lanky. One could be fat and short another broad as muscular. Trolls are extremely adaptable and because of this it is common for Xenothologists to stumble onto a Troll and try to classify it as a new species, before they realise that it actually is a Troll. Nearly all Troll take on the aspects of where they live and is not unknown for desert Trolls to be pale, yellow and mottled but also be immune to heat and fire, for example.
Regions: Trolls come from all over the world except the Greiflands and Nakkiga.
Society: It is difficult to talk about Trollish society for Trolls seem to get on better with the other races than their own. If two Trolls meet, it’s more common for them to have an argument than to actually get on and many will simply walk away – for this reason their birth rate is expectedly low. This non-committal is true mainly because as Trolls as so different they can find Trolls of opposing types to be extremely aggravating. Trolls that live in cold wastes of the North might become frosty and icy, but Trolls from volcano areas might develop as fiery and hot – such conflicting types literally conflict and won’t get on at all, not matter how much you try to force them to. However, Troll Elders can sometimes lead groups of similar Trolls and give them ‘direction’ of a kind. To be an Elder is to understand the ‘spiritual’ nature of being a Troll, and not all Elders are actually the eldest in their group. Trolls tend to be quite spiritual by nature, and their Elders take on a medicine-man, shaman-like role in Trollish society. In this way, even though Trolls can be very anti-social towards each other they can band well together and from social knots that can eventually develop into a network to loosely associated Trolls knots.
Government: Trolls have no directly formal government, but it’s not unknown for Trolls of a given area to follow the wishes of a Conclave of Elder Trolls of that given area. However, these are more like spiritual guidance than actual law-setting and reinforcement... Trolls take on the government of the other races and are quite happy to accept their decisions as a general rule.
Religion: Trolls typically have no religion, though it’s common that they pick up the religions of those about them, and it’s quite common for individual Trolls to have very personal religions that are hybrids of two or more.
Technology: Trolls have no technology of their own in any form of complication, though individual Trolls can often be amazingly skilled – they seem to work intuitively. However, once given a piece of technology, many Trolls suddenly seem to understand it intimately, and can operate and even repair it whilst they claim it as ‘theirs’ – even if they’ve never been shown how to maintain, operate of repair such items. Stranger still, they seem to forget as soon as the technology is taken away from them...
Names: Troll names are often given to them by other, for Trollish is a very physical language. Sometimes names are echoes of other names (often with a heavy slur or drool) or sometimes it is similar to a non-Common word for the place they live, a spiritual element or similar.
Languages: Trollish. They may buy Speak Common (Light or Dark) for 2 points as a Speak Modern Language.
Ages: Troll age maximum is around 100 years old, though some may live for longer.
Natural Resistance: Trolls have Level 2 Resist Poison and Disease.
Min Phys Rep: Odd-coloured skin and something to represent their Medium (or Heavy) Natural Armour. Basically, they can’t look Human and must represent in their costume where they come from and what the player intends their Troll to be like – desert Trolls must be understandably ‘sandy’.
Bonuses: -1 to cost of Physical skills. All Trolls have Regenerate and start with Medium Natural, which they may upgrade to Heavy for 3 points.
Racial Penalties or Restrictions: Subterfuge and Apothecary skills are half again their cost. Trolls cannot take Invocation.
Enhancement: Trolls can buy Troll skills from the Advanced Skills lists.
