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View Full Version : Miranna, trolls with a nordic twist


Kaare Berg
01-23-2004, 10:36 AM
*Work in Progress*

No troll is native to the land of Miranna. They all came form across the trackless sea under the banner of the Dark Disciple and have since taken root in the deep wilderness of Miranna. Some of the trolls have found their way over to the light, but these races are rare and few in numbers. But most of the trollraces remain creatures bound to the shadow.

The shadowbound trolls:

Wood trolls – vicious, numerous and fantaical in battle.
Grey trolls – creatures of war and pillage
Stone trolls – brutes of great size and power
Ice trolls – cunning mercenary creatures of evil
Dark trolls – posessed of a dark intelligence and cunning

The free trolls:

Fjol trolls – sages and wanderers few in numbers
River trolls – only a handfull still exists in deep forgotten forests
Runic trolls – silent watchers and traitors to shadow

Woodtrolls

Small, rarely more than a pace in height, with wicked faces dominated by large noses and beady eyes.

I am working on adapting the chattel orc lps to match these.

This is the preliminary traits list:

Small but tough:
Do not take their size to meant they are weak and easily dealt with: round up when factoring MW, max power and forte eksponent at 6 though .

No fear of death:
Wood trolls never “run and scream” or “fall prone” when hesitating.

Rule of Strength:
Wood trolls follow only strong and brave leaders. So determined are they to show strength that they barely register their wounds –2ob on steel tests when wounded.

Bigger kill, bigger soul:
Wood trolls belive when someone is killed their spirit is bound to their killer making him stronger. Thus they will often try to drag down the biggest and strongest opponent first.

Eyes of the Wood:
The wilds are their home be it night or day. They see as well at night as during day when they ar outdoors. In totaldarkness they are as blind as men.

Greedy little fingers:
Always pilfering and stealing trinkets, the wood trolls often fight over insignificant baubels. A wood troll will stop to loot a corpse in battle to make sure his fellow trolls will not sneak away with his treasure.

Grey trolls

Incapable of anything but plundering and war, a Grey troll stands from 5 to 8 feet tall.

Again I am adapting LPs namely the great orc lps.

Prelim trait list:

Filty ways:
Grey trolls are filthy and disgusting. Their blades and touch carries the stigma of disease. Even being in the mere prescense of a grey troll can result in afflictions, from fever to large unsightly boils.

Eyes of night:
So to always see and kill their opponents in battle, be it night or day.

Only the strong can rule
Grey trolls respect strength and strength alone. Only the strongest among them can rule and at first sign of weakness he will be challenged. However if their leader falls during battle, they suffer a +1 ob to all test and can only run and scream when hesitating.

Comfort of the tribe:
Only in groups do the Grey trolls feel comfortable and safe. If less then 5 they grow restless and scitterish. Increas ob for steel tests by 2

Power in numbers:
When outnumbering their opponents the grey troll are at their finest, attacking with glee and coordinated viciousness. When more than three to one they get +1d to all attack rolls. They also get –2ob on steel tests. If only outnumbering their opponents two to one they only get –1 ob on steel tests.

Hate of ages:Grey trolls have an inbred hatred of man who they see as traitors towards shadow. A Grey troll will always try to kill or hurt men if they can. Even towards men who have fallen to shadow they are at best only comptemptious.

Clawhanded:
Their filthy hands end in steel like claws that are jagged as broken glass. Like the BW character burner orc trait.

What do you think?

luke
01-23-2004, 10:53 AM
rawk!

A good start, i think you are on the right track in adapting existing lifepaths to suit your needs. I bet when you're done, the new LPs won't look anything like the old.

Also, I want to see rules for Bigger Kill, Bigger Soul and Filthy. You suggest in your description that BKBS is myth, why not make it truth? Why not have them actually get stronger from their kills? Why not even have them need to kill? (without it they get smaller, perhaps even eventually waste away?)

As for Filthy, I just think it would be cool to have a disease spreading troll! Perhaps you could come up with an "example disease" for them, and then give Health obstacles to resist. Ob 2 just being in their presence. Ob 3 for touching. Ob 4 for being wounded/exchange of body fluids (they spit in your eye).

Lastly, in BW parlance, "-2 Ob Steel" tests is written "Reduces Hesitation by two." I've just found that to be a clearer ennumeration of the effects for players.

God job, Kaare! Can't wait to see more.

-Luke

Kublai
01-23-2004, 11:32 AM
Very cool!

My own thought for the Bigger Kill, Bigger Soul? Have kills count as tests towards Power and Forte advancement! :shock:

Kaare Berg
01-26-2004, 04:32 AM
Before I begin it is time to give credit where credit is due. My trolls, and generally all of my critters are based on the art-work and the flavour text of Riotminds wonderfull Drakar og Demoner 6. The world is mine, the monsters come from theirs. I am only adapting them to BW.

With that said lets get down to the trolls.
Great input, and heres what I got now:

Bigger kill, bigger soul (BKBS) is a psychological trait tied in to their belif system (which is animistic, and their magic revolves around this). However since it is psychological I am thinking something like this:

Bigger Kill Bigger Soul
Wood trolls belive when someone is killed their spirit is bound to their killer making him stronger. Thus they will often try to drag down the biggest and strongest opponent first.
Having killed a stronger opponent a wood troll is filled with the power of the kill and swithches into Aggressive Stance and rides the frenzy into other opponents, ingnoring steel test for a time equal to 10 minus his will eksponent.
This type of kills then count as Difficult tests towards power and forte.
It is important that the kill is percived as stronger by the troll, or the trait Greedy little Fingers supercede BKBS

Alternativly it might look like this:
Bigger Kill Bigger Soul
Wood trolls belive when someone is killed their spirit is bound to their killer making him stronger. Thus they will often try to drag down the biggest and strongest opponent first.
Having killed a stronger opponent the power of the kill fills the troll pushing his Power into Grey scale for a number of exchanges equal to 5 pluss his Will exponent.
This type of kills then count as Difficult tests towards power and forte. (I feel this is important since it actually let the troll grow by killing bigger thngs, supporting its belif system.

For the Grey trolls

Filthy Ways
The trolls are not in themselves disease, they are just filthy and covered in lice and fleas that spread the diseases.
I think I’ll go with Luke’s suggestion. Sample diseases will follow soon. Though I think the Obs should be reduced by one though.

Thus:
Filthy Ways:
Grey trolls are filthy and disgusting. Their blades and touch carries the stigma of disease. Even being in the mere prescense of a grey troll can result in afflictions, from fever to large unsightly boils.
Health obstacles to resist. Ob 1 just being in their presence. Ob 2 for touching. Ob 4 for being wounded/exchange of body fluids (they spit in your eye).

Will keep working, next up is the preliminary trait list for the Stone Trolls, and the Ice Trolls.

luke
01-26-2004, 06:07 PM
Both very nasty!

I'd go with the first style, but with a bit of modification. Since the trolls are likely to be in Aggressive stance for a kill, i'd do the following:

If not in A/S, they go Aggressive and may ignore their next failed Steel test in the combat. If in A/S, their next Strike counts as x2 exp rather than x1.5.

I love the idea that kills count as tests -- but i'd have it be either/or Power/Forte, not both. You'd have some very, very nasty trolls if you did both.

Cool beans, can't wait to see more.
-L

Kaare Berg
02-12-2004, 04:01 AM
A major change just happened. My trolls no longer speak the Dark Tounge, but rather the same language as man, relating to their history.

Prelim lifepaths getting ready soon

Kaare Berg
02-16-2004, 07:08 AM
Have put names on the choices in the Woodtroll Lifepaths.

They are not natural creatures, being creatures created and bred by Shadow for war. Forever bereft of the loving nurturing of a mother the trolls have but one purpose, to kill and maim for the Shadow. They are creatures of war and death.

In Miranna the changes that created the diverse races of trolls came from the stock used to create the spawning brew.

The tribe setting
Spawned Woodtroll
Scavenger
Food Killer
Coal bringer
Hammerer
Runt
The Soul Takers setting
Ravager
Striker
Slasher
Sneaker
Mushroom eater
Soul taker
The Breeding Pit setting
Pit slave
Pit master
Gatherer
Black brewer
Soul render

Will come back with more numbers.

Kaare Berg
02-16-2004, 11:15 AM
Here are the Lifepaths as they stand for my Wood trolls, expect a new write up soon.

The tribe setting
Time Trait Resources Stat
Leads
Skill

Spawned Woodtroll
1 1 5 none

2 pts General

Scavenger
3 none 5 +1 phy
Soul taker
3 pts Foraging, Inconspicious, Hiding*, Stealing*, Scavenging*

Food Killer
5 1 3 +1 phy,men
Soul Taker
5 pts Hunting, Tracking, Stealthy, Orienteering, Bow

Tunneler
4 1 1 +1 phy
Breeding Pit
2 pts Ditch digging, Dirt Hauling, Black Lung, Tasting the Whip*

Pit wright
8 none 6 +1 men
Breeding Pit
4 pts Excavation, Intimidation, Deep Sense*

Coal bringer
5 1 1 +1 phy

2 pts Tasting the whip*, Back Breaking Labor°, Pain Life*, Numb*

Hammerer
7 none 7 +1 men
Breeding Pit
5 pts Blacksmith, Troll-gear smith, Intimidation

Runt
3 1 2 +1 phy
Soul Taker
2 pts Tasting the whip*, Charging blindly*, Marching*, Exhaustion*, Foraging, Brawling

The Soul Taker setting
Ravager
3 1 5 +1 phy
Tribe
4 pts Razing°, Brawling, Cudgel, Intimidation, Pack Hunter*

Sticker
3 none 3 +1 phy
Tribe
2 pts Hiding*, Bow, mending, fletcher

Slasher
4 none 4 +1 phy
Tribe, Breeding Pit
4 pts Sword, Shield°, brawling, Foraging

Sneaker
4 none 4 +1 men,phy
Breeding Pit
5 pts Tasting the whip*, Orienteering, Tracking, Trapper, Stealthy, Climbing, Garotte

Mushroom eater
1 none 3 +2 phy
There is no way out of this path
3 pts Paranoid*, Psychotic*, Brute*,Conspicious, Cry of Doom, Slave to Fungi*

Soul taker
6 1 10 +1 men,phy
Breeding Pit
5 Command, Brutal Intimidation, Sword, Brutal*, Brawling, Unrelenting Savagry

The Breeding Pit setting

Pit slave
4 1 3 +1 phy
You never leave the pits
3 Tasting the whip*, Hauling Impossible Loads*, Cursing*, Spitting*, Yowling*

Pit master
9 1 10 +1 men
You never leave the pits
4 Interrogation, Intimidation, Brawling, torture, Shouting*, Where there’s a Whip, There’s a Way*

Gatherer
5 1 7 +1 men,phy
Soul takers
7 Silent Hatred*, Sword, Armour°, Shield°, Mace, Axe

Black brewer
7 1 6 +1 men/phy

4 Rituals of Blood, Vile Poisoner, Knives, Foraging

Soul render
15 none 6 +1 men/phy

6 Black Rust, His Creeping hand, Hand of Death, From Shadow and Muck they Crawl*

I know what requiers what, but will save that for the finished trolls. They also have the traits in the post above as common traits.

So What do y'all think?

luke
02-16-2004, 03:15 PM
Holy Socks!

eruditus
06-29-2004, 05:39 PM
Damn! I better get to work on my own Troll LP before I am buried in the coolness... :lol:

great work.

In the Chatterer you should talk a little about the source of these trolls. No doubt, from what you have written, this sounds like an interesting read.