TROLL cRPG

Trolls in cRPGs

In cRPGs based on Dungeons & Dragons rules, trolls are hostile monsters of mid-range power level. Fearless, hard-hitting and stubbornly resilient, they are most notable -- indeed, famous -- for regenerating their hit points and requiring fire or acid to properly kill. Trolls are usually mindless tanks that invariably engage in melee combat.

As a rule, upon catching sight of the party, they simply charge in and start tearing the party to shreds with their claws. Along with yuan-ti, trolls are one of the most dreaded mid-range martial monsters -- especially when encountered in great number.

Trolls are featured in mid-level cRPG Combat Encounter Design in all Infinity Engine, Aurora Engine and Electron Engine cRPGs except Baldur's Gate 1 and Planescape: Torment. With more complex mechanics, they are also featured in Temple of Elemental Evil.

On Infinity, trolls first appeared in Dragon's Eye of Icewind Dale 1, were ported to Baldur's Gate 2, and basically became a mainstay of mid-level CED thereafter.

Infinity trolls possess some powerful immunities the most impressive of which are immunity to mind-affecting, paralysis and stun (though not hammering stun).

How To Kill Trolls

Hit it Hard, Knock it down, Finish it off

In general, the best way to slay trolls is as follows: wield a big stick with high Strength and high attack rate to knock the troll down, then finish it off with fire or acid ammo, on-hit fire or acid, or spells such as Melf's Acid Arrow, Flame Arrow or MMM. Trolls can be finished off with molotov cocktails or nearby fire-breathing or acid-spewing monsters. If they are knocked down in acid pools or lava streams, that does the trick as well.

A swarming mob of Snow trolls and Ice trolls on the Wyrm's Tooth glacier in Icewind Dale:

Trolls are knocked down when their hit points reach 0. In that state, they are unable to act but are regenerating their HPs. If the troll is not finished off with acid or fire after being knocked to the ground, it eventually stands back up and begins to attack again. This loop repeats indefinitely until the troll is properly dealt with. Parties that do not have access to fire or acid can therefore never kill a troll; to them, the troll is an unflushable turd.

As always, there are exceptions:

• First, some trolls do not require fire or acid to kill: they die like any other enemy (ice trolls in IWD1).
• Second, poison can erroneously finish off trolls as well (IWD1, BG2).
• Third, trolls which have been immobilized or confused by on-hit effects/spells, may be utterly vanquished by raw damage if they were immobilized or confused at the point of their being knocked to the ground (IWD1 glitch).

Trolls are usually encountered in mobs. Mages can nuke the mobs with damaging AoEs (Fireball, Sunfire, Cloudkill) though the one-round cooldown between casting spells usually means a few mages are going to be needed to offset troll regen. In the end, a few warriors are more efficient and reliable at beating down the mobs; after which, the warriors move away as the mages drop their fire and acid bombs.

The hardest troll encounter on the Infinity Engine: Dragon's Eye of Icewind Dale:

Trolls can glitch out and become temporarily unkillable after being knocked down. We can whale away upon them with the Flail of Ages, but they just won't die. This glitch is fairly common but usually corrects itself eventually.

SCS Trolls of de'Arnise in SCS BG2:

Due to being a sub-boss -- and also being able to speak -- the most famous troll in cRPG history is TorGal BG2 of the de'Arnise Keep in Baldur's Gate 2:

In Icewind Dale 2, Vrek Vileclaw is the first troll we come across. Like TorGal, he also has some dialogue, and is associated with a sidequest. Black Isle used the scrag sprite for Vrek.

Troll mobs come thick and fast in IWD2; there are also spellcasting troll shaman and hardened trolls with resistance to slashing or crushing damage.

 

Aurora and Electron trolls regenerate their hit points as per Infinity trolls, but only Electron trolls require fire or acid to kill. 20 years ago, when I first played the OC of Neverwinter Nights, I remember being surprised at how easy trolls were to kill. Not just the standard trolls, but the berserker, shaman and chieftain variants as well.

However, the sand troll supertankers in Swordflight are a different story:

In NWN2, the toughest trolls are Fell Trolls that can be found in Shrouded Sun and Storm of Zehir. That aside, I can think of no notable troll encounters in NWN2.

ToEE trolls also regenerate, and can be utterly vanquished with fire and acid as well as by means of coup de grâce.

ToEE trolls feel squishy only because they are encountered towards the end of the adventure, when the party is already strong.

ToEE troll stats:

Troll Regeneration:

Finally, in the Temple+ mod for ToEE, we can form a party of trolls.

cf. Galeb Dur ToEE -- Baldur's Gate Enemies.

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