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Legacy of the Dragons
Blade Troll Large Giant Hit Dice: 6d8+48 (75 hp), dying/dead –9/–26 Initiative: +6 Speed: 30 feet AC: 23 (–1 size, +2 Dexterity, +12 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 21 Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+14 Attack: Arm blade +9 melee (1d8+6) Full Attack: 2 arm blades +9 melee (1d8+6) and bite +4 melee (1d8+3) Space/Reach: 10 feet/10 feet (Face/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/10 feet) Special Attacks: Grappling hooks Special Qualities: Darkvision 90 feet, embedded plates, low-light vision, regeneration 5, scent Saves: Fort +13, Ref +4, Will +2 Abilities: Str 22, Dex 14, Con 26, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 8 Skills: Climb +10, Jump +10, Spot +6, Swim +10 Feats: Elemental Resistance (fire), Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Power Charge Environment: Any subterranean Organization: Solitary, pair, or band (3–12) Challenge Rating: 7 Treasure: Standard Advancement: By character class Level Adjustment: +5 This massive, grey-skinned beast resembles a typical troll except for the steel barbs and hooks that project from its long, lanky arms. Also, the creature’s skin appears somewhat distended, as if it conceals solid, bulky plates of armor inside its body. In fact, blade trolls are skilled artisans who create weapons and armor that meld with their forms, leaving telltale signs of their artifice within their bodies. More intelligent and cunning than normal trolls, blade trolls have learned to use their regeneration ability in a way that gives them an additional advantage. They embed hooks, blades, metal plates, and other “improvements” in their bodies, using their rapid healing ability to seal such features in place. They serve as mercenaries in the underworld, frequently allying with the Vallorians (see page 112) and other warlike folk of the world’s depths. Blade trolls have stony skin covered with warts, scars, thick calluses, and other deformities. Unlike other kinds of trolls, these creatures frequently heal in such a manner that their wounds leave behind scars, pockmarks, and other legacies. For instance, a blade troll that suffers a sword wound may easily heal the damage from the injury, but the wound leaves behind a clear indentation in the creature’s chest and a thick, oblong scar. In some ways, blade trolls seem to adapt to the damage they sustain. Scholars believe this ability helps them
survive in their underground environment. A troll that frequently scrapes or bumps its head against a low cavern ceiling may slowly grow shorter and more stooped, while one that sustains arm injuries in battle might develop a thick coat of natural protection along its arms to better protect itself. Smarter and more industrious than other trolls, blade trolls long ago learned the secrets of metalcraft and began forging weapons, armor, and other tools. Blade trolls insert the armored plates and weapons they create into their bodies, relying on their regeneration ability to grow skin, muscle, and sinew around these modifications and improvements. A troll might embed three long, barbed hooks in its palm before battle. Its body adapts and grows around these weapons, allowing the creature to utilize them just like any other part of its body. Troll warriors stud their arms and hands with blades, hooks, pincers, and bludgeons. They partially skin their own torsos, peeling back their flesh to slide metal plates and, in some cases, flat stones into their bodies. By pulling the flesh back over their wounds, they allow their regeneration ability to knit their injuries and they adapt to the newly added protection. The process of adding weapons and armor directly to a troll’s body is no easy task. With their heightened intelligence, blade trolls have a clearer sense of their bodies and abilities than their kin possess. They have learned to mold armor and weapons to suit their forms and have developed surgical methods to optimize the placement and use of their gear. Other trolls reject such implants; their bodies expel the modifications as they heal.
Combat Blade trolls are arrogant and vicious, leading them to sometimes underestimate their opponents in battle. Unless a blade troll has reason to suspect its opponent is skilled in the martial or magical arts, it is likely to rush headlong into battle. Arrogance, rather than stupidity, drives this tendency. When aware of a powerful enemy’s talents, blade trolls utilize ambushes and other intelligent tactics. They place a premium on magical gear that can shield them from fire and acid, and most blade trolls are smart enough to target obvious spellcasters and others who can use energy attacks. Grappling Hooks (Ex): Blade trolls embed a variety of blades and hooks into their forearms and hands. These varied weapons allow them to catch and hold their opponents. Their hooks and spikes entangle a victim’s clothing, armor, and possibly flesh. If a troll strikes an opponent with both arm blade attacks, it may initiate a grapple against her as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. With a successful grapple check, a blade troll deals 2d8+12 points of damage against an opponent that it holds within its barbed hooks. Note that, while these weapons are forged and added to a troll’s body, they count as natural weapons. Embedded Plates (Ex): A blade troll’s armor becomes part of its body as its flesh grows through and around it. This
