Trolls?

[Crafty_Pat]

To help drag this back on topic - since I was partially responsible for derailing it - I dig D&D trolls, but I'm more a fan of the hefty, hefty ones from, say, Lord of the Rings or the ogre-like ones from the old Scandanavian lore. I like the mythic super-nature of the old world lurkers whose legends overlapped with the likes of Bigfoot and the Wind Walker.

[TheAuldGrump]

I love the Iron Kingdoms trolls, both appearance-wise and character wise (if you lurk on their forums there's a nice bit by Doug Seacat, on how some trolls have worked out that food lasts longer if it's still alive - and tends to live longer if you just pull off limbs and then burn the wound - great when you apply it to human prey).
I'm not sure I ever really liked the idea of Tolkien trolls that turn to stone in daylight, it seems far too major a flaw for me, especially for a race that seems to lurk near the surface.

Yeah, though that was in some of the Scandinavian myths as well, some giants would also turn to stone in sun light.

Pratchett's trolls are stone - sunlight warms them up enough that their brains stop until they cool down again. A cold troll is a smart troll, a warm one tends to be a bit... thick.

Changeling: the Dreaming's trolls are a bit different - very honorable, very strong, and no dimmer than the next light bulb.

The Auld Grump

[TheAuldGrump]

Over all, I would say that I picture trolls as being very tough, but not regenerating. Closer to damage resistance. They may heal quickly, but not in a matter of seconds.

Norse trolls were also inherently magical, perhaps closer to D&D hags rather than D&D trolls?

The Auld Grump

[Crafty_Alex]

I've always been a fan of the forum troll, myself. Like the Pratchett troll, proximity to a network connection tends to make him progressively both dumber AND angrier, to the point of raging idiocy. A forum troll away from a computer tends to be smarter, better troll in the long run.

<runs>

[Agent 333]

LMAO! Too funny Alex, too funny.

[TheAuldGrump]

I've always been a fan of the forum troll, myself. Like the Pratchett troll, proximity to a network connection tends to make him progressively both dumber AND angrier, to the point of raging idiocy. A forum troll away from a computer tends to be smarter, better troll in the long run.

<runs>

Heh, on a now defunct forum there was a troll who would open his trolling with 'This is a troll. Do not take this thread seriously, it is an excuse to yell, and wave our arms wildly. I repeat: This is a troll.'

Then he would take some impossible to defend stance and folks would pile in on both sides. It was all very silly.

The Auld Grump

[TheAuldGrump]

Speaking of Pratchett's Trolls....

The Auld Grump

[Mister Andersen]

Speaking of trolls, this is what their 4th edition redesign looks like:

[Toccata]

Well at least they have functional noses now. Ones that don't look like they'll snap right off of their faces with a mild breeze.

[Forcegypsy]

I'm actually looking forward to seeing what they do with 4th ed, but I gotta say, that art does nothing for me.

[Mister Andersen]

Yeah, these new trolls with the T-Rex proportioned heads look utterly ridiculous 

[spinningdice]

I like the new D&D trolls, they look fairly reminiscent of fairy-tale artwork from when I was little... Without pushing it too far and making them obvious fairy-tale caricatures.

[TheAuldGrump]

Yeah, these new trolls with the T-Rex proportioned heads look utterly ridiculous 

I like the new D&D trolls, they look fairly reminiscent of fairy-tale artwork from when I was little... Without pushing it too far and making them obvious fairy-tale caricatures.

The better to eat you with my dear.

You know, in the original version Little Red Riding Hood gets eaten and stays stays eaten, along with Grandma. Fairy Tales are actually pretty dark, at their roots.

Those trolls do look like they should be asking 'Who's trip-trapping over my bridge?'

The Auld Grump