Troll Freaks
Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition
Collection of Templates
Dean Simmons
Colorado
Troll Freaks ......................................................... 2
Dwarf Eater Freak .............................................. 2
Elemental Freak – Air ......................................... 2
Elemental Freak – Earth ..................................... 2
Elemental Freak – Fire ....................................... 2
Elemental Freak – Water ................................... 3
Fey Freak ............................................................ 3
Illithid Freak ....................................................... 3
Laboratory Freak ................................................ 3
Laboratory Freak, College .................................. 4
Sparring Partner ................................................. 4
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Troll Freaks and similar creatures. Eventually they adapt to
these attacks.
The 5th edition Monster Manual™ contains this
The Elemental Air freak gains the following
quote under the entry for Trolls.
capabilities.
Troll Freaks. Their Damage Resistance: lightning and
regenerative capabilities thunder.
make trolls especially Glide: as an action the troll can fly for
susceptible to mutation. 60 feet. It must start and end the flight
Although uncommon, such on the ground.
transformations can result The challenge rating of an Elemental Air freak
from what the troll has does not change.
done, or what has been done
to it. Elemental Freak – Earth
The following templates follow from the idea: Some trolls find themselves in environments
“a troll that has had an unusual life becomes an that subject them to attacks from earth
unusual troll”. These templates can reasonably elementals and similar creatures. Eventually
be applied to any living creature that they adapt to these attacks.
regenerates, not just trolls; but I would be The Elemental Earth freak gains the following
cautious before giving, e.g., a vampire one of capabilities.
these templates. Damage Resistance: acid.
There’s no reason a troll can’t have lived long Burrow: the troll gains a burrow speed
enough to gain more than one of these of 15 feet.
templates. Your own judgment for “that’s just The challenge rating of an Elemental Earth freak
silly” is the only limitation. increases by 1.
Dwarf Eater Freak Elemental Freak – Fire
Some trolls subsist on a diet of mostly dwarves. Some trolls find themselves in environments
These trolls gain a dwarf’s proportional strength that subject them to attacks from fire
and toughness, resulting in the following elementals and similar creatures. Eventually
capabilities. they adapt to these attacks.
The troll’s strength increases by 2. This The Elemental Earth freak gains the following
adds +1 to hit and to damage for both capabilities.
the bite and the claw attacks. Damage Resistance: fire.
The troll’s constitution increases by 2. Ray of Frost: the troll can cast the Ray
This adds +1 hit point per hit die. of Frost cantrip as an action. The attack
Damage resistance: poison. bonus is 2 and the ray does 1d8 damage
The challenge rating of a Dwarf Eater freak and slows the target by 10 feet per
increases by 1. move.
The challenge rating of an Elemental Fire freak
increases by 1.
Elemental Freak – Air
Some trolls find themselves in environments
that subject them to attacks from air elementals
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Elemental Freak – Water Four-Legged Freak
Some trolls find themselves in environments Repeatedly getting legs torn off can result in
that subject them to attacks from water trolls that have four legs rather than two, which
elementals and similar creatures. Eventually gives the troll the following characteristics.
they adapt to these attacks. The troll’s speed increases to 50 feet
The Elemental Water freak gains the following The troll has advantage on any roll
capabilities. made to resist being knocked prone.
Damage Immunity: acid. The challenge rating of a four-legged freak
Damage vulnerability: cold. increases by 1.
Amphibious: the troll can breathe both
air and water
Acid Saliva: the troll’s bite attacks do an Illithid Freak
additional 1d6 acid damage. Decapitating a troll doesn’t kill it – most
The challenge rating of an Elemental Water adventurers know that. Therefore, neither does
freak increases by 1. sucking out its brain. Mind Flayers that find
themselves in circumstances where there are
few brains to eat will sometimes resort to
Fey Freak capturing a troll and eating its brain over and
Some fey courts will keep trolls around as over. Eventually the troll develops resistance to
guards or pets. Long exposure to fey magic the mind flayer’s control and escapes.
gives a troll the following characteristics. The illithid freak gains the following capabilities.
Magical resistance: the troll has Resistance to psychic damage
advantage on saving throws against Advantage on saving throws against
spells and magical effects enchantments
Stealth: the troll gains proficiency in Mind Blast (Recharge on 6): As an
Stealth. action the troll emits a 20’ cone. Those
The challenge rating of a Fey freak increases by within the cone must make a DC 12
1. Intelligence save or take 10 (2d8 + 1)
psychic damage and be stunned for one
Four-Armed Freak minute. A stunned creature may repeat
Repeatedly getting arms torn off can result in the save at the end of each of its turns,
trolls that have four arms rather than two, ending the condition on a success.
which gives the troll the following The challenge rating of a Illithid freak should
characteristics. increase by 1.
The troll may make four claw attacks as
part of its Multiattack Laboratory Freak
The troll’s to-hit with each of its claw Some wizards will use trolls as the subject of
attacks is reduced by one (e.g., from +7 experiments, since the troll will recover from
to +6) as the arms get in each other’s almost anything done to it. Eventually these
way. creatures escape or are set free.
The challenge rating of a four-armed freak The Laboratory freak gains the following
increases by 1. capabilities.
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Magic Resistance: the troll has effect on the troll and instead strikes
advantage on saving throws against the caster.
spells and magical effects Cantrip: as a bonus action the troll can
Damage Resistance: the troll is resistant cast a cantrip known by the
to one of the following damage types: experimenting wizards. The spellcasting
acid, cold, fire, or lightning, depending ability is Intelligence.
on what the experimenting wizard did Improved intelligence: the troll’s
to it. intelligence ability becomes 12.
Cantrip: as a bonus action the troll can The challenge rating of a troll with this template
cast a cantrip known by the should increase by 4.
experimenting wizard. The spellcasting
ability is Intelligence. Sparring Partner
Improved intelligence: the troll’s Mighty warriors will sometimes use trolls as
intelligence ability becomes 10. sparring partners, as the troll can be fought
The challenge rating of a troll with this template with real weapons and still come back for more
should increase by 2. in a few minutes.
The Sparring Partner freak gains the following
capabilities.
Laboratory Freak, College Improved Regeneration: the troll
Some wizard colleges will use trolls as the regenerates 15 hit points at the start of
subject of experiments, since the troll will each of its turns. If the troll takes acid
recover from almost anything done to it. or fire damage, this trait doesn’t
Eventually these creatures escape or are set function at the start of the troll’s next
free. turn. The troll dies only if it starts its
The College Laboratory freak gains the following turn with zero hit points and doesn’t
capabilities. regenerate.
Magic Resistance: the troll has Damage resistance: bludgeoning,
advantage on saving throws against piercing, and slashing damage from
spells and magical effects non-magical weapons.
Damage Immunity: the troll is immune Attack proficiency: the troll’s
to one of the following damage types: proficiency with its melee attacks
acid, cold, fire, or lightning, depending improves by 1, adding 1 to to-hit bonus.
on what the experimenting wizards did The challenge rating of a troll with this
to it. template should increase by 1.
Damage resistance: the troll is resistant
to all magical damage to which it is not
immune, including the damage bonuses
of magical weapons.
Spell reflection: Any time the troll is
targeted by a Magic Missile spell, a line
spell, or any spell requiring an attack
roll, roll d6. On a 6 the spell has no
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Wild and Free - all 3.5 Monster Manual Fey
converted to 5th
Banshrae, Frostwind Virago, Glastig, G.
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Knave, Thorn, Verdant Prince, Wild Hunt.
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