Trolls
T
he capacity of trolls to recover from grievous Troll Lore
wounds is as horrifying as it is legendary, yet
few truly understand the insane scope of this Arcana DC 15: As a general rule, troll hearts constitute
power; a disintegrated troll can recover from a powerful magical items, imbued with a mote of the troll's
single remaining finger, and a troll with five essence. Though the individual effects may vary based on the
severed fingers will shortly become six trolls. troll's specific mutations, fresh troll hearts of all kinds can be
The only reason the world has not been reliably used to derive enchantments or tinctures of
drowned in trollflesh is their solitary and antisocial nature. regenerative magic.
History DC 10: The fearsome ability of trolls to rapidly
Encounter Groups
recover from apparently mortal wounds can be briefly
disrupted with the prompt application of fire and acid, though
CR 15 Encounter 4,650 XP weaker sources are often insufficient to overcome the
1 Greater Manticore (CR 5) regeneration.
1 Bridge Troll (CR 5) Nature DC 15: Trolls reproduce by budding, where a severed
2 Bandit Instigators (CR 2) piece of a troll rapidly regenerates, growing into a new full-
6 Bandits (CR 1/8) grown troll over the course of a few meals. Troll numbers are
kept in check, however, by their dislike of company, as new
CR 22 Encounter 16,350 XP budlings will often find themselves forcibly reattached to or
eaten by their parent.
1 Grandmother Bheur Hag (CR 12) Nature DC 20: While trolls are all technically clones of one
2 Ice Trolls (CR 8) another, it is exceedingly rare for any two trolls to look alike,
8 Ice Mephits (CR 1/2) as their rapid growth in harsh conditions produces constant
and wild mutations.
Loathsome Troll
Svetlin Velinov
Troll Budling Bridge Troll
Small giant, chaotic evil Large giant, chaotic evil
Armor Class 15 (Natural Armor) Armor Class 15 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points 11 (2d6 + 4) Hit Points 84 (8d10 + 40)
Speed 15 ft. Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
15 (+2) 7 (-2) 15 (+2) 4 (-4) 7 (-2) 7 (-2) 18 (+4) 13 (+1) 20 (+5) 7 (-2) 9 (-1) 7 (-2)
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 8 Skills Athletics +7, Perception +5
Challenge M2 (90 XP) Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 12
Languages Giant
Oversized Limb. The budling can grapple as if it Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
were one size larger, and acts on initiative count 0
instead of rolling. Troll Healing. At the beginning of each of the troll's
turns, it regains 10 hit points if it hasn't taken any
Minion. If the budling takes damage from an attack acid or fire damage since the end of its last turn.
or as the result of a failed saving throw, its hit The troll dies only if it ends its turn with 0 hit
points are reduced to 0. If the budling takes points.
damage from another effect, it dies if the damage
equals or exceeds its hit point maximum, otherwise Budding. When the troll suffers a critical hit that
it takes no damage. deals piercing or slashing damage, it loses a limb
and spawns a Troll Buddling in the nearest
Actions unoccupied space, making one fewer attack with its
multiattack until it regrows the limb.
Lopsided Flail (Group Attack). Melee Weapon Attack:
+4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2 bludgeoning Whenever the troll regains hit points, it can make a
damage. DC 20 Constitution saving throw, regrowing one
lost limb on a success.
Clone Merger.The budling climbs onto a troll within
5 feet, becoming Attached (remove DC 12) to it. Actions
If the budling begins its turn Attached to an injured The troll makes three attacks, one of
Multiattack.
troll, the budling is absorbed into it; the buddling which can be with its Snaggletoothed Snap.
dies, and the troll regains 10 hit points.
Snaggletoothed Snap. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to
hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4)
piercing damage.
Troll Budling Tactics
Claw Bash. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5
Budlings are born ravenously hungry and with a deep terror ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage.
of full-grown trolls, immediately trying to attack the nearest
living non-troll creature, ideally while keeping it between A creature hit twice with this attack in a turn must
succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be
themselves and their parent. While they will continuously flee pushed 10 feet away and knocked prone.
an approaching troll, they freeze with terror when within the
melee range of one. Reckless Thrash (Recharge 5-6). The troll forces each
creature within 10 feet of it to succeed on a DC 15
Dexterity saving throw or take 14 (4d6)
Bridge Troll Tactics bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone.
Bridge trolls swing up from the underside of bridges with Until the beginning of its next turn, attacks that
their prodigious strength, often into the midst of a group with target the troll have advantage.
the intent of splitting it. They use their Reckless Thrash
whenever available if they can hit at least three enemies with
it, otherwise using their claw bash to push enemies into
hazards. If they spawn a budling, they chase it down, making
an attack of opportunity with their Bite against it if it tries to
flee, and otherwise cramming it into one of their wounds to
act as an extra limb.
Venom Troll Poison Reliance. If it would be subjected to an effect
Large giant, chaotic evil that would neutralize poison, the venom troll instead
must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or
Armor Class 15 (Natural Armor) die, taking 36 (8d8) necrotic damage on a success.
Hit Points 147 (14d10 + 70)
Speed 30 ft. Actions
The troll makes three attacks, one of which
Multiattack.
can be with its Slavering Bite.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
18 (+4) 13 (+1) 20 (+5) 7 (-2) 9 (-1) 7 (-2) Slavering Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5
ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage plus 4
(1d8) poison damage.
Skills Perception +5
Damage Immunities Poison Claw Bash. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
Condition Immunities Poison one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage.
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 12 A creature hit twice with this attack in a turn must
Languages Giant
succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be
Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)
pushed 10 feet away and knocked prone.
Troll Healing. At the beginning of each of the troll's Reckless Thrash (Recharge 5-6). The troll forces each
turns, it regains 10 hit points if it hasn't taken any acid creature within 10 feet of it to succeed on a DC 15
or fire damage since the end of its last turn. The troll Dexterity saving throw or take 17 (5d6) bludgeoning
dies only if it ends its turn with 0 hit points. damage and be knocked prone.
Until the beginning of its next turn, attacks that target
Budding. When the troll suffers a critical hit that deals the troll have advantage.
piercing or slashing damage, it loses a limb and spawns
a Troll Buddling in the nearest unoccupied space,
making one fewer attack with its multiattack until it
Reactions
regrows the limb. Venom Spray (1/Day). When the troll is reduced below
74 hit points, it can slice itself with a claw, taking 7
Whenever the troll regains hit points, it can make a DC (2d6) slashing damage and releasing a spray of poison
20 Constitution saving throw, regrowing one lost limb in a 20 foot cone.
on a success.
Poison Splash. The first time each turn that the troll Each creature in the area must succeed on a DC 16
takes any piercing or slashing damage, each creature Constitution saving throw or take 27 (6d8) poison
within 5 feet it takes 9 (2d8) poison damage. damage and be Poisoned until the end of its next turn,
or take half as much damage on a success.
If the troll takes any fire damage, this trait is disabled
until the beginning of its next turn.
Venom Troll Lore
Nature DC 15: Despite their name, venom trolls have no Trolls
venom to speak of. Rather, they are named for the incredible Sam Wood
toxicity of their blood and saliva. While it is unclear what
primary role this adaptation serves for the trolls, some have
been known to weaponize it by intentionally spitting or
bleeding on their prey.
Nature DC 20: Venom trolls exist in a precarious balance,
their toxic blood just barely holding back the tide of
expanding flesh. If the poisons in their blood are
neutralized, the troll rapidly "heals" new flesh into its
veins and arteries, often fatally wounding it.
Venom Troll Tactics
Venom trolls behave much as bridge trolls do in combat, but
use the movement control on their claw bash to herd enemies
together so they can camp within 5 feet of as many of them as
possible and make good use of their Poison Splash. A venom
troll that survives being subjected to something like a Lesser
Restoration or Lay on Hands typically flees, or else tries to
kill the creature that cast it as quickly as possible.
Ice Troll Lore
Ice Troll Arcana DC 20: If an ice troll's heart is carved out and buried
Large giant, chaotic evil in unfrozen ground within 24 hours of the troll's death, a
terrible and deadly blizzard will bear down on that location,
Armor Class 16 (Natural Armor) regardless of the season.
Hit Points 161 (14d10 + 84) Nature DC 10: Ice trolls naturally foul the weather around
Speed 30 ft. them, particularly when encountered in large numbers and at
high elevations, their lairs plagued by biting and
unpredictable gusts of wind.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Nature DC 15: Injured ice trolls pack their wounds with
18 (+4) 8 (-1) 22 (+6) 9 (-1) 9 (-1) 7 (-2) water or snow, sealing them shut as their natural cold freezes
it into a semblance of their natural trollflesh. This freezing
Skills Perception +2 aura can become a hazard to the troll when they are
Damage Immunities Cold submerged in water, as if they are unable to escape quickly
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 12 they can become entombed in the ice that forms around
Languages Giant, Jotunise them.
Challenge 8 (3,900 XP) Survival DC 15: The heart of an ice troll contains the
concentrated essence of the cold that sustains it in life;
Freezing Flesh. A creature not resistant or immune though extracting it can be an arduous task, many attempt to
to cold damage that starts its turn within 10 feet of do so for its purported arcane utility.
the ice troll has its movement speed reduced by 10
until the beginning of its next turn. Ice Troll Tactics
If the ice troll starts its turn at least partially Ice trolls hide in snowbanks or frozen in glacial deposits,
submerged in water, it must succeed on a DC 15 bursting out when they detect the heat of potential prey
Strength saving throw or be restrained (escape DC nearby. They use their cryoheal whenever available if below
15) as a mass of clinging ice forms around it. max hit points, but once reduced to half hit points often
Brittle Joints.When the troll suffers a critical hit that retreat to heal, returning to the fight immediately once their
deals bludgeoning damage, one of its limbs breaks wounds are sealed.
off, giving it disadvantage on attack rolls and
Dexterity saving throws.
Actions
Multiattack. The troll makes two frostbite claw
attacks, one of which it may replace with its bite or
Cryoheal, if available.
Bite.Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) piercing damage plus
9 (2d8) cold damage.
Frostbite Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit,
reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing
damage plus 4 (1d8) cold damage and the target
has disadvantage on the next attack roll it makes
before the troll's next turn.
Cryoheal (Recharge 5-6, Requires Water). The troll
packs its wounds with nearby snow, ice, or water,
freezing it into a semblance of trollflesh.
The troll regains 30 hit points, can reattach one of
its lost limbs, and gains vulnerability to fire damage
until the beginning of its next turn.
Reactions
Rimestrike Retaliation.When a creature misses the
troll with a melee attack, the troll can make a
Frostbite Claw attack against it. On a hit, the target
is additionally knocked prone.
Ice Troll
David Sladek
Trestle Troll
Peter Mohrbacher
Spirit Troll Actions
Large giant, chaotic evil
The troll makes three attacks, one of which
Multiattack.
may be with its Confounding Bite.
Armor Class 17 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points 132 (22d10 + 22) Confounding Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit,
Speed 30 ft., fly 10 ft. reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 19 (3d10 + 3) psychic
damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 15
Wisdom saving throw or be Dazed until the end of its
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
next turn.
1 (-5) 17 (+3) 13 (+1) 8 (-1) 9 (-1) 16 (+3) Whenever a creature Dazed in this way misses with a
melee attack, it must immediately make a new attack
Skills Perception +7, Stealth +7 roll against another creature in its reach.
Damage Resistances Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, Thunder
Damage Immunities Bludgeoning, Piercing and Slashing
Ephemeral Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach
from Nonmagical Attacks 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 14 (2d10 + 3) psychic damage.
Condition Immunities Exhaustion, Grappled, Paralyzed, Strangling Grasp. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach
Petrified, Prone, Restrained, Unconscious 5 ft., one creature. Hit: The target is grappled (escape
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 13 DC 15).
Languages Giant
While grappled in this way, the target is Choking.
Challenge 11 (7,200 XP)
If this attack was made with advantage, the grappled
Spirit Healing. At the beginning of each of the troll's creature cannot hold its breath and immediately begins
turns, it regains 10 hit points if it hasn't taken any force Suffocating.
or psychic damage since the end of its last turn. The
troll dies only if it ends its turn with 0 hit points. Reactions
Incorporeal Movement. The troll can move through Wraithform (1/Day, Concentration). When the troll is
other creatures and objects as if they were difficult reduced below 67 hit points, it can become Invisible
terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its until it makes an attack or regains all of its hit points.
turn inside an object. While the troll is Invisible, a creature that begins its
Spectral Weapons. The troll's attacks treat all creatures turn within 30 feet of it can sense its presence, and
as unarmored (an unarmored creature's AC is usually must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be
10 plus its Dexterity modifier.) unable to move closer to it until the beginning of their
next turn.
Dire Troll
Copyright Wizards of the Coast
Dire Troll Lore
History DC 15: Dire trolls have remarkable alacrity for their
size, in part due to their multiple brains and numerous limbs
allowing a tumbling, wild lope that would be impossibly
complicated for most creatures.
Nature DC 15: As trolls are all clones of one another, their
rapid healing has difficulty picking out differences between
them; when trolls fight their wounds can heal together, each's
body attempting to absorb the other's. If neither wins, a dire
troll is born. Alternately, dire trolls can occasionally form
when a cluster of budlings is mashed together, though
newborn trolls instinctively try to keep distance from one
another to avoid this.
Dire Troll Tactics
Dire trolls ravenously chase after and scoop up any budlings
they leave behind, using their Secret Arm and Double Actions
to rapidly absorb them. They charge into the midst of a melee
and use their Reckless Whirlwind, then use their claw bash
until each creature has been knocked out of their range
before repositioning and using their Bite against a prone
target.
Dire Troll Giant Stature.Attacks made against the troll by a
Huge giant, chaotic evil creature Attached to it have advantage, and the giant
has disadvantage on attacks it makes against creatures
Armor Class 15 (Natural Armor) Attached to it.
Hit Points 207 (18d12 + 90)
Speed 40 ft., climb 20 ft. Actions
The troll makes two attacks, one of which
Multiattack.
may be with its bite.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
22 (+6) 15 (+2) 21 (+5) 9 (-1) 11 (+0) 5 (-3) Bite.Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit: 15 (2d8 + 6) piercing damage. This attack
deals an additional 9 (2d8) damage to a prone creature.
Saving Throws WIS +5, CHA +2, CON +10
Skills Athletics +11, Perception +10 Claw Bash. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5
Damage Resistances Attacks made without advantage ft., one target. Hit: 16 (3d6 + 6) slashing damage and
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 20 the target must succeed on a DC 19 Strength saving
Languages Giant throw or be pushed 10 feet away and knocked prone.
Challenge 13 (10,000 XP)
Reckless Whirlwind (Recharge 6). The troll spins madly,
forcing each creature within 10 feet of it to succeed
Double Actions.The troll rolls initiative twice, and acts on a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw or take 33 (6d10)
on each of them. slashing damage and be knocked prone, or take half as
much damage on a success.
Troll Healing. At the beginning of each of the troll's
turns, it regains 10 hit points if it hasn't taken any acid A creature Attached to the troll has advantage on this
or fire damage since the end of its last turn. The troll saving throw, and takes no damage on a success.
dies only if it ends its turn with 0 hit points. Until the beginning of its next turn, attacks that target
Budding Overload. When the troll takes any piercing or the troll have advantage.
slashing damage, it loses a limb and spawns a Troll
Buddling in the nearest unoccupied space, making one Reactions
fewer attack with its multiattack until it regrows that Secret Arm. When a creature climbing on the troll hits it
limb. with an attack, the troll can extend a hidden arm from
Whenever the troll regains hit points, it can make a DC one of its mouths.
20 Constitution saving throw, regrowing each of its
lost limbs on a success. The attacker must succeed on a DC 19 Strength saving
throw or be pushed up to 15 feet away.
Art Credits You Found the Free Books!
Loathsome Troll by Svetlin Velinov
Trolls by Sam Wood
Frost Troll by Daved Sladek
Trestle Troll by Peter Mohrbacher
Dire Troll copyright Wizards of the Coast
Bisk, Goblin King by Rae Elderidge
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