Troll, Stone

Stone trolls are horrendous creatures, towering over most of their kin. They have sunken eye sockets, massive claws, a fang-filled mouth, and a nasty disposition. Stone trolls are completely hairless. Their skin is hard, rocky, and is colored to provide camouflage in their natural habitat. Stone trolls gain this coloration by ingesting rocks and stones common to their territory, assimilating the minerals into their skin. Because of this coloration, they have a 75% chance of remaining unseen by casual observation when against a rocky background, and can attack by surprise with a -3 penalty to the victim's surprise roll.

Due to their rock-hard claws, they are able to successfully scale any stone or earth surface. Because metal blunts their claws and wood splinters beneath their claws, stone trolls have only a 35% chance of climbing such surfaces. Stone trolls possess infravision out to 30'.

Combat: Stone trolls rip apart their opponents by attacking with their devastating claws and fangs. They aren't as agile as other trolls, though, and can only spread their three attacks between two opponents. They never use hand-held weapons, seeing them as weak alternatives to their own armament. On the other hand, they thoroughly enjoy pulverizing enemies with thrown boulders. A stone troll can throw two stones per round up to 35 yards away for 2d8 damage each.

Its highly mineral nature makes a stone troll a slow regenerator, but it is also very difficult to hurt. They regenerate one hit point per round beginning on the second round after being wounded. Due to their rocky skin, they suffer half damage from all edged weapons and their limbs aren't easily severed. If cut off with a vorpal blade or sword of sharpness, the limb dies immediately, but the body will continue to fight, even headless, as long as it has one attack. If the head and both arms are lost, the torso attempts to flee. Stone trolls are immune to all rock-affecting spells and take half damage from fire/heat, cold, and electrical attacks and may regenerate all such damage. Wounds from acid-based attacks cannot be regenerated. If a stone troll is struck by both fire/heat and cold attacks in a single round, it takes double normal damage (no save) from the second attack and must make a save vs. paralyzation at -3. If it fails, its rocky body shatters due to the extreme temperature shifts, forever dead. Even if it does save and survives, the damage from the two attacks cannot be regenerated.

Like all trolls, stone trolls are always hungry, and stone trolls are distracted (60% chancel by food dropped by fleeing prey.

Habitat/Society: Stone trolls prefer living in caves, in the mountains, or on rocky plateaus. Their “lairs” are often right out in the open as sunlight doesn't bother them. They often curl up in a boulder-like shape whenever tired, sleeping wherever they might be.

They gather into tribes led by the most powerful male. Stone troll males are the larger, stronger gender, but only females have the skills to become shamans. Such shamans may reach 7th level with the following spheres: Charm, combat, divination, elemental (earth only), sun, and weather. The chieftain is often advised by, and mated to, the strongest shaman.

Stone trolls aren't very prolific, the females giving birth to a single whelp every ten years. The young mature in about twenty years. Stone trolls can live in excess of 500 years.

Because of their rocky nature, stone trolls can subsist by eating stones, gems, and other minerals. Though not appetizing, it is nourishing and helps them develop their concealing coloration. They prefer live prey, though any meat is fair game.

Stone trolls consider all other beings prey, and never ally themselves with other groups for power. They attack most creatures for hunger and sport, but attack rock trolls out of sheer hatred. They consider rock trolls to be perversions of their race, while rock trolls see stone trolls as inferior, ugly versions of themselves. Their hatred is so great that the two species will never join forces, even if attacked by a common enemy.

Ecology: Stone trolls are the top predator in their territories and eat anything they can catch. Eventually, their unending hunger depletes the wildlife of their rocky home, and they are forced to raid the civilized lands for a few months if they desire fresh meat. Luckily, these raids are as rare as the stone trolls themselves.