Monster Spotlight: Chimney Troll
Chaotic Evil Large Humanoid
Daughters of Fury, pg. 52
Don’t be fooled by their scrawny appearance, these creatures tower over the average human, though most of their size is just for show. One of the smallest and weakest breeds of troll, these isolated beasts are considered outcasts and pariahs by their own kind, shunned and hated from birth because of their Wicked Blood. Their origins are not elaborated on, only that some form of fiendish magic, necromancy, or curse has tainted their entire lineage, causing them to lose the incredible regenerative powers that their brethren enjoy. In fact, their Wicked Blood means Chimney Trolls cannot heal naturally at all, relying on magical healing to keep their wounds from piling up… or relying on a strange magical quirk that unnerves other trolls.
Most of them are driven from the wilds their kin call home and into urban areas, where they must learn to survive or perish. Their long, gangly limbs and unusually light weight in spite of their size allow them to move across rooftops with deceptive silence (+8 Stealth in urban environments), they can climb 20ft in a single round, and they can contort their bodies in distressing, unnatural ways to cram themselves into spaces they have no right to. Nocturnal by nature, they spend days crammed inside any structure that can hold them, but–as their name suggests–prefer to nest inside the chimneys of occupied structures in order to have easy access to life-sustaining fire.
Any troll would balk at the appetites of the Chimney Trolls, as the very same substance which causes irreparable harm to their uncursed kin instead restores their health and vitality (though ironically they’re not immune to fire, but their 10 Resistance is enough at low levels!). They can inhale any nonmagical fire within 30ft as a standard action, be it candlelight or campfire, ingesting the flame and gaining Regeneration 3 for three rounds regardless of the fire’s size. It is only this method that allows them to overcome the curse of their bloodline, the fire in their bellies rapidly restoring them from the most terrible of injuries, even restoring any lost limbs and damaged organs. While perfectly capable of creating their own fires (and will do so if they have the time), they much prefer stealing it from active chimneys, the torchlight of patrolling guards or travelers, or from the fire pits of campers, because that means they can also grab a quick meal.
While not plagued with the endless, maddening voracity found in most other trolls, Chimney Trolls still prefer proportionately enormous meals, not only stealing whatever food may be cooking on the fire but having zero qualms with devouring the screaming occupants of whatever home they infiltrate. While it’s possible to reason with them and bribe them with a hefty meal, it’s unlikely they’ll take it; they’re actually among the smarter troll breeds out of necessity (meaning their Int is 8 instead of 5), and they know witnesses to their presence will likely draw the attention of guards or adventurers. Thus, most meetings with a Chimney Troll start with horrified screams as the beast unfolds from a supply closet, ventilation shaft, or chimney, and ends with silent chewing as the troll slaughters everyone within a home and squats in the space until authorities investigate or the food stores run out.
Their inability to heal without fire or magic makes them hesitant to engage in any combat they don’t get the surprise round and quick to flee if their enemies outnumber or overpower them too greatly. Don’t let this trick you into thinking they’re weak, though; their bodies are much frailer than a normal trolls, but they still have a CCB attack (1d6+1 and 1d8+1) and a 10ft space/10ft reach that lets them put it to good use, making them a formidable threat to low-level adventurers and guards alike, especially in the cramped urban spaces they nest in. If they’ve recently consumed fire or see that they have access to more they become much braver, unable to be killed for a short time unless exposed to Acid or Cold damage.
Thanks to their appearance, a foolish attacker may believe it to be a normal troll, which is the creature’s greatest danger. Someone raising a torch in the hopes of scaring it off may just empower it as it sucks the flame from the stick and rapidly begins to heal… but each time they consume a fire, they also gain the ability to exhale a cloud of choking, burning smoke. This Soot Cloud deals 1d6 Fire damage and nauseates a single creature within 30ft of the troll, though a DC 13 Fortitude save halves the damage and negates the nausea. It’s a little bit of insult AND injury, really, to see the weapon you thought would give you an advantage eaten and then regurgitated straight into your face, leaving you helpless to the incoming savage beating.
That’s the luckiest thing that can happen. The unluckiest is that the creature swats the torch from your hand and into a pile of kindling it built in the home it infested, sending the entire structure up in flames. The troll can take the heat–and in fact will thrive in it–but everyone else is likely to just go up in smoke.
You can read more about them here.
vaporwave
andulkaphoto
dededos
germansingergirl
jbbartram-illu
jacobvanloon
pixelskylines
ellievsbear
dailybridgerton
theartofmadeline
