Difference between revisions of "Troll"

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''This page is about the player [[species]]. For the monster, see [[Troll (monster)]]. If you were looking for monstrous trolls in general, see [[List of trolls]].''
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{{for monster}}
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:''If you were looking for monstrous trolls in general, see [[List of trolls]].''
 
{{flavour|Trolls are like Ogres, but even nastier. They have thick, knobbly skins of any colour from putrid green to mucky brown, which are covered in patches of thick fur, and their mouths are full of ichor-dripping fangs.
 
{{flavour|Trolls are like Ogres, but even nastier. They have thick, knobbly skins of any colour from putrid green to mucky brown, which are covered in patches of thick fur, and their mouths are full of ichor-dripping fangs.
  
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==Innate Abilities==
 
==Innate Abilities==
*[[Good mutations#Shaggy Fur|Shaggy Fur]] 1 and [[Good_mutations#Tough_Skin|Tough Skin]] 2: Trolls have AC +3.
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*[[Good mutations#Shaggy Fur|Shaggy Fur]] 1 and [[Good_mutations#Tough_Skin|Tough Skin]] 2: Trolls get +3 [[AC]].
*[[Good_mutations#Claws|Claws 3]]: Trolls have claws for hands. They also get a passive (hidden) to-hit bonus when using them. These claws inflict heavy [[bleeding]] and can decapitate [[hydra]]s.
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*[[Good_mutations#Claws|Claws 3]]: Trolls have claws for hands. Can decapitate [[hydra]]s.
*[[Gourmand]]: Trolls can eat [[chunk]]s even when not [[hungry]].
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*[[Gourmand]]: Trolls can eat [[chunk]]s at any time.
*[[Good_mutations#Regeneration|Regeneration 2]]: Trolls heal very quickly.
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*[[Good_mutations#Regeneration|Regeneration 1]]: Trolls heal very quickly.
*[[Bad_mutations#Fast_Metabolism|Fast Metabolism 3+]]: On top of the +3 hunger penalty from this mutation, trolls receive an additional +3 racial penalty directly, for an unmatched base metabolism of 9 food/turn.
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*[[Bad_mutations#Fast_Metabolism|Fast Metabolism 3]]: On top of the +3 hunger penalty from this mutation, trolls receive an additional +3 racial penalty, for an unmatched base metabolism of 9 food/turn.
*[[Saprovore]] 2: Trolls can tolerate rotten meat, and have a reduced chance of getting [[sick]] from contaminated meat.
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*Trolls are [[Size#Player Sizes|large]] and can use [[giant club]]s and [[giant spiked club]]s (unlike smaller species), but their bodies do not fit into [[boots]], [[gloves]], [[helmet]]s, or most body armour. [[Buckler]]s are too small for them to use, but they can handle [[shield]]s and [[large shield]]s easily.
*Trolls are [[Size#Player Sizes|large]] and can use [[giant club]]s and [[giant spiked club]]s (unlike smaller species), but their bodies do not fit into [[boots]], [[gloves]], [[gauntlets]], [[helmet]]s, or most body armour. [[Buckler]]s are also too small for them to use, but they can handle [[shield]]s and [[large shield]]s easily.
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*Trolls are large enough to attack normally while standing in [[shallow water]], but they still move slowly in it.
*Trolls are large enough to attack normally while standing in [[shallow water]] (though they still move slowly).
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Trolls have a base [[Strength]] of 15, [[Intelligence]] of 4 and [[Dexterity]] of 5 (before Background modifiers) and one less base [[magic points|magic point]] than normal.
  
 
==Preferred Backgrounds==
 
==Preferred Backgrounds==
*'''Warriors:''' [[Fighter]], [[Gladiator]], [[Monk]], [[Hunter]]
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*'''Warriors:''' [[Fighter]], [[Monk]], [[Hunter]]
*'''Zealots:''' [[Berserker]], [[Death Knight]], [[Healer]]
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*'''Zealots:''' [[Berserker]]
*'''Mages:''' [[Wizard]]
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*'''Warrior-Mages:''' [[Warper]]
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*'''Mages:''' [[Wizard]], [[Earth Elementalist]]
  
 
==Level Bonuses==
 
==Level Bonuses==
 
*+1 [[strength]] every 3rd level.
 
*+1 [[strength]] every 3rd level.
*30% more [[HP]] than average.
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*30% more [[hit points]] than average.
*20% less [[MP]] than average.
 
 
*+3 [[magic resistance]] per level.
 
*+3 [[magic resistance]] per level.
  
 
==Starting Skills and Equipment==
 
==Starting Skills and Equipment==
 
Trolls start with the skills and equipment listed for their background, with these exceptions:
 
Trolls start with the skills and equipment listed for their background, with these exceptions:
*Incompatible body armour is replaced by an [[animal skin]] or [[robe]].
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*Incompatible body armour is replaced with an [[animal skin]] or [[robe]].
*Any [[helmet]] is replaced with a [[cap]].
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*[[Helmet]]s are replaced with [[hat]]s.
 
*[[Meat ration]]s replace [[bread ration]]s, and trolls receive an extra ration.
 
*[[Meat ration]]s replace [[bread ration]]s, and trolls receive an extra ration.
 
*Any [[Armour]] skill is replaced with [[Dodging]].
 
*Any [[Armour]] skill is replaced with [[Dodging]].
*If their class does not start with [[Unarmed Combat]] skill ''and'' offers a choice of weapon, trolls have the extra option of "claws" (and Unarmed Combat skill).
 
 
*Troll [[hunter]]s are offered a choice of [[large rock]]s instead of [[javelin]]s.
 
*Troll [[hunter]]s are offered a choice of [[large rock]]s instead of [[javelin]]s.
  
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{{Easy}}
 
{{Easy}}
  
Trolls are an extremely easy race in the early game, despite first appearances. They have the worst aptitudes in almost every skill, and hunger three times faster than average. However, trolls are actually highly effective as all-out [[Unarmed Combat]] attackers; they have a decent aptitude, the highest STR in the game, +6 bonus damage (from the Claws 3 mutation), a passive +4 [[to hit]] bonus, and they occasionally inflict the [[bleeding]] condition for 9% of a living monster's health per turn. With or without [[Blade Hands]], a troll specialized in Unarmed Combat is one of the deadliest melee fighters possible, competitive with an [[ogre]] with a fully enchanted [[giant spiked club]].
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Despite terrible aptitudes in many skills, Trolls are a very easy species. They have extremely high health and regenerate quickly, and they excel in [[Unarmed Combat]]. Specifically, Trolls enjoy +6 damage (and extra +2 to hit) in unarmed melee combat (from the Claws 3 mutation). Thanks to their large size, Trolls can also throw [[large rock]]s. With very high damage, even at low (or no) skill in [[Throwing]], large rocks are easily the most damaging thrown weapons in the game. Trolls' have a very fast metabolism, but their Gourmand intrinsic allows them to eat everything, at any time. Assuming you stick to eating corpses whenever possible, you can generally stay at full or above for the majority of the game and still have more than enough [[permafood]] to survive some of the optional corpse-less branches, should you choose to do them.  
  
On top of that, access to [[large rock]]s makes a huge difference in survival. Even with 0 [[Throwing]] skill, spamming large rocks at an oncoming foe can soften them up tremendously before you start going at them by hand.
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While they have a huge health pool, Trolls do tend to have a harder time than most species when it comes to getting good AC and EV. Trolls can only wear hats and cloaks in their peripheral armour slots, and can only wear robes, animal skins, troll leather armour, and the various dragon armours on their torso.  
  
Their hunger rate is astonishingly fast, but their Gourmand intrinsic allows them to make the most of [[corpse]]s while still giving them full access to every piece of permafood they come across. So long as you take the time to tear apart anything edible, you can spend the majority of your game at Engorged with no actual fear of starvation. If you can find a source of [[poison]] resistance, the menu gets even broader and staying well-fed even easier. By the time you reach those [[branch]]es where corpses are a rarity, you'll likely have enough permafood to keep you very safely in the clear. To be safe, though, there's nothing wrong with carrying a bunch of rations around with you.
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Trolls' large size gives a small, direct malus to [[ev]]asion, which is also hindered by their low [[dexterity]] and, to a lesser extent, by their poor dodging aptitude. Nonetheless, it may be necessary to train [[Dodging]] on Trolls if one is having trouble attaining decent AC. Just expect higher experience investments to reach good levels of EV. Putting one's stat up points into dexterity every three levels is recommended, unless you are actively relying on casting spells—and not just planning to cast spells at some point down the line—in which case going for either dexterity or intelligence would be wise.
  
The largest obstacle trolls have to success lies in their peculiar approach to defense; that being to take a tremendous amount of damage and bounce back remarkably fast. Their large size prevents them from wearing any gloves or boots, and the only body armour they can wear initially are robes and animal hides, so getting decent [[AC]] can be tricky. [[Ev]]asion is hard to come by, too; they have a lousy [[Dodging]] aptitude (-2), and their large size and low [[dexterity]] both reduce their EV significantly.
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Trolls are too large to use bucklers, but Trolls are still extremely lethal in unarmed combat, even when wielding a [[shield]], and the added damage mitigation from shields is generally worth it on Trolls using their claws.
  
Instead of negating enemy attacks through AC and EV, trolls rely on their tremendous health pool and regenerative properties to keep them going. Few single opponents in the early game can kill them fast enough to survive a troll's claws. The real threat lies in overconfidence; taking on multiple opponents at once (a band of [[list of orcs|orcs]] or halberd-wielding [[list of gnolls|gnolls]], for example) is an easy way to lose an otherwise promising troll. Until you've established some sort of solid defense, cautious play and intelligent use of [[potion]]s, [[scroll]]s, and thrown weapons is vital.
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{{species_aptitudes|Troll}}
  
Eventually, however, trolls can couple their vitality with excellent defense. Finding an early [[dragon armour]] is a godsend, but it's entirely possible to survive long enough to find a [[list of dragons|dragon]] and make your own gear from it. Trollish strength and size make it easy to operate in even heavy dragon armours, and although it does slow your unarmed attacks somewhat, the added durability is well worth it. Alternatively, [[shields]] are an excellent way to add durability early on. A troll's low Shields skill aptitude is less of an issue because they can negate shield penalties at lower skill levels than medium sized creatures, and the penalty to damage output is tolerable. So long as they make the effort to avoid fighting multiple opponents at once, a shield can make your troll significantly less of a glass cannon.
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==Strategy==
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First, a quick note: Trolls should not use unarmed combat against [[hydra]]s, as your claws will count as non-flaming, bladed weapons against them. Large rocks, powerful attack wands, god abilities, or simply retreating are all good ways for UC Trolls to deal with hydras.
  
{{species_aptitudes|Troll}}
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As for skill development strategy, Trolls' [[intelligence]] and magic aptitudes are some of the worst in the game. This doesn't rule out magic, however; it simply means that Trolls will require a higher investment of experience compared to (almost) any other species. However, many level 1 and level 2 spells, such as [[Swiftness]], [[Repel Missiles]], [[Apportation]], [[Blink]], [[Summon Butterflies]], and the like, provide a lot of return for their skill investment. [[Confusing Touch]] is particularly useful to Trolls, since they will nearly always be fighting unarmed. Even higher level spells are often worth the investment on Trolls, after you have gotten your offense and basic defenses up to snuff; again, bad aptitudes mean that it just takes more experience and a bit more time.
  
==Strategy==
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As with many species, [[Evocations]] can be a great resource. If and when you have access to some of the items such as [[sack of spiders]], [[rods]], [[wands]], and the [[elemental evocables]], evocations can provide a lot versatility and power from a single skill.  
Trollish [[intelligence]] and magic aptitudes are some of the worst in the game. While this doesn't rule out magic entirely, it takes intense effort to get higher level spells available for them, and is generally not an efficient use of experience. Some 1st and 2nd level spells, however, are perfectly viable for trolls: [[Confusing Touch]] and [[Beastly Appendage]] are decent 1st level combat enhancers, [[Sting]] is excellent for softening up approaching opponents, and [[Swiftness]], [[Shroud of Golubria]], and [[Repel Missiles]] are all useful level 2 buffs well within the reach of trolls. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but you should definitely try to have your physical offense and defense in order before more than dabbling in magic.
 
  
[[Evocations]] is one of a troll's better aptitudes (at least compared to their magic skills), and it offers a much less uphill battle for magical support. Finding a useful [[rod]] can immediately give a troll access to high-level spells they'd normally have to devote massive amounts of training for, and a troll's capacity for eating makes it much easier to deal with the hunger costs involved (just be careful when exploring corpse-free branches). Rods, unfortunately, are by no means guaranteed to generate, so consider this a tactic to take up if the opportunity presents itself, and not something to rely on.
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Also, trolls should not be afraid to run from fights, as their regeneration will help them get back in the green while pillar dancing.
  
A vital resource that ''is'' guaranteed to present itself are gods. Trollish [[Invocations]] has an astounding aptitude of -1, and there are a number of excellent gods to complement their limited skill set:
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===Religion===
*[[Okawaru]]'s Heroism buffs Unarmed Combat performance tremendously, as does Finesse, and his armour gifts occasionally include early dragon armour.
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[[God]] choice tends to be a major factor in rounding out one's character, and Trolls are no exception. A few recommendations are below; note that this list is by no means comprehensive or exhaustive.  
*[[Trog]]'s abilities require no skill training to activate, and provide free [[berserk]]ing, [[magic resistance]], even greater health regeneration, and very abusable summons. Just mind your hunger.
 
*[[Elyvilon]]'s normal hunger restraints are less of a concern for the voracious troll, who benefits immensely from excellent panic buttons and the ability to pacify most opponents with smite targeting.
 
*Likewise, [[Makhleb]]'s HP costs for spells are of little concern when you regenerate them back almost immediately, and having powerful ranged attacks and high-level summons let you handle anything you're afraid to get into clawing range for. The healing-on-kills helps trolls recover from fights even faster than normal.
 
*[[Kikubaaqudgha]]'s corpse deliveries can provide you with dragon hides after enough uses in the later portions of the dungeon, and provides snacks at the same time. Also, trolls aren't ''entirely'' useless with [[Necromancy]] if you should choose to dabble in that, and the ability to invoke torment (which you'll partially resist) on powerful foes goes well with the fact that you regenerate faster than them.
 
*[[Nemelex Xobeh]]'s [[deck]] gifts are a more reliable way to make use of Evocations than hoping for a rod, and if you ''really'' want to turn your troll into a spell caster, drawing a [[Shuffle card]] is a means of acquiring a phenomenal boost to intelligence.
 
*[[Jiyva]]'s random mutations don't get in the way of your equipment slots, as most of them are already off-limits, and the various resistances it grants you can fill slots you otherwise have difficulty with. Slimify is a very effective method for disabling dangerous opponents, and his [[list of jellies|jellies]] will help keep you well-fed as they devour every item in sight. Just be prepared to occasionally lose a lot of your strength when Jiyva decides to shuffle you.
 
*[[Cheibriados]]' stat boosts are extremely useful for unarmed combat fighters, especially if they intend to use [[Blade Hands]], and Step From Time can get you directly into melee range rather than getting peppered with ranged attacks as you crawl toward your foes. Unfortunately, the loss of movement speed makes it difficult to choose your battles; don't be afraid to Step From Time when things look bad.
 
  
The only god that really doesn't mesh well with trolls is [[Zin]]. While his abilities are just as useful to trolls, his dietary restrictions cut your corpse access quite harshly. Worshiping Zin as a troll is one of the easiest ways to find yourself actually starving to death.
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*[[Okawaru]]'s Heroism is cheap in piety cost (so use it liberally), comes online extremely fast, and the temporary +5 to skill level is a greater boon to Unarmed Combat than to other melee. Finesse uses more piety and can't be spammed, but it more or less doubles your melee damage output when active. One should not hang too much hope on Okawaru's random gifts, but at least any armour he gives you is guaranteed to be something that your species can wear (though this does not by any means guarantee it will be something you will ''want'' to wear).
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*[[Trog]]'s abilities require no skill training to activate, and provide [[berserk]], [[magic resistance]], even greater health regeneration, and very strong summons.
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*[[Elyvilon]]'s normal hunger restraints are less of a concern for the voracious troll, who benefits immensely from excellent panic buttons and the ability to pacify most dangerous opponents with smite targeting.
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*[[Jiyva]] can be a powerful and interesting god choice for Trolls, as for many other characters. Early altars are very rare, but if you see one, consider giving Jiyva a spin. However, if you cannot access Jiyva in the early dungeon, passing up on any god choices until late Lair will dramatically hurt your chances to win the game.
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*[[Ashenzari]] provides sizable boosts to your skills through cursed equipment. Scry is a powerful ability, and the other passive bonuses one enjoys from worshiping Ashenzari are nice. For unarmed trolls, the lack of a weapon to [[curse]] may make it harder to gain [[piety]], however, especially in early game.
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*[[Kikubaaqudgha]] guarantees an easy means to branch out into [[Necromancy]], a spell school that gives a lot of utility and power within a single skill. Additionally, her Receive Corpses ability can help Trolls manage their hunger in the lategame areas like [[Pandemonium|Pan]] and [[Hell]] with few corpse-leaving enemies.
  
Finally, don't use trollish unarmed combat against hydras. It's a very bad idea. Large rocks, powerful attack wands, and god abilities are your best bet here.
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==History==
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*Prior to [[0.17]], only races with innate claws mutation had extra +2 to hit bonus. That bonus now applies to anyone with the mutation.
  
==Guides==
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*Prior to [[0.16]], trolls started with the [[Saprovore]] 2 mutation.
*[[Elynae's Troll Conjurer guide]] newbie-friendly, Chei, Oka, Makh, Veh
 
*[[Buddy23Lee's Troll monk of Jiyva ("slime troll") guide]] (0.12)
 
  
[[Category:Species]]
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{{species}}
[[Category:Troll]]
 

Revision as of 11:45, 25 November 2016

Version 0.18: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.
This page is about the player species. For the monster, see Troll (monster).
If you were looking for monstrous trolls in general, see List of trolls.
Trolls are like Ogres, but even nastier. They have thick, knobbly skins of any colour from putrid green to mucky brown, which are covered in patches of thick fur, and their mouths are full of ichor-dripping fangs.

They can rip creatures apart with their claws, and regenerate very quickly from even the most terrible wounds. They learn slowly indeed - as slowly as High Elves - and need a great amount of food to survive.

Innate Abilities

Trolls have a base Strength of 15, Intelligence of 4 and Dexterity of 5 (before Background modifiers) and one less base magic point than normal.

Preferred Backgrounds

Level Bonuses

Starting Skills and Equipment

Trolls start with the skills and equipment listed for their background, with these exceptions:

Difficulty of Play

SimpleIntermediateAdvanced

Despite terrible aptitudes in many skills, Trolls are a very easy species. They have extremely high health and regenerate quickly, and they excel in Unarmed Combat. Specifically, Trolls enjoy +6 damage (and extra +2 to hit) in unarmed melee combat (from the Claws 3 mutation). Thanks to their large size, Trolls can also throw large rocks. With very high damage, even at low (or no) skill in Throwing, large rocks are easily the most damaging thrown weapons in the game. Trolls' have a very fast metabolism, but their Gourmand intrinsic allows them to eat everything, at any time. Assuming you stick to eating corpses whenever possible, you can generally stay at full or above for the majority of the game and still have more than enough permafood to survive some of the optional corpse-less branches, should you choose to do them.

While they have a huge health pool, Trolls do tend to have a harder time than most species when it comes to getting good AC and EV. Trolls can only wear hats and cloaks in their peripheral armour slots, and can only wear robes, animal skins, troll leather armour, and the various dragon armours on their torso.

Trolls' large size gives a small, direct malus to evasion, which is also hindered by their low dexterity and, to a lesser extent, by their poor dodging aptitude. Nonetheless, it may be necessary to train Dodging on Trolls if one is having trouble attaining decent AC. Just expect higher experience investments to reach good levels of EV. Putting one's stat up points into dexterity every three levels is recommended, unless you are actively relying on casting spells—and not just planning to cast spells at some point down the line—in which case going for either dexterity or intelligence would be wise.

Trolls are too large to use bucklers, but Trolls are still extremely lethal in unarmed combat, even when wielding a shield, and the added damage mitigation from shields is generally worth it on Trolls using their claws.

Skill aptitudes

The higher the value, the better the aptitude.

Skill Aptitude Skill Aptitude Skill Aptitude
Attack Miscellaneous Magic
Fighting -2 Armour -2 Spellcasting -5
Dodging -2
Maces & Flails -1 Shields -1 Conjurations -3
Axes -2 Stealth -5 Hexes -4
Polearms -2 Summonings -3
Staves -2 Invocations -1 Necromancy -2
Unarmed Combat 0 Evocations -3 Translocations -3
Throwing -1 Shapeshifting -1 Alchemy -3
Fire Magic -3
Short Blades -2 Ice Magic -3
Long Blades -2 Air Magic -4
Ranged Weapons -4 Experience -1 Earth Magic -1

Strategy

First, a quick note: Trolls should not use unarmed combat against hydras, as your claws will count as non-flaming, bladed weapons against them. Large rocks, powerful attack wands, god abilities, or simply retreating are all good ways for UC Trolls to deal with hydras.

As for skill development strategy, Trolls' intelligence and magic aptitudes are some of the worst in the game. This doesn't rule out magic, however; it simply means that Trolls will require a higher investment of experience compared to (almost) any other species. However, many level 1 and level 2 spells, such as Swiftness, Repel Missiles, Apportation, Blink, Summon Butterflies, and the like, provide a lot of return for their skill investment. Confusing Touch is particularly useful to Trolls, since they will nearly always be fighting unarmed. Even higher level spells are often worth the investment on Trolls, after you have gotten your offense and basic defenses up to snuff; again, bad aptitudes mean that it just takes more experience and a bit more time.

As with many species, Evocations can be a great resource. If and when you have access to some of the items such as sack of spiders, rods, wands, and the elemental evocables, evocations can provide a lot versatility and power from a single skill.

Also, trolls should not be afraid to run from fights, as their regeneration will help them get back in the green while pillar dancing.

Religion

God choice tends to be a major factor in rounding out one's character, and Trolls are no exception. A few recommendations are below; note that this list is by no means comprehensive or exhaustive.

  • Okawaru's Heroism is cheap in piety cost (so use it liberally), comes online extremely fast, and the temporary +5 to skill level is a greater boon to Unarmed Combat than to other melee. Finesse uses more piety and can't be spammed, but it more or less doubles your melee damage output when active. One should not hang too much hope on Okawaru's random gifts, but at least any armour he gives you is guaranteed to be something that your species can wear (though this does not by any means guarantee it will be something you will want to wear).
  • Trog's abilities require no skill training to activate, and provide berserk, magic resistance, even greater health regeneration, and very strong summons.
  • Elyvilon's normal hunger restraints are less of a concern for the voracious troll, who benefits immensely from excellent panic buttons and the ability to pacify most dangerous opponents with smite targeting.
  • Jiyva can be a powerful and interesting god choice for Trolls, as for many other characters. Early altars are very rare, but if you see one, consider giving Jiyva a spin. However, if you cannot access Jiyva in the early dungeon, passing up on any god choices until late Lair will dramatically hurt your chances to win the game.
  • Ashenzari provides sizable boosts to your skills through cursed equipment. Scry is a powerful ability, and the other passive bonuses one enjoys from worshiping Ashenzari are nice. For unarmed trolls, the lack of a weapon to curse may make it harder to gain piety, however, especially in early game.
  • Kikubaaqudgha guarantees an easy means to branch out into Necromancy, a spell school that gives a lot of utility and power within a single skill. Additionally, her Receive Corpses ability can help Trolls manage their hunger in the lategame areas like Pan and Hell with few corpse-leaving enemies.

History

  • Prior to 0.17, only races with innate claws mutation had extra +2 to hit bonus. That bonus now applies to anyone with the mutation.
Species
Simple Mountain DwarfMinotaurMerfolkGargoyleDraconianTrollDeep ElfArmataurGnoll
Intermediate HumanKoboldDemonspawnDjinniSprigganGhoulTenguOniBarachi
Advanced CoglinVine StalkerVampireDemigodFormicidNagaOctopodeFelidMummy