Difference between revisions of "Troll"

From CrawlWiki
Jump to: navigation, search
(Difficulty of Play)
m (Difficulty of Play)
(48 intermediate revisions by 15 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{version013}}
+
{{version028}}
 
''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]].''
 
''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]].''
{{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 monstrous creatures with powerful claws. They have thick, knobbly skins of any colour from putrid green to mucky brown, which are covered in patches of thick fur.
  
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.}}
+
They are incredibly strong, and regenerate rapidly from even the most terrible wounds. However, they are hopeless at spellcasting and learn most skills very slowly.}}
  
 
==Innate Abilities==
 
==Innate Abilities==
*[[Good mutations#Shaggy Fur|Shaggy Fur]] 1 and [[Good_mutations#Tough_Skin|Tough Skin]] 2: Trolls get +3 [[AC]].
+
*'''[[Tough Skin]] 1:''' Trolls get +1 [[AC]].
*[[Good_mutations#Claws|Claws 3]]: Trolls have claws for hands, as well as an unstated to-hit bonus when using them. These claws inflict heavy [[bleeding]] and can decapitate [[hydra]]s.
+
*'''[[Claws]] 3:''' Trolls have claws for hands, greatly improving their performance in [[unarmed combat]]. Claws deal +6 damage, though they can decapitate [[hydra]]s.
*[[Gourmand]]: Trolls can eat [[chunk]]s at any time.
+
*'''[[Regeneration (mutation)|Regeneration]] 1:''' Trolls heal very quickly (+0.8 HP/turn).
*[[Good_mutations#Regeneration|Regeneration 2]]: Trolls heal very quickly.
+
*Trolls are '''[[Size#Player Sizes|large]]''' species:
*[[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.
+
**Unlike regular sized species, they can use [[giant club]]s[[giant spiked club]]s, and [[large rock]]s.
*[[Saprovore]] 2: Trolls can tolerate rotten meat, and have a reduced nutrition penalty from eating contaminated meat.
+
**Their bodies do not fit into [[boots]], [[gloves]], [[helmet]]s, or most body armour.  
*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 too small for them to use, but they can handle [[shield]]s and [[large shield]]s easily.
+
**[[Buckler]]s are too small for them to use, but they can handle [[kite shield]]s and [[tower shield]]s more easily.
*Trolls are large enough to attack normally while standing in [[shallow water]], but they still move slowly in it.
+
**Like all large creatures, they recieve an [[EV]] penalty, and attack normally while standing in [[shallow water]], but still move slowly in it.
 +
 
 +
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]]
+
*'''Warriors:''' [[Fighter]], [[Monk]], [[Hunter]]
*'''Zealots:''' [[Berserker]], [[Death Knight]], [[Healer]]
+
*'''Zealots:''' [[Berserker]]
*'''Mages:''' [[Wizard]]
+
*'''Warrior-Mages:''' [[Warper]]
 +
*'''Mages:''' [[Hedge Wizard]], [[Earth Elementalist]]
  
 
==Level Bonuses==
 
==Level Bonuses==
 
*+1 [[strength]] every 3rd level.
 
*+1 [[strength]] every 3rd level.
*30% more [[HP]] than average.
+
*30% more [[hit points]] than average.
*20% less [[MP]] than average.
+
*+3 [[willpower]] 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 with an [[animal skin]] or [[robe]].
 
*Incompatible body armour is replaced with an [[animal skin]] or [[robe]].
*[[Helmet]]s are replaced with [[cap]]s.
+
*[[Helmet]]s are replaced with [[hat]]s.
*[[Meat ration]]s replace [[bread ration]]s, and trolls receive an extra ration.
+
*[[Buckler]]s are replaced with [[kite shield]]s.
 
*Any [[Armour]] skill is replaced with [[Dodging]].
 
*Any [[Armour]] skill is replaced with [[Dodging]].
*If their background 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.
  
Line 38: Line 39:
 
{{Easy}}
 
{{Easy}}
  
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 in unarmed melee combat (from the Claws 3 mutation), a passive +4 [[to hit]] bonus, and their attacks occasionally inflict the [[bleeding]] condition upon warm- or cold-blooded enemies. (For a short period of time, enemies bleeding from a Troll attack will lose 9% of their health per turn.) Thanks to their large size, Trolls can also throw [[large rock]]s. With innate [[penetration]] and very high damage, even at low (or no) skill in [[Throwing]], large rocks are easily the most damaging thrown weapons in the game. Trolls' hunger rate is astonishingly fast, but their Gourmand intrinsic allows them to eat everything, at any time. Assuming you stick to eating corpses whenever possible, you should have more than enough permafood to survive the later corpseless branches.
+
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]] with their claws. And as they are large, they can throw [[large rock]]s. Large rocks deal twice as much as the next best Throwing weapon ([[javelin]]s) while competing with the best actual weapons in terms of damage, though require a massive skill investment to throw reasonably fast.
 
 
While they have a huge health pool—which also translates into higher than usual gains in HP through raising fighting skill—Trolls tend to have a harder time than most species when it comes to getting good AC and EV. Trolls can only wear caps/wizard hats and cloaks in their peripheral armor slots, and can only wear robes, animal skins, troll leather armor, and the various dragon armors on their torso. Do note that if you are relying on unarmed combat with your Troll, it is a good idea to stick to armors with encumbrance rating of -11 or lighter.
 
 
 
Trolls' large size gives a small direct malus to [[Ev]]asion, which is also hindered by their low [[dexterity]] and, to a lesser extent, their poor dodging aptitude. Nonetheless, training [[dodging]] on Trolls is typically a very good idea—it will just take a larger experience investment to reach good levels of EV. Putting one's stat up points into dexterity every three levels is highly recommended.  
 
  
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 is much appreciated.
+
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. The shield slot can help mitigate this, especially as unarmed is already one-handed.
  
 
{{species_aptitudes|Troll}}
 
{{species_aptitudes|Troll}}
  
 
==Strategy==
 
==Strategy==
Trollish [[intelligence]] and magic aptitudes are some of the worst in the game. While this doesn't rule out magic entirely, trolls require intense effort to get access to higher level spells, and it's generally not an efficient use of experience. However, many L1 and L2 spells, such as [[Swiftness]] and [[Repel Missiles]], provide a lot of return for their skill investment. [[Confusing Touch]] is particularly useful to Trolls, since they will nearly always being fighting unarmed.
+
*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.
 
+
*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. Many low level spells, such as [[Swiftness]], [[Apportation]], [[Blink]], and the like, provide a lot of return for their skill investment. Even higher-level spells are often worth the investment on Trolls, after you have gotten your offense and basic defenses up to snuff.
[[Rods]] are also a viable option for Trolls, since their [[Evocations]] aptitude is not too terrible.  However, good rods are by no means guaranteed to generate.
+
*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 more experience investment to reach good levels of EV.
 
+
*As with many species, [[Evocations]] can be a great resource. If and when you have access to some of the items such as a [[box of beasts]], [[wands]], or the [[elemental evocables]], Evocations can provide a lot versatility and power from a single skill.  
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:
+
*Also, trolls should not be afraid to run from fights, as their regeneration will help them get back in the green while pillar dancing.
 
 
'''Recommended'''
 
*[[Okawaru]]'s Heroism buffs Unarmed Combat performance tremendously, as does Finesse, and his armour gifts occasionally include early dragon armour.
 
*[[Trog]]'s abilities require no skill training to activate, and provide free [[berserk]]ing, [[magic resistance]], even greater health regeneration, and very abusable 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]]'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 protect you from elements you'd 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.
 
*[[Ashenzari]] provides sizable boosts to your skills through cursed equipment. Although you can't improve unarmed combat this way, cursing one's jewellery grants you bonuses to your magical skills which go a long way toward getting spells online, and it's always helpful to know when a band of monsters is lurking around a corner. Without a weapon to [[curse]], however, farming [[piety]] might take a while.
 
*[[Kikubaaqudgha]]'s corpse deliveries can provide you with snacks. 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.
 
  
Finally, don't use trollish unarmed combat against hydras. It's a very bad idea. Large rocks, powerful attack wands, god abilities, or simply retreating are your best bets here.
+
===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 boosts Unarmed Combat more than any other form of combat. Gifts are guaranteed to fit your large body, though there is no guarantee that it'll be something you'll ''want'' to wear.
 +
*[[Trog]]'s abilities require no skill training to activate, and provide [[berserk]], [[willpower]], even greater health regeneration, and very strong summons.
 +
*[[Ignis]] provides an even stronger 'guarantee' in the early game, but fizzles out at a time where a lack of armour starts to become noticeable.
 +
*[[Elyvilon]] offers strong 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.
 +
*[[Ru]] can be a tempting choice for trolls. By sacrificing skills that you were unlikely to train anyway, you gain access to powerful and useful abilities while your aura of power makes enemies less threatening. Gather the hydras and death yaks together and reveal the annihilating truth to them! Lair has never been easier.
 +
*[[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.
  
==Guides==
+
==History==
*[[Elynae's Troll Conjurer guide]] newbie-friendly, Chei, Oka, Makh, Veh
+
*Prior to [[0.28]], Trolls had +1 HP/turn regeneration.
*[[Buddy23Lee's Troll monk of Jiyva ("slime troll") guide]] (0.12)
+
*Prior to [[0.27]], Trolls had [[Shaggy Fur]] 1 and two levels of [[Tough Skin]] (for net 2 AC), but Regeneration only gave +0.4 HP/turn.
 +
*Prior to the removal of the [[hunger]] system in [[0.26]], trolls had an innate [[gourmand]] intrinsic, which helped offset their incredibly fast metabolism (+3 from [[Fast Metabolism]] 3, as well as an additional +3 for being a troll). They started with an extra [[ration]] to compensate.
 +
*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.
 +
*Prior to [[0.16]], trolls started with the [[Saprovore]] 2 mutation.
  
[[Category:Species]]
+
{{species}}
[[Category:Troll]]
 

Revision as of 06:35, 5 August 2022

Version 0.28: 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 monstrous creatures with powerful claws. They have thick, knobbly skins of any colour from putrid green to mucky brown, which are covered in patches of thick fur.

They are incredibly strong, and regenerate rapidly from even the most terrible wounds. However, they are hopeless at spellcasting and learn most skills very slowly.

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 with their claws. And as they are large, they can throw large rocks. Large rocks deal twice as much as the next best Throwing weapon (javelins) while competing with the best actual weapons in terms of damage, though require a massive skill investment to throw reasonably fast.

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. The shield slot can help mitigate this, especially as unarmed is already one-handed.

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

  • 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. Many low level spells, such as Swiftness, Apportation, Blink, and the like, provide a lot of return for their skill investment. Even higher-level spells are often worth the investment on Trolls, after you have gotten your offense and basic defenses up to snuff.
  • 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 more experience investment to reach good levels of EV.
  • As with many species, Evocations can be a great resource. If and when you have access to some of the items such as a box of beasts, wands, or 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 boosts Unarmed Combat more than any other form of combat. Gifts are guaranteed to fit your large body, though there is no guarantee that it'll be something you'll want to wear.
  • Trog's abilities require no skill training to activate, and provide berserk, willpower, even greater health regeneration, and very strong summons.
  • Ignis provides an even stronger 'guarantee' in the early game, but fizzles out at a time where a lack of armour starts to become noticeable.
  • Elyvilon offers strong 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.
  • Ru can be a tempting choice for trolls. By sacrificing skills that you were unlikely to train anyway, you gain access to powerful and useful abilities while your aura of power makes enemies less threatening. Gather the hydras and death yaks together and reveal the annihilating truth to them! Lair has never been easier.
  • 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.

History

  • Prior to 0.28, Trolls had +1 HP/turn regeneration.
  • Prior to 0.27, Trolls had Shaggy Fur 1 and two levels of Tough Skin (for net 2 AC), but Regeneration only gave +0.4 HP/turn.
  • Prior to the removal of the hunger system in 0.26, trolls had an innate gourmand intrinsic, which helped offset their incredibly fast metabolism (+3 from Fast Metabolism 3, as well as an additional +3 for being a troll). They started with an extra ration to compensate.
  • 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.
  • Prior to 0.16, trolls started with the Saprovore 2 mutation.
Species
Simple Hill OrcMinotaurMerfolkGargoyleDraconianTrollDeep ElfArmataurGnoll
Intermediate HumanKoboldDemonspawnDjinniSprigganGhoulTenguOniBarachi
Advanced Vine StalkerVampireDemigodFormicidNagaOctopodeFelidMummy