Scree Troll

Scree Troll (CR 19)

Chaotic Evil - Large - Monstrous Humanoid (Giant)

Lore:	Know (Nature)
38		53
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

35

Perception:
41	+31
Passive	Active

Ambush:

9+

on a d20

Senses:

• Standard Senses
• Darkvision 120 ft.
• Keen Scent 30 ft.

Movement Types:

• Walk 60 ft.
• Burrowing 60 ft.
• Lesser Climb 60 ft.

Defense

AC

43

Man Def

44

Monster Health
883	441	36
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+21
Refl:	+16
Will:	+16

Strong Against:

• Regeneration, heals for 177 points of damage per round, see below.

Weak Against:

Offense

Size:	Large
10 ft.		10 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+28

Man Off

+33

Action

0

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 1x Scree Troll Gnash +28 (4d10+31/x2)
  as gnashing (physical, uncommon)

Full Attack (Melee):

• 1x Scree Troll Gnash +28 (4d10+31/x2)
  as gnashing (physical, uncommon)
• 2x Scree Troll Rip +28 (4d6+13/x2)
  as ripping (physical, uncommon)

Standard Attack (Ranged):

• 1x Razor-sharp Rock +28 (4d10+31/x2)
  as slashing (physical, common)
  (Increment: 40 ft.; Max Range: 200 ft.)

Full Attack (Ranged):

• 3x Razor-sharp Rock +28 (4d10+31/x2)
  as slashing (physical, common)
  (Increment: 40 ft.; Max Range: 200 ft.)

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

32

STR

22

DEX

28

CON

8

INT

12

WIS

6

CHA

Skills:

• Perception: 31
• Stealth: 31
• All other skills: 26 (no ranks)

Languages: Giant, Common

Feats:

• Combat Reflexes (EFFECT: Monsters with this feat make up to 4 attacks of opportunity per round instead of one.)

Special Abilities

Burst of Speed (Su) Swift Action 1/Enc

Once per encounter, as a swift action, a Scree Troll may generate a tremendous burst of speed. This grants it several benefits. Its Regeneration ticks, healing it for 177 points of damage. If its regeneration was disabled this round because of fire (energy, common) or acid (energy, common) damage, that disability is cleared, and then the regeneration goes off. It gains one additional bite attack in its next attack action. It immediately gains a move action.

Regeneration (Ex) Always On

Trolls regenerate 177 points of damage at the start of each of their turns, to a maximum of their normal hit points total. However, if the troll takes any fire (energy, common) or acid (energy, common) damage, it cannot regenerate on the following turn. Regeneration will allow a troll to reattach severed limbs or regrow them if they aren't available for reattachment. This regeneration continues to operate even past 'death', and a troll can only be killed if its regeneration has been suppressed by either acid or fire while it is at 0 or fewer hit points.

Avalanche (Ex) Part of a Burrow Move Action, 1/Enc

Scree Trolls have an affinity for loose, jagged, rocky terrain. It is possible to encounter Scree Trolls on other kinds of terrain, but they definitely prefer scree slopes, quarries, mines, rock slides, alluvial plains, glacial morains, and the like. Any place where the scree troll is able to use their Burrowing movement speed, they also have access to their Avalanche power. Once per encounter, a Scree Troll may make a Burrowing move action, moving their normal distance. When they reach the end of their move, they burst to the surface, pushing out a huge mass of rock and dirt. This rock and dirt affects a 5x5x1 square adjacent to the last square of their movement, the square in which they emerged back to the surface. All creatures who do not have a burrow, tunnel, or earth glide move type suffer ill effects if they are wholly or partially within this area. Note that flying creatures or those who are otherwise five feet above the 'ground' are not affected. (No, you cannot simply jump over the effect, but good try.) All affected creatures suffer 4d8+22 as bludgeoning (physical, common) damage and are knocked Prone. Affected creatures are allowed a Fort save against a DC of 29 to reduce the damage to half and reduce the condition to Quelled.

Scree Troll

Trolls are horrible dwellers in the outdoors, the uneasy smaller cousins of Giants, who are more tightly tied to the native world than either the Giants or their terrible cousins, the ogres.

Trolls tend to be tall and lanky, often with a stooped, hunched posture. Their faces tend to be long and narrow of feature, with filthy, rotten, but very sharp teeth, long flexible limbs, and a loose, shambling gait. Trolls almost always have razor sharp claws to go with their teeth, and tend to prefer fighting with their natural weapons.

Trolls are not comfortable with the trappings of civilization, and tend to live "as nature meant," without benefit of tools, fire, or clothing. Trolls can readily tolerate this lack of comforts due to their incredible powers of regeneration. Trolls are easy to hurt, but exceedingly hard to kill.

Trolls tend to have skin of shades of greens and greys, often with an amazing array of warts, moles, hairs, and other noisome protuberances. Troll eyes tend to be black, although milky white and shades of grey-blue are not unheard of.

Trolls are uniformly terrible. They delight in tormenting the weak and will eat fellow sentient creatures alive, entertained by their screams and pleas. Trolls will work with other terrible creatures such as orcs and norkers, have an uneasy love/hate relationship with their fatter cousins, the ogres, and tend to like and look up to the giants, especially frost giants, fire giants, death giants, and fomaorians.

Scree Trolls are as long and lanky as their weaker cousins, but unlike most trolls, scree trolls actually prefer to live in the open. They are called 'scree trolls' because they are often found on the debris slopes at the base of cliffs, but this is only unusual because almost nothing else will willingly live on such rocky, uncertain footing. In truth, scree trolls can be found anywhere outdoors, although they tend to prefer terrain with exposed rocks and with open sight lines. Other kinds of trolls like the dense forests.

Scree Trolls make rude camps, and will sometimes even have a stone-hearthed campfire. This isn't really to provide warmth, or the ability to cook. It's just that scree trolls love using fire to torment their victims, and keeping a fire running gives them a convenient place to burn alive whatever (or whoever) they have caught most recently. Stumbling upon a Scree Troll camp while the trolls are gone can shake even the most hardened of travelers, the litany of casual awfulness demonstrating the monster's utter callous lack of empathy.

Scree Trolls are hardy regenerators, like all trolls, and their affinity for loose rocks makes fighting them at a distance less than fun. Like all trolls, destroying these fiends as soon as they are found is the only safe policy.

Combat Tactics

Like all trolls, Scree Trolls are very good at fighting. Even if they are not able to use their Burrowing, they are fast and dangerous fighters whose gnashing teeth and claws are able to deal out a lot of pain quickly. They are extremely agile, capable climbers, and ridiculously stealthy on top of everything else, able to hide in places that seem too small to ever conceal such large fiends.

One reason why Scree Trolls are more likely than other trolls to be found 'in the open' is because they have a Burrow speed. If Scree Trolls are surprised by attacks on terrain in which they can Burrow, they will almost always burrow down to regenerate after a surprise attack. Sadly, they don't have Tremorsense or any other way to see while buried, so they will always come back up to fight. If you can catch a Scree Troll on a solid rock surface they can't burrow into, they tend to behave more like other types of trolls.

If possible, Scree Trolls will burrow closer to their foes, popping up to throw specially sharpened boulders at their victims. If they can, they will stagger their rush into melee, using Burrowing if possible, and they will strive to use their nasty Avalanche power in waves, one or two the first round, more the second, in an effort to keep their enemies off their feet and hopefully kill any weaklings. They will mix in Burst of Speed, and note that they can use Avalanche with the move action they gain from Burst of Speed, to really hammer home the full force of their attacks. If they are caught out in a place where they cannot Burrow, they will almost always use Burst of Speed early, to get close to any attackers.

Scree Trolls never expect to lose any fight, but they can and will run away from a dangerous foe (especially if they have lots of fire and/or acid) in order to regen back to full health and plan out a change in tactics. They will typically Burrow away to do this, and this means that fights against Scree Trolls can get very long and nasty, with the trolls repeatedly digging away to heal. Smart tactics, concentrated attacks, and the ability to apply long-lasting fire and/or acid damage is almost a requirement to fight Scree Trolls, and if a party is unprepared, they can expect a long, miserable slog. Catching them on solid ground makes this process easier, although like all troll fights, it's never fun. When Scree Trolls begin to flee, their foes are left with a terrible choice: Chase down the escaping trolls, or stay and put down for good the rapidly regenerating downed trolls they have already defeated.

Out of Combat

Scree Trolls are truly awful in every way, but they are easier to work with than many of their weaker cousins. As a result, many more organized monsters, and especially Giants, will often have some bands of these trolls around. Scree Trolls love living around and in mines, where the massive piles of mining rubble make wonderful homes for them. Scree Trolls can be fairly reliable guards and muscle in such cases, and the benefits of working for other monsters are manifold.

The ability to Burrow makes Scree Trolls extremely useful allies or vassals for stronger monsters, and such mighty monsters are sure to capitalize on those abilities. Conversely, their extremely good Stealth combined with the ability to burrow underneath dwellings and camps, make Scree Trolls terrible masters if they come into domination over other, weaker, monsters. Scree Trolls will sometimes bully Hill Giants, for example.

Scree Trolls are almost always found in loose mobs, not exactly families, not exactly gangs. They tend to work together fairly well, if only because they are so horrible that nothing and nobody else can tolerate their behavior for too long.

Rewards

XP: 204,800

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 89,889 gp.

Weight: 190 lbs.     Volume: 7.6 cu. ft.

Optional Treasure Rules: Roll a d20 on Table 1 below once per encounter (NOT per creature). Any items discovered are in addition to the normal treasure for the encounter.

Table 1: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 10	Nothing Found
11 - 14	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
15 - 17	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
18 - 19	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
6 - 10	3 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
11 - 14	1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
15 - 17	1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
18 - 19	1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
20	Roll on Table 3
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
6 - 8	3 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
9 - 11	3 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
12 - 14	3 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
15 - 17	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
18 - 19	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)