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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
  Oldskull Trolls 
   
  An Old School Supplement 
  For Fantasy Role-Playing Games 
   
  Created By 
  Kent David Kelly 
   
  With Inspiration From 
  Lord Dunsany 
   
  Cover Art By 
  Theodor Kittelsen 
   
  Interior Illustrations By 
  Jack Badashki, John D. Batten, John 
  Bauer, Aubrey Beardsley, Jane Blackburn, 
  Joe J. Calkins, Harry Clarke, Alexandre-
  Marie Colin, Gustave Dore, Henry J. Ford, 
  Francisco Goya, Rick Hershey, Frans 
  Huys, Theodor Kittelsen, William 
  McAusland, Bradley K. McDevitt, 
  Vasnetsov Viktor Mikhailovich, Kay 
  Rasmus Nielsen, Arthur Rackham, 
  Lancelot Speed, Marten Eskil Winge, 
  Et Alii 
   
  Some Art By 
  Jack Badashki 
   
  Some Artwork By 
  Joe J. Calkins, 
  Cerberus Illustration, cereberusart.com 
   
   
   
  Some Artwork Copyright 
  William McAusland, 
  Used With Permission 
   
  Publisher’s Choice Quality Stock Art 
  © Rick Hershey / Fat Goblin Games 
   
   
  Wonderland Imprints © 2019 
  Only the Finest Works of Fantasy 
   
   
  OSR 
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  Description 
   
  Have they now come for thee? 
  Ah, the trolls of Groohlz-Drakha! 
  Forsaken progeny of Mung the death 
  god, 
  Accursed children of the Grendel-Modor 
  … 
  Fearlessly, 
  forever 
  ravening, 
  ever-
  healing, they lie in wait. 
  Will your heroes slay these deathly 
  fiends 
  To learn the gravest secrets of Castle 
  Oldskull, 
  Or will they merely fall to blood and 
  ruin 
  As so many have before? 
   
  Wonderland Imprints is proud to announce 
  the second most ambitious book of troll lore 
  to ever have been created (the first having 
  been authored by Brian and Wendy Froud).  
  OLDSKULL 
  TROLLS 
  is 
  a 
  massive 
  compendium of troll lore, weaving snippets 
  from the Gygaxian bestiaries, dungeon 
  modules, and tales of 1971-1985 into the 
  larger tapestry of Pegana, Peer Gynt, Norse 
  myth, Scandinavian folklore, the Grendel 
  myth, the Cthulhu Mythos, and the fairy 
  books of Andrew Lang. 
  Herein you will find:  details on troll history, 
  tactics, 
  weapons, 
  treasures, 
  fungal 
  gardens, and lairs; 11 game-ready troll 
  sub-races (bog, bridge, cave, cursed, forest, 
  hill, lake, mountain, sea, snow, and stone); 
  6 troll-giant sub-races (hill, fire, frost, 
  mountain, stone, and two-headed); lore 
  concerning the foul Trolghuls, enigmatic 
  troll hags, disturbing cauldron rituals, the 
  winsome 
  Troldfolk, 
  shamans, 
  witch 
  doctors, chieftains, King’s Claws, and 
  Mountain 
  Kings; 
  the 
  secrets 
  of 
  the 
  mysterious troll deities including Trogool, 
  the Great Boyg, the Haga-Daimonai, and 
  Groohlz-Drakha 
  (Overlord 
  of 
  Castle 
  Oldskull); a full roster of trollish allies, 
  guardian beasts, and nemeses; and more 
  besides. 
  This is an Oldskull bestiary of new 
  monsters, as well as a treasury, and a 
  storybook as well.  Being a complete 
  unveiling of trolls, hags, sub-races, leader 
  types, deities, and allied monstrosities, 
  ready for you to plug into your old school 
  FRPG campaign.  Horrify your bored and 
  overconfident players all over again, with 
  lots of new surprises from the Midgardian 
  highlands! 
   
  Another 
  fine 
  gaming 
  supplement from Kent David Kelly and 
  Wonderland Imprints, Only the Finest 
  Works of Fantasy. 
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
  Chapter 1: 
  The Nature of the Trolls 
   
   
  Now the daughter of the King of that 
  country had been carried off into the 
  mountains by a Troll, and the King had 
  no other children, and for this cause both 
  he and all his people were full of sorrow 
  and affliction, and the King had promised 
  the Princess and half his kingdom to 
  anyone who could set her free; but there 
  was no one who could do it, though a 
  great number had tried. 
   
  — The Red Fairy Book, by Andrew Lang 
   
   
   
   
  Introduction 
   
  What are trolls?  The question is both 
  simple and very difficult to answer.  At their 
  purest they are giant-like and wilderness-
  dwelling monsters, the enemies of Thor 
  (and the nemeses of lesser god-worshippers 
  as well), as featured in Norse mythology 
  and later in fairy tales and Scandinavian 
  folklore. 
  Trolls are one of the most iconic monsters 
  in the classic fantasy role-playing game.  In 
  fact, their inclusion in the game dates to 
  events earlier than the original game’s 
  actual publication in 1974.  In March of 
  1971, Gary Gygax (using design rules and 
  inspiration 
  borrowed 
  from 
  esteemed 
  wargamer Jeff Perren) presented two types 
  of 
  trolls 
  for 
  fantasy 
  wargamers’ 
  consideration.  Normal-ish and mundane 
  “Trolls” (basically, ugly giant-like creatures 
  as featured in Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The 
  Lord of the Rings) were described as being 
  creatures much like ogres, while “True 
  Trolls” (green-fleshed regenerating horrors) 
  were 
  specifically 
  derived 
  from 
  Poul 
  Anderson’s tale Three Hearts and Three 
  Lions, which itself was first published in 
  1953.  This is rather interesting because it 
  shows us that from the very beginning, 
  Gygaxian trolls in the game had distinct 
  sub-species with differing origins and 
  abilities. 
  Gary’s 1971 tactical rules were tested and 
  enhanced by many, and we can be certain 
  that many forgotten wargames featuring 
  trolls vs. heroes were fought out on play 
  tables throughout the early 1970s.  Most 
  importantly, game designer David Lance 
  Arneson featured a wickedly gamesome 
  troll and a troll bridge in his first fantasy 
  wargaming 
  scenario, 
  played 
  up 
  in 
  Minnesota.  Dave also featured those very 
  same tropes as detailed for a bridge room 
  in his Temple of the Frog dungeon scenario, 
  first published for the public in 1975.  His 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  colleague Gary Gygax also mentioned that 
  he too liked using this favorite monster in 
  his own early fantasy wargame playtests.  
  In c. early 1971 Gary must have included a 
  memorable bridge troll on his own gaming 
  table, because he once mentioned (on the 
  Dragonsfoot forums, posted September 
  23rd, 2005):  “The Three Billy Goats Gruff 
  was a favorite story of mine when I was a 
  wee tyke.  Thus for the first Chainmail 
  Fantasy Supplement game played in my 
  basement, a great ugly troll rushed out 
  from under the bridge one side’s forces had 
  to cross.  Fortunately one of their leaders 
  was a hero and defeated it.” 
  Sub-species related to trolls then appeared 
  in Gary’s home mega-dungeon campaign 
  beginning in 1972, along with the strange 
  “gnolls” (or “gnoles,” as derived from tales 
  by Dunsany and St. Clair) who were 
  described as being part gnome and part 
  troll (a pairing alluded to in some 
  Scandinavian sources).  A bit later on the 
  dungeons 
  also 
  revealed 
  strange 
  new 
  monstrous “thouls,” a cursed hybrid 
  mixture of troll, humanoid, and ghoul.  
  Thus by 1972 we have four strains of troll 
  already in play:  “mundane” trolls (ogre-ish 
  or 
  giant-ish 
  in 
  nature), 
  true 
  trolls 
  (regenerating), 
  gnoles 
  (part-troll 
  humanoids), and thouls (infused with troll 
  blood).  Already, things were getting very 
  confusing on the monster design front! 
  Design decisions changed and were either 
  altered or became crystallized over time.  
  For example the largely unsubstantiated 
  “gnome plus troll” gnoll lore was cleared up 
  in Gary’s mind by 1977, when they became 
  hyena-like 
  creatures 
  instead 
  of 
  troll 
  offspring.  But interestingly, gnoll lairs are 
  still said to include trolls from time to time 
  as powerful guardians!  These two races are 
  therefore closely allied, even if they are not 
  born of the same mothers as it were.  
  Meanwhile, 
  thouls 
  were 
  accidentally 
  “disappeared” out of the game between 
  publications; they resurfaced later in the 
  Basic set (1981), but not in quite the same 
  way that Gary had portrayed them in his 
  own campaign.  This current supplement 
  by the way features a similar Dunsanian 
  creature, the Trolghul (of this author’s 
  invention), with game stats derived from an 
  e-mail communication between Gary and a 
  fan which was written about 15 years ago.  
  These Gygaxian stats were not published in 
  the official role-playing game materials. 
  By 1974 all of the classic RPG trolls had 
  been re-codified so that the “True Troll” 
  subtype dominated trollish representation 
  in the game, as reiterated in the 1977 
  hardcover bestiary.  There were still 
  different sizes and types of these beasties 
  implied however, with 1974 “Original” trolls 
  having 6+3 hit dice, and 1977 “Advanced” 
  trolls possessing 6+6 hit dice along with 
  greater 
  strength 
  and 
  more 
  powerful 
  attacks.  Leader-type “chieftains” and 
  “lieutenants” — neither are mentioned in 
  the 1977 bestiary by the way — were 
  further introduced for the race in a giant-
  themed dungeon module released in the 
  early summer of 1978.  These leader types 
  were granted additional damage bonuses a 
  bit later in 1978, in a netherworld-themed 
  module.  Both of these publications were 
  written by Gygax.  Troll worship of fanged 
  and monstrous gods was vaguely alluded to 
  in that last source, and the enigmatic god 
  worshipped by both trolls and ogres was 
  finally introduced in the deities bestiary (by 
  Ward and Kuntz, with draft commented 
  upon by Gygax and thus revised prior to 
  publication) in 1980.  That deities-oriented 
  tome also further codified troll shamans 
  and witch doctors, which had been initially 
  (and partially) described within the Game 
  Master’s hardcover rulebook of 1979. 
  For a brief while in the official game — this 
  was late 1980 — all things troll-related 
  were clearly delineated at last.  But then 
  things got really messy in 1981, where four 
  new troll sub-species surfaced from out of 
  the United Kingdom and prior magazine 
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
  publications.  These four types of creatures 
  were created by Ian Livingstone (the giant 
  troll, with folkloric precedent), Oliver 
  Charles MacDonald (the giant two-headed 
  troll, 
  again 
  with 
  folkloric 
  precedent), 
  Russell Cole (the ice troll, in a rather poor 
  manifestation, reimagined herein) and 
  Chris Atkin (the spirit troll, a gimmick 
  creature which has no real basis in the 
  existing mythology).  The fiendish bestiary 
  of 1981 that featured these monstrosities 
  was published by TSR UK, and as it turns 
  out Gary was not entirely happy with the 
  selection of creatures made “official” for the 
  game therein.  However we know he at least 
  liked the giant troll, because one of those 
  beasties appears in a “forgotten” Gygaxian 
  dungeon module that was published in 
  1982. 
  We also know that Gary still had a strong 
  interest in continuing to develop his own 
  preferred troll sub-species, because his 
  water troll designs (both freshwater and 
  saltwater, each differing in the particulars) 
  were also published in a “lost” dungeon 
  module in 1982, and then republished in 
  their more widely-known format in the 
  second 
  major 
  hardcover 
  monstrous 
  bestiary of 1983. 
  Whew!  Quite a tale so far. 
  Parallel to all of this gaming history, the 
  REAL trolls — those featured for centuries 
  in 
  mythology 
  and 
  folklore 
  — 
  were 
  unfortunately rather obfuscated as a result 
  of all the conflicting machinations within 
  the role-playing game.  Part of the reason 
  for this is tied up in Gary’s decision to 
  champion the “True Troll” (Anderson) 
  template as Advanced-official over the 
  perhaps 
  less 
  interesting 
  “Troll-Ogre” 
  template (of Tolkien and others) in 1977, 
  perhaps because (a) he really adored the 
  Andersonian portrayal of regeneration and 
  combat, and (b) he had a very strong beef 
  against the Tolkien Estate by this time due 
  to threats of litigation.  That’s a long story 
  in itself, which you can read about in my 
  RPG history series of books, entitled Hawk 
  & Moor.  But as the game’s later authors 
  doubled down on the archetype of the 
  Andersonian regenerating troll — especially 
  in 1981 and onwards — the mythic troll fell 
  by the wayside.  Ever since, old school RPG 
  trolls have been distinctly “other” and quite 
  different 
  from 
  their 
  mythological 
  counterparts.  Those folkloric trolls, sadly, 
  have largely been erased from the ongoing 
  legacy of the published game. 
  Until now, that is. 
  This current supplement attempts to rectify 
  all of that confusion, by tying all of the 
  established game lore (1971-c. 1983) 
  together with many of the known myths, 
  along with relevant threads from the 
  author’s World of Oldskull campaign, 
  which in turn prominently features both 
  the Pegana Mythos and the Cthulhu 
  Mythos.  Devout readers will likely recall 
  that Gygax specifically listed Lord Dunsany 
  (via Pegana) and H. P. Lovecraft (via 
  Cthulhu) in his “Appendix N” summary of 
  sources, as direct inspirations upon the 
  development of the classic fantasy role-
  playing game.  Indeed, he called Lovecraft 
  one of the most important sources for game 
  lore, alongside L. Sprague de Camp, 
  Fletcher Pratt, Robert E. Howard, Fritz 
  Leiber, Jack Vance, and Abraham Merritt.  
  Together these authors are integral to the 
  spiritual design of the old school RPG … 
  even if some modern game designers 
  haven’t 
  yet 
  bothered 
  to 
  read 
  those 
  foundational tales, or have ignored them. 
  In developing this work I have provided 
  detailed lore concerning the Oldskull troll 
  god (that being Trogool of the Pegana 
  mythos), the troll goddess (the Great Boyg, 
  of Peer Gynt and Scandinavian lore), and 
  the Lovecraftian near-troll equivalent race 
  (the gugs, as featured in The Dream-Quest 
  of Unknown Kadath), along with full rules 
  for troll sub-strains, troll-giants, and “little 
  trolls” (those being the Troldfolk of later 
  Scandinavian tales).  I have also been 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  careful to retain both the Anderson-themed 
  Original (HD 6+3) and Advanced (HD 6+6) 
  trolls, alongside the other known troll sub-
  races, 
  while 
  also 
  providing 
  unifying 
  information inspired by Gygaxian modules 
  and other sources so that the baffling mass 
  of troll lore is consolidated in a format that 
  is easily usable in the modern game.  As a 
  bonus, here you will also find a full 
  elaboration of the legendary Groohlz-
  Drakha — the troll demigod and Overlord 
  of the dungeon labyrinths beneath Castle 
  Oldskull — as he appears in the World of 
  Oldskull campaign. 
  I hope that you enjoy this fascinating 
  synthesis of hundreds of trollish secrets, 
  brought together in a unified presentation 
  for the very first time!  Have fun with all of 
  the troll-kin, their bloodthirsty allies, and 
  the wild, chaotic mayhem that they’re going 
  to bring to your play table once those poor 
  heroes wander down the wrong tunnel in 
  search of gold and glory. 
  Tread lightly down the way, my dearies yes, 
  and mind the ever-regenerating slime pools 
  … 
   
   
   
  Suggested Viewing and 
  Reading for Trolldom 
   
  The following sources were used to create 
  this supplement.  Of course, there were 
  also a great many RPG sources which the 
  OGL 
  isn’t 
  always 
  warm 
  toward 
  my 
  mentioning, so you can assume that many 
  of those sources (1971-1985) were used in 
  development as well. 
  I can recommend the following: 
   Among Gnomes and Trolls (various 
  volumes, rarely in English), by 
  various authors; original title Bland 
  Tomtar Och Troll 
   Beowulf (Anonymous); especially the 
  Hall translation (1892) which reveals 
  some pre-Gygaxian prose 
   The Book of Weird, by Barbara Ninde 
  Byfield 
   The Dark Crystal (film), particularly 
  the portrayal of the Mystics 
   D’Aulaires’ Book of Trolls 
   The 
  Dream-Quest 
  of 
  Unknown 
  Kadath, by H. P. Lovecraft 
   Gnomes, by Wil Huygin 
   The 
  Gods 
  of 
  Pegana, 
  by 
  Lord 
  Dunsany 
   In the Hall of the Mountain King 
  (opera), and related discussions, by 
  Edvard Grieg 
   Labyrinth (film) 
   The Norwegian Fairy Book, by Klara 
  Stroebe 
   The 
  Old 
  Norse 
  Dictionary 
  (vikingsofbjornstad.com) 
  for 
  monstrous names and terminology 
   Peer Gynt (play), by Henrik Ibsen 
  (and sometimes Arthur Rackham 
  too) 
   The 
  Pegana 
  Mythos 
  (game 
  supplement), by Kent David Kelly 
  (relevant, with the most pertinent 
  and crucial matters featured in this 
  volume) 
   The Red Fairy Book, by Andrew Lang; 
  in addition to several other works in 
  the series 
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
   The Roaring Trumpet, by L. Sprague 
  de Camp and Fletcher Pratt 
   The Swedish Fairy Book, by Klara 
  Stroebe 
   Three Hearts and Three Lions, by 
  Poul Anderson 
   Time and the Gods, by Lord Dunsany 
   Trollhunter (movie) 
   Trolls, by Brian and Wendy Froud 
   Trolls:  An Unnatural History, by John 
  Lindow 
   
  Origin and History of 
  Trollkind 
   
   
  Still, an avenger outlived the loathed one, 
  long since the sorrow caused by the 
  struggle:  the mother of Grendel, devil-
  shaped woman, her woe ever minded, 
  who was held to inhabit the horrible 
  waters. 
  …  Thence demons unnumbered fate-
  sent awoke … 
   
  — Beowulf, as translated by Dr. Lesslie 
  Hall 
   
   
  We still don’t know what the word “troll” 
  means, although there are many theories 
  and frustrating near-answers which have 
  been discovered by various linguists over 
  the years.  It probably means something 
  like “to conjure,” or “to perform an act of 
  magic.”  We can be certain however that all 
  trolls 
  are 
  inherently 
  magical 
  beings, 
  infused 
  with 
  primal 
  spirits 
  either 
  malevolent or benign. 
  In the World of Oldskull campaign, trolls 
  were originally created by the nameless 
  Mad God, and following that deity’s defeat 
  they continued to be spawned endlessly by 
  the ever-shedding and -regenerating skin-
  sloughs of the monstrous Beast of the 
  Frozen Waste, one Trogool by name.  
  Trogool’s feminine counterpart, the Great 
  Boyg, is somehow directly involved in troll 
  generation as well.  It’s probably best for us 
  not to imagine that matter too distinctly, 
  however! 
  The lore of the Pegana Mythos tells us that 
  one of the earliest cultures of men arose in 
  the Eastern Ocean.  But before that, 
  simpler and more wondrous creatures 
  arose to rule the World of Oldskull.  The 
  primordial god Kib created life in the Game 
  of the Gods:  “Kib grew weary of the First 
  Game of the Gods,” the prophet Dunsany 
  tells us, “and raised his hand in Pegana, 
  making the sign of Kib, and [the World of 
  the Elder Skull] became covered with Beasts 
  [and Monsters] for Kib to play with.  And Kib 
  played with Beasts.” 
  The other Peganan gods were curious of 
  Kib’s follies, yet horrified.  This was a grand 
  blasphemy, an act of dark wonder which 
  fascinated the gods and beckoned them to 
  play in the deeper game.   But to act so 
  directly in the image of the great Creator, 
  Mana-Yood-Sushai, might well lead to the 
  creation of tiny godlings, highly destructive 
  and quickly multiplying dreams which did 
  not yet exist except in the fantasies of the 
  gods themselves.  The gods called these 
  forbidden dreams of smaller slaves and 
  disciples and lunatics by a strange new 
  name, “Men.”  The word might mean 
  “trifling things.” 
  Kib cared not for such concerns.  But the 
  other gods feared, despite their desire to 
  play.  The game of Kib was deathly.  If 
  Beasts and Monsters could be created, 
  then the complexity of the game would 
  escalate in elaborate ways.  The temptation 
  to create Men would surely follow.  And 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  Men, granted the gifts of sentience and 
  wonder 
  as 
  ever-more-empowered 
  playthings in the Game of Gods, would 
  surely worship one God over another and 
  thus glorify the holy ones to ecstatic 
  satisfaction.  But too, the curiosity and 
  ambition of Men would threaten the Secret 
  of the Gods:  the meaning and the destiny 
  of Mana-Yood-Sushai.  If Men ever stole the 
  divine Secret, they would become Gods 
  themselves, and the elder Gods would be 
  annihilated from memory.  Even Mana-
  Yood-Sushai himself might well be then 
  imperiled in his Slumber. 
  But if the Gods did not play, the Elegy of 
  Lifelessness would take hold throughout 
  the world, and hopelessness would reign.  
  The Gods would begin to fade without play 
  and struggle, treasure and deprival to give 
  them meaning.  What was to be done? 
  The most reverent and Mana-fearing of the 
  Gods was a dark creature known as Mung.  
  As Kib indulged in the reckless gift of Life, 
  so did Mung indulge in the tempering gift 
  of Death.  And he was very busy, playing 
  against Kib as the Beasts played against 
  the Monsters.  Mung grandly and decisively 
  took up the cause of the Monsters against 
  Beasts, in the hope that the Beasts would 
  meet oblivion and end the game.  Then, the 
  Monsters themselves could be annihilated 
  so that the Secret of the Gods would remain 
  safe forevermore.  Through such gambits, 
  the Game of Gods intensified.  In the words 
  of Dunsany:  “Mung was jealous of the work 
  of Kib, and sent down Death among the 
  Beasts, but could not stamp them out.” 
  There was chaos, and there was war. 
  The Beasts of Kib were suffering terribly 
  upon the World of the Elder Skull, as the 
  Monsters and Mung sought them in the 
  farthest corners of the world.  Even hiding 
  in caves and fissures came to naught as the 
  Monsters spawned newly horrific versions 
  of themselves and cornered the Beasts in 
  desolate corners and labyrinths of the 
  nether.  Weary at last to have his game 
  defiled by the interloper Mung, brother Kib 
  fought back with the forbidden coup de 
  grace:  he “raised his hand in the Middle of 
  All, making the sign of Kib, and made Men.  
  Out of Beasts he made them, and [the 
  World of the Elder Skull] was covered with 
  Men.” 
  Mung was horrified, and even the other 
  observing Gods could no longer fully 
  sympathize with the forbidden wonders 
  wrought by Kib upon the glassy world.  
  Mung fought all the harder, smiting Men as 
  well as Beasts with the sweet and sorrowful 
  power of Death.  But the Men (and too, the 
  Women) multiplied beyond all conception of 
  Time — for the fleeting passing of Time, 
  that which causes the scurry of Men, is a 
  very crude and baffling thing to the 
  immortal Gods — and even the powers of 
  Mung were gradually overcome by the 
  mortals’ 
  teeming 
  multitudes. 
   
  The 
  Monsters, enemies of Man in the name of 
  Mung, were driven into the wastelands and 
  the netherworld. 
  As Man ruled the surface, Mung reigned 
  below.  In defiance of Man, the powers of 
  Mung 
  manifested 
  themselves 
  further 
  within the netherworld as he summoned 
  and seized upon the flesh-sheddings and 
  blood-crawlings of the two great ice-realm 
  abominations who lurk beyond the realms 
  of Men:  the demigod Trogool, and his mate-
  thing, the Great Boyg. 
  Using 
  these 
  quivering 
  remnants 
  of 
  monstrous vitality Mung created even 
  greater Monsters which could withstand 
  the weapons of Men, creatures that could 
  grow in legion and in secrecy, to once again 
  bring balancing Death to the lands above.  
  These creations were known as Trolls.  
  Mung may have been defeated for a time, 
  but beneath the earth his new creations 
  toiled in secret, plotting the ultimate 
  demise of the countless foolish mortals who 
  walked unknowing beneath the sun. 
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
  After the age of Pegana and during the 
  tumultuous centuries which defined the 
  grim Hyborian Age, heroic men and women 
  forged 
  and 
  shattered 
  sunlit-and-twilit 
  kingdoms throughout the more godless 
  World of “Oldskull.”  Those few mad heroes 
  who braved the netherworld deeps were 
  slaughtered, their tales never spoken, for 
  the dread powers of Mung and others who 
  dwell beneath — the Trolls, the Serpent 
  Folk, the subterranean Deep Ones, the 
  Thralls of Cthulhu, and worse besides — 
  had over the millennia created glorious 
  under-kingdoms of their own.  These 
  kingdoms, 
  even 
  without 
  the 
  bloody 
  incursions made by surface-dwelling men, 
  waged war with one another and many 
  monstrous things either went extinct or 
  their peoples faded deeper beneath the 
  world in splintered remnants.  It was only 
  well after the Hyborian Age, during the 
  Golden Age of Achaea and Roma, that 
  heroes 
  such 
  as 
  Orpheus, 
  Theseus, 
  Heracles, and Aeneas braved the terrible 
  nether kingdoms and lived to tell their 
  tales.  At this time the Trolls were few, for 
  they were locked in a death struggle with 
  the Dream Eaters, the Deep Gnomes, and 
  the foul Eyes of Azathoth. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  It was not until the age of Beowulf (c. 550 
  AD), in both the kingdoms of the Danes 
  (being Dania, mythic Denmark) and of the 
  Geats (Suecia, mythic Sweden) that the 
  first vile troll-things of Mung crawled out 
  into the surface world to devour mortal 
  men.  The deep-delving gnomes and 
  dwarves by that time were well aware of 
  these 
  regenerating 
  terrors, 
  but 
  their 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  nether-faring clans had not yet sworn those 
  centuries-old alliance pacts with mankind 
  which are now taken for granted.  The first 
  known emergent monster of the troll race 
  was a Trollkona (female) spell caster, of 
  unknown name; we know her only as the 
  Grendel-Modor.  With her unholy blessings 
  and protection her son, the war troll and 
  nether champion known as Grendel, rose 
  and laid waste to the Danian realm of King 
  Hrothgar, and after the deaths of many 
  fighting men the doughty Geat hero 
  Beowulf came to the Hall of Heorot in 
  defiance.  In a tumultuous battle, Beowulf 
  tore Grendel asunder.  The trolls of Mung 
  in that age were more powerful than those 
  known today, but their regenerative blood 
  was thinned by exposure to the poisonous 
  and pure-aired surface world.  By fate, 
  Beowulf managed to sever Grendel’s arm in 
  battle, and this created a mortal wound 
  which the war troll could not fully heal. 
  Grendel returned to his hag-witch mother 
  in agony, and despite her magics she could 
  not save him from the mortal-envenomed 
  wound which had torn his limb from his 
  body.  Grendel died bleeding in his 
  mother’s 
  arms, 
  and 
  she 
  prayed 
  for 
  salvation to the blackest entities in the 
  names of vengeance, forbidden power, and 
  eternal allegiance.  She had cast her augury 
  bones, and she had beheld the nearing 
  future:  Beowulf would soon come for her, 
  and would slay her as well, unless she 
  could twist the fates to deny him his 
  imminent victory against the emerging and 
  war-beleaguered trolls of Mung. 
  A gaunt and vicious demon lord named 
  Hyaenoghul came to the Grendel-Modor’s 
  calls, and she willingly sacrificed her 
  monstrous soul to seal a black pact with 
  that grinning and shivering Thing:  If 
  Hyaenoghul would grant the power to slay 
  Beowulf, and the blood-might to endure the 
  human surface world, she would glorify 
  and serve him in life and death forever. 
  The demon lord agreed to this sworn 
  wickedness with ravening delight.  Yet in 
  the true spirit of Chaotic Evil, his pact was 
  treacherous in its fury:  He did not grant 
  these black gifts to the Grendel-Modor 
  herself, 
  because 
  she 
  was 
  already 
  dangerously potent and never to be trusted.  
  Instead, he gifted her lifeblood with greater 
  powers of regeneration, magic, poison, 
  virility, and accursed retribution.  Only 
  when the Grendel-Modor was slain would 
  the potential of her immortal lifeblood be 
  realized.  Nevertheless, Hyaenoghul swore 
  that the Grendel-Modor was infused with 
  the power to lay mankind low … and he 
  spoke only partly in deceit. 
  Beowulf found the Grendel-Modor’s lair 
  soon after Hyaenoghul had departed from 
  this plane, and he even witnessed the hag-
  witch attempting to use her magic to bring 
  Grendel back to life to no avail.  A great 
  battle ensued, and despite a near-victory 
  on the part of the Grendel-Modor, her 
  overconfidence in Hyaenoghul’s cursed 
  bequeathal brought her to a grisly end.  
  Beowulf slaughtered her, and then he 
  witnessed the true might of the demonic 
  pact:  The Grendel-Modor’s blood crawled 
  in wavelets over the cavern floor, seeking to 
  re-stitch her flesh.  Some tricklings of that 
  foul ichor even crawled up between 
  Grendel’s claws, seeking his mouth, and 
  the vanquished war troll nearly twitched 
  his way back to life once again. 
  But 
  Beowulf 
  — 
  having 
  unknowingly 
  already created the first ritual of the troll 
  hunter, the Rite of Dismemberment — cut 
  apart the Grendel-Modor’s body with her 
  own obsidian sword, and scattered the 
  pieces, and burned them.  Thus was the 
  Rite of Purging Fire ordained.  He then, 
  seeing 
  with 
  horror 
  the 
  flickering 
  of 
  resurgent life in Grendel’s dead form, 
  enacted the third ritual, that being the Rite 
  of Decapitation.  Beowulf brought this 
  cursed trophy forth, back into the surface 
  world.  The war troll’s head would hang in 
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
  triumph high in the Hall of Heorot.  And 
  trolls — for their part — would loathe 
  mankind for an eternity. 
   
   
   
  And so did the death reign of the forsaken 
  spawn of Trogool, the black makings of 
  Mung, and the treacherous machinations 
  of Hyaenoghul — one fallen Grendel, and 
  the betrayed Grendel-Modor — all finally 
  come to their own predestined ends. 
  But Beowulf had not known to commit the 
  last needed rite of the troll hunters, which 
  would have been the Burning of the Blood.  
  The surviving streams of the Grendel-
  Modor’s ichor seeped down through the 
  earth, through the secret enchanted portal 
  which the Grendel-Modor had risen into 
  the world from.  This demonic slime-blood 
  became gelid and it crawled downward for 
  miles, seeking its bloodline’s kin, and in the 
  end this curdled filth was feasted upon by 
  a deep-lairing tribe of stone trolls. 
  The blood beguiled those who found it.  In 
  the keening voice of the Grendel-Modor’s 
  soul, the blood-filth psychically promised 
  great 
  strength, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  unholy 
  immortality.  Those who dared to swallow 
  the blood, however, would be forever 
  damned. 
  Several of the stone trolls fled the terrible 
  scene of transformation which then took 
  place.  These few, who did not swallow the 
  Grendel-Modor’s 
  ichor, 
  are 
  the 
  pure 
  shamanic stone trolls who are now known 
  as the Secret Bearers of the Memory Before.  
  But those who imbibed the blood also 
  swallowed in the filth of Hyaenoghul.  These 
  few spawned, raged, hunted, and waged 
  war upon the other netherworld races for 
  centuries, feeding and mating until they 
  were many.  This undying breed — hated 
  by all surface dwellers, and now only 
  vulnerable to acid or the touch of fire — are 
  now known as the Ones Accursed, the 
  Vengeance of the Grendel-Modor, or the 
  Cursed Trolls. 
   
  Troll Description 
   
   
  He quickly laid hold of a soldier asleep, 
  suddenly tore him, bit his bone-prison, 
  the blood drank in currents, swallowed in 
  mouthfuls:  he soon had the dead man’s 
  feet and hands, too, eaten entirely … 
   
  — Beowulf, as translated by Dr. Lesslie 
  Hall 
   
   
  If you ask a dozen people what trolls look 
  like, you’ll get two dozen answers.  Here is 
  an amusing aside: 
  When Gary Gygax was three years old, he 
  made the first crayon drawing that his 
  mother would decide to keep for posterity.  
  This was a sketch of “a great ugly troll, 
  because I loved the stories of The Billy 
  Goats Gruff.  It was a vaguely cubical thing 
  with a great many legs and eyes.”  The 
  “great ugly troll” appellation has been 
  preserved in this supplement as a leader 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  type in honor of Gary’s netherworld-
  wandering imagination. 
  Classic RPG trolls share several distinct 
  characteristics:  They are all warty, gangly, 
  and hunchbacked, with huge cucumber-
  like noses.  Claws are long, and fangs are 
  filthy and razor-sharp.  Their deep-set eyes 
  glower in hollowed sockets.  Eye color 
  varies from ice blue (for snow trolls), to vivid 
  green (for forest trolls), to jet black (for 
  cursed trolls).  Skin color tends to roughly 
  match the terrain a troll is found to lair in 
  (gray for mountains, brown for hills, green 
  for swamp, etc.), except that the cursed 
  trolls are always a vivid and putrid green in 
  hue. 
  But that’s just how trolls look.  In almost 
  every circumstance, you’re going to smell a 
  troll long before you see one.  Even after 
  adventurers smell the reek of troll, it is still 
  possible for the trolls to attack with 
  surprise, because their stench can waft up 
  to 500’ feet away (especially in cramped 
  caves and warrens).  In a labyrinth it’s hard 
  to tell exactly where the stench is coming 
  from. 
  Worse, the smell will tend to linger for 
  several months even if all of the trolls and 
  nests in an area are incinerated.  It’s one of 
  the worst smells in all the World of 
  Oldskull, akin to a mix of spoiled meat, wet 
  excrement, hot vomit, and rotted cheese.  
  The only thing that can reliably mask troll 
  stench is the reek of a nether fungal 
  garden.  Details on that particular matter 
  will follow a bit later on in this volume. 
  Behavior-wise, trolls are fairly simple to 
  understand.  They are chaotic and evil.  A 
  few are chaotic and neutral, but even they 
  are up to no good from humanity’s selfish 
  perspective.  They have no great goals 
  outside of surviving, hunting, butchering 
  (particularly dwarves and gnomes, their 
  eternity-sworn enemies), feasting, and 
  regenerating their wounds so that they kill 
  again.  They are exceedingly gluttonous, 
  feeding their generative inner workings 
  with blood, gore, and splintered bones.  
  Anything they are not quite ready to devour 
  goes straight into the stewpot — if hags, 
  shamanesses, or witch-crones are available 
  to shepherd a cauldron brew along — or 
  heaped atop their disgusting nesting piles 
  for later gastric contemplation. 
  Only the neutral ones have any redeeming 
  qualities, and the goals of the wisest trolls 
  always include “exterminate the humans 
  and demi-humans” along with any higher 
  agenda.  In short, adventurers have every 
  reason to seek them out, to destroy them, 
  and to steal all of their treasures.  But be 
  wary … the roles of hunter and hunted are 
  never quite certain when one enters a troll 
  warren with murder on the mind! 
   
   
   
  Troll Alignment 
   
  Almost all troll species are chaotic, and 
  none are of good alignment, save for the 
  diminutive Troldfolk.  The beliefs of the troll 
  were summarized quite succinctly in the 
  drama Peer Gynt (Ibsen, 1867): 
   
   
  Out there, where sky shines, humans say: 
  ‘To thyself be true.’ 
  In here, trolls say: 
  ‘Be true to yourself, and to Hell with the 
  world.’ 
   
   
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
  The alignments of distinct troll sub-species, 
  troll-giants, troldfolk, and so forth are 
  provided in the individual descriptions for 
  each archetype as presented throughout 
  this supplement. 
   
   
   
  Troll Languages 
   
   
  Trolls:  “Eat him!” 
  Troll King (forbidding this):  “Remember, 
  his understanding is only human.” 
   
  — Peer Gynt, by Henrik Ibsen 
   
   
  Trolls speak a corrupted version of the 
  primordial death language (the Mother 
  Tongue) which is called Mungoltha, the 
  Breath of Mung.  Those belonging to the 
  sub-race of the cursed trolls (only), 
  however, are afflicted with a baneful effect 
  which causes their language — when heard 
  by mortals of good or neutral alignment — 
  to be reduced to a wind-rustling chanting 
  mantra 
  (“HoooOOOooOOoo 
  …”) 
  and 
  nothing more.  Cursed troll chieftains and 
  spell casters are not affected by this 
  curious affliction. 
  Evil characters will understand any cursed 
  troll’s utterances perfectly, although they 
  may well wish that they had not. 
  All trolls regardless of sub-race speak the 
  languages 
  of 
  their 
  allied 
  races 
  in 
  rudimentary form, whether those allies are 
  giants, demons, bugbears, troglodytes, or 
  something else.  The Chaotic Evil dream 
  language (“alignment tongue”) is known to 
  all as well. 
  Most trolls of higher intelligence (INT 7+) 
  speak at least a smattering of Common.  All 
  hags speak at least 4D4 languages, and the 
  emerald hags in particular are adept in the 
  art of mimicry. 
   
  Meeting with Trolls 
   
  Trolls will only parley with evil creatures 
  (such as bugbears and dark elves), or with 
  mortals who seem exceedingly powerful 
  due to their armor, numbers, glowing 
  weapons, readied spells, and so forth. 
  Crones (hags and spell casters) are wily and 
  beguiling 
  and 
  prone 
  to 
  charming 
  misdirection, which should be played to the 
  hilt by the Game Master.  But non-crone 
  trolls — even chieftains — are far from 
  subtle.  They also suck at negotiating fairly 
  because they are the embodiment of violent 
  self-interest.  (The notable exceptions to 
  this rule are the Mountain Kings.)  A 
  common troll’s idea of being generous is 
  telling adventurers to go away, so that the 
  pesky man-lings will not be eaten … unless 
  they bumble into the troll’s lair a second 
  time. 
  If offered treasure or a bribe, a troll will 
  want much more than adventurers will 
  want to part with.  If (for some godforsaken 
  reason) a party of PCs want to ally with a 
  troll, the troll will agree if it is given wealth, 
  promised flesh, and a chance to kill hated 
  enemies or rivals nearby.  To the PCs, this 
  might be a charming scene of troll reform 
  that gives slight validation to monstrosity.  
  To the troll, it’s an opportunity to wipe out 
  some powerful enemies that the troll 
  couldn’t easily kill before; and when those 
  enemies are dead, it is time to turn on the 
  PCs and perhaps eat them, too. 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  The exceptions to these general rules 
  include the following: 
   Bridge trolls will parley if they are not 
  hungry, but only if their warnings are 
  heard 
  and 
  the 
  negotiators 
  immediately leave their bridge (back 
  the way they came, not crossing to 
  the other side). 
   Mountain trolls can be parleyed with 
  on their own terms, provided there 
  are not any mountain giants or hag-
  leaders around. 
   Stone trolls will be interested in 
  communicating with humans, up 
  until the time when it becomes clear 
  that the humans are nothing more 
  than thieves. 
   Troll kings (but not chieftains) will 
  hold gracious audience with mortals, 
  because they regard such rare 
  meetings as grand scenes within a 
  centuries-long tragedy in which they 
  want to be regarded winningly by all.  
  Such scenes might well end in death 
  however, or in adventurers being 
  stripped of all of their belongings. 
   Trogool and the Great Boyg will only 
  attack after they themselves have 
  been attacked.  Parleying will be 
  difficult, but possible … and rather 
  disturbing. 
   Groohlz-Drakha 
  will 
  treat 
  an 
  invitation to parley as a chance to 
  play at tricks, riddles, dares, and 
  death-defying games, with all of the 
  fun and merriment that those rituals 
  entail. 
   
   
   
   
  Troll Tactics 
   
  Trolls are by no means brilliant tacticians, 
  but they are cunning and feral hunters.  All 
  are dangerous.  They tend not to balk when 
  faced with deadly weapons in mortal hands 
  (acid vials, torches, divine magics, etc.), 
  simply because they are fear incarnate.  
  Some will run from a losing fight when they 
  are outmatched … but no troll will ever 
  back down from a furious melee before the 
  battle even begins. 
  Troll lairs are warrens, and it is rare for 
  such places to have only a single entrance.  
  When intruders are detected the lair’s trolls 
  will usually split themselves into two 
  groups and they will attack from two 
  directions.  Surrounding the enemy is their 
  foremost tactic, as this induces panic and 
  it makes the tasty mortals much easier to 
  devour. 
  If faced with enemies who lack infravision 
  (usually meaning humans), they will focus 
  on the light-bearers with the goal of 
  separating 
  party 
  members 
  from 
  one 
  another.  If the trolls are aware that the 
  humans are approaching, it is likely that 
  they will leap forth and attempt to drag the 
  front-rank person into their lair.  Then, half 
  of the trolls will devour the unfortunate 
  soul who has been thrown while the other 
  half surges out to attack the rest of the 
  party.  “Divide and conquer” is the troll 
  credo, and while they are not very 
  intelligent the tactic works for them far 
  more often than it fails. 
   
  Weaponry of the Trolls 
   
  Most trolls do not wield weapons.  Not only 
  are their claws and fangs perfectly deadly 
  in and of themselves; they also love the 
  sensation of crunching into bones and 
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
  causing a lot of screaming.  Hitting 
  someone with a weapon is one step 
  removed from all that visceral satisfaction. 
  The exceptions include troll-giants (who 
  wield the weapons that are common to their 
  giant kin, such as clubs and axes), hill 
  trolls (who forge their own weapons due to 
  their lesser physical capabilities), snow 
  trolls (who occasionally use icicle spears), 
  and troll guardians. 
  Troll guardians are a special type.  They are 
  either employed by an evil overlord of some 
  kind (a necromancer, an assassin, a Knight 
  of Saigoth, or what-have-you), or they are 
  stationed by their chieftain to defend one of 
  the outer entrances to the lair.  In either 
  case they are responsible for keeping a 
  deadly monster in chains and in goading 
  that monster with a pointy stick so that it 
  will attack any intruders.  The troll’s 
  regenerative powers allow it to recuperate 
  in those trying times when the guardian 
  monster turns against them. 
  The Game Master can design these 
  encounters and place them at appropriate 
  locations in a dungeon or cavern system.  
  Generally, 25% of troll lairs will have 1D2 
  entrances that are each defended by a troll 
  guardian and his monster.  This chance 
  increases to 50% if a chieftain is present in 
  the lair, 75% if there are spell casters 
  (shamans or witch doctors), or 100% if 
  there is a troll king. 
  Known examples of guardian beasts used 
  by trolls include badgerbears, cave bears, 
  crocutas, giant rhinoceros beetles, hydras, 
  wyverns, and tentacle beasts (which serve 
  as “garbage disposals” and act in symbiosis 
  with the trolls, never attacking them).  
  Certainly you as the Game Master can 
  come up with some other great ideas too. 
  Here are the types of “stick-stickies” that 
  troll guardians tend to use in their work 
  (and a D100 random roll for designation if 
  that’s what you’d like to do): 
   [01-20] Fauchard (damage 
  1D6+1+STR bonus) 
   [21-35] Partisan (damage 
  1D6+1+STR bonus) 
   [31-50] Fauchard-Fork (damage 
  2D4+STR bonus) 
   [51-75] Spetum (damage 
  1D6+2+STR bonus) 
   [76-95] Military Fork (damage 
  1D8+1+STR bonus) 
   [96-00] Ranseur (damage 
  2D8+1+STR bonus) 
   
  Note that these pole arms tend to be troll-
  sized, 12’ to 14’ in haft length, and as such 
  they are a little too long for any PC smaller 
  than a half-ogre to wield effectively. 
  The troll will use the weapon a single time 
  to “pokey” the guardian monster from 
  behind (inflicting 1D4 damage upon it), and 
  the beastie is trained to attack and eat 
  someone else whenever it is poked.  (The 
  monster has learned the hard way that 
  attacking the troll leads to beatings.)  There 
  is a 5% chance that the monster’s chains 
  will break during the initial charge, in 
  which case it is likely to attack the troll 
  instead of any intruders.  If the troll is in 
  position fighting from a distance alongside 
  or behind the guardian monster, the pole 
  arm will be used to keep intruders at bay.  
  Some guardian rooms feature a staircase, 
  ledge, bridge, or even a small bastion from 
  which the troll can prod the monster 
  without being reached by melee weapons.  
  But if anyone manages to approach and 
  then ducks in under the weapon’s range, 
  the troll will drop the weapon to attack 
  normally with claws and bites. 
  Being a guardian and monster keeper is 
  tough work, and only the toughest trolls are 
  chosen for the task.  In game terms, this 
  means that such trolls will always have at 
  least 6 hit points per hit die. 
  
   
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  Rarity and Frequency of 
  Troll Encounters 
   
  The frequency of trolls appearing depends 
  upon the will of the Game Master.  As 
  always, the GM should design whatever 
  encounters he feels are appropriate for 
  dungeons 
  and 
  wilderness 
  locales 
  throughout the campaign.  In addition to 
  these “set” encounters, both “wandering 
  monster” encounters and encounters in 
  randomly-generated terrain can be dictated 
  by a monster’s Frequency rating, as 
  dictated in the 1977 bestiary.  Additional 
  rules pertaining to monster frequency by 
  terrain type and climate can be found in the 
  1979 GM’s book, and the 1983 bestiary as 
  well. 
  Generally troll Frequency ratings are as 
  follows: 
   
  Cursed Trolls, as exemplified by the 1974 
  Original rules and the 1977 Advanced 
  rules, are by far the most common.  They 
  are considered Uncommon in most areas, 
  including dungeons, caverns, and ruins. 
  The 
  Uncommon 
  rating 
  can 
  fluctuate 
  however based on climate and terrain, as 
  detailed in the 1983 bestiary.  For example 
  cursed trolls are Rare in Cold Civilized 
  Mountains, Rare in Tropical Wilderness 
  Plains, and so forth.  As general rules of 
  thumb: 
   [1] Cursed trolls are never Common. 
   [2] Cursed trolls are Uncommon in 
  most temperate wilderness areas. 
   [3] They are Rare in most cold areas, 
  and/or civilized areas. 
   [4] In areas that are both cold and 
  civilized, in most campaigns they 
  should be Very Rare in those locales. 
   
  All of the other sub-types of trolls are either 
  Rare, Very Rare, or non-existent in specific 
  areas (unless of course they feature in a 
  special encounter designed by the GM). 
  Beyond the matter of cursed trolls, the 
  following precepts should be applied for 
  other troll sub-races: 
   Bog Trolls are Rare in temperate 
  swamps, Very Rare in dungeons (and 
  caves and ruins), and Very Rare in 
  both cold and tropical swamps.  They 
  are not found elsewhere. 
   Cave Trolls are Rare in dungeons 
  (and caves and ruins), and Very Rare 
  in mountainous or hilly terrain.  They 
  are not found elsewhere. 
   Forest Trolls are Rare in forested 
  terrain, and Very Rare in dungeons 
  (and caves and ruins).  They are not 
  found elsewhere. 
   Hill Trolls are Rare in hilly terrain, 
  and Very Rare in dungeons (and 
  caves and ruins).  They are not found 
  elsewhere. 
   Lake Trolls (and Bridge Trolls) are 
  Rare in freshwater, and Very Rare in 
  wet dungeons (and caves and ruins).  
  They are not found elsewhere. 
   Mountain 
  Trolls 
  are 
  Rare 
  in 
  mountainous terrain, Very Rare in 
  hilly terrain, and Very Rare in 
  dungeons (and caves and ruins).  
  They are not found elsewhere. 
   Sea Trolls are Rare in saltwater, and 
  Very Rare in seaside dungeons (and 
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
  saltwater caves and seashore ruins).  
  They are not found elsewhere. 
   Snow Trolls are Rare in cold terrain, 
  and Very Rare in cold dungeons (and 
  caves and ruins).  They are not found 
  elsewhere. 
   Stone 
  Trolls 
  are 
  Rare 
  in 
  mountainous terrain, Very Rare in 
  hilly terrain, and Very Rare in 
  dungeons (and caves and ruins).  
  They are not found elsewhere. 
   
  These ratings are suggested for troll-giants 
  (Troll-Jotunns), which are half-troll and 
  half-giant as described later: 
   Fire 
  Troll-Giants 
  are 
  found 
  wherever 
  fire 
  giants 
  can 
  be 
  encountered.  They are always Very 
  Rare. 
   Frost 
  Troll-Giants 
  are 
  found 
  wherever 
  frost 
  giants 
  can 
  be 
  encountered.  They are always Very 
  Rare. 
   Hill Troll-Giants are found wherever 
  hill giants can be encountered.  As 
  the most common troll-giant race, 
  they are always Rare. 
   Mountain Troll-Giants are found 
  wherever mountain giants can be 
  encountered.  They are always Very 
  Rare. 
   Stone 
  Troll-Giants 
  are 
  found 
  wherever 
  stone 
  giants 
  can 
  be 
  encountered.  They are always Very 
  Rare. 
   Two-Headed Troll-Giants are found 
  wherever fire giants and/or ettins are 
  encountered.  They are always Very 
  Rare. 
   
  Troldfolk, the “little trolls,” are always Very 
  Rare at best.  Moreover, they should never 
  be randomly encountered; they should only 
  be found in predetermined areas as 
  dictated by the Game Master.  The most 
  common areas for such consideration are 
  cold forests, cold caverns, and dungeons. 
   
  (Further, Hag frequency — for Brine Hags, 
  Emerald Hags, Nether Hags, and Shadow 
  Hags — stands as detailed in the 1977, 
  1979, and 1983 hardcover volumes). 
   
   
   
  The Number of Trolls 
  Appearing 
   
  The suggested number of trolls appearing 
  in any given encounter is based upon an 
  area’s Challenge Level.  The Challenge Level 
  of a locale depends on the Game Master’s 
  decisions.  This is a tricky matter for 
  learning GMs to master, so I will provide a 
  fair amount of detail on this important 
  topic.  You will want troll (and other 
  monster) encounters to be dangerous and 
  exciting, but not immediately lethal to the 
  adventuring party’s Player Characters.  PCs 
  should almost always be given the option to 
  run away when an encounter is too difficult 
  for them to manage.  (Whether players are 
  wise enough to recognize a fatal encounter, 
  however, is another matter entirely.) 
  Here are some general guidelines: 
   Surrounding 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  operations:  At the start of the game, 
  the 
  Player 
  Characters 
  are 
  temporarily stationed in a civilized 
  settlement (typically a village, town, 
  or 
  city). 
   
  The 
  civilized 
  hexes 
  immediately outside of this base of 
  operations are considered to be of 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  “Challenge Level (CL) 1.”  This means 
  that encounters in this area are 
  rolled normally by terrain, but the 
  monster level (I-X) of the actual 
  monster 
  types 
  appearing 
  is 
  equivalent to the same number that 
  would be found on “Dungeon Level 1” 
  per the 1979 rules.  At Challenge 
  Level 1, most encounters are with 
  monster 
  level 
  I 
  creatures, 
  but 
  encounters with monster types of 
  levels II and III can also occur.  I wish 
  I could be more specific, but the 
  strictures of the OGL largely prevent 
  my direct citation in this publication.  
  I will say that you will probably be 
  very interested in a hardcover volume 
  written by Gary Gygax, published by 
  TSR in 1979.  You will probably find 
  an Appendix with a letter designation 
  between 
  “B” 
  and 
  “D” 
  to 
  be 
  particularly 
  fascinating. 
   
  Happy 
  reading. 
   In the wilderness:  Each specific 
  multi-hex terrain locale in your game 
  world (each forest, each lake, each 
  mountain range, etc.) should have its 
  own Challenge Level.  Very generally, 
  areas that are close to the base of 
  operations, where the GM wants the 
  PCs to go exploring, are probably of 
  Challenge Level 1 or 2.  Areas that 
  the 
  local 
  citizens 
  declare 
  as 
  “dangerous” would be Challenge 
  Level 3, or even higher.  Remote and 
  very 
  deadly 
  “lost 
  world” 
  and 
  wilderness 
  areas 
  could 
  have 
  Challenge Levels as high as 16 (using 
  the 1979 random encounter system), 
  but most known regions in the world 
  will top out at CL 8 or 9. 
   In 
  a 
  mega-dungeon: 
   
  Mega-
  dungeons have a unique lethality 
  configuration, 
  because 
  Player 
  Characters are meant to spend a lot 
  of time exploring them throughout 
  the 
  lifetime 
  of 
  a 
  campaign.  
  Generally, the upper surface ruins 
  positioned over a mega-dungeon will 
  be Challenge Level 1.  The first 
  dungeon level below the surface will 
  be Challenge Level 1 or 2; the second 
  dungeon level will be Challenge Level 
  2 or 3; and so forth.  PCs can easily 
  get in over their heads if they journey 
  too deeply while inexperienced, but 
  this is a classic risk vs. reward 
  paradigm which is integral to the 
  game. 
   In a smaller dungeon:  Smaller 
  dungeons, which are not mega-
  dungeons, tend to have between 1 
  and 3 dungeon levels in total.  The 
  first-accessed level has a Challenge 
  Level as designated by the GM, or on 
  a published dungeon module’s cover.  
  For example, a smaller dungeon 
  designed by the GM for her players’ 
  experience level 6 and 7 PCs, with 3 
  dungeon 
  levels, 
  probably 
  has 
  Challenge Level 6 for the entry level, 
  CL 6 or 7 for the second level, and CL 
  7 or 8 for the deepest level.  Similarly, 
  a published module “for character 
  levels 1-3” could be understood to 
  have a Challenge Level of 1 in the 
  first region, a Challenge Level of 2 in 
  the 
  mid-chapter 
  areas, 
  and 
  a 
  Challenge Level of 3 in the endgame 
  region. 
   
  With all of that said, when trolls are 
  encountered in either a random encounter 
  or in a GM-designed encounter, the 
  following ranges for number appearing are 
  recommended. 
   
  These 
  numbers 
  are 
  extrapolated 
  from 
  the 
  1979 
  random 
  encounter system, with the varying levels of 
  lethality for each troll sub-race uniquely 
  considered and applied.  For example 
  weaker troll races are encountered in 
  greater numbers, while stronger troll races 
  are encountered in lower numbers overall. 
  
   
  Page 20 | 115 
   
  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
   Bog Trolls (HD 6+3**, lethality 
  7.375):  Regions of CLs 1 to 3, zero 
  (no encounter).  CL 4, 1D2.  CL 5, 
  1D3.  CL 6, 1D4.  CL 7, 2D4.  CL 8, 
  3D4.  CL 9, 4D4.  CL 10, 5D4 (etc.). 
   Brine Hags (HD 3****, lethality 
  5.000):  Regions of CLs 1 to 4, zero 
  (no encounter).  CL 5, 1.  CL 6, 1D2.  
  CL 7, 1 (50%) or 2D2.  CL 8, 1 (50%) 
  or 3D2.  CL 9, 1 (50%) or 4D2.  CL 
  10, 1 (50%) or 5D2 (etc.).  50% of 
  brine hag encounters at CL 7+ are 
  with a solitary hag, defended by 
  allied creatures (typically sea trolls or 
  undead). 
   Cave Trolls (HD 5+5**, lethality 
  6.625):  Regions of CLs 1 to 3, zero 
  (no encounter).  CL 4, 1D3.  CL 5, 
  1D4.  CL 6, 1D4+1.  CL 7, 2D4+2.  CL 
  8, 3D4+3.  CL 9, 4D4+4.  CL 10, 
  5D4+5 (etc.).  Note that cave troll 
  encounters 
  become 
  much 
  more 
  deadly if the PCs are not carrying 
  reliable sources of light. 
   Cursed Trolls (HD 6+6***, lethality 
  8.250):  Regions of CLs 1 to 3, zero 
  (no encounter).  CL 4, 1.  CL 5, 1D2.  
  CL 6, 1D3.  CL 7, 2D3.  CL 8, 3D3.  
  CL 9, 4D3.  CL 10, 5D3 (etc.). 
   Emerald Hags (HD 9***, lethality 
  10.500):  Regions of CLs 1 to 5, zero 
  (no encounter).  CL 6, 1.  CL 7, 1.  CL 
  8, 1D2.  CL 9, 1 (50%) or 2D2.  CL 
  10, 1 (50%) or 3D2 (etc.).  50% of 
  emerald hag encounters at CL 9+ are 
  with a solitary hag, defended by 
  allied creatures (typically giants or 
  troll-giants). 
   Fire 
  Troll-Giants 
  (HD 
  9+2****, 
  lethality 11.250):  Regions of CLs 1 to 
  5, zero (no encounter).  CL 6, 1.  CL 
  7, 1D2.  CL 8, 1D3.  CL 9, 2D3.  CL 
  10, 2D3 (etc.). 
   Forest Trolls (HD 4+4***, lethality 
  6.000):  Regions of CL 1, zero (no 
  encounter).  CL 2, 1.  CL 3, 1D2.  CL 
  4, 1D3.  CL 5, 1D4.  CL 6, 2D4.  CL 
  7, 3D4.  CL 8, 4D4.  CL 9, 5D4.  CL 
  10, 6D4 (etc.). 
   Frost 
  Troll-Giants 
  (HD 
  9****, 
  lethality 11.00):  Regions of CLs 1 to 
  5, zero (no encounter).  CL 6, 1.  CL 
  7, 1D2.  CL 8, 1D3.  CL 9, 2D3.  CL 
  10, 2D3 (etc.). 
   The Great Boyg:  This demigoddess 
  will 
  challenge 
  characters 
  of 
  experience levels 16 and up. 
   Great Elder Trolls:  These monsters 
  should 
  never 
  be 
  encountered 
  randomly.  They can serve as deadly 
  adversaries for adventurers between 
  experience 
  levels 
  9 
  and 
  18, 
  depending upon the number and 
  power of their trollish followers. 
   Groohlz-Drakha:  This godling will 
  provide a challenge for characters of 
  experience 
  levels 
  15 
  and 
  up.  
  However, due to his capricious and 
  (somewhat) gentler nature, he can be 
  encountered within a mega-dungeon 
  by characters of any experience level.  
  He will tend to spare the lives of low-
  level PCs, unless they viciously 
  attack on a repeated basis. 
   The 
  Haga-Daimonai 
  (HD 
  9****, 
  lethality 11.00):  Because it is never 
  encountered alone, and the special 
  circumstances involved, this horror 
  will 
  challenge 
  characters 
  of 
  experience levels 11 and up. 
   Hill Trolls (HD 5+5**, lethality 
  6.625):  Regions of CLs 1 to 3, zero 
  (no encounter).  CL 4, 1D2.  CL 5, 
  1D3.  CL 6, 1D4.  CL 7, 2D4.  CL 8, 
  3D4.  CL 9, 4D4.  CL 10, 5D4 (etc.). 
   Hill Troll-Giants (HD 8**, lethality 
  9.000):  Regions of CLs 1 to 4, zero 
  (no encounter).  CL5, 1.  CL 6, 1D2.  
  CL 7, 1D3.  CL 8, 2D3.  CL 9, 3D3.  
  CL 10, 4D3 (etc.). 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
   Lake Trolls (HD 5+5**, lethality 
  6.625):  Regions of CLs 1 to 3, zero 
  (no encounter).  CL 4, 1D2.  CL 5, 
  1D3.  CL 6, 1D4.  CL 7, 2D4.  CL 8, 
  3D4.  CL 9, 4D4.  CL 10, 5D4 (etc.). 
   Mountain Trolls (HD 7+7**, lethality 
  8.875):  Regions of CLs 1 to 4, zero 
  (no encounter).  CL5, 1.  CL 6, 1D2.  
  CL 7, 1D3.  CL 8, 2D3.  CL 9, 3D3.  
  CL 10, 4D3 (etc.). 
   Mountain Troll-Giants (HD 9+3****, 
  lethality 11.375):  Regions of CLs 1 to 
  5, zero (no encounter).  CL 6, 1.  CL 
  7, 1D2.  CL 8, 1D3.  CL 9, 2D3.  CL 
  10, 2D3 (etc.). 
   Nether Hags (HD 7+3*** to 7+12***, 
  lethality 9.5000):  Regions of CLs 1 to 
  5, zero (no encounter).  CL 6, 1.  CL 
  7, 1.  CL 8, 1D2.  CL 9, 1 (50%) or 
  2D2.  CL 10, 1 (50%) or 3D2 (etc.).  
  50% of nether hag encounters at CL 
  9+ are with a solitary hag, defended 
  by allied creatures (typically trolls or 
  a demon). 
   
   
   Sea Trolls (HD 6+12**, lethality 
  8.500):  Regions of CLs 1 to 4, zero 
  (no encounter).  CL5, 1.  CL 6, 1D2.  
  CL 7, 1D3.  CL 8, 2D3.  CL 9, 3D3.  
  CL 10, 4D3 (etc.). 
   Shadow Hags (HD 8****, lethality 
  10.000):  Regions of CLs 1 to 5, zero 
  (no encounter).  CL 6, 1.  CL 7, 1.  CL 
  8, 1D2.  CL 9, 1 (50%) or 2D2.  CL 
  10, 1 (50%) or 3D2 (etc.).  50% of 
  shadow hag encounters at CL 9+ are 
  with a solitary hag, defended by 
  allied creatures (typically troll-giants 
  or a nightmare). 
   Snow Trolls (HD 6+1***, lethality 
  7.625):  Regions of CL 1 or 2, zero (no 
  encounter).  CL 3, 1.  CL 4, 1D2.  CL 
  5, 1D3.  CL 6, 1D4.  CL 7, 2D4.  CL 
  8, 3D4.  CL 9, 4D4.  CL 10, 5D4 (etc.). 
   Stone Trolls (HD 5+3**, lethality 
  6.375):  Regions of CLs 1 to 3, zero 
  (no encounter).  CL 4, 1D3.  CL 5, 
  1D4.  CL 6, 1D4+1.  CL 7, 2D4+2.  CL 
  8, 3D4+3.  CL 9, 4D4+4.  CL 10, 
  5D4+5. (etc.).  Stone troll encounters 
  will frequently be non-violent, unless 
  the PCs are particularly unwise 
  and/or aggressive. 
   Stone 
  Troll-Giants 
  (HD 
  8+2**, 
  lethality 9.250):  Regions of CLs 1 to 
  4, zero (no encounter).  CL5, 1.  CL 6, 
  1D2.  CL 7, 1D3.  CL 8, 2D3.  CL 9, 
  3D3.  CL 10, 4D3 (etc.). 
   Trogool:  This demigod will challenge 
  characters of experience levels 18 
  and up. 
   Troldfolk 
  (HD 
  1+1***, 
  lethality 
  2.625):  Regions of CL 1, 1D3.  CL 2, 
  1D4.  CL 3, 1D4+1.  CL 4, 2D4+2.  CL 
  5, 3D4+3.  CL 6, 4D4+4.  CL 7, 
  5D4+4.  CL 8, 6D4+4.  CL 9, 7D4+4.  
  CL 10, 8D4+4 (etc.). 
   Trolghuls (HD 4+2***, lethality 5.75):  
  Regions of CL 1, zero (no encounter).  
  CL 2, 1.  CL 3, 1D2.  CL 4, 1D3.  CL 
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
  5, 1D4.  CL 6, 2D4.  CL 7, 3D4.  CL 
  8, 4D4.  CL 9, 5D4.  CL 10, 6D4 (etc.). 
   Two-Headed 
  Troll-Giants 
  (HD 
  8+3***, lethality 9.875):  Regions of 
  CLs 1 to 5, zero (no encounter).  CL 
  6, 1.  CL 7, 1D2.  CL 8, 2D2.  CL 9, 
  3D2.  CL 10, 4D2 (etc.). 
   
  (Remember that in Excel, you can use for 
  example the macro =RANDBETWEEN(3,9) 
  to generate a random number between 3 
  and 9.  Or you can use dice!  A D3 can be 
  represented by a halved D6; 1-2 = 1, 3-4 = 
  2, 5-6 = 3.) 
  A group of trolls is colloquially known as a 
  “pack.”  Amongst sages and expert troll 
  hunters 
  however, 
  the 
  preferred 
  professional terminology is “a gurgling of 
  trolls.” 
  Later on in this supplement you will find 
  rules for fully-populated troll lairs, which 
  can potentially feature many more deadly 
  monsters than a typical PC adventuring 
  party can deal with simultaneously.  Such 
  places should have their population split 
  over a fair number of rooms or caverns, and 
  a kindly GM will provide NPC warnings that 
  troll lairs are not to be tampered with 
  unless the adventures are very prepared for 
  a hard and bloody fight.  Bring extra 
  torches, henchmen, and acid vials along! 
   
   
   
  For those trolls which have sexes (male and 
  female), assume that 50% are male, 
  rounded up, and 50% are female, rounded 
  down.  Female trolls are usually smaller 
  than male trolls.  Hags are always female; 
  their race procreates with male giants, and 
  newborn hags are the result of a terrible 
  cauldron ritual.  The hags’ offspring, the 
  troll-giants, are always male. 
   
  Troll Armor Class 
   
  Only some kinds of trolls wear armor; most 
  “lesser” trolls feel unnatural in armor, and 
  instinctively believe that such obstructions 
  slow their attacks and interfere with limb 
  regeneration.  Some sea trolls, and all hill 
  trolls, wear armor (as delineated in their 
  stat blocks). 
  Hags do not wear armor, but their low 
  armor class includes un-dispellable auras 
  of bodily protection. 
  All troll-giants wear armor, and their armor 
  class reflects this. 
  Some troll chieftains and other leaders 
  wear special customized armor, crafted by 
  hag-crones or imprisoned armor crafters.  
  Details for these variants are provided in 
  the troll champions chapter. 
   
  Special Consideration: 
  A Vulnerability to 
  Lightning 
   
  In the Scandinavian folklore there is a belief 
  that trolls are terrified of lightning and 
  thunder.  This likely relates to the existence 
  of Thor, the Troll Smiter.  Trolls who hear 
  thunder, or see lightning, would be rightly 
  terrified of divine wrath smiting them down 
  from the Asgardian heavens! 
   
   
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
   
   
  Whether this is merely a superstitious fear, 
  or a true vulnerability to electrical attacks, 
  is up to the decision of the Game Master.  
  The rules lightly touch upon this by stating 
  that trolls cannot heal burn damage, and 
  in the real world lightning strikes are most 
  certainly a type of burn!  But the matter 
  should probably be clearly stated for game 
  play. 
  My suggestion is that only cursed trolls — 
  those creatures which are based directly on 
  the game’s Basic (1977) and Advanced 
  (1979) rules sets — can heal and regenerate 
  lightning damage, while other types of trolls 
  cannot.  Trolls are already susceptible to 
  fire and acid, and this adds a third mythic 
  damage vulnerability to the mix.  This 
  ruling helps to slightly counter the nasty 
  power of these monstrous creatures in 
  game play. 
  Of course Player Characters will only have 
  access to lightning damage through magic 
  items (Hammer of Thunderbolts, Javelin of 
  Lightning, Wand of Lightning), and various 
  spells (Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning, 
  etc.).  Theoretically of course other electric 
  monstrous attacks, such as blue dragon’s 
  breath, would inflict lightning damage as 
  well. 
   
   
   
   
  
   
  Page 24 | 115 
   
  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
  Chapter 2: 
  Troll Sub-Species 
   
  This chapter provides information on each 
  of the troll sub-races which exist in the 
  World of Oldskull.  The descriptions here 
  are quite brief, because trolls of all kinds 
  are discussed at length throughout this 
  supplement; therefore, only game statistics 
  and a few distinguishing traits are detailed 
  here. 
   
  Bog Trolls 
   
   
  They guard the wolf-coverts, lands 
  inaccessible, 
  wind-beaten 
  nesses, 
  fearfullest fen-deeps, where a flood from 
  the mountains ’neath mists of the nesses 
  netherward rattles, the stream under 
  earth … 
   
  — Beowulf, as translated by Dr. Lesslie 
  Hall 
   
   
  Bog trolls are swamp dwellers.  They are 
  adept swimmers, and are more vicious than 
  even cursed trolls when encountered in 
  large numbers.  They hunt prey in gory 
  feeding frenzies, turning the waters pink for 
  nearly a mile around their fetid lairs.  They 
  tend to fall mindlessly upon their own 
  wounded after a battle, devouring the 
  weak.  This is the only dreadful thing that 
  really holds back their numbers.  As might 
  be imagined, all non-troll creatures despise 
  bog trolls and destroy them whenever they 
  can. 
  Note 
  that 
  bog 
  troll 
  regeneration 
  is 
  somewhat hindered if they are not standing 
  or swimming in water (a pool, swamp, lake, 
  etc.).  They can regenerate outside of water 
  for up to 6 hours, but then all regeneration 
  ceases until they can immerse themselves 
  once again. 
   
  TROLL, BOG, MALE 
  (Old Norse = MYRR-TROLL) 
  Myrr-Troll:  Armor Class 4, Move 60’ (20’) 
  ground / 120’ (40’) swimming, Hit Dice 
  6+3**, average hit points 30, # Attacks 3 
  claw / claw / bite, Damage 1D4+2 / 1D4+2 
  / 2D6, Special Abilities battle up to three 
  foes simultaneously, great strength (STR 
  18/01), superior infravision (90’), water 
  breathing, Special Attacks severed limbs 
  can 
  still 
  attack, 
  Special 
  Defenses 
  regeneration (2 hp per round on land, 3 hp 
  per 
  round 
  if 
  immersed), 
  Special 
  Vulnerabilities cannot regenerate acid, fire, 
  or lightning damage, Save As Fighter 7 (due 
  to 6+3 HD), Morale 10, Intelligence low (INT 
  5), Alignment Chaotic Evil. 
   
  TROLL, BOG, FEMALE 
  (Old Norse = MYRR-TROLLKONA) 
  Myrr-Trollkona:  Armor Class 4, Move 60’ 
  (20’) ground / 120’ (40’) swimming, HD 6**, 
  average hit points 27, # Attacks 3 claw / 
  claw / bite, Damage 1D4 / 1D4 / 2D4, 
  Special Abilities battle up to three foes 
  simultaneously, superior strength (STR 
  18), 
  superior 
  infravision 
  (90’), 
  water 
  breathing, Special Attacks severed limbs 
  can 
  still 
  attack, 
  Special 
  Defenses 
  regeneration (2 hp per round on land, 3 hp 
  per 
  round 
  if 
  immersed), 
  Special 
  Vulnerabilities cannot regenerate acid, fire, 
  or lightning damage, Save As Fighter 6, 
  Morale 
  10, 
  Intelligence 
  low 
  (INT 
  5), 
  Alignment Chaotic Evil. 
   
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  Cave Trolls 
   
   
   
  Cave trolls are the only sub-race which can 
  be petrified by sunlight.  They dwell only in 
  the netherworld and deep dungeons, but 
  have been known to chase prey out into the 
  daylight when they are desperate to feast 
  upon tasty flesh.  They are ever-rotting, 
  leprous, terrible things that sleep in web-
  like cocoons filled with regenerative slime.  
  Their skin is black and purplish-gray, and 
  their eyes are aglow with dim violet sparks 
  akin to faerie fire. 
  If faced with dim light (candles, magic 
  swords, 
  torches, 
  lanterns, 
  or 
  even 
  moonlight), cave trolls suffer a -1 to their 
  morale and to hit rolls.  They will attack at 
  first not to wound their prey, but to smack 
  light sources out of adventurers’ hands.  
  Assume that any successful first hit, in 
  addition to normal damage, will swat the 
  light source down to the ground (with a 
  25% chance that it will be extinguished, or 
  50% for candles).  If a light source is 
  knocked down, the next attack(s) by that 
  troll will be spent extinguishing the light. 
   
  If 
  faced 
  with 
  powerful 
  light 
  (Light, 
  Continual Light, Fireball, and similar 
  magics), cave trolls suffer a -2 to their 
  morale and to hit rolls. 
  If faced with sunlight (or a spell or magical 
  item which creates true daylight), cave 
  trolls suffer a -3 to their morale and to hit 
  rolls.  Their slimy skin also begins to petrify 
  due to contact the light.  Cave trolls will 
  suffer 1D6 points of damage from the light 
  per round, until they die or manage to flee.  
  
   
  Page 26 | 115 
   
  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
  Damage inflicted by sunlight cannot be 
  regenerated. 
  In some way, cave trolls are strongly 
  associated with gugs (the terrible giant-
  things of the nether Dreamlands).  The 
  proof of this connection can be found in 
  their bodies; cave trolls have dangerous 
  thorny 
  growths 
  emerging 
  from 
  their 
  forelimbs, at the same joint where gugs 
  have split forearms.  Their claw attacks as 
  listed below include additional damage due 
  to these nasty “trolder-thorns.” 
   
  TROLL, CAVE, MALE 
  (Old Norse = HELLIR-TROLL) 
  Hellir-Troll:  Armor Class 5, Move 120’ 
  (40’), Hit Dice 5+5**, average hit points 28, 
  # Attacks 3 claw / claw / bite, Damage 
  1D6+4 / 1D6+4 / 2D4, Special Abilities 
  battle up to three foes simultaneously, 
  superior strength (STR 18), excellent 
  infravision (120’), Special Attacks severed 
  limbs can still attack, Special Defenses 
  regeneration (3 hp per round), Special 
  Vulnerabilities cannot regenerate acid, fire, 
  or lightning damage, Save As Fighter 7 (due 
  to 5+5 HD), Morale 9, Intelligence low 
  average (INT 7), Alignment Chaotic Evil. 
   
  TROLL, CAVE, FEMALE 
  (Old Norse = HELLIR-TROLLKONA) 
  Hellir-Trollkona:  Armor Class 5, Move 
  120’ (40’), Hit Dice 5+2**, average hit points 
  25, # Attacks 3 claw / claw / bite, Damage 
  1D6+2 / 1D6+2 / 1D6, Special Abilities 
  battle up to three foes simultaneously, 
  superior strength (STR 17), excellent 
  infravision (120’), Special Attacks severed 
  limbs can still attack, Special Defenses 
  regeneration (3 hp per round), Special 
  Vulnerabilities cannot regenerate acid, fire, 
  or lightning damage, Save As Fighter 6 (due 
  to 5+2 HD), Morale 9, Intelligence low 
  average (INT 7), Alignment Chaotic Evil. 
  Cursed Trolls 
   
   
  The foeman trod the shining hall-
  pavement, he strides furiously into the 
  hall.  Strode he angrily; from the eyes of 
  him glimmered a lustre unlovely likest to 
  fire. 
  He beheld in the hall the heroes in 
  numbers, a circle of kinsmen sleeping 
  together, he exults over his supposed 
  prey.  A throng of thanemen:  then his 
  thoughts were exultant, he minded to 
  sunder from each of the thanemen the life 
  from his body, horrible demon, ere 
  morning came … 
   
  — Beowulf, as translated by Dr. Lesslie 
  Hall 
   
   
  Cursed trolls are the “standard” trolls 
  already detailed in the classic FRPG, as 
  already described in the Basic, Expert, and 
  Advanced rules.  The first were born long 
  ago due to cruel Hyaenoghul, the forsaking 
  of Mung, and the demonic heresies of the 
  Grendel-Modor.  As is well known, they are 
  loathsome, shambling, emerald green in 
  hue, utterly evil, and exceedingly stinky 
  too. 
  Arguably, second only to dragons, they are 
  the archetypal evil monster in the game.  
  Play them as such. 
  For those who care about such things, the 
  cursed troll as described here has been 
  designed to unify the design disparity 
  inherent in different editions of the old 
  school game.  The male cursed troll 
  possesses the stats of the “Advanced troll,” 
  as 
  featured 
  in 
  the 
  1977 
  bestiary.  
  Meanwhile, 
  the 
  female 
  cursed 
  troll 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  possesses the stats of the “B/X troll,” as 
  featured in the 1981 Expert rules.  As such, 
  both sets of game stats are accurate and 
  ready for game play. 
   
   
   
  TROLL, CURSED, MALE 
  (Old Norse = BLOTA-TROLL) 
  Cursed Troll:  Armor Class 4, Move 120’ 
  (40’), Hit Dice 6+6***, average hit points 33, 
  # Attacks 3 claw / claw / bite, Damage 
  1D4+4 / 1D4+4 / 2D6, Special Abilities 
  battle up to three foes simultaneously, 
  great strength (STR 18/51), superior 
  infravision (90’), Special Attacks severed 
  limbs can still attack, Special Defenses 
  regeneration (3 hp per round), Special 
  Vulnerabilities cannot regenerate acid or 
  fire damage, Save As Fighter 8 (due to 6+6 
  HD), Morale 10, Intelligence low (INT 6), 
  Alignment Chaotic Evil. 
   
  TROLL, CURSED, FEMALE 
  (Old Norse = BLOTA-TROLLKONA) 
  Cursed Trollkona:  Armor Class 4, Move 
  120’ (40’), Hit Dice 6+3**, average hit points 
  30, # Attacks 3 claw / claw / bite, Damage 
  1D6 / 1D6 / 1D10, Special Abilities battle 
  up to three foes simultaneously, great 
  strength (STR 18/01), superior infravision 
  (90’), Special Attacks severed limbs can still 
  attack, Special Defenses regeneration (3 hp 
  per round), Special Vulnerabilities cannot 
  regenerate acid or fire damage, Save As 
  Fighter 7 (due to 6+3 HD), Morale 10, 
  Intelligence Low (INT 6), Alignment Chaotic 
  Evil. 
   
  Forest Trolls 
   
   
   
  Forest trolls are lithe, gangly things which 
  look a bit like thorny moss-covered trees.  
  Their skin is bark-like and difficult to 
  penetrate, but their claws and fangs are 
  relatively weak.  They stand with ultimate 
  stillness as they prefer to watch prey from 
  the shadows, ambushing travelers from 
  
   
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  behind.  They run with an eerie, stilted gait, 
  and their slowness ensures that some 
  lucky will victims will escape their grasping 
  reach from time to time. 
   
   
   
  They will hunt throughout an entire forest 
  in search of tasty prey.  In their immediate 
  lair region however they are exceedingly 
  dangerous, because they will make well-
  trodden paths only to dig concealed pits for 
  the purpose of catching human explorers 
  unawares.  Forest troll lairs are made of 
  great, 
  twisting 
  thorn-boughs, 
  riddled 
  through with labyrinthine corridors lost in 
  verdant shadow.  Some latent form of evil 
  magic allows them to corrupt ancient trees 
  and to turn them into thorny black twisting 
  monstrosities over time. 
  Elves in particular despise forest trolls, and 
  bumbling Player Characters might (if they 
  are lucky!) find themselves being rescued 
  from a troll ambush by elven scouts or half-
  elven rangers. 
   
  TROLL, FOREST, MALE 
  (Old Norse = SKOG-TROLL) 
  Skog-Troll:  Armor Class 3, Move 90’ (30’), 
  Hit Dice 4+4***, average hit points 22, # 
  Attacks 3 claw / claw / bite, Damage 1D6 
  / 1D6 / 1D8, Special Abilities battle up to 
  three foes simultaneously, camouflage 
  (surprise on a 1-3 on 1D6), superior 
  strength (STR 17), superior infravision 
  (90’), Special Attacks severed limbs can still 
  attack, Special Defenses regeneration (2 hp 
  per round), Special Vulnerabilities cannot 
  regenerate acid, fire, or lightning damage, 
  Save as Fighter 5 (due to 4+4 HD), Morale 
  9, 
  Intelligence 
  low 
  average 
  (INT 
  7), 
  Alignment 
  Chaotic 
  Neutral 
  with 
  Evil 
  tendencies. 
   
  TROLL, FOREST, FEMALE 
  (Old Norse = SKOG-TROLL) 
  Skog-Trollkona:  Armor Class 3, Move 90’ 
  (30’), Hit Dice 4+1***, average hit points 19, 
  # Attacks 3 claw / claw / bite, Damage 1D4 
  / 1D4 / 1D6, Special Abilities battle up to 
  three foes simultaneously, camouflage 
  (surprise on a 1-3 on 1D6), enhanced 
  strength (STR 16), superior infravision 
  (90’), Special Attacks severed limbs can still 
  attack, Special Defenses regeneration (2 hp 
  per round), Special Vulnerabilities cannot 
  regenerate acid, fire, or lightning damage, 
  Save as Fighter 5 (due to 4+1 HD), Morale 
  9, 
  Intelligence 
  low 
  average 
  (INT 
  7), 
  Alignment 
  Chaotic 
  Neutral 
  with 
  Evil 
  tendencies. 
   
  Hill Trolls 
   
  Despite their warty ugliness, broad bodies, 
  and hunched stature, hill trolls are 
  sometimes mistaken for ogres or runty hill 
  giants.  They are far smaller than other 
  trolls, and they even brave their fear of fire 
  in the name of forging armor, helms, and 
  weapons for themselves.  Hill trolls are 
  considerably more intelligent than cursed 
  trolls, and despite their chaotic nature they 
  will fight in formation against adversaries.  
  They wear fearsome iron skull-masks 
  which cover their mouths, and their battle 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  roars echo with a terrible reverberating 
  clamor. 
  Hill trolls have a slow and burdensome gait, 
  and weighty armor slows them down.   
  Their fangs are blunted and they do not bite 
  in combat.  Their claws are rather small, 
  and 
  they 
  clutch 
  heavy 
  two-handed 
  weapons (typically pole arms, mauls, or 
  great axes) which they will use in 
  preference of rending attacks whenever 
  possible.  Some hill trolls will even use 
  thrown weapons (clubs, hammers, barbed 
  javelins, and axes), although bows, slings, 
  and crossbows are too finicky and fragile 
  for their stubby fingers. 
  Due to their chosen home terrain, hill trolls 
  very frequently come into violent contact 
  with gnomes and hill dwarves.  Such 
  battles are always horrific affairs, ending 
  only when one side or the other is 
  completely annihilated. 
   
  TROLL, HILL, MALE 
  Fell-Troll:  Armor Class 2 (armored), Move 
  60’ (20’), Hit Dice 5+5**, average hit points 
  28, # Attacks 1 weapon or 2 claw / claw, 
  Damage by weapon +3 or 1D4+2 / 1D4+2,  
  Special Abilities battle up to three foes 
  simultaneously, superior strength (STR 
  18), superior infravision (90’), Special 
  Attacks +2 to hit with thrown weapons at 
  short range (+1 at medium range, no 
  penalty at long range), severed limbs can 
  still attack, Special Defenses regeneration 
  (3 hp per round), Special Vulnerabilities 
  cannot regenerate acid, fire, or lightning 
  damage, Save As Fighter 7 (due to 5+5 HD), 
  Morale 9, Intelligence average (INT 10), 
  Alignment 
  Chaotic 
  Neutral 
  with 
  Evil 
  tendencies. 
   
   
   
   
  TROLL, HILL, FEMALE 
  (Old Norse = FELL-TROLLKONA) 
  Fell-Trollkona:  Armor Class 2 (armored), 
  Move 60’ (20’), Hit Dice 5+2**, average hit 
  points 25, # Attacks 1 weapon or 2 claw / 
  claw, Damage by weapon +2 or 1D4+1 / 
  1D4+1,  Special Abilities battle up to three 
  foes simultaneously, superior strength 
  (STR 17), superior infravision (90’), Special 
  Attacks +2 to hit with thrown weapons at 
  short range (+1 at medium range, no 
  penalty at long range), severed limbs can 
  still attack, Special Defenses regeneration 
  (3 hp per round), Special Vulnerabilities 
  cannot regenerate acid, fire, or lightning 
  damage, Save As Fighter 6 (due to 5+2 HD), 
  Morale 9, Intelligence average (INT 10), 
  Alignment 
  Chaotic 
  Neutral 
  with 
  Evil 
  tendencies. 
   
  Lake Trolls and 
  Bridge Trolls 
   
   
   
  “Freshwater 
  trolls” 
  (Saer-Trolls 
  and 
  Bryggja-Trolls) are deadly water-breathing 
  creatures.  They are associated with 
  emerald hags, and those hags in particular 
  seem to be the only ones who congregate 
  with 
  freshwater 
  trolls 
  in 
  numbers.  
  Curiously, freshwater trolls are genderless, 
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
  but they can lay fish-like eggs from time to 
  time. 
  They have wing-like spiny fins upon their 
  backs; their heads are immense; their 
  greenish grins are filled with vicious fangs.  
  They have gills, small claws, and very thick 
  and gristly skin.  Note that they can only 
  regenerate while they are at least partially 
  immersed in freshwater. 
  Lake trolls frequently ally with frogmen, 
  and frogmen protect their eggs and 
  treasures in return for protection (and a 
  share of devoured human flesh).  There is 
  also a rarer sub-type of the freshwater troll, 
  which favors running water; these are the 
  Bryggja (bridge) trolls.  Bridge trolls do not 
  like company of any kind.  They are very 
  rare, and lair only in places where 
  overhangs, ruins, dams, or bridges cross a 
  river, waterfall, or stream. 
   
   
   
  Bridge trolls are very poorly understood, 
  but from what little has been divined, it 
  seems that they are exiles from their kind 
  who dream and meditate in order to purify 
  the “flow severance” that is caused by a 
  bridge or other barrier over running water.  
  As such, they are extremely territorial and 
  will challenge anything that dares to cross 
  their bridge.  They will demand gold from 
  powerful-seeming 
  adversaries, 
  while 
  weaker interlopers will simply be devoured.  
  Bridge trolls lurk and slumber lightly (while 
  sitting up), and they immediately awaken 
  when someone dares to cross their water.  
  Their treasure is typically stashed in 
  hollows, or perhaps an underwater grotto 
  of some kind. 
   
  TROLL, LAKE 
  (Old Norse = SAER-TROLL) 
  Saer-Troll:  Armor Class 3, Move 30’ (10’) 
  ground / 150’ (50’) swimming, Hit Dice 
  5+5**, average hit points 28, # Attacks 3 
  claw / claw / bite, Damage 1D4+1 / 1D4+1 
  / 3D4, Special Abilities battle up to three 
  foes simultaneously, superior strength 
  (STR 18), infravision (60’), water breathing, 
  Special Attacks severed limbs can still 
  attack if immersed, Special Defenses 
  regeneration (3 hp per round) if immersed, 
  Special Vulnerabilities cannot regenerate 
  acid, fire, or lightning damage, Save As 
  Fighter 7 (due to 5+5 HD), Morale 10, 
  Intelligence semi- to low (INT 4 or 5), 
  Alignment 
  Chaotic 
  Evil 
  with 
  Neutral 
  tendencies. 
   
  TROLL, BRIDGE 
  (Old Norse = BRYGGJA-TROLL) 
  As above, but hit points will never be below 
  average (minimum hit points 28) and 
  should be rolled at +1 on the die. 
   
   
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  Mountain Trolls 
   
   
  When the dance was over, the king asked 
  the youth what he asked as a reward for 
  having given him such a pleasure. 
  The youth answered:  “My lord king, I did 
  not come to you to win gold and gear. But 
  I have another request to make:  that you 
  allow me to set out and search for your 
  three daughters, carried away by a 
  mountain troll.” 
  When the king heard this his thoughts 
  once more grew gloomy, and he replied: 
  “You need not even think of delivering my 
  daughters. It is no child's play, and your 
  betters have already attempted it in vain. 
  Yet should it really come to pass that you 
  deliver one of the princesses, you may be 
  sure that I will not break my word.” 
  So he took leave of the king and set forth.  
  And he decided to take no rest until he 
  had found what he sought … 
   
  — The Swedish Fairy Book, by Klara 
  Stroebe 
   
   
  Mountain trolls willingly fled from the 
  imprecations of Mung long ago, and have 
  evolved quite separately from the baser 
  sub-races of their kind.  They have a 
  deceptively 
  innocent 
  appearance, 
  something like an overgrown Muppet 
  crossed with a drunken ogre and a Wild 
  Thing.  The huge trolls illustrated by John 
  Bauer, like the one below, are typically 
  mountain trolls. 
   
   
   
  They are the largest of trolls, and the 
  strongest.  They are both fatter and more 
  muscled, 
  with 
  bulbous 
  noses 
  and 
  bumbling bodies.  Their shaggy hair tends 
  to grow long; sometimes errant sprouts of 
  it peek out from an ear, the back of a hand, 
  or a tattooed shoulder blade.  But despite 
  such an unkindly genetic legacy, mountain 
  trolls are actually quite cleanly and self-
  admiring. 
  Mountain trolls are herders, raising elk, 
  moose, wild sheep, giant goats, or reindeer.  
  Misunderstood by all their monstrous kin, 
  they find solace in song and ritual.  Deep in 
  their lairs, mountain trolls sing and chant 
  in their booming, stone-hollowed voices.  
  They sing of battles won, kingdoms lost, an 
  age when all living things were one, and 
  riddling poems of the un-worlds which lie 
  beneath the iridescent caverns of the 
  Dreamlands.  They believe they are the last 
  keepers of a secret realm which no longer 
  exists due to the dawning Kingdom of Man. 
  Of all the troll races, mountain trolls are 
  unique in that while still being evil they are 
  fascinated by humans.  Mountain trolls 
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
  have been known to abduct children, or 
  princesses, or even old men and women, 
  spiriting them away to deep crystalline 
  grottoes or wind-wrought aeries towering 
  above the alpine wilderness. 
  Mountain trolls are easily corrupted by 
  their troll-kin.  If mountain trolls are found 
  without other creatures (e.g., mountain 
  giants, hags, allied humanoids, or other 
  troll sub-races), it is virtually certain that 
  they will be raising 1D3 innocent humans 
  in their domain.  Such people are treated 
  well for life, and even fawned over.  
  “Rescuing” such souls will be a very 
  challenging prospect to be sure. 
  However, intruders will quickly learn that 
  mountain trolls are exceedingly secretive, 
  superstitious, and territorial.  Uninvited 
  humans are regarded as an ill omen of 
  supremely dire portent.  Bringing unarmed 
  humans into their own homes as a matter 
  of choice is one thing; being invaded by 
  armed adventurers searching for loot to 
  steal is quite another.  Intruders will be 
  shouted at and threatened with death for 
  1D3+1 rounds only; if such warnings are 
  belittled or ignored, the mountain trolls will 
  attack. 
   
   
  TROLL, MOUNTAIN, MALE 
  (Old Norse = BERG-TROLL) 
  Berg-Troll:  Armor Class 4, Move 90’ (30’), 
  Hit Dice 7+7**, average hit points 40, # 
  Attacks 3 claw / claw / bite, Damage 
  1D6+4 / 1D6+4 / 2D6+1, Special Abilities 
  battle up to three foes simultaneously, 
  great strength (STR 18/99), superior 
  infravision (90’), Special Attacks severed 
  limbs can still attack, Special Defenses 
  regeneration (3 hp per round), Special 
  Vulnerabilities cannot regenerate acid, fire, 
  or lightning damage, Save as Fighter 9 (due 
  to 7+7 HD), Morale 11, Intelligence low 
  average (INT 7), Alignment Chaotic Evil 
  with Neutral tendencies. 
   
  TROLL, MOUNTAIN, FEMALE 
  (Old Norse = BERG-TROLLKONA) 
  Berg-Trollkona:  Armor Class 4, Move 90’ 
  (30’), Hit Dice 7+4**, average hit points 37, 
  # Attacks 3 claw / claw / bite, Damage 
  1D6+2 / 1D6+2 / 2D6, Special Abilities 
  battle up to three foes simultaneously, 
  great strength (STR 18/51), superior 
  infravision (90’), Special Attacks severed 
  limbs can still attack, Special Defenses 
  regeneration (3 hp per round), Special 
  Vulnerabilities cannot regenerate acid, fire, 
  or lightning damage, Save as Fighter 8 (due 
  to 7+4 HD), Morale 11, Intelligence low 
  average (INT 7), Alignment Chaotic Evil 
  with Neutral tendencies. 
   
   
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  Sea Trolls 
   
   
  Once upon a time, when the king was 
  sailing out at sea, a sea troll had called 
  up a terrible tempest, so that the ship 
  was about to sink. 
  In order to escape with his life, the king 
  had to promise the sea troll to give him 
  whatever first came his way when he 
  reached shore.  The king thought his 
  hunting dog would be the first to come 
  running to meet him, as usual; but 
  instead his three young daughters came 
  rowing out to meet him in a boat … 
   
  — The Swedish Fairy Book, by Klara 
  Stroebe 
   
   
   
   
  The sea trolls are truly nightmarish in 
  appearance, with pale oval eyes, lamprey-
  like teeth, and draping manes comprised of 
  filth and seaweed.  They will eat fish and 
  sharks and just about anything else, 
  including nereids, tritons, sirens, and 
  mermaids.  Even sea devils fear these vile 
  things. 
  Sea trolls are vicious and nasty bastards.  
  They are similar to freshwater trolls in 
  some physical ways, but in behavior they 
  are merciless, ravenous, sadistic and cruel.  
  Some will speak to humans (particularly 
  fishermen 
  and 
  shore-folk), 
  making 
  promises which will never be kept, or 
  misleading stray children to be devoured in 
  the shallows. 
  Sea trolls are more cowardly than troll 
  races, and if sorely pressed by enemies they 
  will flee to their deep lairs beneath the kelp 
  and froth rather than fighting to the death.  
  As such they are usually allied with lesser 
  creatures, such as merrow (aquatic ogres), 
  aquatic hobgoblins, aquatic gargoyles, or 
  even Deep Ones. 
  Their fore-claws are somewhat weak, but 
  their maws are deadly.  Smaller sea trolls 
  swim quite quickly, but they are easily 
  outmaneuvered aboard a ship or on the 
  land.  Considering too that sea trolls can 
  only regenerate while immersed, it should 
  come as no surprise to learn that they will 
  almost never pursue prey onto land.  Even 
  when facing fishermen, they will ambush 
  and attempt to drag down individuals to 
  drown rather than facing an entire hostile 
  crew. 
  About 10% of sea trolls are considerably 
  more cunning than their swarm-mates.  
  These “salt trolls” are very large, with at 
  least 45 hit points.  They will armor 
  themselves with sharkskin and seaweed-
  woven clumps of shells. 
   
  TROLL, SEA 
  (Old Norse = HAF-TROLL) 
  Haf-Troll:  Armor Class 2 (1 if an armored 
  salt troll), Move 30’ (10’) ground / 120’ (40’) 
  
   
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  swimming, Hit Dice 6+12**, average hit 
  points 39 (minimum 45 for a salt troll), # 
  Attacks 3 claw / claw / bite, Damage 1D4 
  / 1D4 / 1D8+8, Special Abilities battle up 
  to three foes simultaneously, great strength 
  (STR 
  18/96), 
  infravision 
  (60’), 
  water 
  breathing, Special Attacks severed limbs 
  can still attack if immersed, Special 
  Defenses regeneration (3 hp per round) if 
  immersed, Special Vulnerabilities cannot 
  regenerate acid, fire, or lightning damage, 
  Save As Fighter 9 (due to 6+12 HD), Morale 
  8, Intelligence low (90%) or average (10%) 
  (INT 6 or 7 / 8 for a salt troll), Alignment 
  Chaotic Evil. 
   
   
   
  Snow Trolls 
   
  Snow trolls are exceedingly rare, and even 
  many veteran adventurers believe that they 
  are nothing more than legends.  But they 
  are known to howl along with the winds of 
  the deadliest blizzards, and their shrill, 
  tinkling laughter can be heard presaging an 
  avalanche.  When beheld, they are seen to 
  possess ice-like fangs, mist-clouded claws, 
  and glowing blue eyes.  Their bodies are 
  eerily, almost impossibly gaunt and their 
  limbs are slender, icicle-thorned, and very 
  long.  Their translucent flesh is rimed with 
  heavy protective clusters of ice, and their 
  bodies are surrounding by bone-chilling 
  magical cold.  These misty auras even 
  provide the snow trolls with partial 
  resistance to fire attacks. 
  The effect of the protective ice is that a snow 
  troll has an Armor Class of 0 (zero), until 
  the first wound is struck.  Then, much of 
  the ice falls away and the troll’s Armor 
  Class is reduced to 2. 
  Snow trolls are only found in glacial rifts or 
  ice caves, with entrances that are never 
  lower than 7,000 feet in elevation.  They 
  care little for treasure but they are highly 
  territorial.  Some tame snow leopards or 
  winter wolves to protect their lairs, while 
  others are allied with frost giants, ice 
  drakes, frost manticores, or even yetis. 
  Approximately 25% of snow trolls are 
  hunters, and they wield icicle spears made 
  of magically-sculpted ice from caverns 
  deep.  These spears inflict 1D6+2 points of 
  damage when thrown.  Besides the razor-
  sharp tip, the spear-shafts always shatter 
  upon impact, lodging a piece of ice in the 
  victim’s flesh.  On a natural to hit roll of 20, 
  the spear will impale the victim for double 
  damage (2D6+2). 
  Snow trolls are utterly fearless, and they 
  will fight until destroyed.  When slain 
  (reduced to negative hit points by acid or 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  fire), they shatter into blood-drenched 
  shards of petrifying gore. 
   
  TROLL, SNOW, MALE 
  (Old Norse = SNAER-TROLL) 
  Snaer-Troll:  Armor Class 0 until first 
  wound inflicted (2 thereafter), Move 60’ 
  (20’), Hit Dice 6+1***, average hit points 28, 
  # Attacks 3 claw / claw / bite, Damage 1D6 
  / 1D6 / 1D10 plus cold aura, Special 
  Abilities 
  battle 
  up 
  to 
  three 
  foes 
  simultaneously, superior strength (STR 
  17), superior infravision (90’), Special 
  Attacks cold aura (+1D3 damage per 
  successful hit), icicle spears, severed limbs 
  can still attack, Special Defenses cold 
  immunity (no damage), fire resistance (-1 
  damage per die), regeneration (3 hp per 
  round), 
  Special 
  Vulnerabilities 
  cannot 
  regenerate acid, fire, or lightning damage, 
  Save As Fighter 7 (due to 6+1 HD), Morale 
  12, Intelligence low (INT 6), Alignment 
  Chaotic Evil. 
   
  TROLL, SNOW, FEMALE 
  (Old Norse = SNAER-TROLLKONA) 
  Snaer-Trollkona:  Armor Class 0 until first 
  wound inflicted (2 thereafter), Move 60’ 
  (20’), Hit Dice 5+2***, average hit points 25, 
  # Attacks 3 claw / claw / bite, Damage 1D4 
  / 1D4 / 1D8 plus cold aura, Special 
  Abilities 
  battle 
  up 
  to 
  three 
  foes 
  simultaneously, superior strength (STR 
  17), superior infravision (90’), Special 
  Attacks cold aura (+1D3 damage per 
  successful hit), icicle spears, severed limbs 
  can still attack, Special Defenses cold 
  immunity (no damage), fire resistance (-1 
  damage per die), regeneration (3 hp per 
  round), 
  Special 
  Vulnerabilities 
  cannot 
  regenerate acid, fire, or lightning damage, 
  Save As Fighter 6 (due to 5+2 HD), Morale 
  12, Intelligence low (INT 6), Alignment 
  Chaotic Evil. 
  Stone Trolls 
   
  Stone trolls are the most intelligent, 
  peaceful, tradition-bound, and secretive of 
  the troll sub-races.  This does not mean 
  that they are friends of mankind, but they 
  are willing to barter for what they need and 
  will enter into peace pacts when it suits 
  them. 
  They are somewhat similar in appearance 
  to mountain trolls, but they are smaller and 
  their gray skin is plated with calcite 
  structures and “warts” made of something 
  like veined transparent quartz. 
  This sub-race is very rare and will likely 
  become extinct within several centuries.  
  The stone trolls are the keepers of their 
  race’s legacy and memory.  They do not 
  “write” per se, but they do etch spiral 
  glyphs upon stone and these intricate 
  glyphs can be fully interpreted by others of 
  their kind.  The glyphs speak of exile, war, 
  treasure hoards beneath the earth, curses, 
  ancestors, alliances, monstrous territories 
  and migrations, and so on.  The triskelion 
  and the “spiral labyrinth” symbol are both 
  sacred to them, and these circles are 
  notched to provide various details and 
  nuance of meaning.  Note that the glyphs 
  do not denote a “language,” as part of their 
  meaning 
  involves 
  ancestral 
  memory 
  triggers and spiritual recollections; as 
  such, a Comprehend Languages spell (for 
  example) will only allow a very partial 
  translation of any spiral’s true meaning. 
  If characters can somehow manage to gain 
  the trust of a tribe of stone trolls — for 
  example, by honoring their traditions while 
  also slaying their powerful enemies — they 
  might learn that the eldest stone troll in 
  any tribe serves as a sage to his people.  
  This elder might well be able to provide 
  surprising information concerning ancient 
  treasures, 
  ruins, 
  lost 
  cities, 
  deluges, 
  unknown historical happenings, “extinct” 
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
  monstrous species, the true history of 
  Castle Oldskull, the future reign of Great 
  Cthulhu (which has already begun in some 
  timelines), and other tantalizing tales … for 
  a price. 
  Stone trolls sleep after battle to fully heal 
  themselves.  (Regeneration keeps them 
  alive, but rebuilding their “wars” and 
  scarred calcite exoskeletons takes time.)  
  They can sleep for a very long time, 
  sometimes for years.  The oldest survivors 
  of the race are several thousand years old.  
  However, the most ancient stone trolls 
  remain asleep for over 95% of their 
  remaining lives. 
  Their lairs feature ancient pillars of basalt-
  like crystal — of unknown origin — each 
  covered with engravings from the top down.  
  Long-lived lairs have been known to dig 
  trenches around their pillar-obelisks so 
  that additional engravings can be made 
  upon the stone surface below ground level.  
  Their spell casters are known to use rock 
  crystal scrying “mirrors” for prayer and 
  divination.  These mirrors, and all other 
  tribal treasures, are kept within the 
  “Sanctum of the Stone-Spire,” a sacred 
  chamber which all of the stone trolls will 
  defend to the death. 
  The stone trolls are crafty builders, 
  sculptors, and underworld engineers.  They 
  are allies of the stone giants; both races are 
  master crafters.  Their lairs and passages 
  are frequently crisscrossed with nearly-
  undetectable secret doors, covered pits, 
  and “echoing rooms” which allow them to 
  hear the footsteps and voices of intruders.  
  As such, stone trolls dwelling in their 
  sculpted 
  lairs 
  can 
  almost 
  never 
  be 
  surprised. 
   
  TROLL, STONE, FEMALE 
  (Old Norse = STEIN-TROLLKONA) 
  Stein-Trollkona:  Armor Class 1, Move 30’ 
  (10’), Hit Dice 6+2**, average hit points 29, 
  # Attacks 2 claw / claw, Damage 1D4+4 / 
  1D4+4, Special Abilities sage wisdom, 
  superior strength (STR 18/51), superior 
  infravision (90’), Special Attacks severed 
  limbs can still attack, Special Defenses 
  non-magical weapons inflict -1 damage, 
  regeneration (3 hp per round), Special 
  Vulnerabilities -2 to initiative rolls, cannot 
  regenerate acid, fire, or lightning damage, 
  Save As Fighter 7 (due to 6+2 HD), Morale 
  10, Intelligent high (INT 14), Alignment 
  Chaotic Neutral. 
   
  TROLL, STONE, MALE 
  (Old Norse = STEIN-TROLL) 
  Stein-Troll:  Armor Class 1, Move 30’ (10’), 
  Hit Dice 5+3**, average hit points 26, # 
  Attacks 2 claw / claw, Damage 1D4+2 / 
  1D4+2, Special Abilities sage wisdom, 
  superior strength (STR 18/01), superior 
  infravision (90’), Special Attacks severed 
  limbs can still attack, Special Defenses 
  non-magical weapons inflict -1 damage, 
  regeneration (3 hp per round), Special 
  Vulnerabilities -2 to initiative rolls, cannot 
  regenerate acid, fire, or lightning damage, 
  Save As Fighter 6 (due to 5+3 HD), Morale 
  10, Intelligent high (INT 14), Alignment 
  Chaotic Neutral. 
   
  Trolghuls 
   
  Trolghuls — known by arcane sages as the 
  Remonstrations unto Hyaenoghul — are 
  the rare, regenerated remnants of slain 
  trolls which are not completely incinerated 
  or drenched in acid.  When a troll is hacked 
  into pieces and strives to regenerate, it is 
  frequently set upon by other starving trolls 
  who devour the limbs even as these fight to 
  re-mesh themselves into a composite being.  
  If the limbs are left alone, they will reform 
  as a scarred troll or (very rarely) as a 
  trolghul.  Trolghuls can be created only in 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  places of evil, such as forsaken demon 
  temples, haunted castles, or dungeons 
  where terrible slaughters have taken place. 
  At times, the dark necromantic priests of 
  Trogool — such priests are quite rare 
  themselves — will gather up the leavings of 
  a hacked-apart troll, or will even hack a 
  Troll into pieces and throw the twitching 
  and 
  re-gathering 
  remains 
  into 
  an 
  enchanted regenerative cauldron.  The 
  cauldron is filled with ghul essence, 
  rendered from slain ghuls either willing or 
  unwilling.  When the limbs in the cauldron 
  regenerate, they will rise as the Cauldron 
  Born … a clutch of from 1 to 6 Trolghuls, 
  depending on the amount and intensity of 
  ghul essence boiled and the size of the 
  sacrificial troll. 
  Trolghuls rise as undead and sentient 
  minions of the priests, hags, shamans, 
  and/or witch doctors of Trogool.  They are 
  soulless and do not remember any previous 
  life they may have loved or suffered 
  through.  They are the allies of ghuls and 
  trolls as well, but other creatures find them 
  horrifying and will destroy them on sight.  
  Sadly, that is far easier said than done. 
  Trolghuls have the paralytic talons of 
  ghuls, and the regenerative ability of trolls.  
  However, they are terribly damaged by 
  sunlight, and they cannot heal wounds 
  caused by fire, acid, or holy water.  If a 
  trolghul is exposed to sunlight, it suffers 
  damage at the rate of 1 hit point per round 
  of exposure.  This damage cannot be 
  regenerated and must be slowly healed in 
  total darkness at the rate of 1 hit point per 
  day. 
  Trolghuls appear as ghouls, although they 
  are instilled with an horrific undead vitality 
  which causes their pallid flesh to take on a 
  deathly crimson hue.  Trolghuls are 
  occasionally found alone.  More frequently, 
  they are discovered leading ghoul packs, or 
  in troll lairs where death-worshipping troll 
  shamans or witch doctors are present.  
  Once a trolghul attacks, it will fight until 
  destroyed. 
   
  TROLGHUL 
  (Old Norse = TROLL-DRAUGR) 
  Trolghul:  Armor Class 6, Move 120’ (40’), 
  Hit Dice 4+2***, average hit points 20, # 
  Attacks 2 claw / claw, Damage 2D4 / 2D4, 
  Special Abilities superior infravision (90’), 
  Special 
  Attacks 
  paralyzation 
  (per 
  successful attack; successful victim saving 
  throw indicates immunity for 1d20+20 
  rounds), Special Defenses regeneration (1 
  hp per round, unless in sunlight), undead 
  (immune to sleep, charm, and mind 
  attacks), Special Vulnerabilities can be 
  turned (as spectre), cannot regenerate acid, 
  fire, or holy water damage, suffers 1 
  damage per round exposed to sunlight, 
  Save As Fighter 5 (due to 4+2 HD), Morale 
  10, Intelligent average (INT 10) with 
  exceptional cunning, Alignment Chaotic 
  Evil. 
   
  The Lost Troll Races 
   
  There are legends concerning other “lost” 
  troll 
  races, 
  including 
  the 
  war 
  trolls 
  (Grendel’s bloodline), but these creatures 
  are said to have been wiped out when the 
  Grendel-Modor was vanquished by the 
  Geat lord Beowulf.  It is likely that there 
  were other now-extinct troll sub-races 
  (death 
  trolls, 
  plague 
  trolls, 
  trollish 
  shoggothai, etc.) as well, as discovered in 
  the frozen of Trogool and the Boyg, or as 
  wrought long ago by the foul godly magics 
  of Mung.  Whether or not any of these 
  creatures remain is not a simple question 
  that this author can fully answer. 
  Please also note that I have not included 
  two fiendish types of trolls which I do not 
  feel are in the Gygaxian vein:  these are Ice 
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
  Trolls, and Spirit Trolls.  You are welcome 
  to include these races in your game world 
  if you feel they fit thematically within your 
  campaign. 
  I would also strongly encourage you to add 
  your own new sub-races if you so choose, 
  using my examples as inspiration.  Have 
  fun! 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Chapter 3: 
  Troll Lairs and Treasure 
   
   
   
  Troll Lairs 
   
  Troll lairs, or dens, are places where many 
  trolls 
  reside 
  in 
  a 
  shared 
  territory 
  somewhere beneath the earth.  Quite 
  frankly, troll lairs are death traps.  Not only 
  will there be a lot of “normal” trolls to 
  contend with, but they are likely to be 
  backed up by leaders, spell casters, 
  guardian beasts, allied monsters, hags, 
  giants, 
  fungal 
  garden 
  symbioses, 
  or 
  something 
  even 
  worse. 
   
  My 
  recommendation is that the troll lairs 
  encountered early in the campaign — say, 
  when Player Characters are between 
  experience levels 4 and 8 inclusive — 
  should either be “basic” and filled with only 
  a few normal trolls, or they should be 
  heavily garnished with any and all warning 
  signs that the Game Master feels can be 
  piled up in a semi-realistic manner.  These 
  signs might include piles of half-eaten 
  corpses, inscriptions, tracks, shattered 
  skulls, or even something blatantly obvious 
  (like the corpse of a young dragon, 
  mutilated by claws and fangs) so that even 
  the most clueless and arrogant players 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  might (1% chance) stop to think, “Hey!  
  Maybe 
  we 
  should 
  be 
  really 
  careful 
  approaching this place, and come up with 
  a good tactical plan.” 
  Of course most players’ heroes will waltz on 
  by such scenes while shouting “Haloooo!  Is 
  this place appropriately balanced to easy or 
  average Challenge Level?”, secure in the 
  knowledge that the almighty and loving 
  Game Master will save their precious hides, 
  while apologizing profusely and providing 
  lots of treasure, too.  (Ha ha.)  Do expect 
  your PCs’ first experience with a real troll 
  lair to be a bloodbath.  It should certainly 
  be a memorable experience for everyone 
  involved. 
  The typical troll lair will be spread across 
  approximately 3 to 12 locales (rooms, 
  chambers, caves, etc.) within a dungeon, 
  ruin, or cavern system.  Underwater trolls 
  might lair in a submerged ruin or coral 
  caves; while forest trolls will make “rooms” 
  in a bramble labyrinth that is shielded 
  away from the sun.  Even bigger lairs might 
  exist; for example the full palatial complex 
  of a Mountain King might cover 20 or 30 
  encounter locations or perhaps even more, 
  depending on the size of the tribe. 
   
   
   
  The lairs will always be dank, dark, and 
  difficult to navigate.  Narrow passages will 
  have been widened by iron-like claws, and 
  rubble will be heaped away from common 
  areas.  Stone trolls and mountain trolls will 
  have fairly nice dwellings, replete with piled 
  furs; 
  but 
  for 
  the 
  other 
  sub-races, 
  disgusting filth is the name of the game.  
  Trophy skulls and rib cages will be 
  prominently displayed, sometimes even 
  being literally plastered to walls and ceiling 
  by clumps of dried adhesive (mud and 
  excrement). 
  The monster taming trolls and their 
  guardian beasts, if any, will be situated 
  near to the prominent entrances.  Inside, 
  weaker trolls (those of low hit points) will 
  have 
  small 
  nests 
  in 
  cramped 
  and 
  undesirable areas, while deeper in one will 
  find larger nests, more sinisterly-appointed 
  arches and connecting corridors, and 
  bigger and stronger trolls. 
  At times, trolls will either be made to dwell 
  in an evil overlord’s barracks, or will take 
  over the barracks-like rooms of conquered 
  foes.  In such cases the too-small furniture 
  is piled up and left to rot.  Beds, divans, 
  cages, 
  and 
  similar 
  places 
  might 
  be 
  converted into troll nests. 
  If the trolls are “religious,” meaning that 
  they are led by hags, shamans, or witch 
  doctors, there will be hanging wicker and 
  bone figures, bone-circle “dream catchers” 
  (nightmare catchers?) strung with gut, 
  voodoo-like effigies, and painted cadavers 
  dangling in hideous formations. 
  Be sure to come up with variations on a 
  theme using these baseline suggestions to 
  come up with your own memorable scenes.  
  Each lair should be different, while silently 
  and pungently screaming “troll!” in no 
  uncertain terms. 
   
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
   
   
  Troll Treasure Types 
   
   
  “He who has such precious things in gold 
  and silver and diamonds,” said the King, 
  “must be the one who killed the Troll, for 
  such things are not to be had anywhere 
  else.” 
   
  — The Red Fairy Book, by Andrew Lang 
   
   
  Troll are territorial, and they like to be 
  distracted by sparkly glittery-ma-bobs; 
  they frequently possess a fair amount of 
  treasure.  Their treasures are of three 
  kinds:  individual (rarely), individual nest-
  based, and lair-based.  Trolls — most 
  commonly being naked — do not typically 
  carry treasure, and even hags will only 
  carry usable magic items (such as potions 
  or a magical wand).  Troll-giants have 
  learned to carry bulging junk-and-treasure 
  tinker sacks as giants do. 
  The following guidelines are offered to GMs 
  once the sum of bestiary and dungeon 
  module troll-treasure lore is considered as 
  a whole: 
   
  Individual Treasure I:  Carried Items 
   
  Trolls and trolghuls do not normally carry 
  treasure. 
  Brine, nether, and shadow hags might 
  (20%) carry 10D10 platinum pieces, or 
  (25%) 1D4 gems of base 100 gold piece 
  value, or (55%) nothing at all.  Emerald 
  hags are considerably more greedy and 
  conscious of mundane treasure value; each 
  will tend to carry a satchel with Treasure 
  Types Mx100 and Nx10 (200-800 gold 
  pieces 
  and 
  10-60 
  platinum 
  pieces, 
  respectively). 
   
   
   
  Troll-giants carry approximately 100 gold 
  pieces worth of coins per full hit die they 
  possess.  For example a hill troll-giant (8 
  HD) would carry about 800 gold pieces 
  worth of coins, in various denominations 
  (perhaps 2,000 sp, 600 ep, 300 gp, 20 pp, 
  etc.). 
  Also, troll blood (but not hag blood or troll-
  giant blood) is a prized reagent that is used 
  in the alchemical creation of Potions of 
  Healing and Potions of Extra-Healing.  The 
  blood must be relatively fresh, although it 
  will keep regenerating in a flask for 1D6+6 
  days.  Theoretically an enterprising group 
  of troll slayers could acquire 1D4 flasks 
  from each slain troll, if they were quick and 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  efficient (as the blood tends to seep and 
  crawl away); but in practice only a few 
  flasks could be collected by most groups 
  under what we might choose to label as 
  “standard” adventuring circumstances. 
   
   
   
  Each flask is worth 5D20 gold pieces, 
  depending on “random” impurities which 
  only an alchemist could possibly detect.  
  Assume that PC magic-users of experience 
  level 11 or higher (along with INT 13+ and 
  WIS 13+) will be able to appraise the value 
  of each flask; otherwise, the value will be a 
  surprise once the troll blood is sold on the 
  market. 
   
  Individual Treasure II:  Troll Rings 
   
  In addition to any personally carried 
  treasure, particularly powerful troll-kind 
  will carry magical rings.  Gygax wrote 
  specifically that trolls can wear magical 
  rings due to their intelligence, and the 
  thinness of their fingers.  These rings might 
  be crafted by powerful ancient hag-crones, 
  or they might be won from devoured 
  adventurers.  All trolls covet rings but 
  normal trolls do not possess them, because 
  such lovely trinkets are always handed to 
  their leaders as a ritual of reverence in the 
  name of the Great Boyg. 
  Rings will be possessed only by [1] troll 
  leaders (chieftains, kings, etc.) [2] troll spell 
  casters (shamans, witch doctors, etc.) as 
  described later in this supplement, or [3] 
  hags (of the brine, emerald, nether, or 
  shadow sub-races).  Normal trolls and troll 
  young will not possess rings.  Each leader 
  has a 1% chance per hit die, with plusses 
  rounded up, of possessing a magic ring.  
  Therefore a leader of HD 6 would have a 6% 
  chance to possess one, while one of HD 6+6 
  would have a 7% chance. 
  The power of the ring will vary according 
  with the monstrousness of the wearer.  Do 
  keep in mind that determined Player 
  Characters are likely to win these treasures 
  for themselves, and plan accordingly!  You 
  will note for example that Rings of Wishes 
  do not appear on the random table below; 
  an item of that power would need to be 
  placed by the decision of the Game Master. 
   
   
   
  Roll 3D12 to determine ring type, adding +1 
  per hit die of the wearer, and an additional 
  +1 if the wearer has hit die plusses (e.g., 
  HD 6+6 means add 7 to the 3D12 roll): 
   [7 or lower] Ring of Contrariness 
  (cursed) 
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
   [8-9] Ring of Delusion (cursed) 
   [10-11] Ring of Warmth 
   [12-13] Ring of Swimming 
   [14-15] Ring of Water Walking 
   [16-17] Ring of Feather Falling 
   [18-19] Ring of Animal Friendship 
   [20-21] Ring of Protection +1 
   [22-23] Ring of Jumping 
   [24-25] Ring of Chameleon Power 
   [26-27] Ring of Blinking 
   [28-29] Ring of Truth 
   [30-31] Ring of Free Action 
   [32-33] Ring of Invisibility 
   [34-35] Ring of the Ram 
   [36-37] Ring of Protection +2 
   [38-42] Ring of Fire Resistance 
  (prized by trolls far more than other 
  more powerful rings, for reasons you 
  might well imagine!) 
   [43+] Ring of Protection +3 
   
   
   
  Trolls and hags with magic rings are very 
  dangerous, and they will design their lairs 
  to maximize the power of those talismans’ 
  arcane blessings.  For example, a troll 
  chieftain with a Ring of Water Walking 
  might live on a nest-isle in the middle of a 
  flooded cave, and will wait to attack 
  intruders until they are wading toward his 
  lair in neck-deep water.  Magic rings can 
  increase the lethality of an encounter by a 
  significant degree; be clever and be ready in 
  your design! 
   
  Nest-Based Individual Treasure 
   
  Trolls and trolghuls (but not hags, who 
  sleep in furs and are far more civilized) keep 
  a little personal treasure hidden away in 
  their nests.  As Gygax tells us, the troll nest 
  is an infamous heaping pile of trash, sticks, 
  bones, 
  flesh-scraped 
  corpses, 
  rotting 
  vegetation, and cored-out animal pelts.  
  The entire mess is kept together with a 
  caked-on mix of dried mud and old 
  excrement (yes, really).  You can probably 
  imagine the smell, although you really 
  wouldn’t want to. 
  (Troll-giants, by the way, do not make 
  nests; they have a traditional giant’s ways.  
  But they will have the personal treasure 
  amounts listed here.) 
  The size of the nest denotes the status (hit 
  points) of the troll.  An ancient mountain 
  troll might even have a nest-mound 
  standing 7’ tall and 12’ wide at the base; a 
  typical cursed troll’s nest would be 2’-3’ tall 
  and 5’ wide.  The heap has a hole at the top, 
  and the troll hunches inside to sleep.  On 
  the floor of the hole are found the troll’s 
  “glitteries,” or baubles. 
  Each troll’s personal treasure, regardless of 
  species, can be rolled randomly as follows 
  (D100).  Add 1 to the roll for each hit point 
  that the troll possesses; for example, for the 
  nest of a troll with 33 hit points you would 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  roll 1D100+33.  If this level of detail is too 
  onerous, you can instead assume that all 
  troll nests will possess 3D10 of each coin 
  type. 
   [01-10] 1D10 of each lesser coin type 
  (copper, silver, electrum). 
   [11-20] 1D10 of each coin type 
  (copper, 
  silver, 
  electrum, 
  gold, 
  platinum). 
   [21-30] 10D10 of one preferred coin 
  type (electrum). 
   [31-50] 1D10 pretty tumble-stones 
  (uncut gems of base 10 gold piece 
  value). 
   [51-60] 10D10 of one preferred coin 
  type (gold). 
   [61-70] 2D10 of each coin type 
  (copper, 
  silver, 
  electrum, 
  gold, 
  platinum). 
   [71-80] 3D10 of each coin type 
  (copper, 
  silver, 
  electrum, 
  gold, 
  platinum). 
   [81-90] 4D10 of each coin type 
  (copper, 
  silver, 
  electrum, 
  gold, 
  platinum). 
   [91-100] 5D10 of each coin type 
  (copper, 
  silver, 
  electrum, 
  gold, 
  platinum). 
   [101-110] 10D10 of one preferred 
  coin type (platinum). 
   [111-130] 2D4 shiny stones (uncut 
  gems of base 50 gold piece value). 
   [131-150] 1D4+1 glittery-baubles 
  (uncut gems of base 100 gold piece 
  value). 
   [151+] 1D3 shiny-shiny baubles, yes 
  (uncut gems of base 500 gold piece 
  value). 
   (You can either roll nest treasures 
  before the game begins, or you can 
  roll them during play, forcing the 
  players 
  to 
  slowly 
  search 
  each 
  disgusting nest until they either give 
  up or slog on through to the very 
  end.) 
   
   
   
  Lair-Based Treasure I:  Complex System 
   
  The letter-based Treasure Type featured in 
  the Advanced RPG is deceptively complex, 
  with a careful reading being required to 
  discern where treasures are found (and in 
  what amounts).  The following is my own 
  interpretation of the conflicting Gygaxian 
  sources. 
  Lair-based treasures are only found in 
  monster lairs.  The Oldskull definition a lair 
  is “The place where the monster sleeps and 
  heals, and spends most of its time.”  
  Therefore, for trolls, the lair is typically a 
  cave, a ruined building, a dungeon 
  chamber, or an interconnected series of 
  adjacent rooms (perhaps 3 to 12 rooms in 
  all). 
  Most of the trolls who exist in a group will 
  be encountered in the lair.  As a basic 
  example, if there is a troll group with 15 
  normal trolls and 3 leaders, there will 
  probably be about 10-12 normal trolls 
  (along with all 3 leaders) in the lair at one 
  time.  The other 3-5 normal trolls would 
  either be wandering nearby, hunting, 
  scavenging, or away fulfilling some kind of 
  duty. 
  For trolls, the lair-based treasure will be 
  found in the location where the leader 
  dwells.  If there is no designated leader, the 
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
  treasure will be found in the location where 
  the troll with the highest hit points is. 
  Now here’s where things get tricky! 
  Under the full Gygaxian system (1977), the 
  listed treasure type is for a “mean” (average) 
  number of monsters appearing, as based 
  on the Number Appearing statistic for that 
  monster’s bestiary entry.  For example, for 
  cursed trolls, the listed Number Appearing 
  is 1 to 12, and the listed Treasure Type is 
  D.  By the book, this means that Treasure 
  Type D is present if 6.5 trolls are present in 
  the lair.  Being logical with that stat (hey, 
  there can’t be 6.5 trolls unless one is 
  regenerating after being hacked in half), we 
  can say that normal baseline Treasure Type 
  D is present if there are 6 or 7 trolls in the 
  lair. 
  The rules further state that a downward 
  adjustment must always be made when the 
  number of monsters in the lair is below 
  average.  In this instance, that means (for 
  example) that if there were 3 trolls in the 
  lair, Treasure Type D would be rolled, and 
  all rolled treasures would be halved.  
  Instead of 3,000 gold pieces, there would be 
  1,500; instead of 3 magic items, there 
  would be 1.5 (have fun with that); and so 
  forth.  A bit of eyeballing is required; for 
  example, if the 3 magic items were a sword, 
  a potion, and a scroll, the less valuable two 
  items would probably be present (likely the 
  potion and the scroll). 
   
   
  Complicating things further, the rules also 
  state that a “minor” upward adjustment 
  can be made if the number of monsters is 
  considerably above average.  In this case, 
  that means that if there are 10 to 12 trolls, 
  Treasure Type D would be increased 
  (perhaps to 4,000 gold pieces instead of 
  3,000, and perhaps 4 magic items instead 
  of 3). 
  Hereafter you will find my recommended 
  Treasure Types, Number Appearing factors, 
  and magic item distribution guidelines for 
  all of the various troll types.  Keep in mind 
  that the Number Appearing stats shown 
  here are NOT for determining how many 
  trolls are present (we already went over 
  that, in the detailed Challenge Level 
  section); the stat just appears here to fairly 
  adjust the amount of treasure appearing. 
  Always remember that under the Gygaxian 
  old school system, treasure is not a direct 
  indicator of monster lethality.  Some 
  relatively weak monsters have a lot of 
  treasure, by ratio; and some powerful 
  monsters have only a little treasure, or 
  none at all.  The system is designed to 
  portray a huge number of quasi-realistic 
  possibilities over a range, simulating a 
  world, instead of a video game-esque 
  interpretation of “fairness.”  Players who 
  demand lots of treasure, all the time, will 
  need to be told in complete sincerity that 
  their PCs should go hunt some dragons to 
  the exclusion of all other monster types. 
   
  Lair-Based Treasure II:  Hags 
   
  Brine Hags:  Maximum Typical Number 
  Appearing 4, Lair Treasure Types C and Y. 
   For 1 hag, use Treasure Types C and 
  Y, -50% coins, -50% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 2 or 3 hags, use unmodified 
  Treasure Types C and Y. 
  
   
  Page 45 | 115 
   
  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
   For 4 or 5 hags, use Treasure Types 
  C and Y, +10% coins, +10% gems and 
  jewelry, +1 magic item. 
   For 6 or more hags, use Treasure 
  Types C and Y, +20% coins, +20% 
  gems and jewelry, +2 magic items. 
   
   
   
  Emerald Hags:  Maximum Typical Number 
  Appearing 1, Lair Treasure Types Qx5, X. 
   Roll these Treasure Types for each 
  hag present.  For example, a lair with 
  3 emerald hags would have Treasure 
  Types Qx15, Xx3. 
   
  Nether Hags:  Maximum Typical Number 
  Appearing 3, Lair Treasure Type D. 
   For 1 hag, use Treasure Type D, -
  50% coins, -50% gems and jewelry, -
  1 magic item. 
   For 2 hags, use unmodified Treasure 
  Type D. 
   For 3 or 4 hags, use Treasure Type D, 
  +10% coins, +10% gems and jewelry, 
  +1 magic item. 
   For 5 or more hags, use Treasure 
  Type D, +20% coins, +20% gems and 
  jewelry, +2 magic items. 
   
  Shadow Hags:  Maximum Typical Number 
  Appearing 1, Lair Treasure Types none (by 
  the 
  book) 
  or 
  Qx3, 
  S 
  (Oldskull 
  recommendation). 
   Roll these Treasure Types for each 
  hag present.  For example, a lair with 
  3 shadow hags would have Treasure 
  Types Qx9, Sx3. 
   
  Special Note:  Hags with powerful usable 
  magical items will always carry them, and 
  will always use them in combat whenever 
  possible.  (Classic treasure items for hags 
  include potions, staves, crystal balls, and 
  brooms of flying.  A wand of polymorphing 
  or something similar can fit in perfectly 
  with the classic fairy tale witch trope as 
  well.)  Make these design decisions after the 
  treasure trove has been rolled. 
   
   
   
   
  
   
  Page 46 | 115 
   
  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
   
  Then the troll said some words to him 
  which he did not understand, and with 
  that the lad turned into a hare, and ran 
  out into the wood. He got plenty to run 
  for, too, for all the hunters aimed at him, 
  and tried to shoot him, and the dogs 
  barked and ran after him wherever they 
  got wind of him. 
   
  — The Pink Fairy Book, by Andrew Lang 
   
   
  Lair-Bases Treasure III:  Trolls 
   
  Bog Trolls:  Maximum Typical Number 
  Appearing 10, Lair Treasure Types C and 
  Q. 
   For 1 troll, use Treasure Types C and 
  Q, -90% coins, -90% gems and 
  jewelry, no magic items. 
   For 2 trolls, use Treasure Types C 
  and Q, -75% coins, -75% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 3 trolls, use Treasure Types C 
  and Q, -50% coins, -50% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 4 trolls, use Treasure Types C 
  and Q, -25% coins, -25% gems and 
  jewelry. 
   For 5 or 8 trolls, use unmodified 
  Treasure Types C and Q. 
   For 9 to 12 trolls, use Treasure Types 
  C and Q, +10% coins, +10% gems, +1 
  magic item. 
   For 13 or more trolls, use Treasure 
  Types C and Q, +20% coins, +20% 
  gems, +1 magic item. 
   
  Cave Trolls:  Maximum Typical Number 
  Appearing 12, Lair Treasure Type D. 
   For 1 troll, use Treasure Type D, -
  90% coins, -90% gems and jewelry, 
  no magic items. 
   For 2 trolls, use Treasure Type D, -
  75% coins, -75% gems and jewelry, -
  2 magic items. 
   For 2 or 3 trolls, use Treasure Type 
  D, -50% coins, -50% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 6 to 9 trolls, use unmodified 
  Treasure Type D. 
   For 10 to 12 trolls, use Treasure Type 
  D, +10% coins, +10% gems, +1 magic 
  item. 
   For 13 or more trolls, use Treasure 
  Type D, +20% coins, +20% gems, +1 
  magic item. 
   
  Cursed Trolls:  Maximum Typical Number 
  Appearing 12, Lair Treasure Type D. 
   For 1 troll, use Treasure Type D, -
  90% coins, -90% gems and jewelry, 
  no magic items. 
   For 2 trolls, use Treasure Type D, -
  75% coins, -75% gems and jewelry, -
  2 magic items. 
   For 2 or 3 trolls, use Treasure Type 
  D, -50% coins, -50% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 6 to 9 trolls, use unmodified 
  Treasure Type D. 
   For 10 to 12 trolls, use Treasure Type 
  D, +10% coins, +10% gems, +1 magic 
  item. 
   For 13 or more trolls, use Treasure 
  Type D, +20% coins, +20% gems, +1 
  magic item. 
   
  Forest Trolls:  Maximum Typical Number 
  Appearing 10, Lair Treasure Type C. 
  
   
  Page 47 | 115 
   
  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
   For 1 troll, use Treasure Type C, -
  90% coins, -90% gems and jewelry, 
  no magic items. 
   For 2 trolls, use Treasure Type C, -
  75% coins, -75% gems and jewelry, -
  1 magic item. 
   For 3 trolls, use Treasure Type C, -
  50% coins, -50% gems and jewelry, -
  1 magic item. 
   For 4 trolls, use Treasure Type C, -
  25% coins, -25% gems and jewelry. 
   For 5 or 8 trolls, use unmodified 
  Treasure Type C. 
   For 9 to 12 trolls, use Treasure Type 
  C, +10% coins, +10% gems, +1 magic 
  item. 
   For 13 or more trolls, use Treasure 
  Type C, +20% coins, +20% gems, +1 
  magic item. 
   
  Hill Trolls:  Maximum Typical Number 
  Appearing 12, Lair Treasure Type D. 
   For 1 troll, use Treasure Type D, -
  90% coins, -90% gems and jewelry, 
  no magic items. 
   For 2 trolls, use Treasure Type D, -
  75% coins, -75% gems and jewelry, -
  2 magic items. 
   For 2 or 3 trolls, use Treasure Type 
  D, -50% coins, -50% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 6 to 9 trolls, use unmodified 
  Treasure Type D. 
   For 10 to 12 trolls, use Treasure Type 
  D, +10% coins, +10% gems, +1 magic 
  item. 
   For 13 or more trolls, use Treasure 
  Type D, +20% coins, +20% gems, +1 
  magic item. 
   
  Lake Trolls:  Maximum Typical Number 
  Appearing 6, Lair Treasure Type C. 
   For 1 troll, use Treasure Type C, -
  75% coins, -75% gems and jewelry, -
  1 magic item. 
  For 2 or 3 trolls, use Treasure Type 
  C, -50% coins, -50% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 4 trolls, use Treasure Type C, -
  25% coins, -25% gems and jewelry. 
   For 5 to 7 trolls, use unmodified 
  Treasure Type C. 
   For 8 to 10 trolls, use Treasure Type 
  C, +10% coins, +10% gems, +1 magic 
  item. 
   For 11 or more trolls, use Treasure 
  Type C, +20% coins, +20% gems, +1 
  magic item. 
   
  Mountain Trolls:  Maximum Typical 
  Number Appearing 6, Lair Treasure Type D. 
   For 1 troll, use Treasure Type D, -
  75% coins, -75% gems and jewelry, -
  1 magic item. 
  o For 2 or 3 trolls, use Treasure 
  Type D, -50% coins, -50% 
  gems and jewelry, -1 magic 
  item. 
   For 4 trolls, use Treasure Type D, -
  25% coins, -25% gems and jewelry. 
   For 5 to 7 trolls, use unmodified 
  Treasure Type D. 
   For 8 to 10 trolls, use Treasure Type 
  D, +10% coins, +10% gems, +1 magic 
  item. 
   For 11 or more trolls, use Treasure 
  Type D, +20% coins, +20% gems, +1 
  magic item. 
   
  Sea Trolls:  Maximum Typical Number 
  Appearing 8, Lair Treasure Type D. 
  
   
  Page 48 | 115 
   
  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
   For 1 troll, use Treasure Type D, -
  75% coins, -75% gems and jewelry, -
  1 magic item. 
   For 2 trolls, use Treasure Type D, -
  50% coins, -50% gems and jewelry, -
  1 magic item. 
   For 3 trolls, use Treasure Type D, -
  50% coins, -50% gems and jewelry, -
  1 magic item. 
   For 4 to 7 trolls, use unmodified 
  Treasure Type D. 
   For 8 to 10 trolls, use Treasure Type 
  D, +10% coins, +10% gems, +1 magic 
  item. 
   For 11 or more trolls, use Treasure 
  Type D, +20% coins, +20% gems, +1 
  magic item. 
   
  Snow Trolls:  Maximum Typical Number 
  Appearing 12, Lair Treasure Type D. 
   For 1 troll, use Treasure Type D, -
  90% coins, -90% gems and jewelry, 
  no magic items. 
   For 2 trolls, use Treasure Type D, -
  75% coins, -75% gems and jewelry, -
  2 magic items. 
   For 2 or 3 trolls, use Treasure Type 
  D, -50% coins, -50% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 6 to 9 trolls, use unmodified 
  Treasure Type D. 
   For 10 to 12 trolls, use Treasure Type 
  D, +10% coins, +10% gems, +1 magic 
  item. 
   For 13 or more trolls, use Treasure 
  Type D, +20% coins, +20% gems, +1 
  magic item. 
   
  Stone Trolls:  Maximum Typical Number 
  Appearing 6, Lair Treasure Types C and 
  Qx2. 
   For 1 troll, use Treasure Types C and 
  Qx2, -75% coins, -75% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 2 trolls, use Treasure Types C 
  and Qx2, -50% coins, -50% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 3 to 5 trolls, use unmodified 
  Treasure Types C and Qx2. 
   For 6 to 8 trolls, use Treasure Types 
  C and Qx2, +10% coins, +10% gems, 
  +1 magic item. 
   For 9 or more trolls, use Treasure 
  Types C and Qx2, +20% coins, +20% 
  gems, +1 magic item. 
   
  Trolghuls:  Maximum Typical Number 
  Appearing 6, Lair Treasure Type C. 
   For 1 troll, use Treasure Type C, -
  75% coins, -75% gems and jewelry, -
  1 magic item. 
  For 2 or 3 trolls, use Treasure Type 
  C, -50% coins, -50% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 4 trolls, use Treasure Type C, -
  25% coins, -25% gems and jewelry. 
   For 5 to 7 trolls, use unmodified 
  Treasure Type C. 
   For 8 to 10 trolls, use Treasure Type 
  C, +10% coins, +10% gems, +1 magic 
  item. 
   For 11 or more trolls, use Treasure 
  Type C, +20% coins, +20% gems, +1 
  magic item. 
   
  Lair-Based Treasure IV:  Troll-Giants 
   
  Keep in mind that troll-giants typically 
  carry a fair amount of individual treasure, 
  while their stashed lair treasures tend to be 
  less valuable (by ratio) in comparison to 
  trolls. 
  
   
  Page 49 | 115 
   
  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  Troll-giants have less treasure than giants 
  do overall, with stronger troll-giant sub-
  races generally possessing more treasure 
  than individuals of weaker sub-races do. 
   
   
   
  Hill Troll-Giants:  Maximum Typical 
  Number Appearing 12, Lair Treasure 
  Type C. 
   For 1 troll-giant, use Treasure Type 
  C, -90% coins, -90% gems and 
  jewelry, no magic items. 
   For 2 troll-giants, use Treasure Type 
  C, -75% coins, -75% gems and 
  jewelry, -2 magic items. 
   For 2 or 3 troll-giants, use Treasure 
  Type C, -50% coins, -50% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 
  6 
  to 
  9 
  troll-giants, 
  use 
  unmodified Treasure Type C. 
   For 10 to 12 troll-giants, use 
  Treasure Type C, +10% coins, +10% 
  gems, +1 magic item. 
   For 13 or more troll-giants, use 
  Treasure Type C, +20% coins, +20% 
  gems, +1 magic item. 
   
  Stone Troll-Giants:  Maximum Typical 
  Number Appearing 10, Lair Treasure 
  Type D. 
   For 1 troll-giant, use Treasure Type 
  D, -90% coins, -90% gems and 
  jewelry, no magic items. 
   For 2 troll-giants, use Treasure Type 
  D, -75% coins, -75% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 3 troll-giants, use Treasure Type 
  D, -50% coins, -50% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 4 troll-giants, use Treasure Type 
  D, -25% coins, -25% gems and 
  jewelry. 
   For 
  5 
  or 
  8 
  troll-giants, 
  use 
  unmodified Treasure Type D. 
   For 9 to 12 troll-giants, use Treasure 
  Type D, +10% coins, +10% gems, +1 
  magic item. 
   For 13 or more troll-giants, use 
  Treasure Type D, +20% coins, +20% 
  gems, +1 magic item. 
   
  Frost Troll-Giants:  Maximum Number 
  Appearing 8, Lair Treasure Type C. 
   For 1 troll-giant, use Treasure Type 
  C, -75% coins, -75% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 2 troll-giants, use Treasure Type 
  C, -50% coins, -50% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 3 troll-giants, use Treasure Type 
  C, -50% coins, -50% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 
  4 
  to 
  7 
  troll-giants, 
  use 
  unmodified Treasure Type C. 
  
   
  Page 50 | 115 
   
  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
   For 8 to 10 troll-giants, use Treasure 
  Type C, +10% coins, +10% gems, +1 
  magic item. 
   For 11 or more troll-giants, use 
  Treasure Type C, +20% coins, +20% 
  gems, +1 magic item. 
   
  Fire Troll-Giants:  Maximum Number 
  Appearing 8, Lair Treasure Type C. 
   For 1 troll-giant, use Treasure Type 
  C, -75% coins, -75% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 2 troll-giants, use Treasure Type 
  C, -50% coins, -50% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 3 troll-giants, use Treasure Type 
  C, -50% coins, -50% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 
  4 
  to 
  7 
  troll-giants, 
  use 
  unmodified Treasure Type C. 
   For 8 to 10 troll-giants, use Treasure 
  Type C, +10% coins, +10% gems, +1 
  magic item. 
   For 11 or more troll-giants, use 
  Treasure Type C, +20% coins, +20% 
  gems, +1 magic item. 
   
  Two-Headed Troll-Giants:  Maximum 
  Typical 
  Number 
  Appearing 
  3, 
  Lair 
  Treasure Types D and Q. 
   For 1 troll-giant, use Treasure Types 
  D and Q, -75% coins, -75% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 2 troll-giants, use Treasure Types 
  D and Q, -50% coins, -50% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 3 troll-giants, use Treasure Types 
  D and Q, -50% coins, -50% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 
  4 
  to 
  7 
  troll-giants, 
  use 
  unmodified Treasure Types D and Q. 
   For 8 to 10 troll-giants, use Treasure 
  Types D and Q, +10% coins, +10% 
  gems, +1 magic item. 
   For 11 or more troll-giants, use 
  Treasure Types D and Q, +20% coins, 
  +20% gems, +1 magic item. 
   
  Mountain 
  Troll-Giants: 
   
  Maximum 
  Typical 
  Number 
  Appearing 
  3, 
  Lair 
  Treasure Types D and Q. 
   For 1 troll-giant, use Treasure Types 
  D and Q, -75% coins, -75% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 2 troll-giants, use Treasure Types 
  D and Q, -50% coins, -50% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 3 troll-giants, use Treasure Types 
  D and Q, -50% coins, -50% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 
  4 
  to 
  7 
  troll-giants, 
  use 
  unmodified Treasure Types D and Q. 
   For 8 to 10 troll-giants, use Treasure 
  Types D and Q, +10% coins, +10% 
  gems, +1 magic item. 
   For 11 or more troll-giants, use 
  Treasure Types D and Q, +20% coins, 
  +20% gems, +1 magic item. 
   
  Lair-Based Treasure V:  Exotic Trollkind 
   
  Great Elder Trolls 
   Great Elder Trolls have Treasure 
  Type H, along with the treasure 
  hoard of their followers. 
   
  Trolghuls:  Maximum Number Appearing 
  8, Lair Treasure Types D and Q. 
   For 1 troll, use Treasure Types D and 
  Q, -75% coins, -75% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
  
   
  Page 51 | 115 
   
  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
   For 2 trolls, use Treasure Types D 
  and Q, -50% coins, -50% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 3 trolls, use Treasure Types D 
  and Q, -50% coins, -50% gems and 
  jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 4 to 7 trolls, use unmodified 
  Treasure Types D and Q. 
   For 8 to 10 trolls, use Treasure Types 
  D and Q, +10% coins, +10% gems, +1 
  magic item. 
   For 11 or more trolls, use Treasure 
  Types D and Q, +20% coins, +20% 
  gems, +1 magic item. 
   
  Troldfolk:  Maximum Number Appearing 
  100, Lair Treasure Types A, Qx10. 
   For 20 or fewer troldfolk, use 
  Treasure Types A and Qx10, -90% 
  coins, -90% gems and jewelry, -2 
  magic items. 
   For 21 to 30 troldfolk, use Treasure 
  Types A and Qx10, -75% coins, -75% 
  gems and jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 31 to 40 troldfolk, use Treasure 
  Types A and Qx10, -50% coins, -50% 
  gems and jewelry, -1 magic item. 
   For 41 to 50 troldfolk, use Treasure 
  Types A and Qx10, -25% coins, -25% 
  gems and jewelry. 
   For 
  40 
  to 
  70 
  troldfolk, 
  use 
  unmodified Treasure Types A and 
  Qx10. 
   For 71 to 100 troldfolk, use Treasure 
  Types A and Qx10, +10% coins, 
  +10% gems, +1 magic item. 
   For 101 or more troldfolk, use 
  Treasure Types A and Qx10, +20% 
  coins, +20% gems, +1 magic item. 
   
   
   
   
  Lair-Based 
  Treasure 
  VI: 
   
  Unique 
  Creatures 
   
  These hoards are vast, but only the luckiest 
  and most powerful PC parties of experience 
  levels 16+ will ever claim them.  The Haga-
  Daimonai trove might be in reach for 
  parties of levels 11+. 
   
  The Haga-Daimonai:  Unique (Maximum 
  Typical 
  Number 
  Appearing 
  1), 
  Lair 
  Treasure Types S (100%), T (100%), V.  The 
  trolls found with the Haga-Daimonai will 
  have their own treasure as well. 
  The treasure will belong to the unholy fane, 
  and it will be cursed; anyone who takes a 
  single piece of it will suffer -2 to all saving 
  throws, -2 to hit, and -2 to all damage per 
  attack.  A Remove Curse spell will remove 
  one of these effects; 3 such castings would 
  be required to fully remove the threefold ill-
  omened auras from each of the treasure’s 
  thieves. 
   
  
   
  Page 52 | 115 
   
  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
  Groohlz-Drakha: 
   
  Unique 
  (Maximum 
  Typical 
  Number 
  Appearing 
  1), 
  Lair 
  Treasure Types H (100% chances), Qx20 
  (100% chances), S, T. 
  The treasure is cursed (-3 penalties instead 
  of -2, but otherwise as described above). 
   
  The Great Boyg:  Unique (Maximum 
  Typical 
  Number 
  Appearing 
  1), 
  Lair 
  Treasure Types H (100% chance), Qx30 
  (100% chances), Sx2, Tx2. 
  The treasure is cursed (-4, but otherwise as 
  above). 
   
  Trogool:  
  Unique (Maximum Typical 
  Number Appearing 1), Lair Treasure Types 
  Hx2 (100% chances on the first H, normal 
  chances on the second H), Qx50 (100% 
  chance).  Note that all items which could 
  perish over many centuries (potions, 
  scrolls, spell books, maps, furs, spices, etc.) 
  will be ancient and completely spoiled if 
  present.  Coins will be perfectly blank, of 
  metal but of no imprinted denomination. 
  The treasure is cursed (-4, but otherwise as 
  above). 
   
  Lair-Based Treasure VII:  Simple System 
   
  If all of the above is too much to deal with, 
  you can use the following rough statistical 
  averages for treasure type value instead.  
  You as the GM would decide which 
  treasures are present; a treasure worth 
  5,000 gold pieces might be all coins, all 
  gems, a mix, or a combination of coins, 
  gems, and art objects (urns, plates, 
  incense, spices, whatever).  Very fine and 
  fragile items however will not survive troll 
  handling. 
  There is not a simple way to judge magic 
  items in a trove; the GM will need to decide 
  on which items are present, if any.  You 
  might want to make a rough guideline to 
  follow, for example no magic items (or 1 
  potion) for a lair with 1 or 2 trolls, 1 magic 
  item for 3 to 6 trolls, 2 magic items for 7 to 
  12 trolls, and so forth, with more for leader 
  types or particularly deadly circumstances. 
  Simple recommendations for lair treasure 
  values are as follows: 
   Bog Trolls:  500 gold pieces worth of 
  non-magical lair treasure per troll. 
   Brine Hags:  1,700 gold pieces worth 
  of non-magical lair treasure per hag. 
   Cave Trolls:  700 gold pieces worth 
  of non-magical lair treasure per troll. 
   Cursed Trolls:  900 gold pieces 
  worth of non-magical lair treasure 
  per troll. 
   Emerald Hags:  2,500 gold pieces 
  worth of non-magical lair treasure 
  per hag. 
   Fire Troll-Giants:  700 gold pieces 
  worth of non-magical lair treasure 
  per troll-giant. 
   Forest Trolls:  350 gold pieces worth 
  of non-magical lair treasure per troll. 
   Frost Troll-Giants:  600 gold pieces 
  worth of non-magical lair treasure 
  per troll-giant. 
   Great Elder Troll:  5,000 gold piece 
  worth of non-magical lair treasure 
  per hit die; therefore a great elder 
  troll with 12+12 hit dice would have 
  60,000 gold pieces worth of treasure. 
   Hill Trolls:  800 gold pieces worth of 
  non-magical lair treasure per troll. 
   Hill Troll-Giants:  300 gold pieces 
  worth of non-magical lair treasure 
  per troll-giant. 
   Lake Trolls:  550 gold pieces worth 
  of non-magical lair treasure per troll. 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
   Mountain Trolls:  1,600 gold pieces 
  worth of non-magical lair treasure 
  per troll. 
   Mountain Troll-Giants:  800 gold 
  pieces worth of non-magical lair 
  treasure per troll. 
   Nether Hags:  1,900 gold pieces 
  worth of non-magical lair treasure 
  per hag. 
   Sea Trolls:  1,300 gold pieces worth 
  of non-magical lair treasure per troll. 
   Shadow Hags:  1,500 gold pieces 
  worth of non-magical lair treasure 
  per hag. 
   Snow Trolls:  850 gold pieces worth 
  of non-magical lair treasure per troll. 
   Stone Trolls:  850 gold pieces worth 
  of non-magical lair treasure per troll. 
   Stone Troll-Giants:  500 gold pieces 
  worth of non-magical lair treasure 
  per troll. 
   Troldfolk:  125 gold pieces worth of 
  non-magical 
  lair 
  treasure 
  per 
  individual. 
   Trolghuls:  500 gold pieces worth of 
  non-magical 
  lair 
  treasure 
  per 
  trolghul. 
   Two-Headed Troll-Giants:  600 gold 
  pieces worth of non-magical lair 
  treasure per troll-giant. 
   
  (Individual treasure is as determined in the 
  Complex System, which is particularly 
  important for troll-giants, because they 
  carry a considerable amount of their 
  treasure with them in giant sacks.) 
   
   
   
  Troll Young in Lairs 
   
   
  Troll Imp:  “Let me slash him on the 
  fingers!” 
  Troll Maidens:  “Oh, tear his eyes out and 
  cut off his ears!” 
  Troll Imps:  “Come, bite him!  Don’t let 
  him escape!  Now jump on his face!” 
   
  — Excerpts from Peer Gynt, by Henrik 
  Ibsen 
   
  The fact that there are both male and 
  female trolls — as featured in Peer Gynt and 
  many other folkloric works — points us to 
  an obvious inference:  Troll children exist 
  as well.  However, some play groups are 
  uncomfortable with the idea of butchering 
  monster young, which in turn calls into 
  question the Gygaxian idea of “innate 
  alignment.”  Are trolls — within a universe 
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
  of magic, ruled by true Heavenly gods and 
  arch-devils in their Hells — born as being 
  soulless and Chaotic Evil?  All signs point 
  to yes, but that is not a politically correct 
  standpoint for many to take in the 21st 
  Century.  Troll young exist in the World of 
  Oldskull, but you as the Game Master 
  should make a separate and personal 
  decision for the purposes of your own 
  campaign. 
  There is also the further matter of noting 
  that troll young are not featured in any of 
  the existing rule books or dungeon modules 
  that I know of.  The closest precedent is 
  giant young, as featured in the 1977 
  bestiary.  There, percentile dice are rolled 
  to determine the proportionate size, hit 
  dice, hit points, and attack capability of 
  giant children. 
  If you decide to include troll young in your 
  world, I recommend using the established 
  dragon age hierarchy as a rough guide to 
  determining their approximate stats along 
  a 10%-25%-50%-75% growth ratio.  Here is 
  an example, using the cursed troll male 
  adult as a useful paradigm: 
   
   Very 
  Young 
  Cursed 
  Troll 
  (Spawnling, 10% size):  Armor Class 
  7, Move 30’ (10’), Hit Dice 1-1*, 
  average hit points 4, # Attacks 3 claw 
  / claw / bite, Damage 1 / 1 / 1D2, 
  Special Abilities superior infravision 
  (90’), Special Attacks severed limbs 
  can still attack, Special Defenses 
  regeneration (1 hp per round), Save 
  As Fighter 1, Morale 6, Intelligence 
  Semi- (INT 2), Alignment Chaotic 
  Evil. 
   Young Cursed Troll (Broodling, 
  25% size):  Armor Class 6, Move 60’ 
  (20’), Hit Dice 2*, average hit points 
  9, # Attacks 3 claw / claw / bite, 
  Damage 1D2 / 1D2 / 1D4, Special 
  Abilities superior infravision (90’), 
  Special Attacks severed limbs can 
  still 
  attack, 
  Special 
  Defenses 
  regeneration (2 hp per round), Save 
  As Fighter 2, Morale 7, Intelligence 
  Semi- (INT 3), Alignment Chaotic 
  Evil. 
   Sub-Adult Cursed Troll (Urchin, 
  50% adult size):  Armor Class 5, 
  Move 90’ (30’), Hit Dice 3+3**, 
  average hit points 16, # Attacks 3 
  claw / claw / bite, Damage 1D2+2 / 
  1D2+2 / 1D6, Special Abilities 
  superior infravision (90’) ), Special 
  Attacks severed limbs can still 
  attack, 
  Special 
  Defenses 
  regeneration (2 hp per round), Save 
  As Fighter 4 (due to 3+3 HD), Morale 
  8, 
  Intelligence 
  Semi- 
  (INT 
  4), 
  Alignment Chaotic Evil. 
   Young Adult Cursed Troll (Troll-
  Kind, 75% adult size):  Armor Class 
  4, Move 120’ (40’), Hit Dice 5+2**, 
  average hit points 25, # Attacks 3 
  claw / claw / bite, Damage 1D4+2 / 
  1D4+2 / 2D4, Special Abilities 
  superior infravision (90’) ), Special 
  Attacks severed limbs can still 
  attack, 
  Special 
  Defenses 
  regeneration (3 hp per round), Save 
  As Fighter 6 (due to 5+2 HD), Morale 
  9, Intelligence low (INT 5), Alignment 
  Chaotic Evil. 
   
  A general guideline would be that 20% of 
  encountered trolls (in large lairs only) are 
  younger than adults, with their number 
  rounded down; and each age bracket 
  should have roughly the same number of 
  trolls, with near-adult trolls being more 
  common than younger ones.  (Trolls, unlike 
  most creatures, almost never die until the 
  PCs come along, due to their regenerative 
  powers.  If they bred more quickly, the 
  world would be overrun!) 
  As an example, a very large lair of 30 cursed 
  trolls would include 24 adults and 6 young 
  (1 very young, 1 young, 2 sub-adult, 2 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  young adult).  Grimly, we can assume that 
  troll children are eaten in times of 
  hardship, which would account for their 
  rarity. 
   
   
   
  Troll Fungus Gardens 
   
  Despite 
  their 
  frenetically-charged 
  metabolisms and raging surges of unholy 
  energy, at heart trolls are actually pretty 
  lazy.  They prefer to gurgle, crap, and sleep, 
  with some profound virtuosos of the species 
  being capable of indulging in all three of 
  these fine arts simultaneously. 
  Given their cunning and eagerness to both 
  rest and feed, it should come as no surprise 
  to learn that trolls frequently grow and 
  harvest fungal gardens.  They do so by 
  digging rotten gore and leathery carcasses 
  out of their nests, and infusing moist 
  cavern soil with piles of this disgusting 
  stuff.  A few drops of generative troll blood, 
  some patience, some symbiotic fire beetles 
  and cave crickets, and voila!  Instant 
  fungus garden … in 6 to 12 months, at 
  least. 
  The trolls don’t grow these gardens because 
  they like to eat mushrooms, although they 
  can do so in times of desperation.  Rather, 
  there are three reasons why trolls create 
  nether gardens when they have the means 
  to do so: 
  [1] The reek of fungus, as Gygax tells us, is 
  so pungent that it even masks troll stench 
  over a general subterranean area.  This 
  increases the chances of trolls surprising 
  intruders, which leads to more frequent 
  tasty 
  meals 
  (although 
  those 
  blasted 
  cavaliers and dwarf lords have very 
  crunchy shells that need to be popped 
  before you can dig the meaties out). 
  [2] Inevitably, a really huge and disgusting 
  fungal garden will sprout either shriekers, 
  violet fungi, or both.  Shriekers serve as 
  excellent alarm systems, as they can be 
  “trained” (through uprooting disagreeable 
  specimens) to only shriek when they are 
  exposed to bright light, which is always 
  brought by either adventurers or troll 
  hunters.  And violet fungi, while deadly, are 
  useful in killing a few intruders all on their 
  own. 
  And, 
  [3] Fungal gardens attract cave crickets, 
  fire 
  beetles, 
  giant 
  boring 
  beetles, 
  troglodytes, bugbears, and other useful 
  creatures who can serve as guardians for 
  the trolls (intentionally or not). 
   
   
   
  Whether or not a fungus garden is present 
  near a troll lair really depends on the 
  decisions of the Game Master.  Such places 
  
   
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  will only be found underground, and only 
  where there is room (on the dungeon map) 
  for a cavern or room of at least 3,000 
  square feet.  If both of these conditions are 
  met, the GM can assume a 2% chance per 
  normal troll present that a fungus garden 
  will exist. 
   
  If the garden is present, it will include the 
  following creatures: 
   4D4 shriekers, 90% of the time. 
   1D4+2 violet fungi, 70% of the time. 
   Symbiotic caretakers, 60% of the 
  time.  These will be 4D4 cave crickets 
  (30%), 1D4+1 giant boring beetles 
  (20%), 4D4 giant fire beetles (25%), 
  2D4+1 giant worker ants (15%), or 
  (10%) something rather surprising, 
  dreamed up by the GM. 
   Nasty parasitic thingies, 20% of the 
  time.  These might be green slime 
  pools, phyco-death fungi, yellow 
  mold patches, or something even 
  worse. 
   Guardian humanoids, 10% of the 
  time.  There will be 3D4 troglodytes, 
  2D4 bugbears, or something similar 
  at the GM’s discretion. 
   Each of these chances should be 
  checked individually; it is entirely 
  possible (for example) for a fungal 
  garden to be occupied by shriekers, 
  parasites, and guardian humanoids 
  simultaneously. 
   
  At times, adventurers will die in the garden 
  in a yucky way where the trolls cannot 
  safely interfere to grab their carried 
  treasures.  There might be a sinkhole, a 
  dangerous patch of mold, an acid pool, or 
  something similar.  In such cases there is a 
  chance that there will be additional 
  treasure 
  present, 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  overgrown 
  by 
  fungi 
  and 
  completely 
  forgotten by the trolls.  Such items will be 
  at the GM’s discretion, but they will not 
  include perishable items such as leather, 
  hides, fragile potion bottles, tapestries, and 
  so forth.  They will typically be metal 
  (coins), gemstones, or enduring magic 
  items. 
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  Chapter 4: 
  Champions of the Trolls 
   
   
  The Troll King:  “What do you mean to 
  do?” 
  Peer Gynt:  “To leave you.” 
  The King:  “Softly!  It is easy to get within 
  here, but the Troll King’s gate does not 
  open outward.” 
   
  — Peer Gynt, by Henrik Ibsen 
   
   
  Troll Leaders and Their 
  Protection 
   
  (GM Note:  Due to their great power and 
  lethality, leader types are never found 
  outside of the lair.  The “big ugly” option — 
  namely, a leader that is hardly a leader at 
  all — is left as a “safety valve” for those 
  Game Masters who do not wish to unduly 
  slaughter 
  their 
  campaign’s 
  Player 
  Characters.  When in doubt, include only a 
  big ugly without rolling for stronger leader 
  types.  The rest of the options in this chapter 
  have been specifically designed to challenge 
  adventurers of quite high experience levels, 
  typically levels 9 and higher.) 
   
  Wandering trolls, along with small troll 
  hunting groups, are foul enough.  But true 
  troll lairs are even more deadly than one 
  might expect, due to the presence of leaders 
  and their protectors.  Every troll lair will 
  have a leader of some kind.  The leader will 
  be a hag with a minimum of 6 hit points per 
  hit die (9% of the time), a Stor-Illr (literally 
  in Old Norse, a “big ugly”) 30% of the time, 
  a “normal” troll leader (60% of the time), or 
  the unique Haga-Daimonai (1% of the 
  time). 
   
  Hag Leaders:  A hag leader is known as an 
  Ividia-Kirling in the Old Nordic tongue.  The 
  type of hag present to lead the lair will 
  depend upon the sub-race of the normal 
  trolls she leads: 
   Bog trolls:  Led by an emerald hag. 
   Cave trolls:  Led by a nether hag. 
   Cursed trolls:  Led by either a nether 
  hag (60%) or shadow hag (40%). 
   Forest trolls:  Led by an emerald 
  hag. 
   Hill trolls:  Led by a shadow hag. 
   Lake trolls:  Led by an emerald hag. 
   Mountain trolls:  Led by a nether 
  hag. 
   Sea trolls:  Led by a brine hag. 
   Snow trolls:  Led by a shadow hag. 
   Stone trolls:  Led by a nether hag 
  (30%) or shadow hag (70%). 
  Hags 
  are 
  malicious 
  and 
  overbearing 
  leaders; the entire troll tribe will share the 
  alignment of the hag.  Note that this 
  seemingly minor circumstance could come 
  as a rude surprise to any uninformed 
  adventurers if, for example, they wander 
  across a new tribe of stone trolls and wish 
  to parley and barter in the name of peace! 
  If the lair has more than 16 normal trolls, 
  the Ividia-Kirling will have one daughter 
  (being a hag of the same type, but with a 
  maximum of 6 hit points per hit die).  If the 
  lair has more than 32 normal trolls, there 
  will be 1D3+1 such daughters present. 
  Further, there is a 2% chance per normal 
  troll present that the Ividia-Kirling will also 
  
   
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  be in control of 2D6 Cauldron Born, or 
  trolghuls. 
   
  The Big Uglies (as young Gygax was fond 
  of calling them):  If the tribe is led by a Stor-
  Illr, that simply means that the tribe is 
  disorganized.  Most commonly this means 
  that the former troll chieftain was slain in 
  battle and the remains were devoured to 
  empower the surviving members of the 
  tribe.  The troll leader in this group is 
  simply the one that is covered with the 
  most warts, while also possessing the 
  biggest teeth, the biggest claws, and so 
  forth.  Trolls respect all of those traits out 
  of base instinct and primal fear.  If a big 
  ugly is present it is simply a big troll with a 
  minimum of 7 hit points per hit die.  These 
  creatures gain +1 to all to hit rolls, and 
  inflict +1 damage per strike due to their 
  superior strength. 
   
  The Haga-Daimonai:  For this fun little 
  critter, refer to the end of this chapter.  
  Basically, the players should be warned 
  away by the Game Master (using an NPC 
  mouthpiece, warnings, signs of mutilated 
  corpses, and all of that good stuff) unless 
  they are of experience level 11 or higher.  
  The danger of this creature is somewhat 
  extreme. 
   
  Troll Leaders:  Most commonly, the leader 
  will be a chieftain (or more rarely, a 
  chieftess) of considerable wily cunning and 
  intelligence.  The size and power of the 
  leader will depend upon the number of 
  normal trolls present in the lair. 
   Up to 12 normal trolls:  The leader 
  will be a chieftain.  Chieftains have 
  a minimum of 7 hit points per hit die.  
  They gain a +1 bonus to their to hit 
  rolls, damage rolls, Intelligence, and 
  saving throws. 
   Between 13 and 24 normal trolls:  
  The leader will be a war chief.  War 
  chiefs have the maximum number of 
  hit points for their sub-race.  They 
  gain a +1 bonus to their to hit rolls, 
  +2 to damage rolls, +1 to Intelligence, 
  and +2 to saving throws. 
   Between 25 and 48 normal trolls:  
  The leader will be a great ugly troll 
  chief.  Great uglies (entitled Mikill-
  Illr) have the maximum number of hit 
  points for their sub-race.  They gain 
  a +2 bonus to their to hit rolls, 
  damage 
  rolls, 
  Intelligence, 
  and 
  saving throws.  A lair of this size will 
  feature Treasure Type A in addition 
  to 
  the 
  other 
  listed 
  appropriate 
  Treasure Types for the trolls’ race. 
   49 or more normal trolls (A):  If the 
  lair is not in or under a mountain 
  range, the leader will be known as 
  the King’s Claw.  A King’s Claw is 
  similar to a great ugly troll chief 
  (above), but also gains unshakable 
  morale (12) and a +3 bonus to all 
  saving throws (instead of +2).  The 
  presence of a King’s Claw ensures 
  that Treasure Types A and Qx10 will 
  be included in the lair, in addition to 
  all other troll treasures appropriate 
  to the race. 
   49 or more normal trolls (B):  If the 
  lair is in or under a mountain range, 
  the leader will be a Mountain King.  
  There is only one Mountain King (at 
  most) per mountain range in the 
  world, and there are no more than 13 
  in 
  existence 
  at 
  one 
  time; 
  the 
  legendary one known best (in Peer 
  Gynt) is named Dovregubbens the 
  All-Wise.  A Mountain King gains +4 
  hit dice; for example, a cursed troll 
  Mountain King would possess HD 
  10+6.  The Mountain King also has 
  the maximum number of possible hit 
  points (in this case, 86), and gains a 
  +3 
  bonus 
  to 
  damage 
  rolls, 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  intelligence, and saving throws.  The 
  King attacks as a monster of his hit 
  dice, rounded up if there’s any plus, 
  plus an additional one.  For example 
  a HD 10+6 Mountain King would 
  attack 
  as 
  a 
  12 
  HD 
  monster.  
  Uniquely, 
  Mountain 
  Kings 
  are 
  Chaotic 
  Neutral 
  and 
  somewhat 
  patient with granting audiences to 
  peaceful interlopers; their alignment 
  is shared by the rest of the tribe.  
  Idiots 
  who 
  behave 
  violently 
  or 
  without due respect will of course be 
  slaughtered and devoured.  The 
  presence of a Mountain King ensures 
  that Treasure Type H will be included 
  in deep-most vaults beneath the lair, 
  in addition to all other troll treasures 
  appropriate to the race. 
   
  Assistants to Troll Leaders:  Hags are 
  protected by the normal trolls, and 
  trolghuls, and their daughters, if any.  Big 
  uglies have no designated protectors, and 
  in fact they forbid such a station due to 
  their need to express perpetual dominance 
  over the tribe.  The Haga-Daimonai is found 
  with several other types of guardian trolls, 
  as explained in its own chapter.  “Normal” 
  troll 
  leaders, 
  however 
  — 
  including 
  chieftains of all ranks and Mountain Kings 
  — have several Great Trolls among them.  
  The Great Trolls are favored companions 
  who dwell in the leader’s den. 
  The assistants who will be present are as 
  follows: 
   Companions 
  of 
  a 
  Chieftain:  
  Chieftains have either 1D2 male 
  troll champions (60%) or 1D3+1 
  huge female consorts (40%).  Hit 
  dice are determined in accordance 
  with the appropriate sub-race’s hit 
  dice for male and female trolls.  For 
  those 
  sub-races 
  which 
  are 
  genderless, there will be 1D3 great 
  champions present.  All of these 
  guardian 
  creatures 
  possess 
  a 
  minimum of 6 hit points per hit die, 
  and they inflict +1 damage per 
  attack.  They are utterly fearless 
  (morale 12) and will actually fight to 
  the death in defense of the chieftain.  
  Great Trolls do not leave the lair. 
   Companions of a War Chief:  As 
  above, but there will be 1D3 male 
  troll 
  champions, 
  1D4+1 
  female 
  consorts, or 1D4 champions for the 
  genderless sub-races. 
   Companions of a Great Ugly Troll 
  Chief:  As above, but there will be 
  1D3+1 
  male 
  troll 
  companions, 
  1D4+2 female consorts, or 1D4+1 
  champions for the genderless sub-
  races. 
   Companions of a King’s Claw:  As 
  above, but there will be 1D4+1 male 
  troll companions, 1D6+2 female 
  consorts, or 1D6+1 champions for 
  the genderless sub-races. 
   Companions of a Mountain King:  
  As above, but there will be 1D6+1 
  male troll companions, 1D8+2 female 
  consorts (being a Queen under the 
  Mountain with +2 hit dice and 
  maximum hit points, and the rest 
  will be “handmaidens”), or 1D8+1 
  champions for the genderless sub-
  races. 
  The companion with the highest hit point 
  total is known as the “Great Fang,” and the 
  one with the second highest total is known 
  as the “Blood Claw.”  In any battles where 
  the Blood Claw is present, all normal trolls 
  will fight at +1 morale.  In any battles where 
  the Great Fang is present, all normal trolls 
  will fight at +2 morale.  And although the 
  leader rarely leaves the well-defended den, 
  if present in the room or cavern of battle all 
  normal trolls therein will fight to the death. 
   
  
   
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  All leaders’ dens are well-protected by the 
  tribe, geography, and perhaps even some 
  form of traps as well (pits are a perennial 
  favorite).  Troll leaders become big not 
  because they are born that way, but 
  because they are craftier and they have 
  devoured all of the lesser trolls who have 
  dared to challenge them.  Their lair-dens 
  are usually discovered behind a secret 
  door, or one-way door, through a cave 
  mouth blocked by a moveable boulder, or 
  something similar.  They will always be 
  found in close proximity to the normal 
  trolls they lead, although the normal trolls 
  are not allowed to dwell in the same 
  chamber. 
   
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  this 
  circumstantial 
  protection, there is a good chance that the 
  leader — troll or hag — will be protected by 
  ritualistic unholy armor.  This armor is 
  sacred to the tribe, and only the leader is 
  allowed to wear it.  The armor will typically 
  be “rattle armor,” which is made of broken 
  and re-stitched dwarven rib cages.  This 
  armor shows the grisly dominance of the 
  leader over that other upstart runty race 
  which dares to swear allegiance to a non-
  trollish “Mountain King” of their own.  
  Rattle armor gives a +1 bonus to Armor 
  Class.  The next higher tier is known as 
  bone armor, and is made of many victims’ 
  thigh bones lashed together with curling 
  pieces of leather and steel.  Bone armor 
  gives a +1 bonus to Armor Class.  The 
  highest tier of armor is called the Drakha-
  Veil, and it is actually magical, giving a +3 
  bonus to both Armor Class and saving 
  throws. 
   
  This 
  armor 
  is 
  cursed 
  to 
  disintegrate if its wearer is ever slain, or the 
  armor is somehow stolen. 
  The armor type belonging to the leader will 
  be as follows: 
   Big Ugly:  50% no armor, 45% rattle 
  armor, 5% bone armor. 
   Chieftain or Brine Hag:  90% rattle 
  armor, 10% bone armor. 
   War Chief or Emerald Hag:  70% 
  rattle armor, 30% bone armor. 
   Great Ugly Troll Chief or Shadow 
  Hag:  50% rattle armor, 45% bone 
  armor, 5% Drakha-Veil. 
   King’s Claw or Nether Hag:  75% 
  bone armor, 25% Drakha-Veil. 
   Mountain King:  Drakha-Veil. 
   (The Haga-Daimonai does not ever 
  wear armor, however.) 
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  Troll Spell Casters 
   
   
  They call me Trollkona … 
  Gnawer of the moon, 
  Gale-winder of the giants, 
  Bane of the storm-sun, 
  Maiden-in-misery to the seeress, 
  Hag and night-wanderer, 
  Devourer of the Heavens’ wheel. 
  What is a Troll but that? 
   
  — Skaldskaparmal, from the Prose Edda, 
  by Snorri Sturlusson 
   
   
  Quite separate and in addition to the 
  magic-wielding hags (described later), Gary 
  Gygax’s 1979 hardcover volume tells us 
  that the troll races have their own racial 
  spell casters hidden away in some of the 
  deepest caverns.  Some of these wise and 
  gifted trolls are shamans (tribal clerics), 
  and others are witch doctors (tribal 
  cleric/magic-users).  These are Mung’s 
  forsaken, his errant children, who covet 
  immortality and who abhor the natural 
  balance brought by one’s willing death. 
  There are unfortunately no guidelines given 
  for using or placing these unusual trolls, 
  but the 1980 deities’ tome gives us a few 
  more details.  I have provided a fuller 
  description of troll spell casters here for use 
  in world and dungeon design. 
  They are only found in lairs, and they 
  appear adjacent to any leader-types or 
  hags.  In other words, trollish spell casters 
  can be present even when the other special 
  types of superior trolls are present as well. 
  In the World of Oldskull campaign, are 
  trollish spell casters are Trollkona (female), 
  except for those troll sub-races which do 
  not have male and female genders.  The two 
  types of spell caster are mutually exclusive; 
  therefore a troll tribe will be either 
  unbelieving (60% chance), shamanic (20% 
  chance), or witch-wrought (20% chance). 
   
   
   
  The she-trolls gain their spells by praying 
  and sacrificing corpses to the Great Boyg, 
  the demigoddess of all trollkind.  Shamans 
  cast spells using bone harps (strung with 
  withered gut), plucking away to make eerie 
  simplistic songs which serve to cast the 
  spells.  Witch doctors use bone staves and 
  clack-helms made of stitched-together 
  skulls taken from victims (with dwarves’ 
  and 
  gnomes’ 
  skulls 
  being 
  preferred), 
  clacking out the somatic component of 
  their spells.  In the Scandinavian folklore, 
  the word “Trollkonst” roughly translates to 
  “black magic” or “witchcraft.”  The word 
  “Trollkonstnar” means “magicker” or “spell 
  caster.” 
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
   
  The level titles for the Trollkonstnar 
  Trollkonas are as follows: 
   Shamanic:  Wise Woman (level 1 
  cleric), Hag Dancer (level 2 cleric), 
  Crone-Seeress (level 3 cleric) 
   Witch-Wrought:  Troll-Witch (level 
  1/1 cleric/magic-user), Bone Hag 
  (level 2/2 cleric/magic-user), Blood 
  Crone (level 3/3 cleric/magic-user) 
   These titles apply in all cases, 
  because even for the troll sub-races 
  which do not have genders, the spell 
  casters are always regarded as 
  female because they embody the 
  power of the Great Boyg. 
   
  Per the deities’ tome rules, these casters 
  gain additional hit dice and hit points: 
   Wise Woman (C1):  Normal hit dice, 
  Intelligence 11, Wisdom 13 
   Hag Dancer (C2):  Normal hit dice, 
  +1D4 hit points, Intelligence 11, 
  Wisdom 14 
   Crone-Seeress (C3):  +1 hit die, 
  +2D4 hit points, Intelligence 11, 
  Wisdom 15 
   Troll-Witch (C1/M1):  Normal hit 
  dice, Intelligence 13, Wisdom 11 
   Bone Hag (C2/M2):  Normal hit dice, 
  +1D4+1 hit points, Intelligence 14, 
  Wisdom 11 
   Blood Crone (C3/M3):  +1 hit die, 
  +2D4+1 hit points, Intelligence 15, 
  Wisdom 11 
   
  Additionally, spell casting counts as a 
  special or exceptional ability.  Wise Women, 
  Hag Dancers, and Troll-Witches gain 1 
  asterisk (*) for a special ability.  Crone-
  Seeresses, Bone Hags, and Blood Crones 
  gain 2 asterisks (**) for an exceptional 
  ability. 
  All of these bonuses are added to the 
  Trollkona’s statistics, by race.  Here is an 
  example stat block for a Trollkona cursed 
  troll who is also a Blood Crone (C3/M3): 
   
  Cursed Trollkona, Blood Crone of the 
  Tribe:  Armor Class 4, Move 120’ (40’), Hit 
  Dice 6D8+2D4+4**** (attacks and saves as 
  a HD 8 monster), average hit points 36, # 
  Attacks 3 claw / claw / bite, Damage 1D6 
  / 1D6 / 1D10, Special Abilities battle up to 
  three foes simultaneously, great strength 
  (STR 18/01), superior infravision (90’), 
  spell caster (cleric 3 / magic-user 3), 
  Special Attacks severed limbs can still 
  attack, Special Defenses regeneration (3 hp 
  per round), Special Vulnerabilities cannot 
  regenerate acid or fire damage, Save As 
  Cleric / Magic-User 8/8 (using the best 
  available saving throw number for each 
  category), 
  Morale 
  11 
  (due 
  to 
  Fury 
  Forbidden 
  to 
  the 
  Boyg), 
  Intelligence 
  Exceptional (INT 15, WIS 11), Alignment 
  Chaotic Evil. 
   
  The number of spells available to a 
  Trollkonstnar are equivalent to those 
  available to a human cleric and/or magic-
  user of the same experience level(s).  They 
  do not gain bonus spells for high Wisdom, 
  and they do not require spell books or 
  material components (besides an unholy 
  symbol, which is typically a dwarf’s 
  painted, crushed-and-restitched ribcage, 
  used as a type of rattle).  The available 
  spells for troll spell casters are as follows: 
   Clerical spells, level 1:  Cause Fear, 
  Cause Light Wounds, Cure Light 
  Wounds, Darkness, Detect Good, 
  Detect Magic, Protection from Good 
  (preferred) 
   Clerical spells, level 2:  Augury, 
  Chant, Detect Charm, Resist Fire (a 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  favorite), Snake Charm, Speak with 
  Animals 
   Magical spells, level 1:  Affect 
  Normal Fires (used to reduce torch 
  and 
  lantern 
  flames 
  to 
  almost 
  nothing, preferred), Dancing Lights, 
  Identify, Push, Shield, Ventriloquism 
   Magical spells, level 2:  Audible 
  Glamer, 
  Detect 
  Invisibility, 
  Invisibility 
  (preferred), 
  Levitate, 
  Magic Mouth (used for lair defense, 
  alarum), Scare 
   
  The number and experience levels of any 
  spell casters present are based on the 
  number of normal trolls in the lair, as 
  follows: 
   In shamanic lairs with 10 or fewer 
  normal trolls:  1 Wise Woman (C1) 
   In shamanic lairs with 11 to 15 
  normal trolls:  1 Hag Dancer (C2) 
   In shamanic lairs with 16 to 20 
  normal trolls:  1 Crone-Seeress (C3) 
   In shamanic lairs with 21 to 25 
  normal trolls:  1 Crone-Seeress (C3) 
  and 1 Wise Woman (C1) 
   In shamanic lairs with 26 to 30 
  normal trolls:  1 Crone-Seeress (C3) 
  and 1 Hag Dancer (C2) 
   In shamanic lairs with 31 or more 
  normal trolls:  2 Crone-Seeresses 
  (C3) 
   In witch-wrought lairs with 10 or 
  fewer normal trolls:  1 Troll-Witch 
  (C1/M1) 
   In witch-wrought lairs with 11 to 15 
  normal trolls:  1 Bone Hag (C2/M2) 
   In witch-wrought lairs with 16 to 20 
  normal trolls:  1 Blood Crone 
  (C3/M3) 
   In witch-wrought lairs with 21 to 25 
  normal trolls:  1 Blood Crone 
  (C3/M3) and 1 Troll-Witch (C1/M1) 
   In witch-wrought lairs with 26 to 30 
  normal trolls:  1 Blood Crone 
  (C3/M3) and 1 Bone Hag (C2/M2) 
   In witch-wrought lairs with 31 or 
  more normal trolls:  2 Blood Crones 
  (C3/M3) 
   
  Both types of spell casters use brew 
  cauldrons, creating various vile mixes of 
  gore, bone meal, spice, and alcoholic spirits 
  for their followers to imbibe.  All of the 
  normal trolls in the tribe provide gory 
  droppings 
  and 
  gristly 
  bits 
  for 
  the 
  Trollkonstnar’s Boyg Cauldron.  They all 
  drink the horrific brews, as well, on a daily 
  basis.  This gives all trolls (including 
  leaders and the spell casters, and any hags) 
  the “Fury Forbidden to the Boyg,” which 
  causes them to suffer a -1 penalty to all to 
  hit rolls.  However, it also gives the trolls a 
  +1 bonus to morale, and a +1 to damage 
  inflicted 
  with 
  every 
  physical 
  attack 
  (whether a claw, bite, or weapon strike). 
   
   
   
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
  Lairs with troll spell casters are particularly 
  blessed, and as might be imagined the 
  trolls who protect the Trollkonstnar are 
  deadly and fearless hunters as well.  
  Because of this, troll lairs with spell casters 
  will always have all of the possible 
  treasures in the lair. 
  As an example, a review of the Treasure 
  Type table will reveal that Treasure Type C 
  normally has only a 20% chance for copper 
  pieces to be present, 30% for silver pieces, 
  10% for electrum pieces, 0% for gold pieces, 
  etc.  In a lair with a Boyg Cauldron and a 
  Trollkonstnar however, those percentages 
  would instead be 100% chance for copper 
  pieces, 100% chance for silver pieces, 100% 
  chance for electrum pieces, 0% for gold 
  pieces (still), and so on down the line, 
  including a 100% chance for magic items to 
  be present.  Any magic items which are 
  usable by the Trollkonstnar (clerical, 
  magical, rings, etc.) will certainly be used 
  in combat whenever possible. 
   
   
   
   
  The Insidious One: 
  Haga-Daimonai 
   
  (Author’s note:  This creature is partly 
  inspired by a very obscure unique demon-
  troll sub-type which Gary Gygax published 
  in a little-known geomorph supplement back 
  in 1977.) 
   
  There is one enigmatic horror in existence 
  which many adventurers have spoken of, 
  and some have even “slain” … only for it to 
  rise again in later generations, taking 
  vengeance upon those brazen mortals who 
  dare to breach and defile the unholy god-
  shrines of the trolls. 
  This 
  unique 
  creature 
  is 
  the 
  Haga-
  Daimonai, first born of the sheddings of 
  Trogool some thousands of years ago.  It is 
  thirteen feet tall, appearing much like a 
  mummified troll covered in withered vines 
  and shivering fungal growths.  Whatever it 
  is, it is not undead, and it does not feed.  
  The Haga cannot speak, for its lichen-
  bearded jaw is sewn shut with barbs of 
  adamantine steel.  But it possesses a vile 
  intelligence, which can be seen in its 
  glowing emerald eyes.  And it seems to have 
  been spawned with but a single purpose:  
  To defend altars, shrines, and unholy 
  places dedicated to Trogool, Groohlz-
  Drakha, or the Great Boyg. 
  The Haga can be found in any of these 
  subterranean fanes, typically accompanied 
  by 1D4+4 huge trolls (of any sub-species) 
  and either a crone or a great troll leader.  
  There will also be 5D4 normal trolls 
  present, of the appropriate sub-race (snow 
  trolls beneath a glacier, lake trolls on an 
  island, hill trolls in the highlands, and so 
  forth).  All of these creatures will share the 
  same alignment, Chaotic Evil.  These places 
  are frequently heaped with gory corpses 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  and the enchanted treasures won for the 
  glory of the troll gods. 
  Anyone who battles the Haga will quickly 
  learn that its powers of regeneration are 
  extreme, and it is utterly fearless (being 
  immune to magical fear, charm, beguiling, 
  psionics, or any form of mind influence).  It 
  will attack until destroyed, but it will not 
  pursue any who flee more than 240’ away 
  from its chosen unholy site.  Even if riddled 
  with arrows, it will simply stand and 
  regenerate endlessly.  The Haga can 
  apparently teleport at times, or it can be 
  “placed” by a higher power, because some 
  veteran 
  adventurers 
  have 
  reported 
  encountering the thing in separate shrines 
  located several hundred miles apart. 
  The Haga cannot be negotiated with, and 
  can only be appeased by those who fall to 
  their knees and offer one magic item for its 
  taking.  Curiously, despite the creature’s 
  intelligence it seems perfectly content to 
  accept an offered Potion of Healing or 
  something considerably more valuable.  
  Those who do not sacrifice one of their own 
  carried items will be destroyed.  Each 
  Player Character has a WISx2% chance to 
  know this legend (and the specific magic 
  item 
  offering 
  detail) 
  from 
  childhood, 
  although it is doubtful that anyone would 
  believe this creature truly exists, as it is a 
  “Bogeyman” that is whispered of by parents 
  in order to keep their children in good 
  graces of behavior.  The “destroyed only by 
  holy water” detail is much more obscure 
  and mostly known only to gnomish elders; 
  a sage could learn this in one week’s 
  research time (if asked how to destroy the 
  thing), and otherwise the PC with the 
  highest Wisdom score has a WISx1% 
  chance to remember the tale as told by a 
  grandparent long ago. 
  Any who manage to “slay” the Haga (reduce 
  it to zero hit points or lower) will learn that 
  it can regenerate damage caused even by 
  fire, acid, or lightning.  The only way to 
  annihilate it is to douse the remains with 
  holy water.  If the Haga truly dies, a “new” 
  one will arise from Trogool’s endless 
  sheddings in 13 years.  The risen thing will 
  then be teleported into the same shrine 
  where the previous Haga fell, or another 
  similar site nearby. 
   
  The Haga-Daimonai:  Armor Class -2, 
  Move 90’ (30’), Hit Dice 9****, Hit Points 70, 
  # Attacks 2 claw / claw, Damage 1D8+8 / 
  1D8+8, Special Abilities battle two foes 
  simultaneously, giant strength (STR 21), 
  superior infravision (90’), Special Attacks 
  severed limbs can still attack, cause 
  weakness (Each hit reduces a victim’s 
  current STR by -1, cumulative; but a 
  natural to hit roll of 20 results in a 
  permanent -1 STR loss which can only be 
  cured by a Cure Disease spell or similar 
  magic.  Temporary STR loss persists for 
  2D6 turns, meaning up to 2 hours.), 
  Special Defenses immune to mind attacks, 
  regeneration (7 hp per round), Special 
  Vulnerabilities can regenerate virtually all 
  damage, but not damage caused by holy 
  water, Save As Fighter 9, Morale 12, 
  Intelligent genius (INT 18), Alignment 
  Chaotic Evil with Neutral tendencies (but 
  will cease fighting if all who oppose it offer 
  magic items). 
   
   
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
  Chapter 5: 
  Of Hags and Wizened 
  Troll-Daughters 
   
   
  In they went then, and no sooner did the 
  hag see them than she said, “So you have 
  come, Prince Ring; you must have seen to 
  my husband and children.” 
  Snati saw that she was about to attack 
  them, and sprang at her with a red-hot 
  iron from the fire, while Ring kept 
  pouring boiling porridge on her without 
  stopping, and in this way they at last got 
  her killed.  Then they burned the old troll 
  and her to ashes, and explored the cave, 
  where they found plenty of gold and 
  treasures. 
   
  — The Yellow Fairy Book, by Andrew Lang 
   
   
   
   
  Hags are one of the most confusing types of 
  monsters in the game.  Some people think 
  they’re merely witches, but their unholy 
  powers and extra-planar origins make it 
  clear that their woman-like appearance is 
  only a matter of mockery, not kinship with 
  humankind.  It is also puzzling that they 
  are always old, and always female. 
   
  When we dig into the lore which Gary 
  Gygax used in developing his array of 
  monsters, we find tantalizing clues which 
  lead us to the possibility that hags are 
  actually elderly female trolls, or somehow 
  associated with giantesses (just as female 
  trolls are in the Norse mythology).  There is 
  also the strange matter that female trolls 
  are featured in Gary’s preferred Norse and 
  Scandinavian mythology sources (such as 
  the Edda), but while he drew out a lot of 
  Nordic lore for use in the RPG, he left the 
  specific Trollkona (troll-wife) archetype 
  behind. 
  In the mythic and folkloric World of 
  Oldskull campaign, hags are strongly 
  related to trolls, but they are not just 
  females of the various troll sub-races.  Due 
  to their highly magical nature they are 
  other … incarnated as matriarchal evil 
  spirits, wreaking a powerful influence upon 
  the existence of troll-kind, while remaining 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  apart from the crude bloodlines of the 
  larger trollish order. 
  For those Game Masters who want to 
  consider allying the hag races with the 
  trolls, details are provided here.  For those 
  who would rather not, hags can be kept 
  entirely separate and these tentative 
  connections can be disregarded. 
  Here is the mythic lore from the Pegana 
  Mythos as featured in the World of Oldskull 
  campaign, for those Game Masters who 
  wish to use my lore in their own worlds: 
  As told in the age-old fable of Arb-Rin-
  Hadith, there was once a terrible blood feud 
  between Women and Men as a result of the 
  years-long pestilence which ravaged the 
  holy temple vale of Sidith.  During this dark 
  time, many blasphemies upon the near-
  blameless Matriarchy were committed.  
  Many of the women who were slain by the 
  terrible “Blood Ones” during this time were 
  priestesses 
  and 
  prophetesses 
  of 
  considerable power.  Some of them 
  magically cursed the men who murdered 
  them, and vowed to rise in undeath to 
  wreak vengeance upon the bloodlines of 
  their slayers. 
  These included the risen Lich Maidens 
  Hagath, Annis, Brinhilde, and Griselde, 
  and perhaps the Vampiric Maidens Lilith 
  and Lamia as well.  Although all of the Lich 
  Maidens were destroyed and their remains 
  purified long ago, the blood curses of 
  hatred were never truly lifted. 
  There rose from the blood-ichor of the 
  defeated Lich Maidens four forms of female 
  spirit.  While not truly undead, these born-
  ancient crones are compelled by the curses 
  to seek the corruption, annihilation, or the 
  enslavement of blameless and guilty Men 
  alike.  These are the hags.  All are 
  poisonous, 
  hateful, 
  immense 
  (though 
  gaunt and crouched), elderly and incredibly 
  strong.  It is whispered that evil giants 
  sometimes take Hags as their brides. 
  The four main hierarchies of Hag include 
  the Brine Hags of Brinhilde, the Emerald 
  Hags of Griselde, the Nether Hags of Annis, 
  and the Shadow Hags of Hagath.  Many of 
  these creatures are allied with familiar 
  beasts, who are typically imps or quasits.  
  The familiars tend to take the forms of cats, 
  ravens, toads, giant rats, rat-things, or 
  similarly small and stealthy beasties.  In 
  these shapes they serve as scouts, spies, 
  observers and even emissaries on behalf of 
  the hags and their allied troll-kin. 
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
  BRINE HAGS 
  (Old Norse = SAER-VOLVA) 
   
   
  They had sailed for several days, when 
  the breeze suddenly fell, and there came 
  a dead calm, at a time when they needed 
  only one day’s voyage to reach home.  
  Sigurd and his Queen were one day on 
  deck, when most of the others on the ship 
  had fallen asleep. 
  There they sat and talked for a while, and 
  had their little son along with them.  After 
  a time Sigurd became so heavy with sleep 
  that he could no longer keep awake, so he 
  went below and lay down, leaving the 
  Queen alone on the deck, playing with 
  her son. 
  A good while after Sigurd had gone below 
  the Queen saw something black on the 
  sea, which seemed to be coming nearer.  
  As it approached she could make out that 
  it was a boat, and could see the figure of 
  some one sitting in it and rowing it. 
  At last the boat came alongside the ship, 
  and now the Queen saw that it was a 
  stone boat, out of which there came up 
  on board the ship a fearfully ugly Witch. 
  The Queen was more frightened than 
  words can describe, and could neither 
  speak a word nor move from the place so 
  as to awaken the King or the sailors. 
  The Witch came right up to the Queen, 
  took the child from her and laid it on the 
  deck; then she took the Queen, and 
  stripped her of all her fine clothes, which 
  she proceeded to put on herself, and 
  looked then like a human being. Last of 
  all she took the Queen, put her into the 
  boat, and said — 
  “This spell I lay upon you, that you 
  slacken not your course until you come 
  to my brother in the Underworld …” 
   
  — The Yellow Fairy Book, by Andrew Lang 
   
  Brine hags, or sea witches, are sea-dwelling 
  crones.  They frequently ally themselves 
  with sea trolls, merrow (sea ogres), aquatic 
  hobgoblins, and Deep Ones.  Their dread 
  gazes, evoking the horrific Visage of Mung, 
  are capable of slaying mortals where they 
  stand.  (Trolls and hags are immune to this 
  vile form of death magic.)  Some hags are 
  able to raise their horror-struck mortal 
  victims 
  as 
  the 
  undead, 
  and 
  such 
  unfortunate souls rise in the form of 
  drowned zombies, aquatic ghouls, shoal 
  ghasts, Topielce wraiths, or even worse 
  things besides. 
  Brine hags loathe mankind and they covet 
  wondrous treasures — particularly magic 
  items.  Therefore they frequently accost 
  treasure 
  ships, 
  shorelines 
  hamlets, 
  maritime explorers’ fleets, and trading 
  vessels. 
  The progenitor matriarch of the bring hags 
  was Brinhilde, a hideous creature of 
  considerable power (quadruple hit dice and 
  maximum hit points, HD 12, hp 96).  She 
  once held sway over a coven of thirteen 
  daughters and an entire court of vile 
  undead, terrorizing the mist-enshrouded 
  islets which encircle the treacherous 
  “Maelstrom” whirlpool that is found in the 
  Norvegian waters of Saltfjorden. 
  Note that all hags are born old (from a black 
  cauldron ritual), and they can frequently 
  endure for centuries until they are wiped 
  out by heroes or divine magics.  It is 
  therefore possible, although unlikely, that 
  the terrible Brinhilde still holds dominion 
  over 
  a 
  seaweed-enshrouded 
  palace 
  somewhere in the frigid and briny deeps 
  which lie between Midgard and Caledonia. 
   
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  Brine Hag:  Armor Class 7, Move 150’ (50’) 
  / Swim 150’ (50’), Hit Dice 3****, average 
  hit points 14, # Attacks 1 dagger, Damage 
  1D4, Special Abilities water breathing, 
  Special Attacks cause fright, death gaze, 
  Special Defenses magic resistance (50%), 
  Save 
  As 
  Magic-User 
  3, 
  Morale 
  9, 
  Intelligence average (INT 10), Alignment 
  Chaotic Evil. 
   
   
  EMERALD HAGS 
  (Old Norse = GROENN-VOLVA) 
   
   
  The way led over a little stream which 
  flows into Vidostern Lake, and across the 
  stream was a bridge, known as the Earth 
  Bridge, and on the bridge stood two witch 
  trolls, busy washing.  As the woman 
  came riding across the bridge, one of the 
  witch trolls called out to the other, 
  “Hurry, and tear her head from her 
  shoulders!” 
   
  — The Swedish Fairy Book, by Klara 
  Stroebe 
   
   
  Emerald hags, or green witches, are 
  hideous crones who favor swamps, wet and 
  misty forests, lakes, rivers, and quicksand 
  bogs.  They sometimes lair beneath bridges, 
  or at ford-crossings, simply because those 
  places are commonly frequented by those 
  frail delicious morsels who call themselves 
  “adventurers” or “merchants.” 
  These creatures embody the magical 
  essence of ancient giantesses, a boon which 
  makes them supernaturally strong (STR 
  18/00).  They use their powers of mimicry, 
  deception, 
  and 
  appearance-altering 
  illusions to draw prey into vulnerable 
  positions.  Common ploys involve inviting 
  adventurers into a hut for healing and 
  storytelling; feigning injury beside a broken 
  cart or wagon; sobbing on the side of a river 
  (while wearing a noble maiden’s robes); 
  crying for help in a child’s voice from out of 
  a quicksand thicket; and so on. 
  Emerald hags are known to Achaea and 
  Britannia, and are particularly found in 
  their homelands of Caledonia (mythic 
  Scotland) and Hibernia (mythic Ireland).  
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
  The more notorious ones are known by 
  “bogey-woman” names, and are whispered 
  of to errant children in hushed voices when 
  bedtime comes around.  Famous ones 
  include Achlys, Glaistic, Grindylow, Jenny 
  Greenteeth, Gwilloin, Makva, Peg Powler, 
  and Shellycoat. 
   
   
  Come give us a kiss, my pretties! 
   
  The progenitor matriarch of the emerald 
  hags was known as Griselde, the Grey One; 
  she was a being of terrible unholy power 
  (with double hit dice and maximum hit 
  points, HD 18, hp 144).  For some unknown 
  reason there was considerable enmity 
  between the Grey One and Baba Yaga.  
  Nightmare whispers speak of an emerald 
  shadow palace which sometimes appears 
  atop the low, strangely-hued clouds which 
  come before Hibernian thunderstorms.  
  Further, it is said that this foul ruin is the 
  accursed abode of either the ancient 
  Griselde or some few of her surviving 
  daughters. 
   
  Emerald Hag:  Armor Class -2 (unholy 
  aura), Move 120’ (40’) / Swim 120’ (40’), Hit 
  Dice 9***, average hit points 41, # Attacks 
  2 Claw / Claw, Damage 1D2+6 / 1D2+6, 
  Special Abilities audible glamer, change 
  self, 
  dancing 
  lights, 
  infravision 
  (60’), 
  mimicry, move silently, pass without trace, 
  speak with monsters, superior strength 
  (STR 18/00), surprise on a 1-5 on 1D6, 
  ultravision 
  (120’), 
  water 
  breathing, 
  weakness, 
  Special 
  Attacks, 
  Special 
  Defenses 
  invisibility, 
  magic 
  resistance 
  (35%), surprised only on a 1 (1D20, 5%), 
  Save 
  As 
  Magic-User 
  9, 
  Morale 
  10, 
  Intelligence average to very (INT 10-14), 
  Alignment Neutral Evil. 
   
  NETHER HAGS 
  (Old Norse = HELLIR-VOLVA) 
   
   
  ’Tis said the soul of mortal man recoiled 
  To view Black Annis’ eye, so fierce and 
  wild … 
  Vast talons, foul with human flesh, there 
  grew 
  In place of hands, and features livid blue 
  Glared in her visage, whilst her obscene 
  waist 
  Warm skins of human victims close 
  embraced. 
  Not without terror they the cave survey, 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  Where hung the monstrous trophies of her 
  sway. 
  ’Tis said that in the rock, large rooms were 
  found 
  Scooped with her claws 
  Beneath the flinty ground. 
   
  — A poem by John Heyrick (1895) 
   
   
   
   
  Nether hags, akin to the Grendel-Modor, 
  are vicious creatures who prefer the 
  company of trolls and giants.  They are 
  known as Kutshedra or Cauldron Mothers 
  in some mythologies and are always found 
  brewing disgusting alchemical concoctions 
  made of herbs, old vegetables, animal 
  entrails, and severed parts of victims’ 
  bodies.  They are similar to emerald hags in 
  behavior, but they prefer to dwell in 
  caverns, 
  ruins, 
  dungeons, 
  and 
  subterranean 
  fanes 
  throughout 
  the 
  underworld.  Rumors hold that the 
  enigmatic blood lineage of Baba Yaga 
  herself runs through several centuries of 
  the nether hag ancestry. 
  The progenitor matriarch of this bloodline 
  is Black Annis, an arcane crone of wicked 
  prowess and legendary machinations (of 
  double hit dice and maximum hit points, 
  HD 7+12, hp 68).  She yet lives despite 
  many centuries of hunting by intrepid 
  crone slayers, troll hunters, and would-be 
  heroes.  The primary entrance to her nether 
  domain lies within the province of Leicester 
  in Britannia, beneath an ancient oak tree 
  known as the Twisted Dane.  The troll-
  infested tunnels there below are filled with 
  many dangers, including giant spiders, 
  demon-kin, 
  barrow 
  wights, 
  and 
  incomprehensible horrors from out of the 
  Outer Dark. 
   
  Nether Hag:  Armor Class 0 (enchanted 
  iron flesh), Move 150’ (50’), Hit Dice 7+3*** 
  to 7+12*** (average 7+8***), average hit 
  points 41, # Attacks 3 Claw / Claw / Bite, 
  Damage 1D8+8 / 1D8+8 / 2D4+1, Special 
  Abilities change self, excellent infravision 
  (120’), giant strength (STR 19), Special 
  Attacks grapple foe, Special Defenses fog 
  cloud, immune to illusion spells, resistant 
  to edged weapons (which inflict -1 damage), 
  Special 
  Vulnerabilities 
  susceptible 
  to 
  bludgeoning weapons (which inflict +1 
  damage), Save As Magic-User 9 (due to hit 
  dice), Morale 10, Intelligence average to 
  exceptional (INT 10 to 16), Alignment 
  Chaotic Evil. 
   
  SHADOW HAGS 
  (Old Norse = GRIMA-VOLVA) 
   
   
  Round about the cauldron go; 
  In the poison’d entrails throw. 
  Toad, that under cold stone 
  Days and nights has thirty-one 
  Swelter’d venom sleeping got, 
  Boil thou first I’ the charmed pot. 
  Double, double toil and trouble; 
  
   
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  Fire burn, and cauldron bubble. 
   
  Fillet of a fenny snake, 
  In the cauldron boil and bake; 
  Eye of newt and toe of frog, 
  Wool of bat and tongue of dog, 
  Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting, 
  Lizard’s leg and owlet’s wing, 
  For a charm of powerful trouble, 
  Like a hell-broth boil and bubble! 
   
  — MacBeth, by William Shakespeare 
   
   
  Shadow hags, or night crones, are the most 
  secretive, stealthy, and beguiling form of 
  troll-crone.  They are the Weird Sisters, and 
  while capable of tempting deception they do 
  not always face their foes directly; some 
  favor inducing madness through the 
  Dreamlands, or accosting their victims in a 
  form of vampiric sleep paralysis over a 
  period of many nights.  They are planes 
  walkers, known to bargain with both devils 
  and demon-kind.  Those who do brave 
  combat directly are frequently supported 
  by powerful evil allies, including demons, 
  nightmare steeds, trolls, or “Sisterlings” 
  who hail from the other hag covens. 
  The progenitor matriarch of the shadow 
  hag bloodline was Hagath, a powerful 
  alchemist 
  known 
  for 
  her 
  unique 
  polymorphing abilities.  (She preferred 
  turning victims into giant rats if she wished 
  to eat them, or into toads if she did not.)  
  Other famous hags from this prodigious 
  ancestry include Bercht, Cailleach Bheur, 
  Calill Eaca, Deino, Enyo, Haetes, Hecate 
  the 
  Youngest, 
  Hexe, 
  Krisky, 
  Maera, 
  Nocnitsa, Pemphredo, Percht, Plaksy, and 
  Zelos. 
   
  Shadow Hag:  Armor Class 9, Move 90’ 
  (30’), Hit Dice 8****, average hit points 36, 
  # Attacks 1 Bite, Damage 2D6, Special 
  Abilities astral projection, cure disease 
  (periapt), demon gate, devil gate, ethereal 
  travel, excellent infravision (120’), know 
  alignment, planar travel, polymorph self, 
  Special Attacks hag riding, magic missile, 
  ray 
  of 
  enfeeblement, 
  sleep 
  curse, 
  strangling, Special Defenses +3 or better 
  weapon to hit, +2 to saving throws (periapt), 
  immune to cold and fire, immune to sleep, 
  charm, and fear spells, magic resistance 
  (65%), 
  Save 
  As 
  Magic-User 
  8 
  (and 
  additional +2 due to periapt), Morale 11, 
  Intelligence exceptional (INT 16), Alignment 
  Neutral Evil. 
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  Chapter 6: 
  The Troll-Giants 
   
  The blasphemous troll-giants of Nordic lore 
  are not as uncommon as one might think, 
  as hags seek to gain power over the mortal 
  world by siring powerful children.  These 
  creatures are the offspring of a powerful 
  male giant, and a shape-shifting hag 
  (typically a shadow hag, although cauldron 
  rituals exist in which all of the hag types 
  can temporarily take on the form of a 
  giantess in a special non-combat situation). 
  The ritual which allows a hag to take on the 
  form of a giantess also allows her to 
  manipulate her appearance.  She can then 
  seduce the most powerful giant that she 
  can find.  This is not a polymorph or shape 
  change spell, per se; it is an ancient 
  ritualistic effect which takes a considerable 
  time to prepare through the use of 
  influential cauldron brews, stick figure 
  construction, Jotunn mantras, and so 
  forth.  Outside of the circles of hags and 
  troll matriarchs, the required rituals are 
  virtually unknown even amongst elven 
  elders and mortal sages.   
  It is also said that magical troll crones 
  (shamanesses and witch doctors) can mate 
  with giants, but due to their lack of 
  polymorphing or shape-shifting ability 
  such crosses are more rare.  Make of that 
  what you will. 
  Troll-giants are always born male (but see 
  below).  Their claws are thicker and weaker 
  than a troll’s, while their teeth tend to be 
  protruding and tusk-like.  They favor the 
  use of melee weapons, as their fathers do; 
  but in close combat they can use their 
  claws in hammer-blow punches instead.  
  The giantish skill of throwing boulders in 
  combat is largely unknown to them.  They 
  do not bite their prey, either (just as giants 
  do not).  Due to the dark and esoteric 
  cauldron rituals, which involve infusions of 
  troll’s blood to ensure a birth, the troll-
  giants are born with regenerative powers 
  and other powers possessed by either 
  giants or trolls. 
  Note however that troll-giant regeneration 
  tends to be slower when compared to the 
  potency of full-blooded trolls, and troll-
  giants cannot survive decapitation (and 
  cannot re-bond severed limbs).  So hang on 
  to those ever-handy vorpal swords if you 
  have them! 
   
   
  A face only a mother could love? 
   
   
  
   
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  When 
  the 
  prospective 
  mother 
  is 
  impregnated by the giant, she will either 
  vanish from the giant’s lair, or the giant will 
  be exiled from the crone’s lair.  The children 
  are raised by the hag and any other 
  members of the tribe.  Some hag-sons 
  choose to stay with their hag mothers, 
  while others seek out either giants or trolls 
  … perhaps depending on their parentage, 
  or their instincts, or some fell purpose 
  entirely unknown to us. 
  There are other mysteries to consider as 
  well.  It is said that there is another, fouler 
  cauldron ritual in which a troll-giant can 
  choose (agonizingly) to be cut apart, with its 
  own regenerative blood serving to empower 
  the black magic of the unholy and 
  procreative brew.  This ritual is sometimes 
  conducted 
  because 
  troll-giant 
  males 
  eventually die from weakness and old age, 
  but hags do not.  This “crone resurrection” 
  is a form of monstrous and transformative 
  immortality.  The few crone-sons who dare 
  to sacrifice themselves in this manner are 
  reborn ancient, as hags (females) of the 
  same sub-race as their mother.  It is 
  believed that this is the only way in which 
  new hags can be born into the world, but 
  when one considers the ghastly manner in 
  which extra-planar demons and devils are 
  made from necrotic and resurrected flesh, 
  no one can ever truly be certain. 
  Regardless of their origin, troll-giants are 
  frequently outnumbered by their kin.  If 
  encountered with their hag mother, the hag 
  will be accompanied by 1D2 sons who 
  share their giant race with their father’s 
  bloodline.  Only 10% of troll lairs have troll-
  giants as members, while 20% of giant lairs 
  feature them.  The number of troll-giants 
  appearing in a troll or giant lair is usually 
  equal to about 10%-15% of the number of 
  adults 
  of 
  the 
  outnumbering 
  species, 
  rounded up.  For example, a lair with 23 
  fire giants would also have 3 or 4 fire troll-
  giants. 
   
  FIRE TROLL-GIANTS 
  (Old Norse = ELDR TROLL-JOTUNN) 
   
   
   
  Fire troll-giants are born of a fire giant 
  father and a hag or troll mother.  Like their 
  sires, they are Lawful Evil, fearsome, 
  tyrannical, 
  treasure-hoarding 
  creatures 
  who prefer to lair near geysers, fiery 
  deserts, or volcanoes.  Average height is 
  only 10’6”, but they are very broad of 
  shoulder, and thick with twisted muscles.  
  Favored weapons include great swords, 
  mauls, hammers, and maces. 
  And for those keeping score at home, you 
  might have already figured out that fire 
  troll-giants are the deadliest sub-race, 
  because they share their fathers’ immunity 
  to fire, up to and include red dragons’ 
  breath!  Acid damage, lightning damage, or 
  decapitation are required to lay them low. 
  As a practical matter, I recommend that 
  Game Masters allow any troll-giant slain — 
  or slain in part — by large edged weapons 
  such as swords, and reduced to -10 hit 
  points, to be considered dead and unable to 
  
   
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  regenerate any further.  This ruling should 
  apply to troll-giants of all races.  Dwarves 
  and gnomes will know this life-saving bit of 
  information automatically (due to their age 
  and upbringing), while other would-be 
  slayers might well need to learn the grim 
  truth of this unforeseen matter through 
  trial and error. 
   
  Eldr 
  Troll-Jotunn 
  (Fire 
  Troll-Giant):  
  Armor Class 3, Move 120’ (40’), Hit Dice 
  9+2****, average hit points 43, # Attacks 1 
  by weapon or 2 claw / claw, Damage 5D6 
  or 2D6+1 / 2D6+1, Special Abilities giant 
  strength (STR 20), superior infravision 
  (90’), Special Defenses catch or deflect 
  missiles 
  (25%), 
  immune 
  to 
  fire, 
  regeneration (2 hp per round), Special 
  Vulnerabilities cannot regenerate acid or 
  lightning damage, Save As Fighter 10 (due 
  to 9+2 HD), Morale 11, Intelligence low 
  average (INT 8), Alignment Neutral Evil. 
  Special Note on Fire Troll-Giant Armor:  
  Most fire troll-giants wear thick furs and 
  heavy leather.  A few wear either chain mail 
  (20%, AC 2) or partial plate armor (10%, AC 
  1). 
   
  FROST TROLL-GIANTS 
  (Old Norse = JOKULL TROLL-JOTUNN) 
   
  Frost troll-giants — sometimes colloquially 
  referred to in passing as “Loki’s Laughter” 
  —  are born of a male frost giant, and either 
  a hag or troll mother.  Like their fathers, 
  they are barbaric, lusty, plundering, hard-
  drinking, dragon-hunting, and brutally 
  cruel.  They raid far and wide, but their 
  lairs are frequently hidden away in very 
  distant and inhospitable places.  As 
  D’Aulaire poetically tells us:  “They lived in 
  castles of ice, surrounded by shimmering 
  fences of northern lights.  They were as wild 
  as the mountains themselves, and pelted 
  the valleys with snow and ice.” 
  Their favored weapons are battle axes, 
  mauls, thrusting spears (never thrown), 
  and great clubs.  A typical specimen stands 
  some 12’ tall.  Due to both sides of their 
  parentage, these creatures are tall, narrow-
  bodied, and gangly; but their sinewy ice-
  blue bodies are entirely composed of 
  muscle. 
  Frost troll-giants are somewhat ostracized 
  from the Hrimthursar courts of the frost 
  giants of Ymir.  They never ascend to 
  become Jarls, although some of the 
  strongest and most lethal eventually 
  become Huscarls due to their utter 
  fearlessness and sheer brutality in battle. 
   
   
   
  Jokull Troll-Jotunn (Frost Troll-Giant):  
  Armor Class 4, Move 120’ (40’), Hit Dice 
  9****, average hit points 41, # Attacks 1 by 
  weapon or 2 claw / claw, Damage 4D6 or 
  2D4+1 / 2D4+1, Special Abilities giant 
  strength (STR 19), superior infravision 
  
   
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  (90’), Special Defenses catch or deflect 
  missiles 
  (25%), 
  immune 
  to 
  cold, 
  regeneration (2 hp per round), Special 
  Vulnerabilities cannot regenerate acid, fire, 
  or lightning damage, Save As Fighter 9, 
  Morale 11, Intelligence low average (INT 8), 
  Alignment Chaotic Evil. 
  Special Note on Frost Troll-Giant Armor:  
  Frost troll-giants typically wear bear hides 
  and partial mail.  Some warriors however 
  wear full mail (30%, AC 3) or partial plate 
  armor (20%, AC 2). 
   
  HILL TROLL-GIANTS 
  (Old Norse = FELL TROLL-JOTUNN) 
   
  Hill troll-giants — sired by a hill giant 
  father — are the most common of the Troll-
  Jotunn sub-races by far.  In fact, some 
  Grimrook sages have yet to believe that the 
  other hypothetical sub-strains even exist.  
  Anyone who first brings a decapitated head 
  and a quality blood sample to the city state, 
  for any non-hill species, is all but assured 
  of earning 2D6x1,000 gold pieces for in 
  return for offering such trophies … first 
  come first serve of course, and only once 
  per sub-race until all are proven to exist! 
  These creatures are rather small (about 10’ 
  tall, and sometimes hunchbacked down to 
  a mere 7’), but they are feared and powerful 
  hunters.  Unlike other troll-giant races, Fell 
  Troll-Jotunns favor thrown and hurled 
  weapons (but not boulders).  Popular 
  choices include throwing clubs, hammers, 
  axes, javelins, and “tumble-spikes,” which 
  are basically morning stars with chain 
  handles instead of wooden hafts.  A typical 
  specimen will carry 3 such weapons, 
  throwing two before engaging in melee 
  whenever circumstances allow.  Due to 
  their skill and prowess, these troll-giants 
  gain 
  their 
  Strength 
  bonuses 
  when 
  throwing, which means that their weapons 
  inflict the same amount of damage whether 
  they are thrown or wielded by hand. 
   
   
  Oho, little one! 
   
  Fell 
  Troll-Jotunn 
  (Hill 
  Troll-Giant):  
  Armor Class 4, Move 120’ (40’), Hit Dice 8**, 
  average hit points 36, # Attacks 1 by 
  weapon or 2 claw / claw, Damage 2D8 or 
  1D6+1 / 1D6+1, Special Abilities superior 
  strength (STR 18/00), superior infravision 
  (90’), thrown weapon for damage 2D8 
  (range S 20’ / M 40’ / L 60’), Special 
  Defenses catch or deflect missiles (25%), 
  regeneration (2 hp per round), Special 
  Vulnerabilities cannot regenerate acid, fire, 
  or lightning damage, Save As Fighter 8, 
  Morale 
  10, 
  Intelligence 
  low 
  (INT 
  6), 
  Alignment Chaotic Evil. 
  Special Note on Hill Troll-Giant Armor:  
  Hill troll-giants wear masses of animal fur 
  and boiled leather.  Rarely, they might don 
  
   
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  partial mail (10%, AC 3) or heavy leather 
  and iron-skirted jacks (5%, AC 2). 
   
  MOUNTAIN TROLL-GIANTS 
  (Old Norse = BERG TROLL-JOTUNN) 
   
   
   
  The mighty mountain troll-giants — sired 
  by a mountain giant father — are reclusive, 
  secretive, wily, sardonic, and occasionally 
  even rather talkative … a trait which troll 
  hunters wryly refer to as “playing with their 
  food.”  They are highly intimidating, 
  standing very straight and implacably at 
  12’ tall.  Their favored weapons are swords 
  and clubs, although some few are also 
  surprisingly adept with their preferred iron-
  shod battle staves. 
  Uniquely among the Troll-Jotunn sub-
  races, mountain troll-giants can evoke a 
  powerful ancestral power which is known 
  as the “Chaunt of the Shivering Stones.”  
  This half-magical, half-commanding ritual 
  allows any such creature to summon 
  fearless allies who will arrive ready to do 
  battle in 1D6 rounds.  This ritual can only 
  be performed once a month by any tribe 
  which 
  includes 
  mountain 
  troll-giants.  
  However, the Chaunt can be invoked in or 
  before a battle.  The creatures summoned 
  will be either 2D4+1 ogres (60% chance), 
  1D4 mountain trolls (30%), or 1 shadow 
  hag (10%).  If more than 1 troll-giant is 
  present to participate in the Chaunt, the 
  counts will instead be 2D4+3 ogres, 1D4+1 
  mountain trolls, or 1D2 shadow hags. 
   
  Berg 
  Troll-Jotunn 
  (Mountain 
  Troll-
  Giant):  Armor Class 4, Move 120’ (40’), Hit 
  Dice 9+3****, average hit points 44, # 
  Attacks 1 weapon or 2 claw / claw, Damage 
  4D10 or 2D6+2 / 2D6+2, Special Abilities 
  giant strength (STR 21), summon ogres, 
  trolls or a shadow hag (once per month), 
  superior infravision (90’), Special Defenses 
  catch 
  or 
  deflect 
  missiles 
  (25%), 
  regeneration (2 hp per round), Special 
  Vulnerabilities cannot regenerate acid, fire, 
  or lightning damage, Save As Fighter 10 
  (due to 9+3 HD), Morale 11, Intelligence 
  average 
  (INT 
  10), 
  Alignment 
  Chaotic 
  Neutral with Evil tendencies. 
  Special Note on Mountain Troll-Giant 
  Armor:  Mountain trolls almost never wear 
  armor, favoring furs and hides.  A few who 
  are frequently in battle will wear heavy 
  leather and partial mail (10%, AC 3). 
   
   
  
   
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  STONE TROLL-GIANTS 
  (Old Norse = STEIN TROLL-JOTUNN) 
   
  The Stein Troll-Jotunns, sired by stone 
  giant fathers, are the most complacent (and 
  non-evil) of all the troll-giant sub-races.  
  They are grave, taciturn, silent, defensive, 
  and ritual-minded.  Contact with humans 
  and demi-humans is quite rare, although 
  some mountain dwarf clans are known to 
  have 
  very 
  tentative 
  trade 
  and 
  non-
  aggression pacts with two of the recognized 
  Midgardian populations. 
  Stone troll-giants use stalactite clubs as 
  weapons.  Philosophically they combine the 
  lore mastery of the stone trolls with the 
  reclusive and territorial nature of the stone 
  giants.  Their confident yet relatively 
  peaceful 
  behavior 
  makes 
  them 
  both 
  perceptive and patient, and as such they 
  are excellent miners, artisans, and beast 
  tamers.  Most stone troll-giants have either 
  cave bears, dire wolves, or giant boars as 
  guardians and hunting companions. 
   
  Stein Troll-Jotunn (Stone Troll-Giant):  
  Armor Class 2, Move 120’ (40’), Hit Dice 
  8+2**, average hit points 38, # Attacks 1 by 
  weapon or 2 claw / claw, Damage 3D6 or 
  2D4 / 2D4, Special Abilities giant strength 
  (STR 19), superior infravision (90’), Special 
  Defenses catch or deflect missiles (25%), 
  regeneration (2 hp per round), Special 
  Vulnerabilities cannot regenerate acid, fire, 
  or lightning damage, Save As Fighter 9 (due 
  to 8+2 HD), Morale 10, Intelligence low 
  average (INT 8), Alignment Chaotic Neutral. 
  Special Note on Stone Troll-Giant Armor:  
  Stone troll-giants almost never wear armor, 
  due to the strange crystalline formations 
  that form upon their rock-hard flesh.  The 
  largest one found in a lair might (25%) wear 
  ritualistic bone armor (AC 1). 
   
  TWO-HEADED TROLL-GIANTS 
  (Old Norse = KLOFNA TROLL-JOTUNN) 
   
   
   
  The shudder-inducing, 12’-tall Klofna Troll-
  Jotunn is the inevitable result of an ettin 
  father and a troll-crone mother.  These 
  creatures 
  are 
  considered 
  degenerate 
  mutants, and one of the heads will 
  invariably 
  be 
  either 
  half-paralyzed 
  (seemingly waking only when it is time to 
  feed, or to bite in combat), deformed, or 
  insane.  Nevertheless these creatures are 
  nearly unstoppable in battle due to their 
  fearless stubbornness (morale 12) and 
  vicious attacks.  They are used as 
  “battering rams” by giant and troll forces, 
  leading 
  charges, 
  smashing 
  down 
  barricades, and taking on the paladins and 
  other powerful heroes that other monsters 
  are too wary to face. 
  
   
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  As weapons, they use flails, chain morning 
  stars, great clubs, or “smashums” (a 
  boulder chained and strapped to the 
  forearm, used as a rudimentary and very 
  gory hammer).  However, their claws are 
  considerably longer than those possessed 
  by most other troll-giants are, and they can 
  inflict horrendous damage while wielding 
  no weapons at all. 
   
  Klofna Troll-Jotunn (Two-Headed Troll-
  Giant):  Armor Class 3, Move 120’ (40’), Hit 
  Dice 8+3***, average hit points 39, # 
  Attacks 4 claw or weapon / claw or weapon 
  / bite / bite, Damage 1D8+3 (dominant 
  arm) / 1D6+3 (weaker arm) / 2D6+1 / 
  2D6+1, Special Abilities giant strength 
  (STR 20), infravision (60’), Special Defenses 
  immune to magical fear, only surprised on 
  a 1 on 1D6, regeneration (1 hp per round), 
  Special Vulnerabilities cannot regenerate 
  acid, fire, or lightning damage, Save as 
  Fighter 9 (due to 8+3 HD), Morale 12, 
  Intelligence low (INT 6), Alignment Chaotic 
  Evil. 
  (These creatures never wear armor beyond 
  heavy leather, girdles, and filthy hides.) 
   
   
  Chapter 7: 
  Allies and Enemies 
  of the Trolls 
   
  While it is not possible to compile a full 
  listing of the relations which trolls have 
  with all other types of creatures throughout 
  the World of Oldskull, it can be useful to 
  the Game Master — for the purposes of lair 
  design, region design, wandering encounter 
  generation, role-playing between races and 
  faction, and so forth — to review brief notes 
  pertaining 
  to 
  the 
  more 
  common 
  associations between trolls and other 
  entities.  This information is a combination 
  of folkloric and mythic pairings, along with 
  Gygaxian inspirations and details unique 
  to the sub-races found throughout this 
  volume. 
   
   Ant, Giant, Worker:  These insects 
  are sometimes found caring for troll-
  wrought fungal gardens. 
   Badgerbear:  These fearsome beasts 
  are 
  sometimes 
  used, 
  quite 
  unwillingly, as guardian beasts by 
  trollish monster tamers. 
   Bear, Cave:  Cave bears are chained 
  and forced to serve as guardian 
  beasts.  The stone troll-giants, 
  however, are able to tame and 
  command these creatures freely. 
   Beetle, Giant, Boring:  Sometimes 
  found in symbiosis with the fungi, 
  slimes, and/or molds in a trollish 
  fungal garden. 
   Beetle, Giant, Fire:  Found in troll-
  wrought fungal gardens.  However 
  large migrating swarms of these 
  creatures sometimes surge through 
  in locust-like fashion, devouring all 
  organic matter; in such cases the 
  
   
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  trolls feed on upon the beetles until 
  the disruption has been diverted. 
   Beetle, 
  Giant, 
  Rhinoceros:  
  Occasionally 
  used 
  as 
  deadly 
  guardian beasts. 
   Boar, Giant:  Can be tamed as 
  hunting beasts by stone troll-giants. 
   Bugbear:  Bugbears and trolls are 
  sometimes 
  found 
  in 
  alliance, 
  particularly in netherworld warrens 
  where both types of creatures are 
  found in significant numbers.  Many 
  bugbears 
  greatly 
  distrust 
  trolls, 
  because 
  their 
  insatiable 
  hunger 
  occasionally leads — in times of 
  hunting hardship — to a bugbear 
  warrior 
  being 
  devoured.  
  Nevertheless the two races have a 
  tentative pact of alliance, particularly 
  in regards to killing dwarves and 
  gnomes.  Without drow leadership 
  and influence, bugbear and troll 
  alliances tend to fall apart within a 
  month.  Either the bugbears are 
  strong enough that they no longer 
  need the trolls, or the trolls become 
  strong enough that they try to eat all 
  of the bugbears. 
   
   
   Cave Cricket, Giant:  Can be found 
  living in symbiosis with trollish 
  fungal gardens. 
   Character, Evil Lord:  Many types of 
  powerful evil NPCs employ trolls as 
  guards, 
  thralls, 
  gaol 
  keepers, 
  intimidators, or hunters.  The reason 
  for this is simple:  trolls regenerate, 
  and they do not suffer the miserable 
  losses and desertions which other 
  lesser evil races do.  Trolls do not 
  serve willingly with any frequency 
  but they are easily coerced with 
  generous 
  heapings 
  of 
  treasure, 
  threats, and tasty flesh.  Trolls are 
  usually 
  intelligent 
  enough 
  to 
  recognize signs, symbols, gestures, 
  and tabards associated with a cause 
  (e.g., “Let anyone with a golden robe 
  through the left door, but only those 
  wearing skull masks are allowed to 
  proceed through the right door.”)  
  Unfortunately — and frequently to 
  adventurers’ advantage — they tend 
  to get confused into carelessness 
  over the particulars, such as “Why is 
  that one’s robe covered in blood” or 
  “Who are these new people I’ve never 
  seen 
  before.” 
   
  Regardless 
  of 
  circumstances however, they have 
  some 
  difficulty 
  controlling 
  their 
  hatred 
  of 
  dwarves, 
  elves, 
  and 
  gnomes. 
   Character, Troll Hunter:  Troll 
  hunting 
  enjoys 
  a 
  long, 
  proud 
  tradition among the dwarf lords’ 
  kingdoms, the gnomish laird clans, 
  and 
  the 
  ranks 
  of 
  adventuring 
  mercenary companies.  Everyone 
  loves to kill trolls; or, at least, to have 
  them be dead.  The art is very 
  lucrative, and bounties for troll 
  heads — make you absolutely sure 
  the heads are no longer moving, 
  mind — are common throughout the 
  borderlands and city states, and 
  rather generous (25 to 250 gold 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  pieces per, depending on size and 
  species).  The indefatigable hunters 
  belong to a loose association of 
  fellowship through misery, which is 
  grimly and jokingly named “The 
  Spiritual Order of Beowulf.”  Its 
  members 
  are 
  many 
  and 
  ever-
  changing. 
   
  The 
  reason 
  the 
  membership changes frequently is 
  because most of the veteran troll 
  hunters are dead. 
   Crocuta:  These creatures are used 
  as guardian beasts, and hags adore 
  them due to their crafty skills in 
  mimicry. 
   Deep One:  Although far from 
  trustworthy, some sea trolls and 
  brine hags consider the Deep Ones to 
  be allies (or at least, enemies of 
  shared enemies). 
   Demon:  Collectively, the various 
  types of demons are abusive allies 
  and occasional masters of the troll 
  species.  Demonkind holds control 
  over the cursed trolls in particular, 
  due to the sacrificial vows of the 
  betrayed Grendel-Modor.  Fear can 
  lead to trolls serving demons as 
  guardians and warriors.  At times, a 
  powerful hag coven can keep the 
  peace between demons and trolls for 
  the purposes of a temporary alliance 
  — formed either in the name of 
  vengeance or survival — against the 
  forces of good.  The creatures who 
  most effectively barter with demons 
  are the nether hags and the shadow 
  hags, due to their control over the 
  larval souls that demons covet in 
  their 
  never-ending 
  quest 
  to 
  imperiously dominate mankind. 
   
   
   
   Devil:  Devils abhor the chaotic 
  nature of the trolls; they regard most 
  troll specimens as inferior, reckless, 
  and incapable of adherence to any 
  form of pact or treaty.  As such devils 
  frequently exploit or torture trolls, 
  but they do not ally with them.  The 
  most important exception to this 
  general state of affairs involves the 
  coven of the shadow hags; this is 
  because these hags control larval 
  souls, which devils must possess in 
  order to create newly-risen vessels of 
  their own accursed kind. 
   Drake, Ice:  Dragonkind does not 
  mix 
  well 
  with 
  trolldom, 
  simply 
  because neither race is willing to 
  allow for anything but ultimate 
  dominance.  However, lesser ice 
  drakes 
  can 
  sometimes 
  be 
  encountered as allies or guardians of 
  the snow trolls. 
   
   
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
   
   
   Dwarf:  Dwarves are the ultimate 
  nemeses of the trolls.  The two races 
  have 
  battled 
  throughout 
  the 
  netherworld 
  for 
  centuries, 
  with 
  neither achieving true dominance.  
  The dwarven kingdoms flourished 
  throughout the surface world (c. 300 
  AD to present) for over a thousand 
  years.  Recently however, several 
  calamitous events — the humanoid 
  invasions from the Utter East, the 
  Chaos Plague, and the tempest-
  driven migrations and exiles driven 
  up from Afrik and the Stygian 
  hinterlands — have caused dwarven 
  dominance to falter.  As a result 
  many dwarven clans are again 
  returning to their works beneath the 
  surface, which inevitably results in 
  battles with the trolls.  All dwarves 
  are trained to be troll hunters to 
  some degree, but the losses suffered 
  by the race considerably outpace 
  their slow rate of births … to say 
  nothing of the slowing rise of 
  dwarven maids and heroes from out 
  of the enclaves.  These hardships 
  have made the dwarves more reliant 
  upon gnomes, halfling bounders and 
  allies, and adventurers from the city 
  states.  The trolls, for their part, are 
  happy to devour and conquer all.  A 
  few wiser trollish creatures — hags, 
  spell casters, and King’s Claws, in 
  particular — know not to slay 
  vanquished dwarves, for these hardy 
  creatures can be put to good use as 
  slaves, making armor, weapons, and 
  tools, and serving the trolls as 
  treasure hunters. 
   Elf:  Much like the dwarves who are 
  retreating back into their mist-
  enshrouded mountains, the once-
  numerous 
  elves 
  have 
  mostly 
  retreated to their forest enclaves due 
  to the many tragedies which have 
  scoured the World of Oldskull in 
  recent centuries.  A few valorous 
  elven heroes are still about, and the 
  race has made strong pacts (through 
  half-elven kindred) with many of the 
  borderland 
  regions 
  where 
  trolls 
  proliferate.  The elves have long held 
  themselves 
  in 
  enmity 
  toward 
  trollkind, and the most hated trolls 
  are unquestionably the forest trolls.  
  These 
  creatures 
  have 
  almost 
  universally been wiped out in forests 
  where the elven kings still reign; 
  however, 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  elven 
  enclave has been eradicated by the 
  trolls in turn.  Exiled and homeless 
  elves frequently ally themselves with 
  the gnome laird or the shire-folk as 
  they plan expeditions of vengeance 
  against the trolls. 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
   Elf, Drow:  Even as the surface-
  dwelling Ljosalfar (the Light Elves, or 
  Sunlit Elves) have warred against 
  trolls, for over a thousand years the 
  dark elven races have worked to 
  manipulate nether-dwelling trolls to 
  suit their own ends.  As a result the 
  drow are strongly allied with many of 
  the known troll sub-races in the 
  deep.  These pacts are mostly 
  matters of intelligent contrivance on 
  the dark elves’ part.  Trolls’ needs 
  and desires are easily sated with 
  promises of cave lairs, fertile fungus-
  growing areas, treasure (actually 
  quite meager) and the promise of 
  dwarven and elven flesh for those 
  trolls who serve particularly well as 
  guardians and warriors for the drow.  
  Most drow distance themselves from 
  direct contact with trolls out of 
  preference, but they will threaten 
  and command them directly when 
  they must.  In most instances the 
  numerous 
  bugbears 
  — 
  being 
  themselves well-tended protectors of 
  the drowic lands — are made to serve 
  as liaisons between troll packs and 
  dark elven commanders.  Trolls, even 
  wild and raging ones, will rarely 
  attack dark elves on sight.  And in 
  turn the drow stand ready to 
  manipulate any who will potentially 
  serve to suffer their losses in battle 
  against the surface dwellers. 
   Ettin:  These monsters are typically 
  encountered along with two-headed 
  troll-giants. 
   Frogman:  While often treacherous 
  (yet 
  easily 
  threatened 
  into 
  submission), frogmen frequently ally 
  with lake trolls.  The frogmen are 
  promised prisoners as either food or 
  breeding partners, and in turn they 
  protect the egg clusters of the trolls. 
   Fungus, Death:  This catch-all 
  monstrous category includes many 
  unusual 
  and 
  dangerous 
  fungal 
  types, including phyco-fungi and 
  Fungal Abominations (as detailed in 
  The Classic Dungeon Design Guide, 
  Book II).  These things are avoided by 
  most trolls but can sometimes be 
  found as parasites living off of trollish 
  fungal garden growths. 
   Fungus, Violet:  It is believed that 
  trolls can regenerate the withering 
  effects caused by contact with violet 
  fungi 
  branches, 
  because 
  these 
  growths are commonly found being 
  cultivated as “guards” in fungal 
  gardens. 
   Gargoyle, Aquatic:  These rare 
  creatures are sometimes allied with 
  sea trolls. 
   Ghast, Shoal:  Rarely otherwise 
  scene, aquatic ghasts can be risen by 
  brine hags (who slay sailors with the 
  Visage of Mung). 
   Ghoul:  Ghouls fear and avoid trolls.  
  However, crones and troll spell 
  casters gather ghouls because their 
  essence can be used to create 
  Trolghuls 
  (and 
  other 
  horrific 
  “cauldron critters” at the GM’s 
  discretion.  It is said that the Ghoul 
  King owes fealty to the demon lord 
  Hyaenoghul, which if true would 
  mean that some chaotic evil troll 
  tribes are allied with ghouls directly. 
   Ghoul, Aquatic:  Much like shoal 
  ghasts, these creatures can be risen 
  by brine hags. 
   Ghoul, 
  Great 
  (Ghul): 
   
  These 
  powerful undead (HD 4, a “double 
  ghoul” in most ways) are needed to 
  create powerful Trolghul spawn.  
  Their essence is also said to be an 
  ingredient in the sacrificial cauldron 
  ritual which turns self-destroying 
  troll-giants into hags. 
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
   Giant, Cloud:  It should be stated 
  that there are no known cloud troll-
  giants, most likely because the noble 
  cloud giants regard trolls as being 
  utterly inferior and beneath them.  
  Good cloud giants are enemies of 
  trolls, and slay them frequently.  Evil 
  cloud giants will only rarely associate 
  with them, unless they require 
  strong-backed regenerating slaves. 
   Giant, 
  Fire: 
   
  Fire giants (the 
  Eldjotnar) are uncommonly found 
  lairing 
  with 
  fire 
  troll-giants.  
  Tyrannical fire giants also use cursed 
  trolls as warriors, hunters, slavers, 
  and servitors.  Trolls are provided 
  with treasure and victims, and serve 
  as gaolers of the giants.  (Particularly 
  uncooperative prisoners, or those 
  who are worth nothing in ransom, 
  are allowed to be devoured.)  The 
  trolls due to alignment conflicts are 
  frequently rebellious, and those who 
  require discipline are made to work 
  in the lava smithies.  Trolls are 
  rightly horrified by magma.  Those 
  who continue to rebel are imprisoned 
  by the giants, to be used as ever-
  regenerating 
  “torture 
  practice 
  targets” until they go berserk and are 
  driven utterly mad. 
   Giant, Frost:  The Hrimthursar are 
  allied both with snow trolls, and with 
  frost troll-giants. 
   Giant, Hill:  These giants are most 
  commonly associated with trolls.  Not 
  only are they found with hill troll-
  giants, they also ally with cursed 
  trolls for raiding and plundering 
  expeditions. 
   Giant, Mountain:  Mountain giants 
  associate both with mountain trolls, 
  and 
  with 
  mountain 
  troll-giants.  
  There has been goodwill between the 
  races for centuries, ever since the 
  first Mountain King allied with giants 
  against invading legions of dwarven 
  and gnomish warriors long ago. 
   Giant, Stone:  Stone giants — 
  despite 
  some 
  philosophical 
  and 
  territorial differences — ally with 
  stone trolls and dwell with stone 
  troll-giants.  Temporary alliances are 
  made when the little folk are poking 
  about, so that intruders can be 
  quickly brought to terms. 
   Giant, Storm:  Storm giants loathe 
  trolls, 
  and 
  destroy 
  them 
  with 
  lightning bolts whenever possible.  
  Trolls are terrified of storm giants, 
  and rightly so.  However these giants 
  are very rare and most troll tribes 
  know to scurry away when the 
  “Storm-Sons of Odin” are stalking 
  about. 
   Gnoll:  The thralls of Hyaenoghul, 
  are allies of some (but not all) troll 
  tribes.  Most humanoids fear trolls 
  too much to be kept around them.  
  Gnolls, however, are typically both 
  strong and numerous enough to hold 
  their own — which means that trolls 
  will 
  tolerate 
  them 
  and 
  battle 
  alongside them, without devouring 
  the wounded … mostly.  The gnolls’ 
  martial prowess, combined with the 
  trolls’ often unstoppable strength, 
  makes combined raiding parties 
  fearsome indeed.  The common 
  agreement is that gnolls acquire the 
  vanquished victims’ treasure, while 
  trolls get to eat all of the victims who 
  are 
  not 
  enslaved. 
   
  The 
  trolls 
  understand that culling the numbers 
  of humans and demi-humans is 
  important to their continued survival 
  and these pacts can sometimes last 
  for several weeks or even months 
  despite the intrinsic nature of the 
  chaotic evil ethos.  Fire giants also 
  use gnolls as thralls and servants, 
  and trolls as shock troops, so 
  sometimes the creatures will be 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  found together because of a fire 
  giant’s stratagem and tyrannical 
  manipulation.  Some few troll exiles, 
  who choose to live among gnolls 
  instead of with hags or troll-kind, are 
  known to willingly worship the gnolls’ 
  vile god, Hyaenoghul, as well.  These 
  trolls can be found in defense of gnoll 
  lairs. 
   Gnome:  Gnomes are reluctantly 
  associated with the trolls due to the 
  ancient and arcane machinations of 
  the stone giants.  (Refer to the 
  Troldfolk chapter in this volume for 
  particulars.)  It is also believed that 
  both gnomes and trolls are related to 
  Huldrafolk bloodlines, although that 
  race is too mysterious for even the 
  most learned of sages to be able to 
  hold an evidentiary opinion on the 
  matter.  But the gnomes and trolls 
  hate 
  one 
  another, 
  indisputably.  
  Refer to the Dwarf section above, as 
  much of that information on the 
  dwarven kingdoms also applies (to a 
  somewhat lesser extent) to the 
  holdings and peoples sworn to the 
  powerful gnome lairds. 
   Goblin:  There is enmity between 
  trolls and goblins, because goblins 
  don’t enjoy being eaten.  Refer also 
  the Humanoid, General entry. 
   Green Slime:  Whether or not trolls 
  can be killed by green slime remains 
  an interesting question.  (The author 
  believes that green slime is acidic in 
  nature, and therefore capable of 
  killing a troll.)  Slime colonies can 
  sometimes be found in trollish fungal 
  gardens as parasitic infestations. 
   Hag, Brine:  Brine hags frequently 
  lead or control sea trolls. 
   Hag, Emerald:  Emerald hags lead 
  groups of bog, forest, or lake trolls. 
   Hag, Nether:  These hags reign over 
  cave, cursed, mountain, and stone 
  trolls. 
   Hag, Shadow:  Through fear and 
  threat, shadow hags compel cursed, 
  hill, snow, and stone trolls to do their 
  bidding. 
   Herd Animal:  The mountain trolls 
  are known to raise, tame, and herd 
  various 
  forms 
  of 
  cold-dwelling 
  beasts.  They keep these creatures in 
  their caves during the winter, and 
  then watch the herds from afar 
  during warmer months.  Woe to any 
  human hunters who seek to cull a 
  troll-herd, unknowingly or otherwise!  
  The most commonly herded animals, 
  all large, are elk, giant goats, moose, 
  reindeer, and wild sheep (and giant 
  rams). 
   Hobgoblin:  Hobgoblins fear trolls, 
  and will rarely associate with them 
  unless they are forced to do so.  But 
  hobgoblin essence can be rendered 
  into a brew which can be used to 
  create Trolghuls, so hags sometimes 
  keep 
  them 
  as 
  slaves. 
   
  Also, 
  hobgoblins are apparently delicious 
  once you pop the spiky armor off. 
   Hobgoblin, 
  Aquatic: 
   
  These 
  creatures are “allies” (typically slaves 
  or servants) to both sea trolls and 
  brine hags. 
   
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
   Humanoid, General:  In addition to 
  other comments throughout this 
  section, there are some trends 
  involving relations between trolls and 
  evil humanoids.  Trolls are so 
  powerful 
  that 
  even 
  groups 
  of 
  humanoids numbering in the dozens 
  will avoid them out of fear.  Trolls 
  despise weakness, and they will eat 
  just about living thing when they are 
  hungry, so long as it squirms and 
  crunches juicily.  This means that 
  weak humanoids frequently fall prey 
  to hunting trolls when times are lean, 
  and humanoids that are weaker than 
  gnolls will rarely trust trolls at all.  
  However, a strong leader (such as a 
  drow commander or evil lord) can 
  force trolls and humanoids to fight 
  together, provided both sides are 
  disciplined severely.  Even this form 
  of 
  cooperation 
  requires 
  strict 
  balance, however.  Otherwise, either 
  the humanoids become numerous 
  enough to drive off the trolls, or the 
  trolls eat too many of the humanoids 
  and the remainder flee. 
   Hydra: 
   
  These 
  monsters 
  are 
  sometimes used as guardian beasts 
  by troll monster tamers. 
   Imp (or Quasit):  These demonlings 
  and devilkin commonly serve as 
  familiars for hags or troll spell 
  casters.  It seems too that such 
  creatures are capable of shifting 
  themselves into shapes which are 
  rarely if ever seen by human wizards.  
  The forms used include the Black 
  Grimalkin (a fiery-eyed black cat, 
  sometimes of fearsome size with 
  maximum hit points), the Troll-Fogl 
  (an unusual serpentine rooster-like 
  creature, more akin to a cockatrice 
  than a bird), and the Trollhund (a 
  shadowy wolf form, perhaps related 
  in some way to the umbral hounds). 
   
   
   
   Kobold:  Kobolds taste bad, which is 
  a good thing if you’re a kobold.  There 
  is mutual tolerance between trolls 
  and kobolds, but the kobolds are 
  usually too afraid to work with trolls 
  … unless a powerful evil lord is 
  forcing to the two groups to work 
  together. 
   Leopard, Snow:  These great cats are 
  sometimes used as hunting beasts 
  by the snow trolls. 
   Lich:  These foul things require larval 
  soul essence in order to maintain 
  their 
  undead 
  potency 
  without 
  suffering 
  eventual 
  annihilation.  
  Therefore, liches are allies with the 
  eldest hags, including the progenitor 
  matriarchs most especially (Hagath, 
  Black 
  Annis, 
  Brinhilde, 
  and 
  Griselde).  Also, depending on a 
  Game Master’s preferences, there 
  might 
  exist 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  inhuman liches.  If this is the case, 
  then the elder matriarchs might 
  indeed be liches in full, and not just 
  greatly-empowered hags. 
   Manticore, Frost:  These very rare 
  horrors are allied with the snow 
  trolls. 
   
   
   
   Merman:  Mermen and mermaids 
  are devout enemies of the sea trolls, 
  who prey upon them. 
   Mold, Yellow:  While being by no 
  means favored, these growths can be 
  found as parasitic infestations in 
  trollish fungal gardens. 
   Nereid:  Much like the merfolk, 
  nereids are enemies of the sea trolls. 
   Nightmare:  These creatures are 
  frequently ridden by shadow and 
  nether hags.  Some sages even 
  believe that hags require nightmares 
  for effective travel between the 
  planes, 
  but 
  the 
  truth 
  of 
  this 
  assertation is not known. 
   
   
   
   Ogre:  Ogres are very commonly 
  allied with trolls, and particularly 
  with troll-giants.  Ogres are large 
  enough to fight back when the trolls 
  are hungry, and trolls are strong 
  enough to impress and intimidate 
  even the mightiest of ogres.  The two 
  creature types make raiding pacts 
  with one another, in a manner 
  similar to the gnoll-troll alliances 
  against the forces of good.  Typically 
  the ogres get all of the plundered 
  treasures, while the flesh of the 
  vanquished is split between the two 
  groups (with the trolls of course 
  receiving the lion’s share). 
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
   Ogre, 
  Aquatic 
  (Merrow): 
   
  The 
  merrow are allies of both sea trolls 
  and brine hags. 
   Orc:  There is great antipathy 
  between trolls and orcs.  Refer to the 
  Humanoid, 
  General 
  section 
  for 
  details. 
   Purple Worm:  The trolls revere 
  purple worms as offspring of the 
  Great Boyg.  Rarely, a powerful war 
  chieftain might ride a worm in battle. 
   Quasit:  Refer to the Imp entry. 
   
   
   
   Shark:  Sharks are rivals of the sea 
  trolls (not in an intelligent fashion; 
  they just tend to hunt the same 
  prey). 
   Shrieker: 
   
  These 
  growths 
  are 
  deliberately cultivated in trollish 
  fungal 
  gardens, 
  to 
  serve 
  as 
  “alarums.” 
   Siren:  There is hatred between 
  sirens and sea trolls, and the sirens 
  will destroy the trolls whenever 
  possible. 
   Slug, Giant:  Trolls revere giant slugs 
  as spawn of the Great Boyg, but they 
  fear them more than they worship 
  him.  (The slug’s deadly acidic spittle 
  likely has something to do with it.) 
   Spider, Giant:  These deadly hunters 
  can sometimes be found in the 
  tunnels between hag and troll lairs 
  underground. 
   
   
   
   Tentacle Beast:  These symbiotic 
  creatures are preferred as both 
  guardian beasts and trash disposals. 
   Titan:  Titans despise trolls even 
  more than storm giants do (see that 
  entry); in the rare cases where trolls 
  meet up with such an entity, all of 
  the trolls are likely to perish in an 
  exceedingly violent fashion. 
   Triton:  As with merfolk, triton are 
  hunted by sea trolls and therefore 
  they exterminate them whenever 
  they can. 
   Troglodyte:  Troglodytes are very 
  commonly found in alliance with 
  trolls, either naturally or through 
  drowic influence.  The creatures 
  share similar diets, preferences, 
  enemies, 
  and 
  creative 
  hobbies 
  (making stench!).  Trolls detest the 
  taste of stinky trog, which makes the 
  alliance 
  even 
  more 
  sustainable.  
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  However, conflicts to arise from time 
  to time.  If the trogs are strong 
  enough — for example, led by a 
  strong chieftain, or sword-wielding 
  champions, or battle wyvern riders — 
  there will likely be a long-term 
  alliance with nearby trolls.  If the trog 
  are too weak, there will be goodwill 
  between the two races until any 
  threatening enemies are wiped out; 
  then the troglodytes will depart for 
  their own safety. 
   
   
   
   Trolghul:  As mentioned throughout, 
  trolghuls are commonly controlled by 
  hags, 
  troll 
  shamans, 
  or 
  witch 
  doctors.  They can also be found with 
  populations of ghouls or hobgoblins. 
   Troll (Other Tribes):  The troll sub-
  races, all being chaotic, do not 
  always willingly accommodate one 
  another’s 
  needs. 
   
  There 
  are 
  considerable faction divides (e.g., 
  demonic 
  vs. 
  non-demonic) 
  and 
  territorial rivalries, and only powerful 
  leaders — typically hags, giants, 
  drow, or evil lords of some kind — 
  can keep competing tribes from one 
  another’s throats.  The rivalries tend 
  to get violent unless there is enough 
  for everyone to eat.  Otherwise, the 
  bigger troll tribe (regardless of sub-
  race) will seize all of the existing 
  territory, while the smaller tribe is 
  forced to move on. 
   Wight, Barrow:  These gruesome 
  undead things can sometimes be 
  found in the tunnels and crypts 
  which lie between the warrens of 
  nether hags. 
   Will-o’-Wisp:  Rarely, a powerful 
  coven of emerald hags will be found 
  in some form of hunting alliance with 
  one or more will-o’-wisps.  More 
  commonly, the wisps will serve as 
  rivals in seeking the destruction of 
  victims (and feeding upon their 
  essence). 
   Wolf, Dire:  At times these creatures 
  will be tamed by stone troll-giants or 
  hill troll-giants to serve as hunters 
  and guardian beasts. 
   Wolf, Winter:  These are guardian 
  beasts who are allegiant with the 
  snow trolls. 
   Wraith, of the Topielce:  Rarely, 
  these aquatic-dwelling spirits can be 
  found as a result of the Mung-
  induced death magic wrought by the 
  vile brine hags. 
   Wyvern:  Rarely, these monsters will 
  be used as guardian beasts by the 
  trolls, although they are difficult to 
  tame.  More commonly the wyverns 
  will be tamed and trained by allied 
  troglodytes. 
   Yeti:  These sentient evil primates 
  are occasional allies of the snow 
  trolls. 
   Zombie, Drowned:  These creatures 
  are sometimes raised from the 
  victims of brine trolls, but only if 
  there were enough victims for the 
  hags to become sated before all are 
  devoured. 
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
  Chapter 8: 
  The Ever-Curious 
  Enigma of the Troldfolk 
   
   
   
  The Troldfolk comprise a mysterious race 
  that is commonly hinted at in Scandinavian 
  folklore, 
  but 
  rarely 
  encountered. 
   
  I 
  recommend 
  that 
  they 
  be 
  considered 
  “advanced and optional” for the Game 
  Master’s consideration, because they’re 
  notoriously charming and they inevitably 
  raise lots of game-disrupting questions (“If 
  they’re good and part troll can we turn 
  them into an army,” “Are they available as 
  Player Characters,” “Where have they been 
  all this time and whose side are they on 
  anyway,” “OMG I need one as a familiar,” 
  “Hey can I name mine Mister Brian Froud,” 
  and so on and on ad nauseam).  The GM 
  must decide if they exist, and under what 
  circumstances they can be discovered.  And 
  no, Player Character Troldfolk are strictly 
  forbidden! 
  The Troldfolk look a bit like long-nosed 
  goblins, 
  and 
  somewhat 
  like 
  stunted 
  gnomes.  Strange tattoo-like spirals form 
  on their skin as they grow older, telling the 
  silent tale of their lingering lives.  They 
  barely seem to age, but few are young, and 
  they always engage in mysterious and 
  highly eccentric behaviors.  It is said that 
  they are part stone troll and part deep 
  gnome — first sculpted from oak and 
  granite, and then animated into life — and 
  that they were magically created many 
  thousands of years ago by the stone trolls 
  as a potential surface-dwelling alternative 
  to the “bad folk” (meaning, normal humans 
  and demi-humans) who tend to ruin 
  everything.  Now, they are free-willed 
  worshippers of nature, favoring cold and 
  idyllic 
  forested 
  environments, 
  shallow 
  subterranean warrens, and — their favorite 
  pastime — never being seen.  (Except by the 
  occasional waif, stray, or faerie princess, of 
  course.) 
   
   
   
  Troldfolk have a distinctive hobbling gait 
  which, rather amazingly, causes their 
  footfalls to make no sound whatsoever.  
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  Their move silently skill is effectively 100% 
  if they are not carrying any metal or 
  treasure, down to a low of 50% when they 
  are completely laden down with coins, pick 
  axes, and tinker-junk.  They carry large 
  backpacks or satchels which are frequently 
  bulked out by cooking gear, foodstuffs, 
  harvested 
  lichen 
  and 
  mushrooms, 
  wineskins, or various sorts of non-
  mechanical and silly things.  (Ideas for that 
  last category include a “dream sifter” stick, 
  a dowsing rod with a live fire beetle larva 
  dangling between its tips, a copper-bladed 
  hatchet (a tool, never a weapon) named 
  Whickety-Strike, a drum painted to look 
  like a troll’s mouth called the “cobble-
  thumple,” and so forth.)  They tend to dress 
  in ill-fitting caps, ragamuffin cloaks, or 
  floppy 
  robes. 
   
  Dress 
  tends 
  to 
  be 
  camouflaged in times of duress, or garishly 
  colored in times of celebration. 
   
   
   
  The troldfolk love to tinker, hide, spy, and 
  eat honey-speckled lichen.  They grow 
  mushroom gardens, which they vigilantly 
  keep free of shriekers, beetles, slimes, 
  molds, and other pesty things.  Those who 
  make secret surface lairs prefer to keep 
  honeybees as well.  They will only speak to 
  humans or demi-humans if they are certain 
  they have been seen, and their secret doors 
  — which look like boulders, walls, floors, 
  mossy cliff faces, or hollow trees — are too 
  far away to scurry through. 
  They do not like most things that are 
  manufactured by either men or demi-
  humans, although they are fascinated by 
  child-crafts, artwork, mirrors, and mortal 
  attempts at sculpture.  As treasure they 
  favor 
  river-tumbled 
  gemstones, 
  gold 
  nuggets, amber, raw silver, spices, rare 
  woods, incense, and so forth.  They will 
  keep all magic items that somehow fall into 
  their hands, as they find it eternally 
  frustrating that they cannot craft such 
  things for themselves.  (That latter irksome 
  issue being a lingering after-effect of the 
  racial troll curse, no doubt.) 
   
   
   
  In battle they use only wooden weapons, 
  including staves, throwing sticks, clubs, 
  cudgels, 
  fire-sharpened 
  darts, 
  spears 
  hardened in fire, and short bows replete 
  with bramble-arrows.  They are very adept 
  at using missile weapons, attacking with 
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
  them at +2 (before range penalties are 
  considered). 
  Troldfolk lairs are protected by pits and 
  secret doors; their inner sanctums are 
  eternally mist-enshrouded.  (It is said that 
  their elder matriarchs generate crystalline 
  and sweet-smelling mist, merely by their 
  presence and exhalations.)  The secret 
  doors throughout their warrens are magical 
  and almost impossible to detect.  These 
  masterful portals take decades to create 
  and 
  perfect, 
  and 
  only 
  the 
  Troldfolk 
  themselves can chant them open and shut.  
  This singular arcane skill is termed 
  “singing the stones.”  Each such chant 
  requires 1 uninterrupted melee round and 
  has an effective range of 60’. 
   
   
   
  The very tall and unsettling Troldfolk 
  matriarchs, or “Troldwives” — found only in 
  the lair, or leading a trooping expedition of 
  their followers — are similar to tribal 
  shamans, but they possess druidic spells.  
  For every 20 normal Troldfolk, there will be 
  a wise woman (druidic level 1D4).  If there 
  are 50 or more normal Troldfolk in a lair, 
  there will be 1D3 stone daughters (druidic 
  level 1D4+4); and if there are 100 or more, 
  there will also be a grandstone matriarch 
  (druidic level 1D4+8).  These spell casters 
  are always female and have D8 hit dice 
  equal to their experience level. 
  In addition to their normal spells, once a 
  month at the full moon the matriarchs can 
  cast Create Bountiful Feast (which requires 
  a pile of stones to turn into mushroom 
  loaves, and the clan’s enormous brazen 
  cauldron).  The cauldron is the communal 
  center of the lair.  It is always bubbling 
  away with something that smells quite 
  earthy and delicious, and the savory smoke 
  traveling downwind is a sure sign that a lair 
  is near.  Evil creatures know of this through 
  ancient legendry, and so the clever 
  Troldfolk take pains to vent their cauldron 
  smoke very cleverly, sometimes forcing the 
  steam to travel for hundreds of yards down 
  through stone piping or narrow and 
  winding stream-tunnels. 
  Uniquely, Troldfolk latent abilities change 
  with the seasons.  In spring, they move at 
  a blurry and magical double speed (180’); 
  in summer they gain the ability to pass 
  without trace at will; in autumn their 
  Intelligence and Wisdom are temporarily 
  majestic (INT 18, WIS 18) and their magic 
  resistance increases to 50%; and in winter 
  they are slower (60’) yet protected by a 
  magical aura (+4 to armor class and saving 
  throws).  Their appearance also changes 
  with the seasons:  greenish hair and flesh 
  in spring, bushy and silvery hair (which 
  birds tend to make twig-nests in) during 
  summer, brown and tree-like skin in 
  autumn, and solemn gray stony flesh in the 
  winter. 
  In a trait that is rather unusual in sentient 
  beings, Troldfolk do not fear death.  They 
  will retreat from battle — someone needs to 
  take care of their kinfolk, after all — but 
  when forced to fight, they will accept death 
  with an almost wistful sense of resignation.  
  Troldfolk who die underground vanish into 
  mist, leaving their belongings in a heap; 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  those who die above ground slowly turn 
  into gnarled trees (and their belongings 
  along with them). 
  In times of need, a Troldfolk clan can 
  summon an earth elemental to serve them.  
  The elemental will be fearless, semi-
  intelligent, controllable, and willing to do 
  battle (or dig, terrify intruders, or whatever 
  else it is able to do).  This power can only 
  be invoked once a season (every 3 months) 
  at most.  A tribe of up to 20 can summon a 
  lesser elemental (HD 8); a tribe of up to 40 
  can summon a standard elemental (HD 12); 
  a tribe of up to 60 can summon a greater 
  elemental (HD 16); a tribe of up to 80 can 
  summon a noble (HD 20); and a larger tribe 
  can summon up an Ancient (HD 24).  The 
  elemental will depart for its native plane 
  when the time of danger or need has 
  passed. 
  And then, the Troldfolk will dance.  They’re 
  quite gifted with tambour, bramble harp, 
  and the reed syrinx as well. 
  And there you have it. 
  (With love and respect to John Bauer and 
  Jim Henson, RIP.) 
   
   
   
   
  Troldfolk:  Armor Class 4 (high Dexterity), 
  Move 90’ (30’), Hit Dice 1+1***, average hit 
  points 6, # Attacks 1 weapon, Damage by 
  weapon -1 (minimum damage 1 per 
  successful hit), Special Abilities detect evil, 
  detect good, faerie fire, infravision (60’), 
  move silently, only surprised on a 1 (1D10, 
  10%), seasonal power, singing the stones, 
  surprise on a 1-4 on 1D6,  Special Attacks 
  +2 to hit with all ranged or thrown 
  weapons, 
  Special 
  Defenses 
  elemental 
  summoning, magic resistance 25%, silence 
  (once 
  per 
  day, 
  duration 
  2 
  rounds, 
  frequently cast upon enemy spell casters), 
  Save As Druid 2 (due to 1+1 hit dice), 
  Morale 9, Intelligence very (INT 13), 
  Alignment Chaotic Neutral with Good 
  tendencies. 
   
   
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
  Chapter 9: 
  Elder Horrors 
  in the Lore of Trollkind 
   
   
   
  This chapter provides details on certain 
  ancient and legendary troll powers, who 
  can serve as enemies to very powerful 
  Player Characters in epic campaigns. 
   
  Great Elder Trolls 
   
  The 
  elder 
  trolls 
  are 
  singular, 
  ever-
  regenerating entities that were born of the 
  great troll god:  Almighty Trogool, the Beast 
  of the Frozen Waste.  They can be killed but 
  an unknown number of them remain 
  throughout the World of Oldskull. 
  The stench-ridden festering hide of Trogool 
  is 
  eternally 
  shedding 
  itself 
  and 
  regenerating. 
   
  Entire 
  warts, 
  clumps, 
  mildewed talons and even crawling things 
  fall from the body of Trogool as it reads the 
  Grimoire of All That Is to Be and All That 
  Was, scurrying away to die in the shadows 
  bereft of their maker’s attentions.  The few 
  pieces which possess deadly appendages — 
  fangs, or maws, or amorphous tentacles 
  which swallow — hunt down and absorb 
  the other pieces and thus grow limbs, and 
  even heads and faces.  Those that develop 
  limbs 
  arise 
  as 
  giants, 
  walking 
  ever 
  northward as a scourge upon the wild 
  lands.  These are the Great Elder Trolls, the 
  deathly and monstrous blasphemies which 
  were the bane of the kingdoms of Afrik long 
  ago. 
  Most of the Elder Trolls were slaughtered in 
  ancient wars long ago by the mounted Man-
  and-Beast legions of the great god Kib.  
  However, every few years a new Great Elder 
  Troll is born from the hide of Trogool and it 
  crawls 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  Utter 
  South, 
  northward over the ocean, crawling and 
  even striding along the wave-choking 
  Sargasso of the Deeping Seas.  When the 
  Great Elder Trolls reach the mainland, they 
  rage and raven for several years before they 
  collapse into limbs, vile sheddings, and a 
  chittering head … the beginnings of a new 
  tribe of vile and loathsome Trolls to scourge 
  the world.  Some Elders die in a matter of 
  years, while others persist for centuries. 
  Trogool himself is blameless in their 
  creation, as he simply fulfills his will by 
  reading the Grimoire as he sheds away 
  rinds of ruin.  The lesser trolls can even be 
  said to be born of the hindered rages which 
  he experiences when he reads terrible true 
  tales of murder, injustice, treachery and 
  faithlessness throughout the histories of 
  Man.  The ichor of these dark traumas 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  festers from his mind, down through his 
  veiny hide, to slough off and crawl away. 
  Hags are horrified by these Things, while 
  trolls revere them as godlings who walk 
  amongst the unworthy in search of 
  revelation.  The Great Elders are babbling, 
  near mindless, ravening and mad, but that 
  doesn’t stop the trolls from following and 
  worshipping them.  (And sometimes getting 
  eaten, if enough sacrifices are brought into 
  the Great Elder’s ever-fumbling grasp.) 
  Due to plagues and forced migrations, 
  many of the monstrosities which were once 
  known only to Afrik have shuddered their 
  way northward in recent centuries.  As 
  such, it is possible — although an 
  extremely 
  rare 
  occurrence 
  — 
  that 
  adventurers might face a Great Elder Troll 
  in battle.  In the World of Oldskull they are 
  known to exist in the Underworld of Apshai, 
  Khom, Stygia, Mauretania, and Golgotha.  
  At least one is known to have been 
  summoned by a higher power (Groohlz-
  Drakha?) as a war beast thundering 
  through the deeper labyrinths under Castle 
  Oldskull.  In your campaign, they may be 
  found (at night) in wastelands, besieging 
  villages, or in the deepest nether ruins 
  where few souls dare to tread. 
  Have fun!  And do note (stats appear below 
  for various types) that anyone forced into 
  melee combat with a Great Elder is almost 
  certainly dead. 
   
  Great Elder Troll:  Armor Class 0, Move 
  150’ (50’), Hit Dice 12+12****** (minimum 
  of 6 hit points per die), average hit points 
  96, # Attacks 5 claw / claw / bite / trample 
  / trample, Damage 2D4+8 / 2D4+8 / 4D6 
  / 3D6 / 3D6, Special Abilities giant 
  strength (STR 22), superior infravision 
  (90’), Special Attacks battle up to five foes 
  simultaneously, 
  crushing 
  blows 
  (1% 
  chance per point of damage inflicted by 
  each attack that victim will be rendered 
  unconscious for 1D4 rounds), severed 
  limbs can still attack, swallow whole (small 
  creatures, on a natural 20 with bite attack), 
  Special Defenses magic resistance (30%), 
  regeneration (4 hp per round), Special 
  Vulnerabilities cannot regenerate acid, fire, 
  or lightning damage, direct sunlight will 
  inflict terrible damage (2D6 hit points per 
  round) which cannot be regenerated, Save 
  As Fighter 13 (due to 12+12 HD), Morale 
  12, Intelligence low (INT 6), Alignment 
  Chaotic Evil. 
  These elder trolls are 16’ tall, with an 8’-
  long arm reach. 
   
  Great Elder Troll, Monstrous:  Armor 
  Class -1, Move 180’ (60’), Hit Dice 
  18+18******* (minimum of 6 hit points per 
  die), average hit points 144, # Attacks 5 
  claw / claw / bite / trample / trample, 
  Damage 3D4+12 / 3D4+12 / 6D6 / 4D6+1 
  / 4D6+1, Special Abilities giant strength 
  (STR 23), superior infravision (90’), Special 
  Attacks 
  battle 
  up 
  to 
  five 
  foes 
  simultaneously, 
  crushing 
  blows 
  (1% 
  chance per point of damage inflicted by 
  each attack that victim will be rendered 
  unconscious for 1D4 rounds), severed 
  limbs can still attack, swallow whole (small 
  or medium creatures, on a natural 20 with 
  bite 
  attack), 
  Special 
  Defenses 
  magic 
  resistance (60%), regeneration (7 hp per 
  round), 
  Special 
  Vulnerabilities 
  cannot 
  regenerate acid, fire, or lightning damage, 
  direct sunlight will inflict terrible damage 
  (2D6 hit points per round) which cannot be 
  regenerated, Save As Fighter 19 (due to 
  18+18 HD), Morale 12, Intelligence low (INT 
  6), Alignment Chaotic Evil. 
  These elder trolls are 20’ tall, with a 10’-
  long arm reach. 
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
   
  Great Elder Troll, Colossal:  Armor Class 
  -2, Move 210’ (70’), Hit Dice 24+24******* 
  (minimum of 6 hit points per die), average 
  hit points 192, # Attacks 5 claw / claw / 
  bite / trample / trample, Damage 4D4+16 
  / 4D4+16 / 8D6 / 6D6 / 6D6, Special 
  Abilities giant strength (STR 24), superior 
  infravision (90’), Special Attacks battle up 
  to five foes simultaneously, crushing blows 
  (1% chance per point of damage inflicted by 
  each attack that victim will be rendered 
  unconscious for 1D4 rounds), severed 
  limbs can still attack, swallow whole (small 
  or medium creatures, on a natural 19 or 20 
  with bite attack), Special Defenses magic 
  resistance (90%), regeneration (10 hp per 
  round), 
  Special 
  Vulnerabilities 
  cannot 
  regenerate acid, fire, or lightning damage, 
  direct sunlight will inflict terrible damage 
  (2D6 hit points per round) which cannot be 
  regenerated, Save As Fighter 25 (due to 
  24+24 HD), Morale 12, Intelligence low (INT 
  6), Alignment Chaotic Evil. 
  These elder trolls are 24’ tall, with a 12’-
  long arm reach. 
   
  Great Elder Troll, Kohngool the Eldest 
  (Unique?):  Armor Class -3, Move 240’ (80’), 
  Hit Dice 30+30********* (minimum of 7 hit 
  points per die), average hit points 255, # 
  Attacks 5 claw / claw / bite / trample / 
  trample, Damage 6D4+20 / 6D4+20 / 
  10D6 / 8D6+2 / 8D6+2, Special Abilities 
  titanic 
  strength 
  (STR 
  25), 
  superior 
  infravision (90’), Special Attacks battle up 
  to five foes simultaneously, crushing blows 
  (1% chance per point of damage inflicted by 
  each attack that victim will be rendered 
  unconscious for 1D4 rounds), severed 
  limbs can still attack, swallow whole (small 
  or medium creatures, on a natural 19 or 20 
  with bite attack), Special Defenses magic 
  resistance (120%), regeneration (13 hp per 
  round), 
  Special 
  Vulnerabilities 
  cannot 
  regenerate acid, fire, or lightning damage, 
  direct sunlight will inflict terrible damage 
  (2D6 hit points per round) which cannot be 
  regenerated, Save As Fighter 31 (due to 
  30+30 HD), Morale 12, Intelligence low (INT 
  6), Alignment Chaotic Evil. 
  This horror is 28’ tall, with a 14’-long arm 
  reach. 
   
   
   
  Sleeping Colossal Trolls 
   
  There are several Colossal Trolls in the 
  World of Oldskull, which were born of 
  Trogool and the Great Boyg long ago in the 
  Before Time.  They strode through shallow 
  oceans, ever northward, until they could 
  stride no more.  These ancients were 
  infused with primordial spirits of the 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  natural realm, in an age when the Chaos 
  surrounding the world had not yet cohered 
  into recognizable terrain.  They possess 
  bodies of earth and stone, and are several 
  hundred feet tall.  They cannot be slain 
  because they are the world itself.  By any 
  natural laws of physics they should be 
  incapable of movement, but those laws 
  were not solidified in the time when the 
  Colossal Trolls themselves laid down to 
  slumber.  Their bodies are covered in soil 
  and deep-rooted trees, and their occasional 
  breaths (occurring perhaps once a decade) 
  are 
  always 
  mistaken 
  for 
  distant 
  thunderstorms. 
   
   
   
  The Colossal Ones are protected from all 
  detection by the Gods of Pegana, and their 
  slumber is very deep.  Locating one would 
  be quite a lifelong undertaking, and waking 
  one would be very unwise indeed.  They are 
  Chaotic Neutral, nearly mindless, and 
  completely beyond all attempts at mortal 
  control.  A rampaging Colossal would 
  ravage a realm for 1D6 days before 
  returning to the smothering embrace of the 
  Great Sleep once again. 
  Now is not their time, nor may it ever be.  
  Let them dream. 
   
  The Storytellers’ Secret 
  of the Troll God 
   
  (The following Dunsanian lore can be related 
  verbatim to any player whose character 
  possesses either Intelligence 18, or Wisdom 
  18, as representing legendary knowledge 
  known prior to beginning an adventuring 
  career.  This information will also become 
  known to anyone who hires a sage and 
  wishes to know anything of secret troll lore.) 
   
   
  [In the southernmost frigid waste] there is 
  neither South nor East nor West, but 
  only North and Beyond; there is only 
  North of it where lie the Worlds, and 
  Beyond it where lies the Silence, and the 
  Rim is a mass of rocks that were never 
  used by the gods when They made the 
  Worlds, and on it sat Trogool. 
  Trogool is the Thing that is neither god 
  nor beast, who neither howls nor 
  breathes, only It turns over the leaves of 
  a great book, black and white, black and 
  white for ever until THE END. 
  And all that is to be is written in the book 
  is also all that was. 
  When It turneth a black page it is night, 
  and when It turneth a white page it is 
  day. 
  Because it is written that there are gods 
  — there are the gods. 
  
   
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  Also there is writing about thee and me 
  until the page where our names no more 
  are written. 
  Then as the prophet watched It, Trogool 
  turned a page — a black one, and night 
  was over, and day shone on the Worlds. 
  Trogool is the Thing that men in many 
  countries have called by many names, It 
  is the Thing that sits behind the gods, 
  whose book is the Scheme of Things. 
  But 
  when 
  Yadin 
  saw 
  that 
  old 
  remembered days were hidden away with 
  the part that It had turned, and knew 
  that upon one whose name is writ no 
  more the last page had turned for ever a 
  thousand pages back. Then did he utter 
  his prayer in the fact of Trogool who only 
  turns the pages and never answers 
  prayer. 
  He prayed in the face of Trogool:  “Only 
  turn back thy pages to the name of one 
  which is writ no more, and far away upon 
  a place named Earth shall rise the 
  prayers of a little people that acclaim the 
  name of Trogool, for there is indeed far off 
  a place called Earth where men shall pray 
  to Trogool.” 
  Then spake Trogool who turns the pages 
  and never answers prayer, and his voice 
  was like the murmurs of the waste at 
  night when echoes have been lost:  
  “Though the whirlwind of the South 
  should tug with his claws at a page that 
  hath been turned, yet shall he not be able 
  to ever turn it back.” 
  Then because of words in the book that 
  said that it should be so, Yadin found 
  himself lying in the desert where one gave 
  him water, and afterwards carried him on 
  a camel into Bodrahan. 
  There some said that he had but dreamed 
  when 
  thirst 
  seized 
  him 
  while 
  he 
  wandered among the rocks in the desert. 
  But certain aged men of Bodrahan say 
  that indeed there sitteth somewhere a 
  Thing that is called Trogool, that is 
  neither god nor beast, that turneth the 
  leaves of a book, black and white, black 
  and white, until he come to the words: 
  Mai Doon Izahn, which means The End 
  For Ever, and book and gods and worlds 
  shall be no more. 
   
  — The Gods of Pegana, by Lord Dunsany 
   
   
   
  The End For Ever. 
   
  The One True Troll God, 
  Trogool 
   
  At the very bottom of the World of Oldskull, 
  far beyond the Rim of the Known, there 
  stands the rocky crumbling barrier that is 
  the Rim of the Unknown.  Beyond there in 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  some shifting land — perhaps at now the 
  southern pole, and later the tip of Afrik, 
  ever changing — there crouches Trogool, 
  the Thing That is Neither God Nor Beast. 
  Some say that Trogool is Lord of Trolls, but 
  he is more than that.  He is the Ur-Troll, 
  the troll that was manifest as spirit ere the 
  Creation.  He has taken many forms, he is 
  ageless and unknown.  When his leavings 
  give birth to trolls, he has only one saying, 
  a whisper, and that is “Shoggoth-ai.” 
  He is the deathless reader of the Grimoire 
  of All That Is to Be and All That Was, 
  reading and hungering and hating and 
  wondering forever until The End.  Every 
  black forbidden page he passes over is a 
  night, and every whitened leaf he turns over 
  with regenerating fingers is a day. 
  He reads of every hero and villain in the 
  World of Oldskull, and it is a wondrous 
  story indeed.  And as our mundane Strand 
  is entwined with the fabric of Olmsuul, he 
  reads nightly as well of you, and of me.  He 
  scours and reads with avid interest, 
  cackling with our victories and lamenting 
  with our sorrows, and he is much vexed 
  when he turns a page of Mung and comes 
  to read that the adventures of either your 
  or I are suddenly no more. 
  Evil he may be, yet he adores us all.  He will 
  never hurt anyone (until they hurt him), 
  lest they touch the Grimoire or disrupt the 
  sacred reading. 
  He wishes that he could slow the turning of 
  the pages, to linger over the beautiful 
  passages and to shy away from the reading 
  of the most terrible things, but he cannot.  
  Destiny and Dorozhand forbid it.  He has 
  no priests, save the trollish spell casters 
  and those few who insist upon the mission 
  and spreading the word of the Grimoire; he 
  refuses to enslave.  To those few who dare 
  to pray to him for power, or for mercy, he 
  answers only in enigmatic chants beholden 
  unto the Eternal Mystery. 
  When All is ended, the Grimoire shall be 
  shut. 
   
   
   
  Trogool (Lesser God of Trollkind):  Armor 
  Class 
  0, 
  Move 
  150’ 
  (50’), 
  Hit 
  Dice 
  39************, Hit Points 197, # Attacks 3 
  claw / claw / bite, Damage 5D4 / 5D4 / 
  4D4, Special Abilities godlike attributes 
  (STR 23, DEX 18, CON 25, INT 19, WIS 19, 
  CHA 6), grant battle rage to trolls 
  (conferring +2 to hit, +2 damage, and -2 
  penalty to Armor Class), immaculate 
  infravision (240’), skin shedding (passively 
  summons 1 troll of random type and 
  maximum hit points per round), use 1 
  spell-like power per round when not 
  physically attacking (see below), battle up 
  to three foes simultaneously, Special 
  Defenses +1 or better weapon to hit, 
  
   
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  immune to cold, poison, and death magic, 
  regeneration (13 hp per round), severed 
  limbs 
  can 
  still 
  attack, 
  Special 
  Vulnerabilities 
  +1 
  damage 
  from 
  acid 
  attacks, +1 damage from fire attacks, 
  cannot heal acid or fire damage, Magic 
  Resistance 80%, Save As Magic-User 24, 
  Morale 12, Intelligence godlike, Alignment 
  Chaotic Neutral with Evil tendencies. 
   
  Innate Magical Abilities:  All saving throw 
  targets are 2 (failed only on a 1), Astral 
  travel, Ethereal travel, Infravision (240’ 
  range). 
   
  Spell-Like Abilities (as level 24 magic-
  user):  Anti-Magic Shell (1 time/day), 
  Command (duration 2 rounds, 1 time/day), 
  Comprehend Languages (at will), Continual 
  Darkness (at will), Continual Light (at will), 
  Cure Blindness (at will), Cure Deafness (at 
  will), 
  Cure 
  Disease 
  (at 
  will), 
  Cure 
  Feeblemind (at will), Cure Insanity (in 
  others only, at will), Cure Light Wounds (3 
  times/day), Detect Charm (at will), Detect 
  Evil (at will), Detect Good (at will), Detect 
  Illusion (at will), Detect Invisibility (at will), 
  Detect Lie (at will), Detect Magic (at will), 
  Detect Traps (at will), Dispel Evil (2 
  times/day), Dispel Good (2 times/day), 
  Dispel Illusion (2 times/day), Dispel Magic 
  (2 times/day), Finger of Death (at will), Gate 
  (1 time/day), Geas (at will), Heal (1 
  time/day), Holy Word (1 time/day), Know 
  Alignment (at will), Levitate (at will), Limited 
  Wish (granted to self or another, 1 
  time/day), 
  Mirror 
  Image 
  (at 
  will), 
  Phantasmal Force (at will), Polymorph Self 
  (at will), Protection from Evil, 10’ Radius (at 
  will), Protection from Good, 10’ Radius (at 
  will), Raise Dead (3 times/day), Read 
  Languages (at will), Read Magic (at will), 
  Remove Curse (3 times/day), Remove Fear 
  (at will), Summon Trolls (at will, 3 will be 
  conjured per melee round, or 1 with 
  maximum hit points), Symbol (of preferred 
  type, 1 time/day), Teleport Without Error 
  (at will), Tongues (at will), True Seeing (2 
  times/day), Ultravision (at will), Unholy 
  Word (1 time/day), Wall of Force (at will). 
   
  The One Eternally 
  Unknowable Goddess of 
  the Trolls, the Great and 
  Almighty Boyg 
   
   
  Peer Gynt:  “Say what you are!” 
  Thing:  “The Boyg.” 
  Gynt:  “Neither dead, nor alive.  Slime and 
  mistiness.  No shape or form!  It’s as if 
  one were smothered amidst any number 
  of bears that are growling at being waked 
  up!  Why do you not strike out at me?” 
  Thing:  “The Boyg is not so foolish as 
  that.” 
  Gynt:  “Oh, strike at me!” 
  Thing:  “The Boyg does not strike.” 
  Gynt:  “Come, fight!  You shall fight with 
  me!” 
  Thing:  “The Great Boyg … can triumph 
  … without any fighting.” 
   
  — Peer Gynt, by Henrik Ibsen 
   
   
  The Great Boyg, the Ever-Writhing, Ever-
  Twisting, is the female ancestor of all trolls.  
  She was born of a slime pool left behind by 
  the birth of Trogool, and the two entities 
  share a symbiotic presence with one 
  another.  She twists and dreams forever in 
  agony, as do the subsumed souls of those 
  
   
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  few hundred foolish explorers that she has 
  devoured over the last several centuries.  
  Due to her eternal confusion and inability 
  to focus upon any one concept for more 
  than 
  a 
  handful 
  of 
  moments, 
  her 
  Intelligence and Wisdom attributes are 
  actually quite low for a demigoddess entity 
  of her standing. 
  The Great Boyg is invisible and wreathed in 
  mist, until she wishes to show herself.  She 
  appears as a 100’-long, 10’-diameter worm 
  with a mandibled face which crowns 
  thirteen pulsating, translucent sheaths of 
  interwoven 
  layers 
  of 
  flesh. 
   
  The 
  circumstances of her torment and arrested 
  evolution 
  have 
  prevented 
  her 
  from 
  achieving 
  a 
  more 
  complex 
  or 
  anthropomorphic form.  The Great Boyg is 
  not only the mother of all trolls, she is also 
  the ancestress of the Dreamlands dhole 
  race, and the purple and mottled worm 
  species as well.  It is said by some that 
  dholes exist throughout the universe 
  elsewhere, being a form of early spawn born 
  of the great cosmic fertility entity, Shub-
  Niggurath.  Whether this implies that the 
  Great Boyg and Trogool are spawn of Shub-
  Niggurath themselves, or something else 
  entirely, 
  remains 
  an 
  intriguing 
  yet 
  ultimately unanswerable question.  Yet 
  nevertheless the Great Boyg’s and Trogool’s 
  unique powers of regeneration are certainly 
  derived from a shared unholy source, and 
  many sages believe that the tentative lore 
  linkage between the two and Shub-
  Niggurath herself is far more likely than an 
  impossibility. 
  The Great Boyg will not attack intruders 
  unless she is first attacked.  She is likely to 
  attempt 
  to 
  communicate 
  through 
  telepathically-comprehended 
  guttural 
  Common, although such efforts have only 
  a 10% chance per melee round (cumulative) 
  to 
  be 
  successful. 
   
  Unfortunately 
  a 
  conversation with the Great Boyg will only 
  last for 1D6 rounds at most, and then she 
  will forget who she was speaking to and 
  why. 
  If attacked, the Great Boyg can only use 
  spell-like 
  powers 
  20% 
  of 
  the 
  time 
  (determine whether this is possible at the 
  beginning of each melee round, and she will 
  cast her spells intelligently and defensively 
  whenever she is able).  Otherwise, she 
  cannot focus through the agony and then 
  must physically attack or use acid spittle, 
  which can only be done once every 4 melee 
  rounds. 
   
  The Great Boyg (Lesser Goddess of 
  Trollkind):  Armor Class 0, Move 150’ (50’) 
  / Burrow 120’ (40’), Hit Dice 36*********, Hit 
  Points 186, # Attacks 1 bite or spittle, 
  Damage 6D10 or acid (40’ range, striking 
  one target and all within 10’ of the target 
  (roll to hit separately for each), 50% 
  accuracy vs. each target on first use 
  increasing by 10% per to use to a maximum 
  of 90%, damage 10D12, save for half 
  damage), 
  Special 
  Abilities 
  godlike 
  attributes (STR 21, DEX 15, CON 24, INT 
  16, WIS 7, CHA -3), Special Attacks 
  stinking cloud exhalation at will (30’ long, 
  15’-wide cone), swallow whole (on a natural 
  to hit roll of 17 or higher), acidic skin 
  secretions when wounded (any making 
  contact with their flesh must save vs. 
  poison at -4 or suffer 10D10 damage per 
  touch), attempt to use 1 spell-like power 
  per round when not physically attacking 
  (see below), Special Defenses +1 or better 
  weapon to hit, immune to cold, poison, and 
  death magic, invisibility at will when not 
  attacking, regeneration (13 hp per round), 
  Special Vulnerabilities cannot heal fire or 
  holy damage, randomly effective spell 
  casting, Magic Resistance 30%, Save As 
  Magic-User 19, Morale 12, Intelligence 
  exceptional, Alignment Chaotic Neutral. 
   
  Innate Magical Abilities:  All saving throw 
  targets are 2 (failed only on a 1), Astral 
  
   
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  travel, Ethereal travel, Infravision (240’ 
  range). 
   
  Spell-Like Abilities (as level 19 magic-
  user, but casting attempts are only 
  uncommonly effective):  Anti-Magic Shell 
  (1 
  time/day), 
  Command 
  (duration 
  2 
  rounds, 
  1 
  time/day), 
  Comprehend 
  Languages (at will), Continual Darkness (at 
  will), Continual Light (at will), Cure 
  Blindness (at will), Cure Deafness (at will), 
  Cure Disease (at will), Cure Feeblemind (at 
  will), Cure Insanity (in others only, at will), 
  Cure Light Wounds (3 times/day), Detect 
  Charm (at will), Detect Evil (at will), Detect 
  Good (at will), Detect Illusion (at will), 
  Detect Invisibility (at will), Detect Lie (at 
  will), Detect Magic (at will), Detect Traps (at 
  will), Dispel Evil (2 times/day), Dispel Good 
  (2 times/day), Dispel Illusion (2 times/day), 
  Dispel Magic (2 times/day), Finger of Death 
  (at will), Gate (1 time/day), Geas (at will), 
  Heal (1 time/day), Holy Word (1 time/day), 
  Know Alignment (at will), Levitate (at will), 
  Limited Wish (granted to self or another, 1 
  time/day), 
  Mirror 
  Image 
  (at 
  will), 
  Phantasmal Force (at will), Polymorph Self 
  (at will), Protection from Evil, 10’ Radius (at 
  will), Protection from Good, 10’ Radius (at 
  will), Raise Dead (3 times/day), Read 
  Languages (at will), Read Magic (at will), 
  Remove Curse (3 times/day), Remove Fear 
  (at will), Summon Trolls (at will, 3 will be 
  conjured per melee round, or 1 with 
  maximum hit points), Symbol (of preferred 
  type, 1 time/day), Teleport Without Error 
  (at will), Tongues (at will), True Seeing (2 
  times/day), Ultravision (at will), Unholy 
  Word (1 time/day), Wall of Force (at will). 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Chapter 10: 
  Mysteries of the Trolls 
   
   
   
  There 
  are 
  many 
  enigmatic 
  legends, 
  glimpses of the Beyond, and forbidden 
  splinters of lore related to the ever-baffling 
  trolls.  Here are a few pieces of bait which 
  Game Masters might find interesting to 
  dangle in front of the players when things 
  get slow, or you want the PCs to go 
  wandering on a random errand or three.  
  Feel free to add more, and to decide upon 
  your own answers to all the mysteries! 
   
   
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  The Dholes 
   
   
  Now Carter knew from a certain source 
  that he was in the vale of Pnath, where 
  crawl and burrow the enormous dholes; 
  but he did not know what to expect, 
  because no one has ever seen a dhole or 
  even guessed what such a thing may be 
  like.  Dholes are known only by dim 
  rumour, from the rustling they make 
  amongst mountains of bones and the 
  slimy touch they have when they wriggle 
  past one.  They cannot be seen because 
  they creep only in the dark.  Carter did 
  not wish to meet a dhole, so listened 
  intently for any sound in the unknown 
  depths of bones about him … 
   
  — The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, 
  by H. P. Lovecraft 
   
   
  Dholes (or bholes, in some Lovecraftian 
  texts) 
  are 
  monstrous 
  annelids, 
  the 
  ancestors of purple and mottled worms.  
  They are the great burrowers of the 
  netherworld, churning stone and soil alike 
  to create massive hollows and cavernous 
  galleries throughout the wastelands deep.  
  They have the ability to flicker between 
  dimensions several times during their life 
  cycle, when they shed their massive skins 
  and require entirely different essences for 
  continuing sustenance and survival.  In the 
  author’s campaign, after shed-molts they 
  journey between the World of Oldskull and 
  the netherworld of the Dreamlands. 
  Dholes are twice the size of purple worms 
  (HD 30).  The known sub-species are slime 
  dholes (attacking with gobs of slowing 
  mucus), who churn the soil; acid dholes 
  (with spittle much like a giant slug’s, yet 
  more lethal), who destroy stone; and mist 
  dholes (exhaling a venomous vapor), whose 
  reactions create breathable gusts of air 
  deep beneath the earth. 
  Dholes are believed to be the spawn of the 
  Great Boyg.  A dhole will not attack trolls 
  unless the trolls attack first.  Trolls possess 
  a supernatural terror of dholes and will flee 
  madly away from them in awe, which the 
  mindless dholes strangely allow. 
  Unanswered questions concerning the 
  Dholes include: 
   Do they signify a link between the 
  troll gods and Shub-Niggurath? 
   Do they create portals between the 
  netherworld and the Dreamlands, 
  which adventurers can exploit? 
   Is their lack of hostility toward trolls 
  instinctive, or a sign of sentience? 
   If they are almost never seen except 
  in the deepest reaches of the world, 
  how 
  deep 
  precisely 
  is 
  the 
  netherworld? 
   And at the utmost depths, where 
  even the dholes will not cross the 
  Basalt Barrier, what exactly is down 
  there? 
   
  The Gugs 
   
   
  Many things intervene betwixt their gulf 
  and the enchanted wood, including the 
  terrible kingdom of the gugs. 
  The gugs, hairy and gigantic, once reared 
  stone circles in that wood and made 
  strange sacrifices to the Other Gods and 
  the crawling chaos Nyarlathotep, until 
  one night an abomination of theirs 
  reached the ears of earth’s gods and they 
  were banished to caverns below.  Only a 
  great trap-door of stone with an iron ring 
  connects the abyss of the earth-ghouls 
  
   
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  with the enchanted wood, and this the 
  gugs are afraid to open because of a 
  curse. 
  That a mortal dreamer could traverse 
  their cavern realm and leave by that door 
  is inconceivable; for mortal dreamers 
  were their former food, and they have 
  legends of the toothsomeness of such 
  dreamers even though banishment has 
  restricted their diet to the ghasts, those 
  repulsive beings which die in the light … 
   
  — The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, 
  by H. P. Lovecraft 
   
   
  It is said (and might be half-true) that gugs 
  were born of degenerate cave trolls of some 
  kind, born of a cauldron ritual in which 
  demonic magic was used by an elder hag in 
  an attempt to create a mighty new trollish 
  servitor race.  The things that were created 
  grew rapidly, shrieking and collapsing into 
  greater and festering forms of themselves.  
  Most of them died, it is whispered, but 
  some 
  few 
  were 
  banished 
  into 
  the 
  Dreamlands before they could slaughter 
  the “mother” who had created them.  And 
  as they twisted into their drying forms, 
  their forearms split in two, and their fanged 
  maws turned upward and inward upon 
  themselves. 
  In the current era, gugs do not wander the 
  World of Oldskull, and they have also been 
  divinely removed from the enchanted forest 
  within 
  the 
  surface 
  realms 
  of 
  the 
  Dreamlands.  They have been banished 
  into 
  the 
  Dreamlands’ 
  netherworld, 
  restrained by the mighty abjurations of the 
  Sigil of Koth.  Regenerative demonic ichor 
  has made these creatures massive, but 
  their uncontrollable growth (a molt every 
  several years) eventually kills them.  They 
  spend their entire lives in pain, which 
  makes them highly aggressive, ravenous, 
  and nasty. 
  Gugs have excellent infravision.  They hate 
  light, and can eat just about anything, but 
  they actually prefer rotting or undead flesh 
  (apparently due to such a meal’s deadening 
  and pain-killing properties). 
  Mysteries concerning the gugs include: 
   Are they actually a sub-strain of 
  trolls, 
  or 
  have 
  they 
  evolved 
  completely beyond the influence of 
  troll spell casters and hags? 
   Due to the widening dimensional 
  fractures within the netherworld 
  beneath the dungeons of Castle 
  Oldskull, do any live in “real” world 
  beyond the Dreamlands?  Or are the 
  fractures too hazardous to serve as 
  gates? 
   Are trolghuls a failed, second, or 
  altered sub-species related to gug 
  experimentation? 
   Did the gugs exist before the black 
  dabblings of hag-kind, and was the 
  ritual an ancient chant of the Great 
  Old Ones?  Or are they indeed hag-
  born? 
   Could a hag or troll crone ever 
  control a gug, and turn it into a 
  creature of war? 
   
  The Shoggoths 
   
  The nature of the enigmatic link between 
  shoggoths and trolls is largely unknown, 
  but what is known is intriguing:  the trolls 
  and hags believe that the shoggoths are 
  incarnations of Chaos, somehow related to 
  the origin of Trogool.  Further when trolls 
  encounter a shoggoth, they will cease any 
  action that is underway — battle, rest, 
  hunting, 
  exploring, 
  or 
  anything 
  else 
  besides — and they will begin chanting 
  endlessly “Shoggoth-ai, shoggoth-ai,” and 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  lost in a rapture they will allow themselves 
  to 
  be 
  consumed. 
   
  Then 
  a 
  great 
  metamorphosis begins to overtake the 
  devouring shoggoth’s form.  Little more is 
  known; the few netherworld adventurers 
  who have witnessed this terrible seen have 
  all either perished, or fled and descended 
  into madness. 
  It is true that shoggoths have remarkable 
  adaptive and flesh-shaping powers, and it 
  is rumored that Trogool was born of 
  sentient shoggoth plasm long ago.  That 
  would make trolls the quasi-descendants of 
  shoggoths in a way, but the link between 
  the species would be as temporally and 
  metaphysically remote as the linkage 
  between 
  humans 
  and 
  single-celled 
  organisms. 
  Baffled sages have wondered: 
   Were the first shoggoths created by 
  the Elder Things millions of years 
  ago, 
  or 
  were 
  they 
  merely 
  manipulating 
  regenerative 
  manifestations of Chaos-flesh which 
  existed in the universe prior to their 
  own meddling 
   Is there any connection between the 
  ruins of the Elder Things and the 
  vales of Trogool, which both lie 
  somewhere 
  in 
  the 
  Utter 
  South 
  beyond the Mountains of Madness? 
   Was Trogool born to the World of 
  Oldskull long ago as a manifestation 
  of shoggoth plasm, or vice versa? 
   What truly occurs when trolls are 
  slain and absorbed by a shoggoth?  
  What 
  does 
  the 
  shoggoth 
  then 
  become, 
  and 
  what 
  further 
  enlightenment does it seek? 
   
   
   
  Trolls of Many Heads 
   
  There is a strong tradition in relatively 
  recent troll folklore, in which trolls appear 
  with an extreme number of heads.  In the 
  tales, three-, six-, nine-, and even twelve-
  headed trolls exist.  The standard joke is 
  that the hero keeps chopping off heads, but 
  even larger trolls keep appearing in a series 
  of repetitive blunders for comedic effect. 
  I have herein provided details on the ettin-
  troll two-headed crossbreed, because that 
  monster has been featured in the classic 
  FRPG for nearly 40 years.  But beyond that 
  threshold things simply get too ridiculous 
  
   
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  to be taken seriously; and what works in 
  humorous fairy tales does not always work 
  in practice for the atmospheric game.  The 
  Game Master is encouraged to make multi-
  headed “super trolls” if they are needed for 
  his or her own campaign, of course.  I 
  would recommend using the classic fairy 
  tale Soria Moria Castle (public domain, c. 
  1841 and earlier) as a starting inspiration. 
  (And by the way, that tale is where Tolkien 
  found his own inspiration to create the 
  place name “The Mines of Moria” … 
  labyrinths which do indeed feature a cave 
  troll.) 
   
   
   
  The Fable of the Hidden 
  Ones:  The Huldrafolk 
   
  There is another hidden race which is 
  related to the Troldfolk, known as the 
  Huldrafolk (or Hulders).  
  These are 
  dangerous female nature spirits, and they 
  might be the mothers of the cabalistic 
  Troldfolk matriarchs.  They are said to 
  seduce human males for some nefarious 
  purpose, and the Troldfolk elders might or 
  might not be a result of these sinister 
  pairings.  Very little is known … but in my 
  own campaign these malicious half-faeries 
  do occasionally appear as an NPC race.  
  Feel 
  free 
  to 
  research 
  the 
  existing 
  Scandinavian tales, beginning with (for 
  example) Svenka Folksagner by Herman 
  Hofberg, published 1882.  This is a step too 
  far removed from true troll lore to be 
  included in this volume, but if you decide 
  to include the Troldfolk in your game — and 
  the players become curious about their 
  secrets — you might want to feature this 
  race as well as a bridge into the Faerie 
  Londs of the Unseelie Court. 
   
  Forbidden Lore: 
  The Half-Spun Tale 
  of the Ever-Enigmatic 
  Groohlz-Drakha, 
  Great Overlord of the 
  Dungeons under Castle 
  Oldskull 
   
  (Here we discuss the true source of the 
  deepest Oldskull riddles and conundrums, 
  an immortal creature specifically crafted 
  over the years to baffle, fluster, and 
  entertain all my players.  Walk warily, there 
  are confusing spoilers ahead! ~K) 
   
  Groohlz-Drakha is a troll-shaped chaos 
  godling, the immortal jester who reigns 
  throughout the dungeons beneath the 
  
   
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  Ushirian Manor (a ruined mansion known 
  to many as Castle Oldskull).  He is known 
  as the Hag-Son, the Immortal Troll King, 
  the Ever-Replenishing Jester, Devourer of 
  Maiden Flesh, the Terrible and Most 
  Wondrous, 
  the 
  Emerald 
  Lord 
  of 
  Meaningless Things, and the Shatterer of 
  the 6,666 Ever-Shifting Shards of Chaos. 
   
   
   
  As summoner of the deeper dungeons’ 
  monstrous hordes and as the Overlord who 
  controls the Tarot Deck of Strangest 
  Things, he is both savior and bane to any 
  overly-presumptuous 
  adventurers 
  who 
  dare to raid his labyrinths beneath the 
  castle.  Some mortal fools he rescues from 
  certain death, while others he feeds to the 
  demons and dragons as he pleases.  Rude 
  interlopers seem to perish with far greater 
  frequency than the clever or the amusing 
  ones do, however.  Groohlz-Drakha loves a 
  wry trickster and adores a wicked jest, even 
  a deadly joke made at his own expense. 
  His history is enigmatic and directly tied 
  into the deepest and darkest secrets of the 
  World of Oldskull campaign.  (Brief spoiler:  
  The World of Oldskull is a post-apocalyptic, 
  post-science fiction setting.  I will share 
  many more details to come in future 
  supplements, but this book is about trolls, 
  not chrono-dimensional chaos!) 
  To give the Game Master enough of 
  Groohlz-Drakha, so that he can be useful 
  as a mega-dungeon personage appearing in 
  any campaign, I can provide some useful 
  clues as to his origin, his meaning, and his 
  blackest bonds to the legacy of the troll 
  race: 
  When the Gods of Pegana arose and 
  populated the World of Oldskull with 
  beasts, heroes, and monsters, one of their 
  number — a nameless fiend known only as 
  the Mad God — refused any role in the 
  gambit of the gods, other than that of 
  ultimate supremacy.  As a nightmare born 
  of Mana-Yood-Sushai the Mad God was the 
  lord 
  of 
  Things, 
  those 
  blasphemous 
  Abominations which slither forth from the 
  beyond.  His greatest servitors through 
  millennia of warfare would be enslaved 
  trolls, in all their shapes and sizes.  In each 
  of the trolls that he turned from their 
  creators (Trogool and the Boyg) to fulfill his 
  own worship, a blood drop of the Mad God 
  served as a spark of generative healing and 
  terrible wrath. 
  The Mad God’s battles with his immortal 
  brethren were directly responsible for the 
  cataclysmic Great Deluge which ended 
  King Conan’s time, the Hyborian Age (c. 
  10,000 BC).  After centuries of earthly 
  tumult the Mad God’s soul fell into a torpor 
  deep beneath the ravaged earth, where he 
  was accidentally awakened (c. 7,200 BC) by 
  those dimensional travelers’ sons and 
  daughters who had founded the Great 
  
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
  Netherworld Imperium.  (This relates to the 
  earliest origin of the World of Oldskull, tied 
  to the 22nd Century of our own intertwined 
  world of Earth.  Dimensional “null sphere” 
  travelers 
  escaped 
  our 
  Nyarlathotep-
  ravaged Earth and escaped through a 
  wormhole “gateway” into the netherworld of 
  Oldskull, where magic reigns over science.  
  However, 
  these 
  exiles’ 
  descendants 
  possessed no meaningful knowledge of 
  their own history.) 
  In the midst of a civil war beneath the 
  earth, the Mad God possessed a willing and 
  heretical high priest who stood against the 
  Imperium, a powerful necrophage-hermit 
  who had named himself Groohlz-Drakha.  
  This empowered entity conquered the 
  Imperium’s remnants in the name of his 
  mad followers, but at a terrible cost.  
  Drakha sacrificed himself in the bloody 
  name of supremacy, butchering his most 
  powerful adversaries (the Archons) through 
  the blasphemous use of vicious magic.  
  These vile and bloody sorceries fed upon 
  his 
  form, 
  spawning 
  terrible 
  war-
  monstrosities, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  babbling 
  Shoggothai, the juggernaut-driven Dhole 
  Remnants, and the ever-horrible Grimlues. 
  War-monstrosities slaughtered enemy and 
  worshipper alike, but the specific area of 
  their greatest destruction spelled the 
  Imperium’s ultimate end.  The Great 
  Netherworld 
  Imperium 
  would 
  require 
  centuries to die, but its lingering fate was 
  sealed in those monstrous death throes. 
  After 
  that 
  great 
  battle 
  against 
  the 
  Imperium’s last Archons, the berserker-
  worshippers of Drakha saved his ravaged 
  form by infusing his remaining flesh with 
  dark magic and troll blood, so that he — 
  soon to be “reborn” as their reincarnated 
  quasi-deity — could never truly perish.  The 
  war for the Imperium continued to rage 
  between diminished factions for over a 
  century (c. -7,100 BC), collapsing many 
  lower palatial levels, and many extra-
  dimensional artifacts from the Before World 
  were destroyed.  The remaining fragments, 
  experiments, 
  repaired 
  improvisations, 
  nullifications, auras, and echoes of these 
  lost “speaking idols” (Artificial Intelligences) 
  over the years became known as the 
  “magical” 6,666 Shards of Chaos.  (But that 
  is a tale for another day …) 
  By the time of the Great War’s final decade, 
  only one set of uncorrupted artifacts from 
  the Before World remained.  Over many 
  years 
  the 
  resurgent 
  Drakha 
  seized 
  possession of each protected plaque of this 
  AI-driven set of probability attenuators, 
  which 
  — 
  after 
  being 
  reformed 
  and 
  disguised by Drakha’s chaos magic — came 
  to be known as the Deck of Strangest 
  Things.  Possession of these powerful 
  divinatory talismans ensured Drakha’s 
  total supremacy in the nether. 
  Yet Drakha himself had become something 
  else entirely as a result of his troll-
  incarnation.  He had suffered disastrous 
  setbacks and perished in battle several 
  times.  Ever-darker infusions of trolls’ 
  blood, corrupted magic, and the life 
  essence of drained slaves returned this 
  god-thing to life once more, but with every 
  reincarnation Drakha became more troll-
  like, more sardonic, more erratic, and more 
  insane. 
  With 
  every 
  life-stealing 
  resurgence, 
  Drakha’s mind was overgrown and made 
  wretched with delusions.  The high priest’s 
  memories were almost entirely wiped out, 
  the 
  reflected 
  soma-presence 
  of 
  the 
  devoured souls inside of him grew ever 
  stronger, and the strengthening Mad God 
  became something wild and tumultuous 
  within his mind.  He had once been a “One,” 
  a priest merely a man; he had then become 
  a “Duality,” a man with a God twisted 
  inside his spirit; and in the end, he became 
  a “Many,” an embodied kingdom of warring 
  voices and personalities, ruled by a tyrant 
  of waning memory.  Within him, the war for 
  the Great Netherworld Imperium had never 
  truly ended. 
  
   
  Page 109 | 115 
   
  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  Such was his ultimate destiny, he realized.  
  Whoever he was.  And throughout the 
  labyrinthine and echoing halls hollowed 
  beneath the world, Groohlz-Drakha did 
  laugh! 
  The Great War ended due to repeated waves 
  of 
  slaughter, 
  troop 
  regeneration, 
  exhaustion, plague, and annihilation.  A 
  peace of sorts emerged once Drakha’s 
  usurping berserkers became too dispersed 
  throughout the ruins of the Imperium, and 
  their enemies — the few surviving loyalists 
  who survived the slaughter of the Archons 
  — dug surface-ward in the name of 
  survival.  Drakha let them go, for he had 
  read well of their future fates in the Deck of 
  Strangest Things.  With their upward 
  burrowing and magics, these generations of 
  loyalists were creating labyrinths and 
  shelters beneath the earth, stronghold by 
  stronghold, 
  level 
  by 
  level. 
   
  Drakha 
  populated the levels that they abandoned, 
  using his dribbling troll blood here and a 
  bit of spawning magic there, giving rise to 
  nettlesome factions and worshippers and 
  enemies and all kinds of fascinating little 
  things which Drakha could tamper with, 
  and scry upon from afar.  Little beetles and 
  kobolds and spiders and manticores all 
  scrabbling in the dark.  And yes, there were 
  trolls as well.  Some even worshipped idols 
  of Groohlz, despite his laughter at their 
  idolatry.  What fun! 
  Generation by generation, year by year, the 
  loyalists of the Imperium sought an exit to 
  the netherworld.  Some few of these pale 
  magic-wielding mortals finally emerged as 
  the wondrous “Risen Peoples,” breathing in 
  the air of some primeval forest.  They rose 
  as human miracles from out of the ground, 
  gasping and crawling by the shores of a 
  strange gray sea, cringing to behold an 
  unknown golden god — the sun — who 
  reigned over a green wilderness, a beast 
  kingdom of wonders, over an ancient land 
  known as Tyrrhenia. 
  Tyrrhenia at that time was home to a native 
  human race, the Etrurians.  These simple 
  mystics and warrior-prophets worshipped 
  the deep earth, for the Risen Ones by their 
  emergence proved that humanity’s true 
  home was beneath the land, beneath even 
  the realm of the dead!  The Etrurians 
  bonded well with the Risen Ones, and great 
  heroic bloodlines were established between 
  these two worthy kinships.  Then came the 
  Empyreans, 
  the 
  conqueror-men 
  from 
  across the sea.  There were ages of war, 
  times 
  of 
  peace. 
   
  Factions 
  grew 
  in 
  numberless profusion.  A great city later 
  known as Grimrook arose near to the 
  Ushirian Manor.  The Manor was a mighty 
  and forbidden temple-palace, which a self-
  exiled 
  cabal 
  of 
  Risen 
  mages 
  and 
  elementalists had raised up stone by stone, 
  swearing that they would seal the old 
  Imperium’s grief and evils beneath the 
  world … forever. 
  And Drakha, enthroned deep in his nether 
  palace, flipping his cards and cackling, 
  decided to let the little humans stay there 
  in their innocence, living and praying and 
  dying beneath the sun and its sister moon.  
  A few bold fools and fiend-slayers would 
  come to visit him, in time.  How ever could 
  they not?  The one true god of the mortals, 
  after all, was Curiosity. 
  And came to the deep they did.  But 
  centuries 
  passed 
  before 
  the 
  first 
  huntresses and paladins found their way 
  down the deepest stair, there to experience 
  a reading from the Deck of Strangest 
  Things.  Drakha, playing eternally with his 
  monsters and his trinkets of fading 
  memory, nearly perished from boredom in 
  the waiting. 
  Far down below in the Imperium’s waste 
  and ruins Groohlz-Drakha had become 
  dormant upon his throne, speaking in 
  tongues, with his wishes being interpreted 
  by 
  several 
  “new” 
  cultic 
  factions 
  of 
  necrophagous priests.  It was noted by the 
  wisest priests that a sacrifice of maidens, 
  
   
  Page 110 | 115 
   
  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
  devoured by the greatly weakened Drakha, 
  caused the Mad God to speak through his 
  ravaged body with more insistence from 
  time to time.  A tradition arose that Drakha 
  would be attended by several hundred 
  priestess-handmaidens, and those who 
  failed to interpret his divinatory wishes 
  “properly” would become scapegoats to the 
  degenerating peoples of the nether … and 
  so they would be devoured as a sacrifice of 
  repentance (either in part by Drakha, or 
  fully by the cultists). 
  So was the world of Groohlz-Drakha, in the 
  nether palace whose domes and spires 
  touch high upon the bottom of the deepest 
  dungeon level. 
  Before the coming of the adventurers an 
  Age of Madness lasted for many years, and 
  Drakha 
  outlived 
  virtually 
  all 
  of 
  his 
  worshippers.  He polymorphed the forms of 
  beetles, humanoids, monsters, and many 
  less nameable things to become his 
  replenished “handmaidens” as he devoured 
  and played, and laughed.  His eternal feasts 
  of blood and flickering memory continued 
  without end. 
  Could he ever remember who he was?  No.  
  Did it matter?  Uncertain.  Could he decide 
  who he would be, for today, for his next 
  meeting with querulous mortals venturing 
  from above?  Why yes!  And he flips the 
  cards, and he teleports throughout his 
  dungeons, causing the trolls to fall to their 
  worshipful and sloughing knees.  And all 
  the while, Drakha is sure to remind those 
  “powerful” fiends and liches and dragons 
  who the true master of the nether is … and 
  in this age, the age of heroes, his meetings 
  with intriguing mortal heroes from the 
  surface lands are many and strange 
  indeed. 
  To this day, the creature who once was 
  Groohlz-Drakha remains forever cruel, 
  merciful, mirthful, capricious, random, 
  riddle-adoring, logic-abhorring, and — to 
  those who vex him — exceedingly deadly.  
  Perhaps the Player Characters in your 
  campaign will get to meet him, down in the 
  dungeons deep, at some wondrous point in 
  time! 
   
  * * * 
   
  As a carnal avatar of the Peganan Mad God, 
  Groohlz-Drakha can never truly die unless 
  his true form is slain in the ever-shifting 
  palatial realms of Limbo.  He can certainly 
  be faced in battle on the Prime Material 
  Plane, and has conquered thousands of 
  hubris-laden heroes … and from time to 
  time, he has even died.  If he dies and his 
  fleshly 
  remains 
  exist 
  (e.g., 
  are 
  not 
  disintegrated), he reforms in slumbering 
  torpor at the rate of 1 hit point per day until 
  he awakens once again at full strength.  If 
  his fleshly remains are fully eradicated, his 
  spirit must generate a new planar form in 
  Limbo before he can return to reign 
  beneath Castle Oldskull once again; this 
  process requires 13 years from the day of 
  death. 
  Groohlz-Drakha’s abilities within the Prime 
  Material Plane are as follows: 
   
  Groohlz-Drakha, 
  Overlord 
  of 
  Castle 
  Oldskull:  Armor Class -1, Move 120’ (40’), 
  Hit Dice 20*********, Hit Points 119, # 
  Attacks 3 claw / claw / bite, Damage 
  1D8+6 / 1D8+6 / 2D8+4, Special Abilities 
  superior attributes (STR 20, INT 19, WIS 
  16, DEX 18, CON 23, CHA 13), immaculate 
  infravision (240’), use 1 spell-like power per 
  round when not physically attacking (see 
  below), 
  battle 
  up 
  to 
  three 
  foes 
  simultaneously, Special Defenses +1 or 
  better weapon to hit, catch or deflect 
  missiles (75%), regeneration (5 hp per 
  round), severed limbs can still attack, 
  Magic Resistance 70%, Save As Magic-User 
  20, Morale 12, Intelligence supra-genius, 
  Alignment Special (roll randomly per day:  
  
   
  Page 111 | 115 
   
  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  1% Chaotic Evil, 9% Chaotic Good, 70% 
  Chaotic Neutral, 10% Chaotic Evil with 
  Neutral tendencies, 10% Chaotic Good with 
  Neutral tendencies). 
   
  Innate Magical Abilities:  All saving throw 
  targets are 2 (failed only on a 1), Astral 
  travel, Ethereal travel, Infravision (240’ 
  range). 
   
  Spell-Like Abilities (as level 20 magic-
  user):  Anti-Magic Shell (1 time/day), 
  Command (duration 2 rounds, 1 time/day), 
  Comprehend Languages (at will), Continual 
  Darkness (at will), Continual Light (at will), 
  Cure Blindness (at will), Cure Deafness (at 
  will), 
  Cure 
  Disease 
  (at 
  will), 
  Cure 
  Feeblemind (at will), Cure Insanity (in 
  others only, at will), Cure Light Wounds (3 
  times/day), Detect Charm (at will), Detect 
  Evil (at will), Detect Good (at will), Detect 
  Illusion (at will), Detect Invisibility (at will), 
  Detect Lie (at will), Detect Magic (at will), 
  Detect Traps (at will), Dispel Evil (2 
  times/day), Dispel Good (2 times/day), 
  Dispel Illusion (2 times/day), Dispel Magic 
  (2 times/day), Finger of Death (at will), Gate 
  (1 time/day), Geas (at will; typically, 
  dangerous but not 100% fatal quests, 
  directed to procure various objects or 
  treasures 
  within 
  the 
  Castle 
  Oldskull 
  dungeons), Heal (1 time/day), Holy Word (1 
  time/day), 
  Know 
  Alignment 
  (at 
  will), 
  Levitate (at will), Limited Wish (granted to 
  self or another, 1 time/day), Mirror Image 
  (at will), Phantasmal Force (at will), 
  Polymorph Self (at will), Protection from 
  Evil, 10’ Radius (at will), Protection from 
  Good, 10’ Radius (at will), Raise Dead (3 
  times/day), Read Languages (at will), Read 
  Magic 
  (at 
  will), 
  Remove 
  Curse 
  (3 
  times/day), Remove Fear (at will), Summon 
  Trolls (at will, 3 will be conjured per melee 
  round, or 1 with maximum hit points), 
  Symbol (of preferred type, 1 time/day), 
  Teleport Without Error (at will), Tongues (at 
  will), True Seeing (2 times/day), Ultravision 
  (at will), Unholy Word (1 time/day), Wall of 
  Force (at will, typically used to force 
  adventuring parties down certain paths). 
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  Page 112 | 115 
   
  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
  About the Author 
   
   
   
  Beginning play as a chaotic neutral normal 
  human with one measly hit point to his 
  name, KENT DAVID KELLY eventually 
  became apprenticed to a magic-user of ill 
  repute ... a foul man who dwelt in the 
  steamy deeps of the Ivory Cloud Mountain. 
  After this mentor carelessly misplaced an 
  intelligent soul-sucking sword and then 
  died under suspicious circumstances, his 
  former henchman Mr. Kelly escaped to the 
  deeper underground and there began 
  playing Satanic role-playing games. This, 
  the legends tell us, occurred in the year 
  1981. 
  Hoary wizard-priests who inspired Mr. 
  Kelly in his netherworldly machinations 
  included 
  the 
  peerless 
  Gygax, 
  Carr, 
  Arneson, 
  Cook, 
  Hammack, 
  Jaquays, 
  Bledsaw, Moldvay, Kuntz, Schick and 
  Ward. Sadly, a misguided made-for-the-
  basements movie entitled Mazes and 
  Monsters 
  gave 
  Mr. 
  Kelly’s 
  parents 
  conniptions in 1982. As a result of that 
  blasphemous Tom Hanks debacle (and 
  other more personal lapses in judgment), 
  Mr. Kelly was eventually forbidden from 
  playing his favorite game for a considerable 
  length of time. 
  Nonplussed but not defeated, he used this 
  enforced exile to escape to a friend’s 
  alehouse, and there indulged himself in 
  now-classic computer RPGs such as Zork, 
  Telengard, Temple of Apshai, Ultima, 
  Tunnels 
  of 
  Doom, 
  The 
  Bard’s 
  Tale, 
  Phantasie, Pool of Radiance, Wizard’s 
  Crown and Wasteland. He then went on to 
  write computer versions of his own FRPGs, 
  which led to his obsession with coupling 
  creative design elements with random 
  dungeons and unpredictable adventure 
  generation. 
  Mr. Kelly wrote and submitted his first 
  adventure for Dungeon Magazine #1 in 
  1986. 
  Unfortunately, 
  one 
  Mr. 
  Moore 
  decided that his submission was far too 
  “Lovecraftian, horrific and unfair” to ever 
  serve 
  that 
  worthy 
  periodical 
  as 
  a 
  publishable adventure. Mr. Kelly, it must 
  be said, took this rejection as a very good 
  sign of things to come. 
  In the late 80s and 90s, Mr. Kelly wrote 
  short stories, poems and essays ... some of 
  which have been published under the 
  Wonderland Imprints banner. He wrote 
  several dark fantasy and horror novels as 
  well. Concurrently, he ran Dark Angel 
  Collectibles, selling classic FRPG materials 
  as Darkseraphim, and assisted the Acaeum 
  with the creation of the Valuation Board 
  and other minor research projects. 
  
   
  Page 113 | 115 
   
  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
  At this time, Mr. Kelly and his entourage of 
  evil gnomes are rumored to dwell in the 
  dread and deathly under-halls of the 
  Acaeum, 
  Dragonsfoot, 
  ENWorld, 
  Grognardia, Knights & Knaves, ODD, and 
  even more nefarious levels deep down in 
  the mega-dungeon of the Web. 
  There he remains in vigil, his vampiric 
  sword yet shivering in his hand. When not 
  being sought outright for answers to 
  halfling riddles or other more sundry sage 
  advice, he is to be avoided by sane 
  individuals at all costs. 
   
   
  Legal 
   
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  Castle Oldskull Supplement OST1:  Oldskull Trolls 
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  Wonderland Imprints ~ Kent David Kelly 
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  Game Content You must clearly indicate 
  which portions of the work that you are 
  distributing are Open Game Content. 
  9. Updating the License: Wizards or its 
  designated Agents may publish updated 
  versions of this License. You may use any 
  authorized version of this License to copy, 
  modify and distribute any Open Game 
  Content originally distributed under any 
  version of this License. 
  10. Copy of this License: You MUST include 
  a copy of this License with every copy of the 
  Open Game Content You Distribute. 
  11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may 
  not market or advertise the Open Game 
  Content using the name of any Contributor 
  unless You have written permission from 
  the Contributor to do so. 
  12. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible 
  for You to comply with any of the terms of 
  this License with respect to some or all of 
  the Open Game Content due to statute, 
  judicial order, or governmental regulation 
  then You may not Use any Open Game 
  Material so affected. 
  13. 
  Termination: 
  This 
  License 
  will 
  terminate automatically if You fail to 
  comply with all terms herein and fail to 
  cure such breach within 30 days of 
  becoming 
  aware 
  of 
  the 
  breach. 
  All 
  sublicenses shall survive the termination of 
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  14. Reformation: If any provision of this 
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  provision shall be reformed only to the 
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  15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE 
  Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, 
  Wizards of the Coast, Inc. 
  System Reference Document 5.1 Copyright 
  2016, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors 
  Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Chris 
  Perkins, Rodney Thompson, Peter Lee, 
  James Wyatt, Robert J. Schwalb, Bruce R. 
  Cordell, Chris Sims, and Steve Townshend, 
  based on original material by E. Gary 
  Gygax and Dave Arneson. 
  Oldskull Trolls, Copyright 2019, Kent 
  David Kelly. 
  END OF LICENCE 
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Castle Oldskull/Castle Oldskull OST1 Trolls.pdf