A troll raiding party armed for war and out for a purpose such as, Raiding Elves, Raiding another troll tribe, hunting down Chaos or targeting other groups it knows are in the area.

The cult mix of the trolls will depend on tribe and clan. Followers of Zorak Zoran will be over represented in most war parties.

They may see the adventurers as a threat to be avoided, victim’s to be taken advantage of, a resource to use or as possible source of intelligence. It will be a rare situation where the players are the planned target of the raid.

Humans with large amount of metal weapons and armour will be treated with caution, and are unlikely to be the source of a full frontal assault without good reason. The presence of Elves, Dwarves, people who look like chaos or other traditional troll enemies within the party will greatly increase the chance of the encounter turning violent quickly.

Most raiding parties will constitute a rune leader or two, over 6 experienced dark or great troll warriors, with an equal number of Trollkin scouts and skirmishes. Larger war parties heading towards Elf or Dwarf territory may be 4 or 5 times the size.

Most Elder Wilds trolls will be using stone and flint weapons, and using hides and leather armour. Some more advanced clans from the central Troll Hills area can send raiding parties out with some metal armour and weapons.

Most daytime encounters will be encountering a resting troll group, there scouts becoming aware of  the players  group and then talking, defending, scouting or negotiating as need. Even if the trolls are hostile, they will prefer to talk in the light and fight in the darkness.

Darkness encounters will be nastier with raided campsites, hostage taking before any negotiations, or abductions with grim and grisly warnings left to be found in the morning.

A fully committed surprise night raid from these guys would probably mark the end of all but the most powerful parties.  So unless the party have brought that kind of attack on themselves I suggest using this encounter for threat, skirmish, hostage taking, bribes and tense negotiation, even when it may not be the most obvious and direct course of action.

Small Parties – These will be raiding locally with a specific foe which is close to the geographic location they are encountered in likely to be trollkin mobs, other trolls, baboon troop, minor chaos, humans Votanki or Balazarings dependent on location or elves if near elf forests.

These are likely to be most passive with players unless they have good reason not to be, as even a  successful fight could very much weaken them for their planned raid

Medium Raiding Parties – These groups can travel long distances sometimes for a specific goal sometimes juts to raid and pillage an area. This means they could very troublesome for the players as they could very well be seen as fair game.

Due to the size of the group I would suggest it makes a better game if the players see them before they see the players. Then the players can decide if they want to attack, retreat, negotiate, mislead or distract the war party.

Large Raiding Parties – This is a large group which is only usually brought together for a specific raid at a specific target. They will be disciplined are unlikely to attack then players out of hand.

Usual targets for a group of this size would be a reasonable sized community be they troll, human, baboon, elf or mostali. Also significant chaos threats could merit this response.

Trolls could interact with the players and try to use them as dupes, information sources, bait, allies or lunch.

Culture: Wild, Hunter or Barbarian

Cults: Zorak Zoran, Kygor Lytor, Zong,  Ancestor worship

Found: Anywhere

Stats:

• small raiding party
• medium raiding party
• large raiding party

A Troll hunting party out hunting for food, usually with specific prey in mind. They will not usually be looking for combat with a well-armed and organised group. However if the hunting expedition has not gone well a weak or vulnerable pc group may be seen as viable prey.

These groups are usually from more primitive troll clans, and will have basic stone and wooden equipment.

Most troll hunters worship Zong the Hunter which is to all intents and purposes works as a troll incarnation of Foundchild.

These groups will usually comprise of between 3 and 6 dark trolls, with anywhere between 4 and 12 hunter Trollkin. Great trolls tend to be used only in hunting parties where Thunder Lizards and larger animals are the prey. When there added strength and bulk is useful, and there belligerent directness can be mitigated. Hunting parties may be accompanied by pack beetles to carry the prey home.

A good proportion of long range parties will be led by an experienced hunter who is often a master hunter and of rune level.

Small parties will be short range parties hunting close to the central clan base after a variety of small game.

Medium parties will be longer range parties hunting outside the immediate  area of the clan.

Large parties are after specific large game such as woolly rhinos or thunder lizards, or are planning to hunt in known dangerous grounds.

If encountered at night they will be hunting, alert and will probably be aware of the characters first. If encountered in the daytime they will be sleeping and resting with a guard or two as lookout.

When engaging with intelligent foes, hunters will also try to flank and hit the weakest members of the group first, striking with missiles from multiple angles.  They will then strike from unexpected directions at pace, keeping the party off guard and disorientated. If needs be they will skirmish and follow a party for a long distance only fighting when they have the advantage,  only when they feel the party is weak and they have an overwhelming advantage will they close in for the kill.

If obviously outclassed or losing a fight these hunters have no compunction in cutting their losses and running, or negotiating an end to the fight. They will not want to leave injured dark troll members of the party to die, and will be willing to sacrifice trollkin to save themselves if at all possible.

Culture: Wild or Hunter

Cults: Zong, Kygor Litor, Ancestor Worship

Found: Troll lands, Troll Hunting Lands, Open Hunting Lands

Stats At:

• Troll Hunting Party Small
• Troll Hunting Party Medium
• Troll Hunting Party Large

Culture: Primitive

Cults: Kygor Litor, Ancestor Worship, Local Darkness Spirits

Found: Troll lands, Troll hunting lands

Stats: http://ouropa.planeetta.com/rq_tools/enemygen/enemy_template/4306/

If there are no obvious trolls enemies present. A dark troll shaman will step out of the darkness and start making declarations to the party.  The spirits have given her insights into what the players are doing and why.

If the party are on business which darkness spirits would be troubled by she will warn of doom and threaten curses on them if they don’t turn back. If she feels the party is experienced enough not to be influenced by such direct tactics she will seek to distract the party from its business with random portents, false prophecies, misleading quests, tales of tempting treasures and other urgent distractions.

She is prepared and has summoned spirits which can come to her aid immediately if combat ensues, however they will usually be out of sight in the darkness unless she feels he needs the visual effects of spirits moving round her, in whatever circumstances he will never show more than half of the spirits he has summoned.

If the party are on business which the spirit’s of darkness will approve of such as Hunting chaos, she will speak blessings, positive omens, pass information and may gift the  party with tokens that will help get them through troll lands with minimal of trouble.

If the party are not doing anything darkness spirits would be concerned with one way or the other. The shaman is will be trying to involve the party in her business which could be any of the following favours or quests which trolls may find hard to do,

• Deliver a message to Blueface the shaman
• Deliver a challenge to Blueface the shaman
• Deliver a message to Gon Orta
• Deal with a chaos threat immediately, or go fetch a Zorak Zoran war party to do so
• Deliver an item (cursed ) to the elves
• Deliver an item (cursed ) to the dwarves
• Give the shaman safe passage to a spiritual site in Human Populated Balazar
• Deliver a message(insult) to the Yelmalio temple in Dykene

She is not used to having to pay people to tasks and will declare that the spirits demand it, and there will be undefined dire consequences for all if it is not done immediately. This may or may not be true. If needs be she has magic trinkets, spells and future favours to offer in payment if she decides her needs require using them, but only if threats have not worked.

If the party contain obvious or known troll foes, they will be attacked in the night by a coordinated raid of ghosts, shades and other darkness spirits, but the shaman will never show herself.

This encounter should be most fun played through as a contest of wits and cunning as opposed to a combat, players need to be smart and astute or the shaman could waste an awful lot of their time and resources.

*note unsure about the stats on the Generator but its a good place to start

When I played through Griffin Mountain all those years ago, I got fed up of continually being kicked about by the same Zorak Zoran war party.

We must of encountered them at least 5 or 6 times and things never went well. However we did not  encounter another single living troll in over 50 sessions. I hated them with a passion.

So to give some variation here are another bunch of Troll encounters specially created for the Elder wilds, There will be a few post but I will start off with the Trollkin, I will also try to link to RQ6 Encounter Generator for stats for these groups also.

Trollkin Gatherers

This is a large group of 12 -20 trollkin gathers these will be unarmed and petrified of the characters, at least one will run to the nearest large groups of dark trolls or warrior trollkin for aid. It is possible that the clan is over the next rise or up to 2 hours walk away.

Trollkin gathers usually belong to Wild or Hunter clans if any and are armed with stone, bone and wooden weapons if any.

There are usually 2 or 3 warrior trollkin with the group, who are there to keep the other trollkin from running off, and would not be expected to challenge a group of warriors.

It is possible that some trollkin may use the players appearance as an excuse to jump the warrior trollkin and run off, or worse still ask the players for aid or to seek to join the players party

Culture:  Primitive

Cults:  Zong, None

Found: Troll Lands, Troll hunting lands, Open Hunting Lands

RQ Encounter Generator:

• Small: http://ouropa.planeetta.com/rq_tools/enemygen/party/665/
• Medium:http://ouropa.planeetta.com/rq_tools/enemygen/party/666/
• Large:http://ouropa.planeetta.com/rq_tools/enemygen/party/667/

Wild Trollkin Mob

A mob of between 8 and 50 Feral Trollkin who have escaped there troll overlords and a swarming over whatever part of the Elder Wilds they are in.  These mobs are common on the edges of troll home lands, and can range far before meeting a predictable end.

They have little understanding of where they are and where they are going, they just know they don’t want to back to where they came from. They are nomadic not staying in any place very long, always on the move fearing being recaptured by their troll overlords. They may or may not be led by an escaped superior trollkin.

When encountering a party they will usually scatter and then regroup and if hungry track the party for some time, eventually gaining the courage to raid the campsite, running through and stealing anything they can whilst most players are sleeping.

They will not go back for the wounded, or the captured and it is every trollkin for them self.

If the opportunity arises they will try to isolate and mob attack a weaker member of the party. Only extreme hunger or fear will force them to try a direct swarm attack on a group of trained warriors.

They will be equipped with little more than sticks and rocks, and most will have no magic.

Culture:  Primitive

Cults:  None, Xiola Umbar

Found: Troll Lands, Troll hunting lands, Open Hunting lands, anywhere else.

RQ Encounter Generator:

• Small: http://ouropa.planeetta.com/rq_tools/enemygen/party/661/
• Medium:http://ouropa.planeetta.com/rq_tools/enemygen/party/662/
• Large:http://ouropa.planeetta.com/rq_tools/enemygen/party/664/

Superior Trollkin Runners

Found: Troll Lands, Troll hunting lands, Open Hunting lands, anywhere else

A lone or small group of escaped trollkin on the run from the former troll masters.  These are superior trollkin and therefore have made a more intelligent and well planned out escape.  They will be armed with spears and slings and maybe even light leather armour and carrying light provisions.

They will obviously be scared of the party and quite convinced that the party will want to eat them. One of the trollkin is able to speak the players language or tradetalk, and will very quickly start to try to talk their way out of the imagined pot they think they are destined for.

The trollkin will defend themselves if attacked, but really want no part in any violence if it can be helped.

This encounter can be made more chaotic by a troll recapture party of trolls and loyal trollkin appearing half way through the conversation and all hell breaking loose, and the pcs get to choose sides, or step back out of the carnage and just be confused about who is killing who and why.

If the players help the trollkin in any way or show kindness, the trollkin could very well latch themselves onto the party for good or ill.

Another twist could that the trollkin have stolen several items that they think would be valuable, and try to persuade the players to deal with their pursuers for the item(s). Possible items and services offered could be;

• A purse of Bolgs, clacks and a couple if silvers
• A magic lead necklace – Darkwall matrix
• “We won’t mind if you eat Burt.”
• A bundle of flint headed short spears
• A large smelly blue cloak
• Six pickled elf ears in a jar
• Blade venom
• A seasons work
• A dwarven beard, with a glue spirit bound in it.
• An ornate ring of some value
• Information on the trade route of a troll merchant
• A ‘treasure map’ – really a scroll either useless, priceless or containing sensitive  information
• ¾ of a ham beetle

This encounter has the ability to either be a either a light hearted encounter, or vicious fight with consequences, depends on the mood your game needs at that point.

Culture:  Wild

Cults:  Xiola Umbar, None

RQ Encounter Generator: http://ouropa.planeetta.com/rq_tools/enemygen/party/664/