Most rock trolls stand between six and seven feet in height, are brawny and over-muscled, and extraordinarily ugly. Their skin is greyish in color, and their bodies are hairless. Rock trolls have flat-featured faces with low foreheads, broad noses, and elongated ears. Their mouths are wide and filled with long sharp teeth. Being fairly intelligent, rock trolls are capable of manufacturing various types of equipment, from weapons, shields, and armor up to massive siege engines. Such equipment is normally crude in the extreme, though effective enough. Rock trolls usually organize into large, warlike clans under the leadership of a troll king, who is generally the strongest of the tribe. Unlike other trolls, they are not so much governed by their appetites. They take prisoners, employing them as slave laborers in their underground mines. Rock trolls covet mineral wealth of all kinds and spend much of their energy in the planning and construction of mining operations.
By and large, however, these creatures prefer to take treasures from others, an approach that to their minds is far more appealing. As a result, rock trolls are continually at odds with the race of dwarves, who are their most dire enemies. Underground wars between dwarves and rock trolls break out frequently, and it is in these subterranean conflicts that the rock trolls exercise their considerable abilities in the area of siegecraft. Kullervo the Wanderer, in The Travels, recounts the story of a siege of this type in which he and his companions were involved:
'On the fifth day, there was a new breach made on one of the upper levels on the south side. None of the defenders had expected an assault from this quarter. Evidently, the rock trolls had excavated a mine in that area long before in anticipation of the attack, and it had gone undiscovered. The defenders rallied after losing much of the south quarter of level two, and we were among the reserves thrown in. Soon we found ourselves in an awful melee, facing these fell monstrous beings. By now, many were armed with hammers and axes captured from the dwarves, and our only advantage was the superior strategy of the General, who lured their best fighters into a trap and then launched a counter-offensive which carried us back to the breach...'
Rock trolls occasionally cooperate with goblins and sometimes 'tame' the bestial cave trolls. They will ally themselves with any creature which can help them achieve their immediate ends, though they are treacherous and cruel partners in any endeavor.
Height/Length: 6½-7 feet
Weight: 300-400+ lbs.
Attributes: STR: 17-19, INT: 6-10
Level: 3-6+ (see Comments)
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Speed (SPD): 8, Will (WILL): 10
Dexterity (DEX): 10, Charisma (CHA): 4
Constitution (CON): 15-19, Perception (PER): 10-16
Damage: Bite: 1-4, Claw/Fist: 1-6 (+ STR) or as per weapon employed
Special Attributes: Infra-vision
Armor: As leather armor
Hit Points: 20-50
Comments: Rare individuals may exceed the sixth level of ability in the following professions: Warrior, Shaman. Rock Trolls are skilled at constructing crude but effective siege engines and fortifications. Sunlight causes them pain and does 1-6 points of damage per minute of exposure .
