Background

Grikth'aw was an average troll chieftain. He led his tribe to some victories and some defeats, and after every victory he would become brazen and foolish and the next battle would be a defeat. At the end of each year he seemed to be right back where he started, as an average troll chieftain. On a dark night about a year ago, however, Grikth'aw's luck began to change. He saw a brilliant shooting star to the south, and he consulted the tribal shaman to determine what this omen meant. The shaman told him he must find where the star landed, for there he would find his destiny. He immediately headed south, and it was only a matter of hours before he found a fire raging in the forest. As he approached, he realized that the source of the fire was a human seagoing vessel! He had often seen these vessels sail past his territory, which ran along a cliff at the edge of the ocean. But they were miles from the coast! How could this be happening?

Just then, he noticed some figures moving about near the burning wreck: three barely conscious human survivors of this curious disaster. He tied them up and took them back to camp. When he arrived, his tribe begged him to let them eat the captives immediately. Times had been tough lately, and three plump humans would make a nice meal. But Grikth'aw was determined to find out what had happened. In the morning, after a night of fending off the hungry trolls, he told the humans to explain to him what had happened or they would be eaten. The leader of the humans, a man named Garalar, told Grikth'aw their amazing story. He and his crew came from a world up in the sky, where humans flew through the air in magical boats. The helmsman of Garalar's magical boat was killed in a battle with pirates, setting the ship adrift until the gravity of this planet pulled them down to the surface and destroyed their ship.

Grikth'aw pondered this for a while. He saw a unique opportunity here for his tribe. If Garalar would build him a flying ship, Grikth'aw said, he would take the humans back to their people. With a sigh Garalar reluctantly agreed. Sending trolls into space could only cause trouble. But if he didn't comply, he would be eaten. What choice did he have? Under Garalar's supervision, the remains of his armor-plated vessel, and that of a wrecked warship that had foundered off the coast, were stripped of metal to construct the new ship. With his limited resources and knowledge of shipbuilding, Garalar managed to put together an ugly, mangled mess of metal with dubious structural integrity, but one that was sufficient for the trolls' purposes. Garalar's old ship had two helms, a minor helm and an old, unused lifejammer. No one in the tribe could use the minor helm, so the lifejammer was installed as the power source. To Garalar's horror, one of his men was placed in the helm to power it. His cry of protest was met with a club to the back of his neck. Grikth'aw had what he wanted. The humans were now his slaves.

To arm their new ship, the trolls flew to the nearest human fort, landed the tribe in the courtyard, and slaughtered the garrison. They took the fort's catapults and managed to convert one into a jettison. And now, for the first time in months, they had more than enough food to eat. But Grikth'aw wanted more. Groundlings were no match for them anymore. Grikth'aw pointed to the sky and said, "Let's see what's up there..."

Encountering the Trolls

And who should the trolls encounter as they leave the atmosphere of their planet for the first time? The PCs, of course, who are patrolling this area of space. The first impression of the ship is that it resembles a large discolored arrowhead. As it comes closer, two fins can be seen, one on either side of the ship. These are the "sails." Each sail is on a long pole manned by four trolls, with another troll directing them. The poles protrude from the hull just below the large gap above the battle deck. There are also platforms on either side containing catapults. If the PCs choose to get any closer than ten hexes, they will be able to see that there are about a dozen trolls sticking their heads out of a large gap at the top of the ship. It is at this point that the trolls begin to open fire, despite the fact that they are well out of range. The trolls will continue to reload as fast as possible, firing as soon as they are ready regardless of the range. They will continue to pursue the PCs at maximum speed (SR 2) until they lose half their number.

The troll ship suffers from some severe structural weaknesses. If the trolls attempt to ram any ship, there is a 50% chance that the ram will damage the trolls' ship instead, and render the ram permanently useless. In addition, any time the ship suffers a critical hit, there is a 40% chance that another critical hit will occur. Due to improper maintenance, every time a catapult is fired there is a 25% chance that it will break and be rendered useless. The trolls themselves have their weaknesses as well. When using the ship- mounted weapons, their THAC0 is only 20, due to their inexperience. They also suffer all the usual penalties for newcomers to Wildspace.

The best strategy to deal with the trolls would be to pick them off from a distance, but if the PCs decide to close, the trolls are ready. The crew breakdown is as follows: Of the 69 (70 including Grikth'aw) trolls on the ship, nine man the sails, 24 man the weapons, 18 are preparing to board, and the final 18 serve as Grikth'aw's bodyguards. If any are killed, reduce these numbers proportionately. These may seem to be daunting numbers, but any smart opponent will have killed many of the trolls by this point. If the PCs repel the 18 boarders, the troll ship itself may be boarded.

Trolls (70): Int low; AL CE; AC 4; MV 12; HD 6+6; hp 33 each; THAC0 14; #AT 3; Dmg 1d4+4/1d4+4/2d6; SZ L.

Battle Level

This level resembles the rest of the ship; there are jagged chunks of metal sticking out everywhere, there is a foul stench in the air, and though there are no light sources, there are enough small gaps in the hull to light the way. To get past the midpoint of this level, the party will have to fight the crews of the two catapults and the jettison (14 trolls). When this threat is vanquished, the party can deal with the only object of interest in the room: the helm. One of the human survivors of the original crash, the first mate, is strapped into the lifejammer. He was placed in the lifejammer soon after the other human victim died. He himself will die soon if not healed.

Pietro (4th-level human fighter): AL CG; AC 10; MV 12; F4; hp 5; THAC0 16; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon type; S 11, D 12, C 13, I 13, W 10, Ch 14.

Crew Level

This level is similar to the battle level, except that scattered all over the floor are the personal possessions of the tribe. If an hour is spent searching through all the rags and piles of junk, the party will be able to find 1500 sp and 500 gp. But first they will have to battle any remaining catapult crewmen (ten maximum). After that, it's on to the chief's room.

Chief's Room

Being the first troll to lead one's tribe into space can go to one's head. Grikth'aw changed his title of "Chieftain" to "Great and Glorious Chief of All Trolls." And from the look of this room, he almost deserves it. The metal is not quite so jagged here, and the room is filled with the booty stolen by the tribe, including paintings, rugs, and even a human bed, which Grikth'aw uses as a footstool as his sits on his throne. His throne is actually the humans' minor helm. Also in the room, in a large cage, are Garalar and two soldiers captured at the human fort. All three are very weak from dehydration. Grikth'aw will watch the first round of the fight from his throne, and then throw himself into battle.

Garalar (5th-level fighter): AL NG; AC 9; MV 12; F5; hp 11; THAC0 15; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon type; S 15, D 16, C 13, I 14, W 12, Ch 11.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (2nd-level fighters): AL LE; AC 10; MV 12; F2; hp 3, 4; THAC0 18; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon type; S 14, D 12, C 12, I 10, W 9, Ch 11.

Grikth'aw: Int avg; AL CE; AC 1 (with ring); MV 12; HD 8+4; hp 50; THAC0 12; #AT 3, Dmg 1d6+5/1d6+5/3d6, SZ L.

The paintings and rugs are worthless. Among Grikth'aw's real treasures, scattered recklessly about the room, are 5500 sp, 4500 gp, 2 gems (100 gp, 50 gp), a solid gold ring of protection +2 (worn by Grikth'aw), a potion of giant strength , and a necklace of transmigration , a new item. If it seems that he is sure to lose, Grikth'aw will activate the necklace by breaking it. When he does this, his soul leaves his body, rendering it immediately lifeless. The soul will then possess the nearest dead non-troll; the former dead man will appear to miraculously recover from his wounds, but he will now be possessed by the soul of Grikth'aw. Grikth'aw will try to fool the crew for as long as possible, and then escape at first landfall.

Concluding the Adventure

If Pietro, Garalar, or either of the soldiers survive, they will be able to tell the party everything they know about the ship and its crew. They may even wish to join the party. If the PCs avoided the trolls, they will start to hear reports of a mysterious ship attacking anyone passing through the area. By the time they track down the tribe, the ship's air envelope will be fouled (this is to be expected when one packs 70 trolls on a ship designed for 35) and they will be using other captives in the lifejammer. If they managed to capture anything powerful enough to give them a good SR, they could become quite dangerous.

If Grikth'aw managed to use his necklace to escape, he will attempt to raise a crew of trolls and other semi-humans with the goal of regaining his former glory.

Ship Name: Troll Destroyer

Built By: Humans
Used Primarily By: Trolls
Cost: 87,500 gp
Tonnage: 50 tons
Hull Points: 50
Crew: 9/50 (9/35 for trolls)
Maneuverability Class: E
Landing - Land: No
Landing - Water: No
Armor Rating: 5
Saves As: Metal
Power Type: Lifejammer
Ship's Rating: As per victim (2 for trolls, Garalar, and Pietro, 1 for soldiers)
Standard Armament:
4 Heavy Catapults (2-FP, 2-FS) Crew: 5 each
1 Heavy Jettison (A) Crew: 4
1 Piercing Ram (F)
Cargo Capacity: 20 tons
Keel Length: 135'
Beam Width: 40'
NOTE: Ship designed using rules from War Captain's Companion .