The name 'Troll Hammer Press' was inspired by, and is an homage to, the three magic Trollhammers of Trollhalla, and was additionally inspired by the song Trollhammaren by Finntroll.



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Tunnels & Trolls written by Ken St. Andre, copyright © Flying Buffalo Inc. All hail the Trollgod and his Champions of Trollhalla!

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Monday, June 25, 2012

Super Beings in the T&T Universe: Part 5

Super Beings in the T&T Universe
by 'Mad' Roy Cram

Professor Whenn and Yorrdamma Vrash are doing research on entities of the Troll World that possess unusual or extraordinary talents and/or abilities which make them superior to ordinary beings. If anyone has comments or questions they may trollmail Yorrdamma Vrash via Trollhalla, who will be happy to respond to any inquiries.


Thunder and Lightning


Donk Bonkyu  (Nickname: Ox)


Out in the far boondocks of the Trollworld is a small village called Oggerton. The people of this little town have a reputation for being very strong and very tough. It is said that long ago their ancestors tried to establish a settlement at the foot of a nearby mountain range. Then, one dark night, they were overrun and enslaved by a tribe of Ogres from the foothills close by. For years the Ogres forced the men to slave in their fields and herd their flocks of sheep, while they held the women hostage in their caves. The Ogres also used the women to satisfy their carnal lusts, and numerous offspring were born of these unhappy unions. The children, all males, took after their sires in size and strength, but kept their human intelligence. They were treated as slaves all the same, and, when they reached maturity, they rebelled and slew their Ogre masters, and took their parents and human siblings out of the area to found the new village of Oggerton. The half-Ogres mated with human women, and in a few generations, were able to pass as humans, albeit very large and strong ones. “Ox” Bonkyu is one of these progeny.


Donk (which is his first name) is a six-foot-eight-inch tall, 400 plus pound fellow with a stocky body and long arms. His attribute stats are: STR 36  CON 40  INT 12 WIZ 10 DEX 12  SPD 11  LCK 12 and CHR 10 with combat adds of 24.  His iron body takes six hits naturally for its unusual density, and he wears leather garments that give him an additional 5 hits protection. If he is expecting trouble, he has a suit of chainmail that gives him an additional 12 points of protection. He uses a 6 dice hammer or mace in serious fights. When fighting unarmed, he gets 3 dice for each of his ham sized fists. It is said he can knock down a brick wall when he is angry. Donk has an amulet made of meteoritic iron which protects him from lower level magic. It was a gift from his grandmother who was the village crone in Oggerton.

If he gets mad or angry, he gets the benefit of a natural Double-Double spell on (you guessed it) his strength, which increases it for 5 rounds to 72 with 60 adds. He does then suffer the five round penalty of half strength thereafter.

Donk made a good racket of touring the village wrestling and fighting circuit in his younger days, and became a champion. He has a Strength +5 talent for Brawling and Grappling, and knows every dirty hand-to-hand combat trick. For all his ability to defeat the best in these not always friendly contests and trials of strength, he is a gentle giant, and a defender of the weak and helpless. Living in the city now, he works as a teamster in the warehouse districts, and, at night, as a bouncer in some of the drinking establishments. He is known to most of the other ‘supers’ in the city, and the city watch, and is sometimes called on by them when they need some serious muscle for backup.

Samos Treek (Nickname: Speedy)

Samos Treek is Donk’s best friend. His nickname is “Speedy” for his amazing ability to run. Samos' mother spent some time in the tropical areas of Trollworld, and had an affair with a charming shape changer there who was a Cheetah man. Samos came into the world 8 months later (he seems to do everything faster than normal). Now, grown up into a handsome fellow, he makes a good living as a delivery man, the quickest service in the city.

His attribute stats are: STR 16  CON 24  INT 15  WIZ 12  DEX 18  SPD 36  LCK 24  and CHR 15.  He gets 46 adds in combat. His talent is Quickness: SPD + 6 in any situation where speed or quickness will serve him. He has not yet shown any tendency to morph into a cheetah, but he can outsprint dogs and horses, and can also run flat out for up to 24 rounds without slowing down. He tries to keep his real speed a secret, but some fool is always challenging him to a race. He makes a pretty penny on the side by just barely beating all challengers. He wears 4 point silk armor for protection, but mainly relies on his quickness and natural elusiveness to avoid getting hurt. He picks his battles wisely, and can outrun nearly anything he thinks he can’t defeat in battle. He has a pair of vorpaled Bagh Nakh tiger claws which he uses very effectively in combat. He heals at twice the normal rate if injured. Three times a day he can draw on a natural Little Feets spell which doubles his speed.

Samos is a hit with the ladies of the town, and, though not yet married, thinks there may be several kids around which look a lot like him.

Ox and Speedy are called Thunder and Lightning by the other supers of the city, who call on them for help in dire circumstances. They try to help whenever they can.

Copyright © 2012, 'Mad' Roy Cram

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Pocket Troll Zine Open For Submissions!

Be sure to check out the new Pocket Troll Page here at Troll Hammer (see page tab above) for the details on how to submit your art or article to Pocket Troll, A T&T Microzine.

Pocket Troll is a fanzine, so submissions are open to EVERYONE, so don't be shy, send in your work!


Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Go West Young Gamer

Weird West
Roleplaying Game Basic Rulebook
by Stuart Robertson
Published by Robertson Games
http://strangemagic.robertsongames.com/2011/05/weird-west-roleplaying-game-basic.html



Stuart Robertson's Weird West is about, you guessed it, fantasy adventure in a Weird Western setting. Reminiscent of Old School D&D set in a strange and haunted old western USA, this pocketmod basic rulebook packs a whole lot of wallop for its size. Streamlined yet complete, it has all you need to quickly create unique and intriguing characters in minutes. Characters are made up of four attributes (Fighting, Grit, Magic, and Skill) and they may choose one of four Paths (classes) to follow (Adventurer, Gifted, Fighter, or Magician). Characters with a rating in Magic may choose special abilities for their character. Combat is fast and easy, similar to early D&D, based on a d20 roll on a matrix with modifiers to the roll, and weapon damage varies according to weapon type and Character Path. There are also rolls for Difficult Tasks, which reminds me of T&T Saving Rolls.

Weird West can be purchased for only $1, including both the pocketmod and regular sized pdf versions, at: http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/91122/Weird-West-Roleplaying-Game-Basic-Rulebook

In other exciting news, Weird West exceeded its Indiegogo goal, and will be releasing a full line of miniatures. I showed my support with a token donation.
http://www.indiegogo.com/Weird-West-Miniatures

Since its release, a few fans of the game have come up with their own ideas:

Risus Monkey gives us West Words for inspiration:
http://www.risusmonkey.com/2011/08/westwords-inspiration-for-your-weird.html

Some AWESOME Weird West pregens and an adventure setting:
http://www.stargazersworld.com/2011/05/11/%E2%80%9Cyou-are-all-travelling-in-a-stagecoach%E2%80%A6%E2%80%9D-weird-west-pre-gens/

Dry Gulch, setting outline, npcs, and map for a small Weird West town:
http://fictitiousentry.posterous.com/dry-gulch-a-weird-west-town

Of course, I've also had my own fun with the game.

I converted a few of my favorite old school creatures for Weird West from the AD&D1e Deities and Demigods book and the D&D Rules Cyclopedia, based on Stuart's suggestions for converting Swords and Wizardry creatures.

Shoggoth
Fighting: 20
Defense: 8
Stamina: 20d8
Weapon: 3d10/3d10
Shoggoths attack with two appendages per round. When a charcter first sees a Shoggoth, they must roll a Grit 3 Difficult Task or go insane.

Otyugh
Fighting: 6 to 8
Defense: 6
Stamina: 6 to 8d8
Weapon: 1d8/1d8/1d4+1
Otyughs have limited Telepathy. Bite infects victim with a debilitating (80%) or fatal (20%) disease unless they can make a Grit 5 Difficult Task roll.

Owl Bear
Fighting: 5
Defense: 4
Stamina: 5d8
Weapon: 1d8/1d8/1d8
Owl Bears attack with two claws and a bite. If both claw attacks are successful, the Owl Bear hugs for an additional 2d8 damage.

Troll
Fighting: 6
Defense: 5
Stamina: 6d8+3
Weapon 1d6/1d6/1d10
3 rounds after it is damaged, trolls regenerate 3 Stamina points per combat round, even if dismembered or killed. They do not regenerate damage from fire or acid. They attack with their two talons and a bite, and many also like to carry a blunderbuss (1d10, 2 handed, 1d12 in close combat, single shot)

Goblin
Fighting: 1
Defense: 3
Stamina: 1d8-1
Weapon: varies
Goblins use medieval weapons and any guns they may steal or scavenge. Goblins can see in the dark, but  receive a -1 to their combat rolls in full daylight. Goblins sometimes keep Dire Wolves (Fight 4, Def 3, Sta 4d8+1, Bite 2d4) as pets and mounts. each Goblin Tribe has a king (Fight 3, Def 5, Sta 15, Weapon +1 damage) and his 2d6 bodyguards (Fight 2, Def 4, Sta 2d6, weapon). Kings and bodyguards do not suffer the full daylight penalty. Goblin bands are 2d8 in number, and tribes are 6d10 in number.

A few of the characters I created:

Johnny Paladin
Path: Fighter
Level: 1
Fighting: 1  He can use his guns
Grit: 1        and take a punch;
Magic: 2    He's quick, and has God on his side,
Skill: 0       but he still has a lot to learn.

Stamina: 5
Defense: 0

Magic/Special Abilities
Fastest Gun In The West
Rosary Beads (Medicine Bag)

Weapons
2 handguns
sword
knife

Johnny Paladin is a fledgling monster hunter and destroyer of evil. His faith in God in unquestionable.


Little Bear
Path: Gifted
Level: 1
Fighting: 1  He is learning his spear and knife
Grit: 1        and his spirit is strengthening.
Magic: 1    The animals are his friends
Skill: 1       and they teach him their ways.

Stamina: 5
Defense: 1

Magic/Special Abilities
Horse Whisperer

Weapons/Stuff
spear
knife
loincloth
1 dose of mescaline
flint & steel
small pouch

Little Bear is a young brave heading out for his Rite of Passage. He must travel to the Sacred Place, take a Spirit Journey, and discover his Totem Spirit.

I also created a gang of 4 Goblin brother outlaws, using one of each of the four Paths, as an interesting group of characters for playing Weird West from the perspective of the 'Weird' part. These four do not suffer the daylight combat penalty as regular goblins.

Ghorbul Dulfimph
Path: Fighter (Goblin)
Level: 1
Fighting: 2  He lives for his sixguns,
Grit: 1        and an outlaw's image.
Magic: 1    He's fast on the draw,
Skill: 0       and isn't interested in much else.

Stamina: 6
Defense: 0

Magic/Special Abilities
Goblins can see in the dark
Fastest Gun in the West

Weapons
2 revolvers

Duzol Dulfimph
Path: Gifted (Goblin)
Level: 1
Fighting: 1  He can shoot,
Grit: 1        and will stand his ground,
Magic: 1    but he'd rather study machines
Skill: 1       and learn how they work.

Stamina: 2
Defense: 1

Magic/Special Abilities
Goblins can see in the dark
Scientific Mind

Weapons 
revolver

Burkul Dulfimph
Path: Adventurer (Goblin)
Level: 1
Fighting: 0  He'll avoid a fight if he can,
Grit: 1        but will defend himself if he must,
Magic: 2    Lady Luck is his friend,
Skill: 1       and he loves to gamble and carouse.

Stamina: 3
Defense: 0

Magic/Special Abilities
Goblins can see in the dark
Lucky Tie Tack (Medicine Bag)

Weapons/Stuff
revolver
derringer
boot knife

Shuzgul Dulfimph
Path: Magician (Goblin)
Level: 1
Fighting: 0  He can't shoot a gun,
Grit: 1        but he's not yellow.
Magic: 3    He spends most of his time with musty old books,
Skill: 0       and not much else.

Stamina: 4
Defense: 0

Magic/Special Abilities
Goblins can see in the dark
Magic Lore (Scientific mind)
Electromancy

Weapons/Stuff
staff

~~~
Copyright © 2012, Paul Ingrassia


The title 'Go West Young Gamer' is an homage to the Western RPG genre, with a particular nod to TSR's old Boot Hill game, and the article of the same name by Steve Winter from way back when in Polyhedron (Issue 13 - Jul 1983). This may grow into a series covering Weird West, Boot Hill, and a few others.