The Lands of Ara - West Coast Cities

Particularly since I am starting my players off in the northwestern Noffellian town of Swampsedge, which offers swamp barge access to points further west into and beyond the Great Western Swamp, it feels high time to say a few words about the four major settlements that lie along Ara's west coast.

Note that those who set off via barge from Swampsedge will typically travel through Marsh Town before reaching the west coast.

Here are brief descriptions of the four Arandish West coast cities, proceeding from north to south:

Al-nurna
Al-nurna is a very large (pop. 16,000) elven city, ruled by an Aldorian prince.  Humans (except those few who serve on rodian crews) have never seen this port city, for the coastal Aldorians will not do business with humans nor do they welcome human visitors.  But seafaring Suhlian rodians have traded with the elves for some time, though most rodian captains are wary of their elven clients and do not typically form friendships with them.  I have never had an adventure party visit Al-nurna so I know little else about it.

New Port
New Port, today a large (pop. 12,500) and thriving trading port, originated as a rodian settlement and is still governed entirely by rodians.  In fact, New Port is called by some "New Suhl."  However, all are treated fairly by the rodian government and militia here, and inter-racial and inter-national trade is widely encouraged. Members of the various branches of the Karibekian family are (in some cases prominent) citizens here, and Captain Hokka is known to bring the Sea Scorpion to New Port with some regularity.  As previously mentioned, another rodian family, the Borasukians, have a respectable cargo transport operation in New Port. 

Bay Town
Bay Town is a medium sized (pop. 8,000) town founded and maintained by affluent human nobles from the inland Arandish kingdoms.  It is a popular trading port for those dealing in expensive or rare goods, for the specialty markets of Bay Town are legendary up and down the west coast and in all the major cities of Ara.  Bay Town's local ruling council retains a formidable militia (commanded by and largely made up of retired Noffellian soldiers) that successfully keeps piracy and black marketeering largely at bay, or at least out of the public eye.  Bay Town is undoubtedly the most cosmopolitan west coast city, and most small-scale and/or law-bending sea captains are loathe to put in here, due to strict inspection laws and exorbitant harbor fees.  

New Bay Town
New Bay Town is a small (pop. 3,500) yet seedy hive of scum and villainy, with lots of untrammeled coastal piracy nearby as well.  In fact, many locals call New Bay Town "Black Market City" because of the high volume of illegal materials that come through here from Marsh Town and elsewhere.  There is also a growing contingent of legitimate merchants and idealistic settlers who attempt to maintain law and order in New Bay Town despite the fact that they are always getting raped and robbed.  As you can see, this is a town ripe for adventure!

Mediocre Maps of Ara Part 3

This should be the third and final installment of the "Mediocre Maps" series -- see the first and second installments for my disclaimer about what a poor mapmaker I am.

Luckily, my good friend Carl, who is a remarkably talented mapmaker and visual artist -- see samples of his eye-catchingly beautiful cartography on this map and this map over at Megadungeon.net -- has decided to make a large-scale map of the Lands of Ara one of his next cartographic projects.  Hooray!

So what follows are the last two old maps of Arandish regions that I've had lying around in a plastic tub for a good number of years.  They include a Comline Hills insert map and another cartographic look at Ara's West Coast Cities.  In some ways these may be the most mediocre and/or least necessary of the maps I have posted, but I am having a "Clearance Sale" so you get them all.  Enjoy!

Click here to access maps 7-8.


Map #7: Comline Hills insert map
The Comline Hills are located on the northern border of Noffel, just west of the Frey Mountains.  I originally created this map for what turned out to be an incredibly short-lived (two or three sessions) campaign.  But I have always liked the map and I think it may prove useful for seeing the barge route into the Great Western Swamp in particular.  But as always, there are some minor inaccuracies on this thing, to wit: 
 
Scale:  I cannot vouch for the scale of this map vis-a-vis the larger region maps with whom it shares depictions of this area.  I have a feeling that "New Bay Town," the southern-most of Ara's West Coast Cities (see below) should actually lie a good deal further west than this map indicates.
Nonexistent Town: the town / village of Robin’s Hold should be eliminated altogether, making Swampsedge the last town you reach westward on foot before needing to take a barge or boat into the swamps.
The "New Swamp Road" exists--its skirts the southern edge of the Great Western Swamp -- but it may be located a bit further south than indicated here, closer to the Comline Hills themselves.  It is relatively new and not completely established.  It is mostly used by black marketeers and bandits on their way to Thieves' Port (see Large-scale map of Ara #4).  Benjamin's Cove may exist, but it is a very small village not too far to the northwest of the much larger town of Thieves' Port.
Shazahan Road is still Shazahan Road, NOT General Torpol road as indicated here.


Map #8: West Coast Cities
This map more or less repeats the information given on Grimlock's Map from the previous post, but what the hell?

Click here to access maps 7-8.

Three Badass Dragons

I happen to agree with noisms at Monsters and Manuals that D&D dragons should be more powerful than they are, more godlike and feared.  Thus, as with Arandish vampires, Arandish dragons are much more powerful than the ones listed in the Labyrinth Lord rulebook.  Dragons in fact rarely appear in my campaigns; I am much fonder of using humans and the undead, with a dash of orcs, hobgoblins, and trolls thrown in, as my main foes and villains.  When a dragon does appear -- and I cannot even think of a time in the recent past when one has -- I feel it should be immensely powerful, godlike, and absolutely terrifying.

Therefore I present three badass Arandish dragons: 

Krakko the Iron Drake
# Encountered: 0 (1)
Alignment: lawful (evil)
Move: 90’ (30’), Fly: 300’ (100’)
AC: -3
HD: 21 (168 hp)
Attacks: 3 or 1 (2 claws, 1 bite, or breath)
Damage: 2d6 / 2d6 / 6d8 
Save: F11
Morale: fearless
Hoard Class: XV
XP: 13,000

[Note that Krakko’s basic stats are based loosely upon Bahamut from MM p. 33.]

Krakko [CRACK-oh] the Iron Drake, the only dragon of his kind ever encountered in Ara, is not a native of the Arandish dimension.    Krakko hails from some unknown neighboring dimension, and can travel inter-dimensionally at will.  Due to his inter-dimensional travel ability and sadistic nature, Krakko occasionally appears in Ara and wreaks momentary but catastrophic havoc. 

Iron scales render Krakko’s hide resistant to almost every form of physical attack. Only magical weapons of +1 or higher, or weapons made of dwarven steel, can harm Krakko.  He is utterly immune to fire attacks.  Krakko's breath weapon is as a red dragon's, a 90' long, 30' wide cone of fire, and his spell abilities are equal to those of a gold dragon.  Krakko loves torture and oppression, and seemingly has no regard for life other than his own, at least not when he visits Ara. 

Certain incomprehensibly powerful summoners are rumored to have first summoned Krakko to Ara during the waning days of the Old War -- in effect showing him where Ara is and royally pissing him off -- but this is the stuff of legend and cannot be verified.   Whatever his origins, Krakko is undoubtedly the most feared creature in Ara.  Though his legend has been in place since the earliest conceptions of the Lands of Ara, I have never actually deployed Krakko in an Arandish campaign -- he is too powerful.

Razgar the Red Dragon
# Encountered: 0 (1)
Alignment: chaotic
Move: 90’ (30’), Fly: 240’ (80’)
AC: -1
HD: 18
Attacks: 3 or 1 (2 claw, 1 bite, or breath)
Damage: 1d8 / 1d8 / 4d8
Save: F11
Morale: 11
Hoard Class: XV
XP: 5,250

Razgar [RAZ-gar] inhabits the Novellan mountains in northern Telengard, and is the de facto master of those mountains and the dreaded Ghardash Wilderness just to the south.  Razgar is legendary throughout northern Ara.  He actually does not need to do much to enhance his reputation anymore, so he typically only hunts humans and humanoids for food and to acquire their treasure.  He rarely raids a city or larger settlement unless someone there has directly wronged, challenged, or insulted him.  Besides Krakko, Razgar is the most feared dragon in Ara.

This is one of my favorite illustrations from the Monster Manual.

Bublar the Black Dragon
# Encountered: 0 (1)
Alignment: chaotic
Move: 90’ (30’), Fly: 240’ (80’)
AC: 1
HD: 9
Attacks: 3 or 1 (2 claw, 1 bite, or breath)
Damage: 1d6 / 1d6 / 3d8
Save: F9
Morale: 9
Hoard Class: XV
XP: 3,100

Bublar [BOOB-lar] dwells in the northern end of the Great Western Swamp, somewhere in the southern foothills of the Gray Mountains.  He is as ill-tempered a dragon as you could hope to meet, and delights in frightening, terrorizing, torturing, killing, and mutilating almost anyone.  Note that parties traveling in the Swamp and randomly encountering a black dragon are very likely encountering Bublar (100% chance in the north, 60% chance in the southern half, closer to Noffel).

Other Arandish Dragons
Note that since I think that D&D dragons are generally under-powered, even “run of the mill” dragons randomly encountered in Ara should have 2 or 3 extra Hit Dice beyond their standard Labyrinth Lord listing—for example, the typical Black Dragon encountered in the Great Western Swamp should be a 9- or 10-Hit Die monster (like our friend Bublar).

Great Western Swamp - Monsters

A Blaag.

As a continuation of my previous post on The Great Western Swamp, here are the gaming stats for some more exciting NPCs and deadly monsters who inhabit the notorious Swamp.  The first two entries are for Rogath, a fairly well-known Ranger from The Western Lands, and Rabbit-Head, a guide from Marsh Town; please note in this connection that I have recently decided to go with the two Ranger options outlined in Brave Halfling’s Delving Deeper: Ranger, a superb product I highly recommend.  [See also James Maliszewski’s review of DD: Ranger.]

Rogath the Swamp-Ranger

Ranger (With Damage Bonus) Level 3

Sex: male

Alignment: neutral (balance)

STR 14, DEX 11, CON 14, INT 10, WIS 13, CHA 9

HP: 16

AC: 5

Weapons: Long Sword, Short bow

Armor: chain mail (base AC 5)

Rogath originally hails from Noffel, which is probably why he favors the long sword as a primary weapon.  Rogath’s current “home” is actually Tradefair, the largest city of The Western Lands, but he is not there very much; he prefers to wander the Swamp.  In case this isn't already obvious, his giant- and humanoid-fighting abilities extend to Swamp Trolls.

Rabbit-Head, an erratic yet surprisingly effective Swamp Guide

Ranger (With Additional Skills) Level 4

Sex: male

Alignment: chaotic

STR 12, DEX 16, CON 12, INT 11, WIS 14, CHA 8

HP: 13

AC: 5

Weapons: skinning knife (treat as dagger)

Armor: leather (base AC 7)

Rabbit-Head is a relatively young, severely mentally unbalanced, yet exceptionally talented swamp guide who mainly operates out of Marsh Town (Sluggerton).  Rabbit-Head is not much interested in money, and prefers to barter for his services, demanding unique trinkets, treasures and services as payment for his Swamp guide work.  Due to his unstable personality, Rabbit-Head has on occasion abandoned clients in the middle of the Swamp, and has even once or twice sold them out to brigands, but he is not so much conniving as whimsical, and more often than not he can be trusted to complete the guiding and scouting jobs he contracts for.  Rabbit-Head’s greatest weakness as a hireling may be his penchant for pickpocketing his clients while they sleep, something he does more for fun than strictly for gain.  Rabbit-Head is a physical coward and will typically try to avoid confrontation or combat at all costs, but, as a result of his cowardice, he is very good at evading indigenous Swamp aggressors, a benefit he passes on to parties he travels with (see +1 bonus to Encounter Table Rolls mentioned in the previous post).  All in all, Rabbit-Head is considered one of the best Swamp guides to be found in Sluggerton, and he therefore maintains a busy schedule.   

Next, a few key new monsters that dwell in the Great Western Swamp: the frog-like Blaag, the man-eating Swamp Tiger and, in case you missed it in my post about Arandish Trolls, the dreaded Swamp Troll. 

Blaag

# Encountered: 1d8 (3d12)

Alignment: chaotic

Move: 120’ (40’), Swim: 150’ (50’)

AC: 5

HD: 2

Attacks: 3 (2 claw, 1 bite)

Damage: 1d4 / 1d4 / 1d6

Save: F2

Morale: 8

Hoard Class: XXII

XP: 29

Named, perhaps, for the guttural sound they make when attacking, the blaag are small, frog-like humanoids with razor-sharp teeth and a taste for human flesh.  They will go after food (preferably humans and their brethren) voraciously and without any thought of retreat.  They are usually encountered in groups of 3-36.  Their principle weakness is their method of attack, a lunging bite (they can leap up to 20’) that only allows each blaag to attack every other turn, albeit at a +1 to hit.  Blaag are speedy swimmers and will use water to their defensive advantage, diving to retreat and surfacing to leap and attack. 

A deadly Swamp Tiger named Roscoe.

Swamp Tiger

# Encountered: 0 (1d3)

Alignment: neutral

Move: 150’ (50’), Swim: 90’ (30’)

AC: 6

HD: 6

Attacks: 3 (2 claws, 1 bite)

Damage: 1d6 / 1d6 / 2d6

Save: F3

Morale: 9

Hoard Class: VI

XP: 320

Swamp Tigers are very similar to typical tigers, except that, perhaps uniquely among the big cats, they do not mind water.  Swamp Tigers prefer land, and are excellent tree climbers, but will swim short distances to reach prey or escape death.  All swamp tigers have a taste for human blood and prefer to hunt humans over any other prey.

Swamp Troll

# Encountered: 0 (1d4)

Alignment: chaotic

Move: 90’ (30’), Swim: 180’ (60’)

AC: 4

HD: 9 + 3

Attacks: 3 (2 claw, 1 bite) or 1 trample

Damage: 1d8 / 1d8 / 1d12 / 3d8 (trample)

Save: F9

Morale: 8

Hoard Class: XIV

XP: 1700

The most dreaded of all trolls, the gigantic swamp troll inhabits the Great Western Swamp (which I will describe in detail in a future post).  The swamp troll lies in wait for prey, its leathery, muck-encrusted back sticking out of the water like a small island.  When something gets close enough, the troll rises to its full height of 16 feet, striking with terrible, 3-foot claws.  A swamp troll knows little fear, and will not hesitate to attack small boats and other swamp-going craft.  Swamp trolls are nomadic, going where the hunting is good.  They are excellent swimmers, and if forced to flee will dive into the swamp-water and swim away from danger.  Swamp trolls are amphibious and can hold their breath underwater for very long periods.  Swamp trolls have all the same regenerative abilities, and susceptibilities to acid and fire, as other trolls do (see Labyrinth Lord p. 100).

And lastly, here is a Monster Encounter Table for the Great Western Swamp.  (Generic “marsh” or “swamp” encounter tables can be used if you prefer a wider variety of monsters).  Remember that The Great Western Swamp is so notorious for being difficult to navigate that even skilled scouts and rangers from other regions have difficulty finding their way.  Thus local scouts and barge captains who specialize in traversing the Great Western Swamp get a +1 bonus to any scouting / tracking activity in the Swamp, and also add a +1 modifier to rolls on this Encounter Table.

Great Western Swamp Encounter Table

roll d20
1-2	Swamp Troll (see above)
3	Black Dragon
4	Carnivorous Beetle
5	Babbler (see Fiend Folio p. 13)
6	Ghoul
7	Giant Bat
8	Giant Killer Bee
9	Giant Toad
10	Blaag (see above)
11	Swamp Tiger (see above)
12	Rat
13	Giant Rat
14	Thork (see Fiend Folio p. 88)
15	Orc
16	Owlbear
17	Berserker
18-19	Brigand
20	Fugitive Magic-User*
21	Vendetta Seeker (vs. the guide)**

* 2% chance of encountering the apparition of Awra (see forthcoming post); in all other cases, it is a typical magic-user (level 1-6, rolled randomly) fleeing from Noffellian authorities.

** This can be any type of monster or NPC that the guide or barge captain has wronged / made enemies with in the past.  The creature will attack the guide as well as the party indiscriminately.

The Lands of Ara - The Great Western Swamp

The Great Western Swamp is an immense swamp region that covers most of the southwestern fourth of the Arandish continent.  It borders the Kingdom of Noffel, The Western Lands, and even the southern frontier of Aldoria near Nurna, the Elven Great Lake.

The Swamp is largely untamed and unexplored, and is infested with hostile monsters.  It is so vast that a great many merchants, travelers, and adventurers have become lost there, and brigands, criminals, and arcane magicians fleeing persecution in Noffel have been known to deliberately lose themselves and hide out there.  While there are many civilized settlements that immediately surround the Swamp—Swampsedge in Noffel, Castle Morko in The Western Lands—there are very few villages or towns actually in the swamp, Marsh Town being the notable exception.

The Great Western Swamp is so notorious for being difficult to navigate that even skilled scouts and rangers from other regions have difficulty finding their way: the base chance for a party becoming lost in the Swamp (without a local guide) is 60% (see Labyrinth Lord p. 46).  In this the locals have an advantage: scouts and barge captains who specialize in traversing the Great Western Swamp reduce the chance of getting lost to 50%, get a +1 bonus to any scouting / tracking activity in the Swamp, and also add a +1 modifier to Monster Encounter Table rolls (see forthcoming post).

As for trade and barge travel in the Great Western Swamp, there are “established” barge routes between Swampsedge and Marsh Town, and some barge captains claim to have established relatively safe routes from Marsh Town all the way through the Swamp to the Arandish west coast.  But the prevalence of swamp trolls, blaag, and other aggressively dangerous swamp denizens (see forthcoming post) have made any truly safe passage of the swamps a near impossibility.  However, with the oceangoing sailing routes around the southern horn of the Komar Peninsula taking almost twice as long as the Swamp passage, many merchants and traders still prefer the risks of the Swamp to the loss of time and other risks of the ocean route. 

Swampsedge marks the western frontier of the Kingdom of Noffel, and is essentially a port city from whence many swamp traders depart west on barges into the depths of the Swamp.  There is lively trade through here, both legal and illegal, and the town is chock full of guides and barge captains willing to take adventurers west or north.    

Marsh Town (called Sluggerton by many locals) lies approximately three hundred miles (twelve 24-mile hexes) west of Swampsedge, and is built upon wooden docks, much like Lake Town in The Hobbit.  The Oligarchs of Marsh Town (a governing body made up of seven wealthy merchants, lesser nobles, and the like) retain a small garrison of skilled archers and fighters to keep swamp trolls and brigands at bay; but piracy, theft, and black marketeering are fairly rampant in Marsh Town.  Of course, this makes Marsh Town the ideal place in which to “fence” and/or purchase stolen goods—Skeleton Pete is the guy to know in Marsh Town if you are seeking these black-market services.  However, as I mentioned in a previous post, there are other (perhaps lesser) black marketeers to deal with if no party member can forge a connection to Skeleton Pete, such as Ork-Ork, a half-elven man with a right club foot who is a part time fishmonger, part-time fence.  Other notable personages in Marsh Town (not including barge captains; see below) include a powerful but eccentric Enchanter known as Old Man Fish-Penis, and a young, mentally unbalanced, but exceptionally talented swamp guide named Rabbit-Head.

Swamp Barges: Many swampgoing craft are quite small, and can be treated as common rafts from the Watercraft Table (Labyrinth Lord p. 57).  However, most of the serious operators in the Great Western Swamp use larger swamp barges that require a crew of ten to row and navigate, including an experienced barge captain who knows his/her way through the treacherous swampways.  These larger swamp barges have the same characteristics as a river boat from the Labyrinth Lord Watercraft Table. 

Great Western Swamp barge captains (that is, those who command a small crew aboard a proper swamp barge) are skilled like sailors but must be hired at a the higher “navigator” hireling rate (see LL 48).  Most barge captains also have some combat ability, fighting as first or second level fighters (referee’s discretion).  There are a few semi-famous barge captains and scouts in the region of the Great Western Swamp; here are gaming stats for a representative few of these:   

Sunna Garfield, Noffellian barge captain
Human Fighter Level 2
Sex: female
Alignment: neutral (balance)
STR 13, DEX 14, CON 13, INT 10, WIS 11, CHA 12
HP: 11
AC: 5
Weapons: Long Sword, Short bow
Armor: studded leather (base AC 6)

Sunna Garfield is probably the best-known and most prosperous barge captain running between Sluggerton (Marsh Town) and The Western Lands.  In addition to her own barge, she also owns controlling interest in two other barges running between Swampsedge and Marsh Town, and sometimes makes that run herself for particularly important / expensive shipments or clients.  Her operation is largely legitimate, though like almost all Swamp runners, Garfield will haul black-market goods or passengers for the right price.  She is a gruff Noffellian traditionalist, however, and will have no truck with wizards.  If she suspects a character is a magic-user or rodian illusionist, she will not transport or do business with that individual.

Marko Halfdagger, or “Captain Marko”
Human Thief Level 1
Sex: male
Alignment: neutral
STR 10, DEX 15, CON 14, INT 10, WIS 10, CHA 9
HP: 4
AC: 6
Weapons: short sword, dagger
Armor: leather (base AC 7)

“Captain Marko” is probably a better thief than he is a barge captain, but he has the advantage of being cheap: he charges only 100 gp / month for his barge and services.  Marko is wanted for thievery in Swampsedge, and therefore sticks to Marsh Town, The Western Lands, and (occasionally) the West Coast. 

Karn Borasukian, rodian barge captain
Rodian Duellist Level 2
Sex: male
Alignment: neutral
STR 9, DEX 18, CON 13, INT 9, WIS 12, CHA 14
HP: 8
AC: 3
Weapons: duelling rapier (treat as short sword), dagger, light crossbow
Armor: studded leather (base AC 6)

Karn Borasukian’s barging operation is based in the west coast city of New Port, making runs to Marsh Town and even Swampsedge on occasion.  He primarily likes to deal with other rodians, but will transport paying customers of non-rodian races so long as they do not insult or slight Borasukian or rodians generally.  Borasukian has a very high opinion of himself and charges a slightly higher fee (200 gp / month) for his services then do many other black marketeering barge captains.  But he has an excellent track record for evading both the law and aggressive swamp monsters. 

More yet to come on the Great Western Swamp, including Rogath the Swamp-Ranger!

The Trolls of Ara

Like James Maliszewski, I've always been a big fan of the look of D&D's trolls, which is why I am keeping them in my Arandish Labyrinth Lord campaign.  However, when Ara was originally conceived for Crimson Blades of Ara, it included a few different varieties of trolls, of which the classic D&D troll (which we dubbed the “hill troll”) was but one comparatively weak variety.  Thus I now present statistics for the three major types of troll to be encountered in the Lands of Ara: the hill troll, the even more vicious and deadly rock troll, and the huge, amphibious swamp troll.

Hill Troll
# Encountered: 1d8 (1d8)
Alignment: chaotic
Move: 120’ (40’)
AC: 4
HD: 6 + 3
Attacks: 3 (2 claw, 1 bite)
Damage: 1d6 / 1d6 / 1d10
Save: F6
Morale: 10
Hoard Class: XIX
XP: 680

The Arandish Hill Troll is identical to the standard D&D troll; see Labyrinth Lord p. 100.  It can be found anywhere in Ara.

Rock Troll
# Encountered: 1d6 (1d6)
Alignment: chaotic
Move: 120’ (40’)
AC: 3 (rocky hide)
HD: 8 + 3
Attacks: 3 (2 claw, 1 bite)
Damage: 1d8 / 1d8 / 1d10
Save: F8
Morale: 11
Hoard Class: XIX
XP: 1060

Dwelling in the eastern mountain ranges as well as the Frey Mountains of northern Noffel, the deadly rock troll is rarely seen and greatly feared.  It loves the thrill of the hunt, and has been known to toy with its victims before devouring them.  A rock troll has very keen senses and is difficult to surprise.  As was mentioned in the previous historical account of the Zapars, rock trolls have a hard, rocky hide that gives them a lower AC (AC 3) than their other trollish cousins.  In addition to their tougher hide and slightly larger size (a typical adult rock troll stands 10’ tall), rock trolls possess all the same regenerative abilities, and susceptibilities to acid and fire, as hill trolls do (see Labyrinth Lord p. 100).  Rock trolls are often found in deep dungeon levels.

Swamp Troll
# Encountered: 0 (1d4)
Alignment: chaotic
Move: 90’ (30’), Swim: 180’ (60’)
AC: 4
HD: 9 + 3
Attacks: 3 (2 claw, 1 bite) or 1 trample
Damage: 1d8 / 1d8 / 1d12 / 3d8 (trample)
Save: F9
Morale: 8
Hoard Class: XIV
XP: 1700

The most dreaded of all trolls, the gigantic swamp troll inhabits the Great Western Swamp (which I will describe in detail in a future post).  The swamp troll lies in wait for prey, its leathery, muck-encrusted back sticking out of the water like a small island.  When something gets close enough, the troll rises to its full height of 16 feet, striking with terrible, 3-foot claws.  A swamp troll knows little fear, and will not hesitate to attack small boats and other swamp-going craft.  Swamp trolls are nomadic, going where the hunting is good.  They are excellent swimmers, and if forced to flee will dive into the swamp-water and swim away from danger.  Swamp trolls are amphibious and can hold their breath underwater for very long periods.  Swamp trolls have all the same regenerative abilities, and susceptibilities to acid and fire, as hill and rock trolls do (for details see Labyrinth Lord p. 100).