It's a pretty well known fact that trolls can regenerate lost body parts, provided it wasn't removed by fire or acid, but can a troll really survive having it's head cut off? I know the rules say any body part, but i think having your brain separated from you and hoping to survive is just pushing your luck. Obviously hydra's and so forth can survive, as they have multiple heads and brains ready to back things up, but a troll normally only has one head.
\$\begingroup\$
\$\endgroup\$
2
-
1\$\begingroup\$ Reminder: comments are for clarifying content, not for telling stories, tangential discussion, or posting small or incomplete answers. Please use answer posts to submit answers instead. For chat, you can drop in on Role-playing Games Chat. (Prior comments containing chat and answers have been removed.) \$\endgroup\$– SevenSidedDieDec 14, 2016 at 18:09
-
5\$\begingroup\$ And here I was thinking this question was trolling... \$\endgroup\$– Andrew GrimmDec 15, 2016 at 7:35
Add a comment
|
1 Answer
\$\begingroup\$
\$\endgroup\$
5
Yes, a troll can survive that.
From the Monster Manual page 291
If the monster loses an arm, a leg, or even its head, those dismembered parts can sometimes act with a life of their own. A troll can even reattach severed body parts, untroubled by its momentary disability. Only acid and fire can arrest the regenerative properties of a troll's flesh.
It is clearly mentionned that the troll is untroubled by this momentary disability, so it won't die unless, like you wrote, it is killed with fire or acid.
-
21\$\begingroup\$ May want to add, because it always comes up, what happens if the troll cannot reattach its lost bits. Will they eventually die or will all the parts regenerate into duplicates of the original troll? \$\endgroup\$– Zan LynxDec 14, 2016 at 19:07
-
5\$\begingroup\$ Also of note: the troll page has optional rules for losing body parts on a crit, including the head. When separated, the head has a speed of 0 but can bite people in the same tile. \$\endgroup\$– aebabisDec 14, 2016 at 22:06
-
\$\begingroup\$ The comment on the question about not using comments for random stories also applies to answers on that question. It even applies if we don't post it on every question. Thanks. \$\endgroup\$– mxyzplkDec 15, 2016 at 17:14
-
\$\begingroup\$ @ZanLynx See Wikipedia article on Theseus's Ship Paradox \$\endgroup\$– AAM111Dec 20, 2016 at 18:07
-
\$\begingroup\$ for the record, when i saw that picture of it happening in the back of the statistics dictionary, the idea seemed to fit in better. \$\endgroup\$– bladeApr 22, 2017 at 14:31