Why the Drastic Change in Troll Design?

[Mavrickindigo]

I just picked up a copy of "Classic Monsters Revisited," and I'm curious why the trolls in that look like lanky dudes with pointed ears and long hooked noses, yet the trolls that Paizo eventually went with have that distinct look that has a weird beast face. When I look at the trolls in this book, I see a Humanoid (Giant), but the ones in the actual game look much more like a monstrous humanoid, to me. Where did the idea for the first design come from? And what was the design process to change it?

[Kobold Catgirl]

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Spoiler:

I never really liked the troll redesign.

[Azten]

The first design was probably from 3.5. I remember the War Troll looking skinny with a pointy nose. Personally, I like the ones we have now better.

Spoiler:

The nightmare looks terrible to me though.

[lemeres]

Azten wrote:

The first design was probably from 3.5. I remember the War Troll looking skinny with a pointy nose. Personally, I like the ones we have now better.

** spoiler omitted **

Hmmm... and they likely chose to go with a different troll source in order to both avoid copyright problems and to help differentiate themselves (much like they did with goblins, only not quite as successfully, obviously).

I mean... it is trolls. The epitome of the wiggly, non-defined nature of folk lore monsters. There are a bajillion different versions of trolls. Multiple heads, dying in sunlight, size differences, general motives and build, etc. They kind of touched that with the variety of trolls, but still...

As a note: that is also why vampires have a hundred different weaknesses. The modern, codified version of vampires as tortured prettyboys is a relatively new thing. Prior to that, they were more 'nosferatu', and it kind of varied on whether they were walking corpses or ghost or whatever (...note: there are videos of a priest claiming that he exorcises vampire ghosts...; no idea where, but I SHEENED IT!). So the weaknesses come from various eastern European countries making up their own fun ending to 'the evil vampire plaguing our village!'. It basically translates to "Joseph totally fended the vampire off with a mirror, and then used kung-fu on it, and the vampire ran away screaming 'curse your handsomness Jospeh!'."

[lemeres]

lemeres wrote:

It basically translates to "Joseph totally fended the vampire off with a mirror, and then used kung-fu on it, and the vampire ran away screaming 'curse your handsomness Jospeh!'."

...I just realize the tragedy of my own comment.

I accidentally walk into a Jojo's bizarre adventure reference...and I use the wrong joestar. I have failed you Jonathan.

I mean....Joseph somewhat fought vampires, but mostly his was a very different thing with GLORIOUSLY oiled men.

[Tacticslion]

I just think it's kind of funny that the trolls and the ogres kiiiiiiiiiind of reverse what they looked like in PF - the trolls getting the ogres' old toothy horse-faces, while the ogres gained the trolls' more human-like faces with a big nose (though, fortunately, not the weird droopy kind the old trolls had, 'cause... what?).