Trolling

[Baran]

I'm playing a troll.

Recipient of a special vision from Ilmater, he now uses his incredible toughness to protect the smaller, weaker lifeforms from harm, and one day seeks to bring all trolls into the service of the Broken God.

He has a permanent Greater Magic Fang on all three natural attacks (houserule is that permanent spells interact with dispelling/AMFs the same as magic items so I'm in the clear on that),
+1 mithral chain shirt (nonproficient, but no armor check penalty. Lookie, I'm a certain hobbit!) and amulet of natural armor +1.
Currently 7th level (Savage Species progression) with 53 HP, AC of 21, saves of 11/4/3, and Regeneration 1. I have two feats. I'll attempt to buy off a little LA when I can (14th and 17th levels.  )

a) What should my two feats be? Is the +5 to Will saves from Steadfast Determination worth taking Endurance as my only other feat?
aa) Is there a version of SD for Reflex saves?
b) What's a good class to get into at level 12? I'm thinking that Crusader might be a good choice since I can use my 6 racial HD to start getting 2nd level maneuvers out the gate.
c) Can you get my HP/AC any higher?
d) Anything else?

[Endarire]

How dead-set are you on making a full-on troll?  A caster could just polymorph you.

[Maat Mons]

With +5 LA, you'll need 15th class levels to buy off your first point of LA, and racial HD and level adjustment don't count toward that.  So, that'd be at ECL 26. 

One option for feats is to take improved bull rush and power attack so your can take knockback (Races of Stone) at your 6th HD. 

If you want more regeneration, the rapid regeneration feat increases the rate of your existing regeneration by 1 each time you take it. 

Have you considered having yourself made into a bladerager troll (Monster Manual V)?  It's the same LA and HD as regular troll, but with the added benefit of being in constant agony.  Seriously though, it does add some nice things, but you'll want to buy a nipple clamp of exquisite pain (Book of Vile Darkness). 

[Baran]

How dead-set are you on making a full-on troll?  A caster could just polymorph you.

I'm not really dead-set on it, but if I can't make it work, then I'll just play something else entirely.

With +5 LA, you'll need 15th class levels to buy off your first point of LA, and racial HD and level adjustment don't count toward that.  So, that'd be at ECL 26.

Oof, maybe this can't work.

Have you considered having yourself made into a bladerager troll (Monster Manual V)?

Wow, that might actually be worth a +5 level adjustment, but there's no official progression for it. I think I'll just play a half-ogre instead, but I'll keep that in mind for when the campaign hits 11th level--We play a sort of "Heroes Unlimited" franchise that was founded by an adventuring company ten years previous, so characters are always coming and going.

Thanks, Enda and Maat.

[Unbeliever]

What's your starting level?  A Master of Many Forms (possibly with a handy Rod of Enhance Wildshape) can make you effectively a Troll all day long every day. 

[sirpercival]

If you're really interested in playing a troll and can get homebrew approved, one of these might help.

[ksbsnowowl]

One option for feats is to take improved bull rush and power attack so your can take knockback (Races of Stone) at your 6th HD.

Large and In Charge from Draconomicon is also pretty good for something with reach; combat reflexes pairs nicely with it and trolls have a decent Dex to go with Combat Reflexes too.

If you want more regeneration, the rapid regeneration feat increases the rate of your existing regeneration by 1 each time you take it.

Just FYI, gaining Fast Healing also effectively increases your regeneration (as fast healing first heals non-lethal damage before healing any lethal damage), and has the advantage of then healing your non-regeneratable damage once all your nonlethal damage is gone.

[Empirate]

What's your starting level?  A Master of Many Forms (possibly with a handy Rod of Enhance Wildshape) can make you effectively a Troll all day long every day.

I absolutely have to second this. You can become a Troll by 7th level, which you are now, and maintain that form basically indefinitely. You don't gain regeneration, though! But the rest of the Troll package is yours to play with. Not to mention the rest of MoMF goodness!

I positively love middle-aged (or even older) Strongheart Halfling Wildshape Ranger 5 entry into Master of Many Forms, using Celestial Bloodline to provide better wildshaping and the incredibly annoying Alertness prereq as a bonus feat. This leaves all your feats open; I'd strongly consider Multiattack (a lot of forms you assume will have 3+ natural attacks), Natural Bond (to make your AC that much tougher - remember bloodlines also progress your AC), Extra Wildshape, and maybe Flyby Attack (to give you more options in flying forms).

[Baran]

I ended up creating a half-ogre Crusader and an MoMF out of this situation. We'll see which the DM prefers. So what's the advantage of a wildshape ranger over a druidic avenger for an MoMF?

[Empirate]

Druidic Avenger gains up to 3rd level spells (very nice, but a few of these are available to a Ranger with a wand anyway), and one rage use per day (meh). Ranger gets full BAB, more skills and -points, better HP, the Endurance prereq as a bonus feat (as well as Track), a (weak) animal companion, and 1st level spells. I think that, for a melee focused PC, Ranger just offers more and better. If you want spells, just go Druid all the way - Druid casting isn't all that powerful before 5th level (few exceptions, obviously), and if you don't gain anymore spells later on, those 3rd level spells will quickly fall behind in usefulness. Also, Avenger doesn't get spontaneous summoning.

[Unbeliever]

^ +1

I typically use/recommend this build for someone that doesn't want to play a caster, so that's sort of the answer.  The advantages Empirate describes are actually pretty handy.  The build is a little feat-starved, 1 feat can be something like Rapidstrike, so it can be valuable.  And, the BAB is a bit handy b/c the MoMF isn't the most accurate of classes, though a monstrous Strength can make up for it. 

The Druid option is, of course, awesome.  And, if that were the case then I'd suggest only dipping into MoMF to get Giant forms (incidentally a 2 level dip) and then going back to something with full spellcasting.  I'd hesitate to suggest it, but you can probably even avoid dipping MoMF if you went Planar Shepherd -- there's got to be some extraplanar troll option in their list.  And, really, if that's the way you were going with it, Planar Shepherd wouldn't even be that broken.