Kael
banner-spiked warhammer vanguard of the troll warband
Kael — The Encounter
banner-spiked warhammer vanguard of the troll warband · a boss your table can run with almost no prep. SRD 5.1-compatible.
Who Is Kael
Kael carries the warband's colors on his back, a fan of iron spikes hung with the trophies of beaten foes. He is the steadiest of the War Trolls, the one the others form up behind when a charge falters. The frontier grimoires call him the troll that holds the line, hammering down anything that tries to break through while the spikes above him keep the horde's courage from cracking. He speaks the Common tongue, barely, enough to bellow orders and demands for surrender that he never honors. Where Kael stands, the warband does not run. Fire and acid alone can move him for good.
Run Kael in Sixty Seconds
- Use fire or acid then regeneration stays down and the line-holder can be dropped.
- Kill the banner-bearer first then the rest of the trolls lose their fear protection.
- Hammerfall hits your mobility then a slowed PC can't kite the warband.
- Don't stand next to a ledge then Gauntlet Smash can shove you off it.
- He never fights alone then expect trolls rallied tight around him.
Kael
Large giant (troll), chaotic evil
CR 11 · 7,200 XP · GUIDELINERegeneration. Kael regains 15 hit points at the start of its turn. If it takes acid or fire damage, this trait doesn't function at the start of its next turn. Kael dies only if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn't regenerate.
Standard-Bearer. War Troll allies within 20 ft. of Kael can't be frightened and have advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened, rallied by the banner spikes rising from his back.
Hammerfall. On a hit with its warhammer, Kael can choose to forgo extra damage; instead the target must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or have its speed halved until the end of its next turn.
Actions
Multiattack. Kael makes two warhammer attacks.
Warhammer. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (3d8+5) bludgeoning damage.
Gauntlet Smash. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6+5) bludgeoning damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 16 Strength saving throw or be pushed 5 ft.
An armored troll plants its feet behind a heavy warhammer, banner spikes jutting from its back like a standard.
Guideline numbers — formula-tuned and read from the miniature's design, not yet table-proven. Tell us how it ran in the comments.
How It Fights — by Tier
Same creature, scaled threat. The traits never change; only the numbers move.
A steadfast anchor for a small troll mob. Kael hammers the closest PC and uses Hammerfall to cripple a fleeing target's speed, keeping the party pinned for the warband.
He is the warband's rally point. Keep him centered so Standard-Bearer protects nearby trolls from fear. Hammerfall slows the party's mobile threats so the rest of the trolls can close.
Run him as the warband's standard-bearer, never alone. Plant him among the other trolls, slow the kiters with Hammerfall, and let the banner keep the horde fearless. Acid or fire is the only way to stop his regeneration.
Put Kael on the table
Download the presupported STL and run the fight tonight — the model, and the encounter that comes with it.
Get the STL on MyMiniFactory →Clay Cyanide Companion Rules v1
How a bound creature acts
- A companion acts on its owner's initiative, immediately after the owner.
- It uses the Companion block above — roughly ×0.6 HP and damage, no recharge abilities, and at most one reaction trait.
- It moves freely; it takes its Action only while its owner is conscious.
- At 0 HP a companion is broken, not dead — restored on a long rest unless your table rules otherwise.
Original Clay Cyanide material © Clay Cyanide LLC — explicitly not the non-SRD official sidekick rules.
Questions, Asked at the Table
What CR is Kael?
Natively CR 11 (7,200 XP) at Tier 3. Use the tier table to scale him to CR 2 or CR 6.
How does Kael fight alongside the rest of the War Trolls?
He is the warband's standard-bearer and anchor. His back-spike banner keeps nearby trolls fearless, and he holds the line with his hammer while the rest of the horde forms up and charges behind him.
Should Kael be a solo boss?
No. He has no legendary actions and works as an elite line-holder. Field him with the warband, ideally at its center where his banner protects the most allies.
Tell Us How It Ran
This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 ("SRD 5.1") by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document. The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.
Clay Cyanide Miniatures is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or specifically approved by Wizards of the Coast LLC. This content is compatible with the fifth edition of the world's most popular fantasy roleplaying game. Companion rules, lore, names, and original mechanics © Clay Cyanide LLC.
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