TOPIC: How trinkets work

Since there is only one trinket currently in print (Trinket of the Dire Bear won't be out until 2025), we can only focus on Trinket of Trollform for now. But please know that all the general principles shown in the description below (basically everything except the damage type and the regeneration effect which is specific to troll) applies to all trinkets.

As of the time of this writing, this is the full text of Trinket of Trollform:

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Once per game, when it’s your turn to act, the owner may activate this trinket and then polymorph into a troll, all as a single Instant Action. While polymorphed into a troll, the user deals melee Slashing damage. The effect lasts until the end of the room or until ended by the player–whichever comes first. If the player choose to revert into their original form before the end of the room, they’d need to activate a different Trinket of Trollform token to change again.

When exiting the room in which the owner used this token to polymorph, the owner heals 2 HP. This is considered a Regeneration effect and cannot restore a dead character to life. This specific Regeneration effect does not stack with itself, thus activating more than one Trinket of Trollform in a single room does not increase the Regeneration amount gained.

Even though each specific trinket token may only be used once per adventure, one may bring and use as many trinket tokens as desired into the adventure, same-named or differently-named, it doesn’t matter. E.g., if you have seven physical trinkets, you could use one trinket in each room. No character may polymorph into more than one creature type per room. Assuming the player has the means to do so, they may transform into and out of the same creature type more than once per room. E.g., if you have four Trinket of the Dire Flurbnog, you could polymorph into and out of flurbnog form four times in a single room, twice each in two rooms, once each in four rooms, or whatever distribution of four you like.

Characters cannot use spells or any physical items while polymorphed. They do, however, retain their initial Armor Class, Hit Points, and any combat bonuses or penalties recorded on the party card. When polymorphed, melee stats are used to calculate combat modifiers. This token is used in the combat slider for attacks.

Troll form attacks may be considered either 1-handed or 2-handed, but not both. The handedness bonuses recorded on the party card are used when you are transformed. If your stats on the party card included bonuses for 1-handed melee attacks/damage, you retain those when you transform. If your stats on the party card included bonuses for 2-handed melee attacks/damage, you retain those when you transform. You may not simultaneously benefit from 1H and 2H bonuses.

Polymorphed characters benefit from nearly all effects that modify melee attacks. However, trinkets are not weapons. (Not all tokens with damage wheels are weapons.) Trinkets are unaffected by effects that modify physical weapons. The “weapon” stats listed below apply only when the character is polymorphed and are only included here to indicate the kind of damage dealt when the character is transformed.

Erratum: This token should have been marked as exchangeable for Darkwood Plank. But since it was mistakenly marked as being exchangeable for Aragonite, it can be exchanged for either 6 points toward Darkwood Plank or one point toward Aragonite.
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Trinkets were introduced in 2024 with the intent to replace polymorph potions. Any token that requires a polymorph potion can also use a polymorph trinket. But even if the other token stipulates that the polymorph potion token be collected, barring extraordinary conditions, trinkets are never collected when used. Activating a trinket is an Instant Action, but it can only be performed when it’s your turn to act.

Text On Token
Polymorph into Troll & regain 2 hp when you leave room (1/game)(slotless)

Usable By: Druid
Slot: slotless
Rarity: Rare
Year: 2024
Weapon Attack Mode: Melee
Damage Type: Slashing
Weapon Medium: Non-Magical, Non-Magical Melee
Heals HP: Wearer/Wielder
Limited Use: 1/Adventure
Source: Standard Pack
Misc: Erratum Issued
Exchange Program Classification: Aragonite, Darkwood Plank

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I'm posting the whole shebang here because this is going to be used as a template for all future trinkets and I think it would be beneficial to get this all sorted out now.

If you feel something is unclear or incomplete, please indicate the passage in question and why you think clarification is warranted.

If I may ask a personal favor, please do us all the courtesy of using the [ Reply ] button instead of the [ Quote ] button unless you have a very specific reason why you feel it's necessary to quote the entire post.

Once per game, when it’s your turn to act, the owner may polymorph into a troll as an Instant Action.

Clarification request: the act of Polymorphing is an Instant Action. Is the act of activating a Trinket an Instant Action?

Reason for clarification: Polymorph Potions share similar wording about the change being instantaneous, but still require a Standard Action to consume (and, unstated, a Free Action to retrieve). While I expect the answer to be "Of course it's an Instant to activate; why did you even think you need to ask", I don't want there to be possible ambiguity.

The answer is in the final block of text:

Activating a trinket is an Instant Action, but it can only be performed when it’s your turn to act.

Can it be moved up near the top instead?

Even though each specific trinket token may only be used once per adventure, one may bring as many trinket tokens as desired into the adventure–same-named or differently named, it doesn’t matter.

Suggested edit: [...] one may bring and use as many [...]

Reason for edit: make it more clear you can use them all, not simply bring them all (and have them be nothing but extra weight). Like a Ranger with Ralson's and (non-Ranger) Scrolls: they can certainly bring all the Scrolls they want, but can still only use two, total.

E.g., if you have four Trinket of the Dire Flurbnog, you could polymorph into and out of flurbnog form four times in a single room.

Suggestion: add a second use case of being a flurbnog three times in one room, then a flurbnog once in a second.

Reason for edit: make it more clear you aren't limited to one room per form.

Way too much text for me to read. Same when I look at the text of the Poly potions. KISS. Especially for newer players who will be the ones excited to get these.

When polymorphed, melee stats are used to calculate combat modifiers.

Clarification request: when you drop Polymorph, do you revert to the weapon you were previously holding, to your Melee weapon, or to the weapon (including free hands) of your choice?

Reason for clarification: say I started the room with a +1 Turkey Leg equipped, and Polymorphed on round 1. On round 2, can I de-Polymorph into a Mystic Staff, attack with it, and use my Free Action on a spell cast through a Ring of Quick Blessing ? If so, can I do the same on round 1 (assuming I had yet to spend my Standard Action attacking while Polymorphed), bypassing the Free Action that is otherwise necessary to swap hand slots?

Ho-Yi Fung wrote: The answer is in the final block of text:

Activating a trinket is an Instant Action, but it can only be performed when it’s your turn to act.

Can it be moved up near the top instead?

Ho-Yi Fung wrote: Suggested edit: [...] one may bring and use as many [...]

Ho-Yi Fung wrote: Suggestion: add a second use case of being a flurbnog three times in one room, then a flurbnog once in a second.

edits made
better?

Better; thank you for the clarifications! I'll continue to raise more rules-lawyery quibbles and/or concerns as I think of them.

Ho-Yi Fung wrote: when you drop Polymorph, do you revert to the weapon you were previously holding, to your Melee weapon, or to the weapon (including free hands) of your choice?

When you end the polymorph effect, you revert to holding/wearing whatever stuff you were holding/wearing when you changed into your alternate form.

Rob F wrote: Way too much text for me to read. Same when I look at the text of the Poly potions. KISS.

What would you have the description say? Please be as specific and complete as possible.

Bear in mind the goal is to provide a consistent experience for all players and DMs. Ambiguity leads to misinterpretation which leads to unhappy players.

Rob F wrote: Especially for newer players who will be the ones excited to get these.

I don't currently have sufficient evidence to believe more than a trivial amount of newbies ever look up tokens in the TDb. Can you provide evidence of more widespread TDb use by newbies?

I'm guessing most newer players do not know Tokendb exists. So IMO anything coming out of a 10 pack should be easily explained with just the text on the Token or by having a Coach say a few words. If that's not the case then I say don't make the Token.

For notational consistency, consider changing:
"adventure–same-named or differently named"
to
"adventure, same-named or differently-named"