Gnolls, gnolls, glorious gnolls

[Lurks-no-More]

Add me in as another gnoll fan. And, for what it's worth, I much prefer the savage yet loutish hyena-headed critters to some bizarre troll-gnome crossbreed.

In one setting I tinkered with, I used them as a major race in the stereotypical "Dark Continent": violent, clannish/tribal, matriarchal, and quite nasty (they eat humans, as well as pretty much anything that looks like it might have moved on its own at some point), but not merely bad guys. They respected strength and martial skill, and had a brutal sense of honor (as long as they didn't get too hungry). Gnoll mercenaries were popular among humans and centaurs of the land to do all sorts of dirty work for the local kings and chieftains.

 

[Jhulae]

Gnolls do it Doggie Style.. or so it's been said.

 

[Thanael]

It's a feat to stay off of diaglo's ignore list...

OD&D diehard
You stick to the one true gaming system until eternity.
Benefit: By sticking to the one true gaming system only you manage not to be ignored by other grognards.
Special: Can only be taken by grognards.
Normal: You can play any system and see the improvements some of them have to offer.


But then again there are no feats in OD&D

 

[Rechan]

My first 4e campaign will rely on gnolls, I think. I'm gearing up for them.

Someone on these boards a while ago mentioned Gnolls being basically what happens when a hyena eats a humanoid's soul, resulting in an evil monster. And thus you have gnolls taking captives, dragging them back to camp to feed and thus pad their numbers. Mix that in with reliance on demons/warlocks (given their demon lord etc etc), and bang.

But a recent thought occurred to me:

Gnolls are scavengers. They'll eat anything, living or dead. So, they might love undead. Zombies in particular; a resource of food that carries itself, plus a meatshield if you get into a fight. Due to their gruesome habits of digging up the dead and animating them in this habit, gnolls might have a habit of returning as ghouls (or being transformed) on a semi-regular basis. But I havn't decided how the Ghoul fits in with the gnoll society; they are constantly hungry, thus it might be a threat to other gnolls.

Maybe this leads to a sort've "schism" between gnolls; do you follow demons, or undead? It might be the cause of a conflict between Orcus and the gnoll's patron. Or it could be a subspecies of gnolls, jackal-headed critters that are the undead-lovers.

Dang, reading this thread, there are SO MANY juicy ideas. The hunting hounds of a nastier race, long gone? A version of The Predator? That's just delicious. Though that might be dropped onto some other monsters. Bugbears, given their natural propensity for stealth, might make great Predators for instance.

 

[Set]

Though that might be dropped onto some other monsters. Bugbears, given their natural propensity for stealth, mgiht make great Predators for instance.

That's just delicious. Great idea!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Bugbears, given their natural propensity for stealth, mgiht make great Predators for instance.

That's an excellent point!

 

[SavageRobby]

If you use Gnolls, don't forget about Flinds. Well, at least in AD&D (Fiend Folio) - I dunno if they're in 3x. Love the Flindbar.

 

[Rechan]

How does the Flind relate to the Gnoll?

All I remember from their entry is that they were shorter, smarter gnolls.

 

[SavageRobby]

In AD&D, they were bigger and stronger, and treated with tremendous respect by "normal" gnolls (bonus Charisma, IIRC), and would often lead gnoll bands.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

SavageRobby write:
In AD&D, they were bigger and stronger, and treated with tremendous respect by "normal" gnolls (bonus Charisma, IIRC), and would often lead gnoll bands.

yeah that about sums em up. Never thought gnolls needed them.

The flindbar was some sort of 3-piece rod martial arts thingy. Be a reach weapon with trip and weapon binding bonuses today. <cough>spiked chain<cough>