D&D 5E Gnolls: Playable or Not?

[ChameleonX]

I allow Gnolls as PCs, mostly because I like hyenas, and dislike the way they're vilified in popular culture. I wrote up my own racial traits for my campaign, as I don't like the version that Kobold Press came up with;

Ability Score Increase. +2 Strength
Speed. 30ft
Darkvision. Just like other races, 60ft radius
Natural Predator. You gain proficiency in two of the following skills of your choice; Athletics, Perception, Nature, Stealth, and Survival.
Bite. Your bite is a natural weapon that can be used to make melee weapon attacks, using strength for the attack and damage roll. On a hit, it deals 1d6 piercing damage.
Carrion Eater. You have advantage on saving throws against disease and ingested poisons.
Rampage. When you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points, you can use a bonus action to move up to your speed and make a Bite attack on the same turn. Once you use this trait, you must finish a short or long rest before you can do so again.
Subrace. Choose one of the following options:

Spotted Gnoll
Ability Score Increase. +1 Dexterity
Blood Frenzy. Once per turn, when you hit a creature that has half or less if it's hit points left, you may choose to deal an extra 1d6 damage to that creature.

Striped Gnoll
Ability Score Increase. +1 Constitution
Ferocity. The first time during each combat that you are reduced to half or less of your maximum hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your level.

Painted Gnoll
Ability Score Increase. +1 Wisdom
Pack Attack. When an ally of yours attacks a creature within 5ft of you, you may use the Help action as a reaction to aid your ally's attack roll if that ally is also within 5ft of the same creature.

 

[OniDaimyo]

I have never bought into the idea that long life makes one take more time making decisions, especially in emergencies. Context, Need, and ability to reason dictate the speed at which ones actions and choices are made. One doesn't sit around discussing options for hours when the house is on fire, no matter how long ones projected life span is, unless one wants end up as cinders with no life span at all.

This is rather obvious...you basically ignored the obvious things. Of COURSE they woudln't sit around on their ass while their house is on fire. I do believe elves would indeed act with more thought put into things when they have the chance to do so. Your argument is a terrible strawman.

 

[OniDaimyo]

Welcome to the boards.

Gnolls, as presented in Volo's Guide to Monsters, are not playable as a PC race in 5e. The designers made a choice to play up the demonic aspects of the race in this edition, and did not allow for exceptions (as they did for goblinoids, orcs, and yuan-ti) in the stats for monstrous humanoids.

Talk to your DM to find a workaround!

Yet they allow Tieflings...lel. This is a weak reason. There ARE non demonic Gnoll tribes out there. Eberron has some for example and so does the Forgotten Realms even. There have even been a sort of Gnoll/Assimar combo. Also as a LONG time D&D player I remember when one of the DMs guide said that "Drow were not acceptable as a PC race" but that Orcs were? So stuff that. lol and Yuan-Ti are playable? Have you read about how they view things? Really really read their cold reptile logic? I can't imagine that would be seen as very acceptable either.

 

[Wulffolk]

When beginning a campaign I ask the players to discuss a group concept first. Once they settle on a group concept then they can start thinking about individual characters that fit into that concept. I have not run a game in decades in which I allow plays to just show up with whatever outrageous concept that want to play, regardless of how poorly it might interact with the characters of other players. There are very few things that are more frustrating and unbelievable to me than the Star Wars cantina approach to party building. So I can't see ever allowing singular Gnolls into a typical adventuring party.

On the other hand, if the group concept was that of the remnants of a Gnoll tribe, or a Gnoll raiding party, or something like that, then I would be perfectly content running a campaign for a group of adults that wanted to explore such a dark theme with a whole party of Gnolls.

 

[Weiley31]

My lore for Gnolls in my DND games is a combination of the original god for them(created by Gorellisk in a Primal prototype form, then having the copyright/blueprints for it stolen and twisted by Yeenoghu)+4E Gnoll Society lore for playable/non-full on demon worshipping+dealing with their savage/demon nature+5E race lore in the fact that evil Gnoll are the unredeemable monsters. Flinds are the demon champions that are the Chosen of Yeenoghu

Southland Heroes has your rules for playable Gnolls.


HOWEVER, in HumblewoodxDungeons and DoggiesxCats and Catecombs, Gnolls are gonna be the full on 5E version as they try to destroy everything: all in the name of Yeenoghu.