Spinning off from a tangent in another thread, it seems like there’s some interest in discussing ways to reimagine gnolls as a more nuanced humanoid species instead of fiendish embodiments of ravenous consumptive urges. As a disclaimer, I’m not trying to say that WotC or anyone else should necessarily take this approach, nor am I interested in making this thread about whether or not always-evil species should be a thing in D&D generally. Everyone can and should run their games the way they like, but since there are at least some folks interested in discussing a different approach to gnolls specifically, so that’s what this thread is for.
As an additional disclaimer, I want this thread to be an open discussion. Anyone with ideas about different ways to depict gnolls they would like to share is welcome to do so here. Take it more as a brainstorming session than a “here’s how I think it should be done.”
Third and final thing I want to get out of the way: in the other thread that this one is spinning off from, I mentioned that a lot of trans women identify with spotted hyenas, which a couple people were curious about. I’m not sure it’s really appropriate to get into the details of why here, but very briefly: female spotted hyenas have a particular anatomical feature that a lot of trans women can relate to. You can easily read up on spotted hyena anatomy on Wikipedia if you want to know the details, but it has to do with their sex characteristics, so use your own discretion if that kind of thing is unappealing to you.
Ok, disclaimers out of the way, how do I depict gnolls in my home games? Well, I lean on spotted hyena pack dynamics. Spotted hyenas group together in large familial packs (called “clans,”) of about 80 or less, which are typically led by a female (which are typically larger and stronger than the males), and social status is inherited matrilineally - pups inherit the rank directly below their mothers at birth. So, generally the pecking order typically starts with the largest, most dominant female, followed by her female pups, then her male pups, then the next most dominant female, and so on. Males are typically bullied out of their natal clans when they reach adulthood and move to other clans to find mates, where they occupy the lowest ranks. Of course, all of this is just the typical behavior, as always there are exceptions, and there have been observed cases of clans co-led by a male and female, and even led by a lone male, but it’s relatively rare.
So, what do I do with this information? I take the “extreme matriarchy” shtick from drow and give it to gnolls instead. Like spotted hyenas, my gnolls typically live in nomadic clans, typically led by women, and have kind of an Amazon thing going on where the men are treated, not necessarily as breeding stock, but they are sort of traded off between clans to insure genetic diversity. Though, some men do attain more prominent social positions, if they fight hard enough to achieve and defend them. Also, it should go without saying, but this is all learned social behavior, not inherent genetic tendencies. And since they tend to live in familial clans, there is plenty of room for more egalitarian clans, especially in cases where a man managed to climb his way to the top and then used his power to make positive change to his clan’s traditions and practices.
How about gnoll adventures? Well, as with old-school drow, there’s plenty of room for the male gnoll who became an adventurer as a path to escape his oppressive clan, or the female who rejected her clan’s ways and abandoned them. Another angle I really like though goes back again to spotted hyena social behavior - see, mated pairs of hyenas will generally take time away from the clan to, well, mate, and to birth the pups. So, I am particularly fond of the idea that gnolls have a cultural custom of sending young adults out adventuring, with the expectation that they will meet a partner and then come back with children. Obviously this is a concept that requires a bit of buy-in from players, but I think it’s pretty cool, and can at least be used with NPCs.
Ok, I think that’s going to be it for this post from me, but feel free to ask if you have any questions about my gnolls, and by all means, please share any ideas you all might have, either for alternative takes, or that you think might make cool additions to this one!
