The Origin of the Gnoll (again)

[Voadam]

Okay!

Here's the story:

I made up "gnoll" thinking of it as a cross between a gnome and a troll, and I think the name first appeared in a really bad novel I was writing, The Gnome Cache, part of which was serialized in DRAGON Magazine way back when.

I wanted to expand the humanoids list to match PC levels, so I altered the gnoll to fit into that list after hobgoblin and before bugbear.

The name is not drawn from any mythology, folklore, or authored work of fiction--although Dunsany's "gnole" is close. The description and stats are unique. IMO WotC could indeed claim it as unique to them.

Cheers,
Gary

So how did they become half hyena men?

 

[MerakSpielman]

and why don't they regenerate?

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Well, Buckaroos!

As I said in regards to the gnoll, I changed course, made them into one of the humanoids. Hyeana-like visages seemed appropriate for that role, and of course in their lowly slot between the hobgoblin and the bygbear in potency, regenaration was quite out of the question.

Hope that covers my thinking on the matter, and remember making up all sorts of monsters for a game isn't always an easy task

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Bran Blackbyrd]

Personally, I'm a ghast that someone might disapprove of the puns! It's a harmless destrachan. It doesn't take osyluth to detect that wereboar'd and just need to have some fun.

Of course, maybe the thread was started to stirge up some trouble. In which case we should all feel tendriculos.

That's my two centaurs.

OMG!
ROFL!
IYKWIMAITYD.

I think it's ghoul that you came up with so many puns.
If I had a chimera I'd take a picture. It's a bodak moment!


I've always liked gnolls. They figure rather prominently as a force of change in the landscape of my campaign world. They drove into extinction one of the two races that spawned them (one canine, one feline), and are at war with the other. That's not even taking into consideration the way they treat the rest of the races when they meet.

 

[Aeolius]

... and remember making up all sorts of monsters for a game isn't always an easy task...

I hear you, loud and clear. My "Aeo Originals" list is up to around 225 beasties, or so, 102 of which are aquatic. When the revised 3e MM comes out, I'll start adding stats to their descriptions.

Out of curiosity, where did the ixitxachitl come from?

(Yes, I keep up with seafaring supplements like gnomebody else I know.)

 

[Col_Pladoh]

I hear you, loud and clear. My "Aeo Originals" list is up to around 225 beasties, or so, 102 of which are aquatic. When the revised 3e MM comes out, I'll start adding stats to their descriptions.

The first half of a large bestiary comes pretty easily, but thereafter it's slow and demanding work.

I find the best new additions come from creating adventure material in which a special critter or two are needed to punch things up

Out of curiosity, where did the ixitxachitl come from?

Steve Marsh was the creator of that beastie. He told me he got the name , Ixitxachitl, from an historical list of names of people! He couldn't resist using it for a monster.

(Yes, I keep up with seafaring supplements like gnomebody else I know.)

Strange but true, the nickname of the fellow who is developing seafaring material for a book in the "Gygaxian Fantasy Worlds" series from Troll Lord games is "SpaceGnome"

Cheers,
Gary

 

[fusangite]

It's an honour to be part of an online community that includes the august creator of D&D. Just a quick note to commend you Gary on your creation of the Gnoll; I'm currently running a campaign in an African setting and thus, Gnolls are the main race of evil demi-humans.

The hyena is such a great animal to base a demihuman race on that it's provided me with many many possibilities. The Gnolls of my world also inspired me to place were-hyenas and evil hyena-based druids in a very prominent role, the hyena nicely substituting for the wolf and suggesting a different set of lycanthropic attributes than the were-wolf does.

Anyway, I suppose this post doesn't mean a whole lot; I just wanted to state this little thank-you to go along with the gigantic and obvious thank-you for D&D itself.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Hi Fusangite

When I was a tad I used to go to the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, and the hyenas there were as fascinating to me in a repellant way as were the lions in an awesome one. Recalling the bad odor of the former is easy now even after decades...

Anyway, I appreciate your good words, and I do think hyenas make an excellent template for creating evil creatures. Certain animals lend themselves to that role--spiders, scorpions, octopi and squid, alligators and crocodiles, weasels and wolverines, etc. Likely most of that basis is humanocentric and even individual, but what the heck! If it works, go for it

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Gez]

It's an honour to be part of an online community that includes the august creator of D&D.

I can't resist telling you you would ban the august creator of D&D from your group if he wanted to show up.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

I can't resist telling you you would ban the august creator of D&D from your group if he wanted to show up.

As a GM I will sometimes not allow a particular sort of character to be played when a newbie is joining the group. however, I do allow pretty much of anything in the way of characters otherwise. Hell, I even allow females to play--male characters if they so desire.

BTW, my LA game Avatar is not only a female but she is a Veshoge--a race in the game that is not much respected or loved, sort of like the Ferengi (sp?) in Star Trek.

Whatever is fun for all concerned should be all right in a game, and the GM should be open-minded while looking at the long-range viability of the campaign

Gary