BSF
Explorer
Flavor is a good thing. 
Between Ceru and Ayla, there is quite a bit of info to be had.
Gnolls tend to be a little tougher than many other humanoids. If you took an equal number of hobgoblins and gnolls, the gnolls would likely win out.
They can see a short distance (60') in the dark, but their night vision is no better than an average human.
Their pelt makes it a little harder to hurt them, and they are also known to use arms and armor. For some reason, they tend to favor axes. Ayla speculates that this is because axes can be used as tools as well as weapons. When attacking other humanoids that live in structures (like humans) an axe can effectively break down a door.
Gnolls cutting down trees and making fires is unusual. They tend to eat their food raw and they favor warm plains. They don't need fire for warmth. The fact that they are using fire seems odd.
Oceas can contribute that some primitive, barbaric cults treat fire as a mystical force of destruction. It is also a social center. Perhaps the fire has some sort of ritual significance to the gnolls. Sucking the marrow from bones could be ritualistic as well. He never studied much on ritual carnivism/cannibalism, so this is mostly speculation.
Gnoll organization is very chaotic and loose. Sometimes gnolls will form bands and tribes, but mostly they operate as packs. Judging by the size of the group near you, it would qualify as a band, or a tribe. If that is the case, several of the gnolls should be non-combatants. You didn't happen to see any little gnolls running around did you?
Ceru passed through this general area on his way to Stormhaven. When talking with the cat people as he passed through, he can confirm that the gnolls were mostly small packs. The cat people viewed them as dangerous scavengers, but they were too disorganized to be a serious threat.
Gnolls prefer to attack when they have overwhelming numbers, or from ambush. There is generally very little rhyme or reason to their tactics. On occasion, they will be led by a powerful leader that can keep them together and disciplined.
Ayla will add a little more information in that most gnoll leaders are good rangers and often favor humans are their enemy.
However, nobody has ever heard of gnolls acting in this coordinated a manner. So, it is hard to say how much of this information is relevant to _these_ gnolls. Something odd is definitely going on here. (But what?)
Hyenas are tough canine-like animals. Like many animals, they have excellent night vision and they have scent. They can detect creatures that pass nearby, even if they cannot hear or see them. If they are in grass, or other undergrowth, they are difficult to spot.
They tend to travel in packs and can be fairly dangerous if they decide to attack. However, Hyenas that belong to Gnoll packs are a more serious threat.
The average hyena is at least as tough as the average gnoll. Hyenas bite and try to bring you prone. Coupled with gnoll handlers, they become very dangerous because most gnolls are skilled at wildly powerful attacks when they don't need to worry about hitting their target. Prone targets are easier to hit and since gnolls prefer to attack with overwhelming force, a prone opponent is set upon by the nearest gnolls.
Gnolls tend to treat hyenas that have joined their packs as full-fledged (if somewhat dumber) pack members. A gnoll pack, by itself, is bad enough. But a gnoll pack with hyena members is even worse. What a coordinated company of gnolls and hyenas can do is a good question.
One thing is sure though, while gnolls are often not as smart as most humans, they are certainly as clever. They are far more likely to react intelligently to any threat than your average ogre. The biggest factor that has kept them in check has always been their apparent inability to work together for very long.
Between Ceru and Ayla, there is quite a bit of info to be had.
Gnolls tend to be a little tougher than many other humanoids. If you took an equal number of hobgoblins and gnolls, the gnolls would likely win out.
They can see a short distance (60') in the dark, but their night vision is no better than an average human.
Their pelt makes it a little harder to hurt them, and they are also known to use arms and armor. For some reason, they tend to favor axes. Ayla speculates that this is because axes can be used as tools as well as weapons. When attacking other humanoids that live in structures (like humans) an axe can effectively break down a door.
Gnolls cutting down trees and making fires is unusual. They tend to eat their food raw and they favor warm plains. They don't need fire for warmth. The fact that they are using fire seems odd.
Oceas can contribute that some primitive, barbaric cults treat fire as a mystical force of destruction. It is also a social center. Perhaps the fire has some sort of ritual significance to the gnolls. Sucking the marrow from bones could be ritualistic as well. He never studied much on ritual carnivism/cannibalism, so this is mostly speculation.
Gnoll organization is very chaotic and loose. Sometimes gnolls will form bands and tribes, but mostly they operate as packs. Judging by the size of the group near you, it would qualify as a band, or a tribe. If that is the case, several of the gnolls should be non-combatants. You didn't happen to see any little gnolls running around did you?
Ceru passed through this general area on his way to Stormhaven. When talking with the cat people as he passed through, he can confirm that the gnolls were mostly small packs. The cat people viewed them as dangerous scavengers, but they were too disorganized to be a serious threat.
Gnolls prefer to attack when they have overwhelming numbers, or from ambush. There is generally very little rhyme or reason to their tactics. On occasion, they will be led by a powerful leader that can keep them together and disciplined.
Ayla will add a little more information in that most gnoll leaders are good rangers and often favor humans are their enemy.
However, nobody has ever heard of gnolls acting in this coordinated a manner. So, it is hard to say how much of this information is relevant to _these_ gnolls. Something odd is definitely going on here. (But what?)
Hyenas are tough canine-like animals. Like many animals, they have excellent night vision and they have scent. They can detect creatures that pass nearby, even if they cannot hear or see them. If they are in grass, or other undergrowth, they are difficult to spot.
They tend to travel in packs and can be fairly dangerous if they decide to attack. However, Hyenas that belong to Gnoll packs are a more serious threat.
The average hyena is at least as tough as the average gnoll. Hyenas bite and try to bring you prone. Coupled with gnoll handlers, they become very dangerous because most gnolls are skilled at wildly powerful attacks when they don't need to worry about hitting their target. Prone targets are easier to hit and since gnolls prefer to attack with overwhelming force, a prone opponent is set upon by the nearest gnolls.
Gnolls tend to treat hyenas that have joined their packs as full-fledged (if somewhat dumber) pack members. A gnoll pack, by itself, is bad enough. But a gnoll pack with hyena members is even worse. What a coordinated company of gnolls and hyenas can do is a good question.
One thing is sure though, while gnolls are often not as smart as most humans, they are certainly as clever. They are far more likely to react intelligently to any threat than your average ogre. The biggest factor that has kept them in check has always been their apparent inability to work together for very long.
