Do You Like Gnolls?

[BLACKDIRGE]

Love em. I play a gnoll paladin in my friends bi-monthly game and I am having a blast.

For the opposite side of the gnoll paladin coin, check out this NPC thread I did a while back.

http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=29686[/URL]

Dirge

 

[s/LaSH]

Gnolls have a sizable place in my campaign world. They originate on savannahs in the South, and (while not as advanced as humans) are still perfectly capable mercenaries.

To see what happened to them next, go here.

They figured very, very prominently in one adventure, and a gnollish NPC was important to a quest the PCs decided to go on. (I wanted them to dungeon crawl, but nooo, they had to teleport to Budapest and talk to elves.)

I spent a lot of time figuring exactly where every sentient species fitted into my world. Gnolls have their place, orcs and elves are equally prevalent, and humans are just another biped. Some sacrifices had to be made - kobolds became scaly monkeys, I'm afraid. Most of the rest fit right into the scheme of cultures (not genetic cultures - a race that's inherently evil didn't really fit onto the Prime Plane).

So yeah, gnolls are cool.

 

[evilericuk]

only with chips

 

[Kweezil]

Gnolls are good, in an evil, hyena-man kind of way

In my own campaign world, they're basically vikings, striking out of the cold north on longboats, backed by icy magic of their shamans and skalds.

 

[psychognome]

Give me demon-worshipping dog-men any day. I love gnolls!

Fact is, our campaigns haven't given much attention to these nice beasties. Maybe my next campaign will change this...

 

[Gospog]

Sure, I like gnolls! Who doesn't?

Although I can ever remember using them as opponents for my PC groups in any of my games.

Now that I have a few painted gnoll minis, that will soon change.

In fact, if I end up running the Shadow Chasers campaign I have been plotting, they will be among the first bad guys the PCs meet (ut none of the gnolls will be pimps).

 

[Deadguy]

Gnolls Serve No Useful Purpose

Well, I have to break the flow of Gnoll Love, and say no, I don't like Gnolls at all. They serve no really useful purpose other than to be another race of humanoids of the PCs to take on. Back in the days where there was no monster advancement, and no classed monsters, they were at least a step along the chain of humanoid monsters. Now? They are just another bunch of orcs by another name. They have no inherent traits that distinguish them from other races.

And really, it gets boring really fast to run into yet another humanoid race! Frankly it belies something of a lack of imagination if you can't manage to create different cultures of 'monster' race on the same framework. Rather than having Orcs, they become the Orcs of the Khulaen Plains versus the Orcs of the Ice Ocean, with each being distinct. To put it another way, in the standard world do we try and create forty species of 'human' to populate multiple nations? Or do we apply ideas creatively to the same race and produce nations, groups and tribes that are distinct?

(P.S. deliberately phrased as I have - otherwise we'll just spiral round in happy dances! )

 

[kengar]

mmmm Gnoll-y goodness!

Love gnolls. My favorite savage humanoid. Mongoose's Slayers' Guide to Gnolls is an excellent read, btw.

I have a couple reaper gnoll minis & a mess of Naresh Chainmail ones as well. I love it when the party says "Aw, crap! Not these guys!" when I plunk the lead down in front of them. Usually 7-8 of them: A couple Gnoll Barb1, an Adept2, a Ranger2 & a few War1 to round it out!

 

[Desdichado]

Yeah, I like gnolls well enough. Problem I have, though, is that there are too many humanoid races. Some of them (a lot of them, really) end up having to be cut, and gnolls often don't fit.

 

[Nifft]

Gnolls are just such excellent Rangers. I allow them to take the Scent Feat (prereq: Gnoll, Track, 6 ranks Wilderness Lore) which makes them even more frightening.

IMC, they are humans warped by demon-worship. They can cross-breed with normal humans.

-- Nifft