Let's make Gnolls a good LA+1 race

[Thraka]

Measuring up gnolls against some of the newer LA+1 races (goliaths, poison dusk lizardfolk), there's an obvious deficiency in the gnoll's racial traits. The why's for this have been explored in numerous posts in the general and rules forums, so I was hoping that this thread could be used to suggest changes in gnolls' racial traits to make them a better LA+1 race.

But first, a couple of the bigger changes I'm suggesting: ditch the two levels of humanoid- all those really do is increase a gnoll's ECL. Change the gnoll's Con bonus to a Dex bonus, as befits their apparent canine ancestry. Then, working from those two modifications, I came up with the following...

Gnoll Racial Traits
• +4 Str, +2 Dex, -2 Int, -2 Cha: Like their canine ancestors, gnolls are strong and quick. Gnoll intellect is usually found wanting, however, and their brutal ways and infamous reputation have made them unpopular.
• Medium: As medium creatures, gnolls have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Gnoll base land speed is 40 feet.
• Darkvision out to 60 feet.
• +2 racial bonus on Survival checks. Gnolls have learned how to get along in the wilds.
• +2 racial bonus on saving throws against fear effects. Gnolls have accepted that their lives tend to be nasty, brutish, and short- thus, death does not hold as many terrors for them as it does for other races.
• +2 natural armor bonus.
• Natural Weapons: Bite (1d6). Gnolls are capable of delivering savage bites with their cruel, fanged jaws.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Gnoll.
• Bonus Languages: Draconic, Elven, Goblin, Orc.
• Favored Class: Ranger. A multiclass gnoll's ranger class does not count when determining whether he or she takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing.

Too much, too little? Thoughts?

 

[Evilhalfling]

well too much really.
the problem with ditching the 2 racial levels - Is that weakens the whole tribe, making the run of the mill gnoll less dangerous. They make better PCs but worse monsters. I think that without racial HD, they make an as is +1LA.
For instance orginal gnoll w/o HD vs 1st lvl human ftr w/great sword +2 hit, +3 dmg, +1 hp,+1 AC, - some skillpoints, -1 feat

If you want to make gnolls playable as 2 Hd & +1 LA then your changes seem more in line.
Other gnolls I have seen allow scent as a feat, or incorperate it directly into the race.
I had a great experiance using gnoll charroiteers http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=89415
They were great monsters but might make bad PCs.

 

[Ferret]

I would have put the LA close enough, but have no idea how the changes would change how good they were as monsters.....

 

[Breakstone]

I would have put the LA close enough, but have no idea how the changes would change how good they were as monsters.....

Well, you could always have two types of Gnolls. One culture of Gnolls are slightly weaker, but more social- they could be the playable race. The other culture of Gnolls are more primitive, but stronger, and they're the monster Gnolls.

Anywho, just an idea.

 

[Ferret]

I woulddn't like to do that, I considered mentioning it when I posted but I didn't want to give anyone ideas. But now I think of it isn't such a bad idea, it could certainly work.

 

[3d6]

I think just dropping the racial hit dice would beef them up enough to make them mechanically viable LA +1 characters. They have somewhat favorable ability modifiers and a natural armor bonus. They keep up in attack rolls, deal better damage, and have better AC than a comprable human melee-type.

 

[smootrk]

A similar thread has many ideas for the gnoll.

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=133796