Gnoll

This humanoid is slightly taller than a human. It has gray skin, a furry body, and a head like a hyena’s, with a reddish-gray mane.

Gnolls are hyena-headed, evil humanoids that wander in loose tribes.

Most gnolls have dirty yellow or reddish-brown fur.

A gnoll is a nocturnal carnivore, preferring intelligent creatures for food because they scream more. Gnolls tend to think with their stomachs, and any alliances they make (usually with bugbears, hobgoblins, ogres, orcs, or trolls) often fall apart when the gnolls get hungry. They dislike giants and most other humanoids, and they disdain manual labor.

A gnoll is about 7½ feet tall and weighs 300 pounds.

Gnolls speak Gnoll.

Combat

Gnolls like to attack when they have the advantage of numbers, using horde tactics and their physical strength to overwhelm and knock down their opponents. They show little discipline when fighting unless they have a strong leader; at such times, they can maintain ranks and fight as a unit. While they do not usually prepare traps, they do use ambushes and try to attack from a flanking position. Because of its shield, a gnoll’s modifier on Hide checks (untrained) is –⁠2, which means gnolls always take special care to seek favorable conditions when laying ambushes (such as darkness, cover, or some other form of advantageous terrain).

Gnoll Society

A tribe of gnolls is ruled by its strongest member, who uses fear, intimidation, and strength to remain in power. If a chieftain is killed, the stronger members of the tribe fight to be the new chieftain; if these combats take too long or several combatants die, the tribe may break up into a number of bands that go their separate ways. Gnolls revere the phases of the moon, but most tribes have no true clerics.

A band or tribe includes as many noncombatant young as there are adults. Gnoll lairs are fortified surface encampments or underground complexes. Gnolls take prisoners for use as slaves, and any lair will have at least one slave for every ten adults. Slaves (usually humans, orcs, or hobgoblins) suffer a high attrition rate because of the gnolls’ appetite.

Their special patron is the demon lord Yeenoghu, who looks like a gaunt gnoll. Most gnolls serve and revere Yeenoghu rather than worshiping a deity.

Gnoll Characters

Gnoll leaders are usually rangers. Gnoll clerics usually worship Erythnul, deity of slaughter. A gnoll cleric has access to two of the following domains: Chaos, Evil, Trickery, or War (favored weapon morningstar).

Gnolls as Characters

Relentless hunters, gnoll characters often begin their adventures by tracking a quarry into the world of humankind. There, they take up the role of bounty hunters and mercenaries.

Gnoll characters possess the following racial traits.

• Strength +4, Constitution +2, Intelligence –⁠2, Charisma –⁠2.
• Size Medium.
• A gnoll’s base land speed is 30 feet.
• Darkvision out to 60 feet.
• Racial Hit Dice: A gnoll begins with two levels of humanoid, which provide 2d8 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +1, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +3, Ref +0, and Will +0.
• Racial Skills: A gnoll’s humanoid levels give it skill points equal to 5 × (2 + Int modifier). Its class skills are Listen and Spot.
• Racial Feats: A gnoll’s humanoid levels give it one feat.
• +1 natural armor bonus.
• Automatic Languages: Gnoll. Bonus Languages: Common, Draconic, Elven, Goblin, Orc.
• Favored Class: Ranger.
• Level adjustment +1.

Source: Monster Manual (version 3.5), page 130.