Gnolls - a Race of Ferocious Hyenafolk for 5e

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## Gnoll
"SHOULD YOU BE SO BRAZEN OR MISFORTUNED
<br>*to stand before the savage hyenafolk, take heed. Gnolls bear an appetite not for gold, nor for such ideals as honor or mercy. Only those who have truly proven themselves as kin<br>to the formidable wanderers may be spared from the gnolls' natural aggression, and entrusted with the indomitable loyalty they otherwise reserve for their own.*"

—Scholar Brammir, *The Denmatron's Rebellion*
#### 
Widely reviled as savage stalkers and merciless marauders, the collective identity of the gnolls is nonetheless as contentious a subject among scholars as it is among the gnolls themselves. Though they are commonly known for their feral instincts and relentless brutality, so too are gnolls both naturally adaptable and aggressively devoted to their packmates. Given substantial purpose to set aside their typical mistrust, the fearsome and lawless hyenafolk can make for valuable companions, fiercely dedicated to their found kinship and prepared at all times to viciously defend it.

### Hyaenids
A gnoll looks much like a humanoid hyena and shares many traits with the animal. Gnolls are strong, tall, and lean and covered with a thick coat of fur, which generally ranges from light to dark brown.  Depending on the clan, this might be a uniform color, or broken up by stripes or spots.

Though they are not obligate carnivores, it is not uncommon for gnolls to subsist solely on meat. Like the hyenas they resemble, gnolls possess strong jaws and powerful appetites, and are capable of consuming almost every part of their prey, including teeth and bones.

### Pack Instincts
Gnolls are highly social creatures, and the pack instinct plays a powerful role in their lives.  The bond of the pack is essential to all gnolls and, while they may occasionally squabble to establish lines of dominance, gnolls can make for steadfast allies. In battle, gnolls are strong team players and- though competitive by nature- they will typically set aside any thoughts of personal glory to assist their clanmates.

Though they can prove highly suspicious of strange folk, gnolls are by no means solitary. To many gnolls, indefinite solitude is a fate worse than death, and as such those that are separated from their kin will often seek surrogate packmates.  And while the terrible reputation and bold behavior of the hyenafolk can prove difficult to deal with, their pack instincts are incredibly strong. Should you earn a gnoll's carefully-reserved trust, you will find that the bond of their kinship is as valuable as it is unbreakable.

### Savage and Assertive
Due to their determined and impulsive nature, the hyenafolk are rarely ever known for their decorum. They tend to be blatantly direct in their speech, choosing not to waste time with spoken pleasantries or other such civilized courtesies. Though they are instinctively social creatures and are typically quick to pick up on the conduct maintained by their companions, so too can the gnolls' intimidating presence and naturally dominant temperaments make even their most well-intentioned behavior come across as uncouth or menacing.

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### Abyssal Ancestry
The gnolls of the Butcher's Brood are fanatically devoted to their demon prince; they believe that his blood flows through their veins and that their devotion justifies every terrible atrocity they commit. For the Children of Yeenoghu, cruelty and bloodshed are a source of joy and a reason for living.

And just as tieflings bear the marks of devils, so too does every gnoll descend from an ancestry tainted by Yeenoghu. Though some gnolls might forsake the Beast of Butchery, many embrace the curse of hunger brought upon them by his worship- and with it, the demon lord's own madness. As such, very few would dispute the idea that the hyenafolk were born from Yeenoghu himself. Some, however, assert that the Demon Prince usurped the gnolls' true gods. Legends of this lost pantheon include such divines as the moon goddess Refnara, a clever deity of darkness and fear, and the hyenine deity of nature Gorellik, a reputed champion of hunters with dominion over all predatory beasts- the latter of whom is also regarded by some as the legitimate patron of the gnolls.

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While the Children of Yeenoghu seek nothing less than the utter destruction of the mortal realm, not all gnolls deem it desirable to follow this unholy path. Some clans look to the divine, while others see deities as being no different from demons. The hyenafolk may be aggressive scavengers and brutish opportunists, or reclusive outlanders who find strength in their inherent ties with nature. But no matter their faith or customs, it is the inborn duty of each and every gnoll to foster the strength and prosperity of their pack.

### Thrill of the Hunt
Fierce and feral, gnolls are true creatures of the wild; they oft prove uninterested in conquest and very seldom seek fortune or glory.  Instead, gnolls are driven by instinct and impulse; they revel in the thrill of the hunt and often take great pride in their predatory nature. They tend to seek out means of proving their worth to their allies and, being boastful scavengers, often commemorate their successes by claiming trophies, be they simple mementos or the bones of their foes.

### Hierarchy and Competition
Like hyenas, gnolls exhibit a notable degree of social hierarchy within their packs.  Packlords generally shape this hierarchy into an order of succession, granting authority both by lineage and perceived ability to lead and protect their clan.

And in order to ensure the strength of this hierarchy, it is not uncommon for regular challenges of authority to occur between gnolls of similar standing, those involved frequently testing their ability to get the better of the other in an effort to win the greater respect of their packmates.

### Territorial Clankeepers
The rare gnolls that see fit not to make conflict with their neighbors are nevertheless likely to remain wholly aloof; the beastfolk seldom mingle with other humanoids, and in such engagements often prove reluctant to show much in the way of hospitality. Many gnolls are notably unsettled by strange folk, and those who show anything less than antagonism towards outsiders often still regard them with some degree of contempt or suspicion. And due to their competitive nature, even most gnoll clans are instinctively hostile towards each other. This aggression usually extends to all other gnolls, making it highly difficult and often dangerous for any gnoll to seek out a new pack.

### Hunters and Wanderers
Owing to their animal ancestry, gnolls inherently favor wild, wayfaring lifestyles. Some practice related trades- such as leatherworking and herbalism- or take up animal husbandry, training pack animals and taming dangerous beasts. Though most gnolls seldom approach anyone outside of their clans, some more enterprising hunters might be willing<br>to offer their services to local people as<br>trappers or trackers.

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### Strength of Flesh, Wisdom of Bones
There are few who might view cannibalism- ritualistic or otherwise- as anything but unholy barbarism. Likewise, the vivisection and consumption of the deceased oft bears no regard as a respectable tradition among most civilized folk. But to many gnolls, consuming a creature's innards and making keepsakes of its remains are the utter most sacred forms of respect that can be given to the dead. In some clans, their fallen kin are ceremoniously butchered by shamans, their spiritual leaders distributing parts of the body- such as claws, fangs, or fur- among the deceased's packmates.

Whether the ritual consumption of vital organs arose from the worship of Yeenoghu or conversely strengthened the demon lord's reign over the hyenafolk is unknown. Nonetheless, those gnolls who fear the curse of hunger typically avoid consuming any part of the honored dead, save for one important exception- the liver. Most often in these cases, the deceased's liver is granted to the next of kin to be devoured before the whole pack so that the power of the fallen may be shared with those who endure. Likewise, ribs and teeth are often kept and made into crafts, the belief being that it is from their bones that one draws their passion, their instincts, and their wisdom.

Consequently, totemism and ancestor worship are fairly common among the hyenafolk, and gnollish practices of divination frequently involve the use of bones and hides that have been passed down through generations. Traditionally, these elements may be gathered from revered forebears, companion animals, or other creatures that had been cherished by a gnoll in their lifetime. While other people may regard such morbid mementos with deathly fear, to a gnoll an ancestor's bones can serve as a reminder of life- and from these memories, a grisly fount of spiritual courage.

### The Curse of Hunger
Gnolls harbor an unnatural viciousness that can be quick to arise both in moments of anger and during times of hunger. Placed upon the hyenafolk by Yeenoghu in ages long past, their curse presents itself as a primal need to hunt the weak, to tear flesh from bone, and to savagely feast to no end.

A gnoll, however, might find a purpose in challenging and quelling these unnatural impulses. Certain clans hold fast against their patron's persistent growls, refusing his demands for destruction in pursuit of greater paths to strength. They know that their curse is a truly malicious fixation; for should a gnoll become too driven in their aggression and hunger, they risk a violent, maddening descent into bloodlust.

### Leaving the Pack
You may have come from a tribe of shamanistic hunters, wild and true to your nature; you may have belonged to a roaming clan of marauders or a nomadic congregation of trappers and traders; or perhaps you were seperated from your kin long ago and have lived among other races in a somewhat difficult yet purposeful fellowship. Whatever your origins, know that a gnoll's pack instinct are strong and that few leave their packs by choice.  Also, remember that all of gnollkind bears an ancient tie to Yeenoghu- you may have learned to quell your savage impulses, but they are nonetheless an irreversible part of your people's history and innermost nature.

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### Gnoll Names
A gnoll's name is usually inspired by their appearance, behavior, or some other aspect of their early life. Gnoll cubs are frequently raised communally, customarily by their clan's shamans or elders, and typically named some time after their first season of childhood. Like most words in the Gnoll language, their names are often short and guttural.

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- **Male Names:** Arri, Arym, Braunr, Dagnyr, Drakar, Fangar, Ferrik, Garr, Garm, Garrun, Gnarl, Gorik, Greszik, Grahl, Grym, Hakryn, Herne, Ishkr, Kaal, Mognyr, Ragnr, Rekk, Ruenr, Skarn, Thrakk, Thrnn, Vargr, Varok, Vekryn, Zaryn
---
- **Female Names:** Asza, Brauna, Dagrun, Drakka, Durna, Ferra, Garra, Gnara, Gorza, Grakka, Gresza, Grymda, Gudrun, Ishka, Kaia, Krezka, Krsha, Kylma, Mala, Mrna, Mrsha, Reeva, Runara, Saga, Shara, Vakra, Yara, Zudya

---

##### Gnoll Quirks
| d20 | Quirk |
|:---:|:-----------:|
|  1  | I am always hungry. Any time<br>is a good time for a meal.
|  2  | I am deeply fascinated by the morbid and grotesque.
|  3  | I am highly protective of my friends<br>and innately distrustful of everyone else.
|  4  | I love to compete. I regularly try<br>to match myself against my companions.
|  5  | I carry a section of hide or an old bone<br>that I smell, taste, or speak to for guidance.
|  6  | I think ruthless violence is<br>a great suggestion in any discussion.
|  7  | The conduct of civilized folk baffles me.
|  8  | I am unashamedly demonstrative. Others tend to learn very quickly how I feel about them.
|  9  | I display no reservations about<br>disemboweling intelligent creatures.
|  10  | I delight in the fear and misfortune of my adversaries.
|  11  | I don't bother with pleasantries, instead offering grunts, snorts, or the scarce, growled remark.
|  12  | I have adopted a number of unusual superstitions<br>from my clan's elders.
|  13  | I can't stand solitude.<br>I always keep my companions close by.
|  14  | It's in my nature to wander. I often become restless<br>when I'm in one place for too long.
|  15  | I sometimes chew on strange things<br>out of curiosity or boredom.
|  16  | I'm always searching for new trophies or mementos.
|  17  | My fearsome presence could scare<br>a dragon out of its scales.

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### Gnoll Traits
Your gnoll character gains the follow characteristics.

***Ability Score Increase.*** Your Constitution and Strength scores each increase by 1.

***Age.*** By the combination of their fiend-touched blood and animalistic physiology, gnolls develop noticeably faster than most humanoids of their size, reaching adulthood around 8 years of age. They rarely live beyond 40 years.

***Size.*** Gnolls generally stand around 7 feet in height and weigh between 250 and 350lbs.  Most gnolls exhibit a slightly hunched posture due to their animalistic physique.  Your size is medium.

***Alignment.*** Being highly opportunistic, most gnolls are chaotic by nature. Furthermore, their demonic ancestry and common disregard for other intelligent creatures steer many of the hyenafolk towards evil. Gnolls who refuse the will of Yeenoghu may adopt other alignments, though they tend to keep to the leanings of their packmates.

***Speed.*** Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

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***Bite.*** Your bite is a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

***Darkvision.*** Being moderately nocturnal, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions.  You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light.  You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

***Ferocious.*** You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill.

___

***Scavenger.*** You can safely consume raw or rotten food and have advantage on saving throws against disease and ingested poisons.

***Languages.*** You can speak, read, and write Common.  You can also speak Gnoll, though it lacks a script or written form.

Gnolls employ their own oral language made up of unique whoops, growls, and other sounds combined with certain morphemes derived from Abyssal. Though some gnoll clans might adopt written languages, most preserve their ideas through craftwork and oral tradition.

***Subrace.*** The following gnoll clans are available as subrace options: Blackfang, Mosshide, Riverpaw,<br> and Grimfur.

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#### Blackfang Gnoll
Mighty and merciless, the gnolls of Clan Blackfang embrace their ancestral ferocity, readily wielding it against their foes.

***Ability Score Increase.*** Your Strength score increases<br>by 1.

***Rampage.*** Immediately after you reduce a creature to 0 hit points with a melee attack on your turn, you can use a bonus action or reaction to move up to half of your speed and make an additional attack with your bite or with a melee weapon.

#### Mosshide Gnoll
As skilled ambushers and pack hunters, the gnolls of<br>Clan Mosshide are remarkably quick to fell their prey.

***Ability Score Increase.*** Your Dexterity score increases<br>by 1.

***Pack Hunter.*** You have advantage on group<br>Dexterity (Stealth) checks.

***Outrunner.*** Your walking speed increases to 35 feet.

#### Riverpaw Gnoll
Bearing such powerful spiritual connections to the natural world that they count wild beasts among their packs, the gnolls of Clan Riverpaw are among the few known to venerate druids, sages, and oracles.

***Ability Score Increase.*** Your Wisdom score increases<br>by 1.

***Gorellik's Gift.*** You have an innate intuition towards animals and have advantage on Animal Handling checks as well as Charisma ability checks you make to influence beasts.

Additionally, by their nature as Gorellik's chosen creatures, carnivoran and predatory animals- such as bears, cats, and hyenas- can understand your speech.

***Sagecraft.*** You gain proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Animal Handling, Insight, Medicine, Perception, and Survival.

#### Grimfur Gnoll
Long hidden away by Refnara, the grim and cunning goddess of fear, the pallid gnolls of Clan Grimfur excel at sewing confusion and terror from the veiling darkness of night.

***Ability Score Increase.*** Your Charisma score increases<br>by 1.

***Butcher's Lure.*** You have an extremely uncanny ability to mimic voices. You gain proficiency in the Deception skill and have advantage on Charisma (Deception) checks when trying to pass yourself off as a different person.

***Superior Darkvision.*** Your darkvision has a range of 120 feet, instead of 60.

***Sunlight Sensitivity.*** You have disadvantage on attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of the attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.

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## Gnoll Racial Feats
As a gnoll, you can take any of the following feats in place of an Ability Score Improvement.

### Animal Awareness
You have proven to be especially conscious of your own hyenine senses. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Wisdom score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception), Wisdom (Survival) and Intelligence (Investigation) checks that involve hearing or smell, such as those made to notice the presence or movement of an unseen creature, track something by scent, or identify an illusion.

### Beast of Butchery
You fight without mercy, making short work of your foes in their moments of weakness. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Charisma, Dexterity or Strength score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You have advantage on opportunity attacks and attacks against creatures that are frightened of you.

### Gnoll Totemancy
You are a conduit of spiritual power who feasts on the fallen or carries morbid symbols. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase one ability score of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You know the *speak with dead* spell and can cast it once- both while ignoring the target's 10-day immunity to *speak with dead* and without consuming a spell slot- but only if you speak the target's name. Once you cast the spell this way, you can't do so again until you complete a long rest. 
- Each day, you are guided by one of the lingering spirits you've become bound to.  Whenever you complete a long rest, roll 2d6 and then pick one of the numbers you rolled. You may reroll one of these dice if you get the same result twice. You gain a benefit associated with your spirit's totem ability until the end of your next long rest, as determined by the table below:

| d6 | Totem Ability |
|:---:|:-----------:|
|  1  | Strength*<br><section style="font-size:80%">*You also increase your carrying capacity and<br>the weight you can push, drag, and lift by 150 lbs.</section> 
|  2  | Dexterity
|  3  | Constitution*<br><section style="font-size:80%">*You also gain temporary hit points equal to your level.</section> 
|  4  | Intelligence
|  5  | Wisdom
|  6  | Charisma

You can add half of your proficiency bonus, rounded up, to any d20 roll you make using your totem ability that doesn't already include your PB. Additionally, you can invoke your totemic bond once between long rests to gain advantage on a d20 roll you make using your current totem ability.

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### Vicious
Your bite is deadly and you are proud to prove it.  You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Dexterity or Strength score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- Your bite gains the finesse weapon property.
- You have advantage on bite attacks against creatures that are grappling or restraining you.
- You can use a bonus action on each of your turns to make one bite attack against a creature that you are grappling or being grappled by.

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## Gnoll Deities
Lost to written history and deemed long-dead by the<br>Demon Prince Yeenoghu, the rumored old gods of the gnolls, Gorellik and Refnara, are known only to a rare few.

#### Gorellik (The Hyena King) [N]
___
Embodying the sanctity of mortality and kinship as well as her people's innate connection to nature and those beasts they resemble, the fearsome Hyena King is said to have risen anew, seeking to reclaim her place as the true lord of gnolls.
___
**Edicts:** Defend your people and provide for your packmates, pay respects to spirits and to nature, hunt demons and their servants, remember all who have provided for you
<br>**Anathema:** Forsake your packmates, torment animals or bring ruin to nature, fail to protect your kin
<br>**Symbol:** Hyena mandible
<br>**Areas of Concern:** Spirits, family, nature, hunting
<br>**Favored Creatures:** Gnolls, carrion birds, predatory beasts

#### Refnara (The Moon-Biter) [CN]
___
Little is believed of the Moon-Biter's history, but she has long remained hidden, carefully plotting the Destroyer's downfall.
___
**Edicts:** Capitalize on the fears of your rivals, inspire terror in your enemies, undermine those who seek to harm or exploit your kin, practice your craft in dark and dreadful places
<br>**Anathema:** Forget a wrong committed against your people, speak of the Moon-Biter or expose her worshippers
<br>**Symbol:** Black snake strangling a crescent moon
<br>**Areas of Concern:** Fear, darkness, blood magic
<br>**Favored Creatures:** Serpents, shades, striped hyenas

#### Hiatea (The Denwarden) [NG]
___
It is proposed by some clan elders that Gorellik was once a deific figure among the Jotun; that brave Hiatea, the goddess of giant-kin, had a hand in the Hyena King's return; and that the two now proudly honor one another as long-lost sisters.
___
**Edicts:** Aid in family matters, protect and care for those in need- especially mothers and children,  care for the land and see to the health of your community, stand up for those who are unfairly ostracized or otherwise mistreated
<br>**Anathema:** Neglect those you are responsible for, abuse an innocent creature, abandon your community
<br>**Symbol:** Flaming spear
<br>**Areas of Concern:** Community, healing, protection, hunting
<br>**Favored Creatures:** Firbolgs, golden moths, wood giants

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##### Gnoll Revenants
Gorellik's shamans hold that their commitments to their kin do not end upon death, and that it is the duty of the faithful dead to continue to watch over their packmates as spirits in the place between life and the afterlife. Her eldest shamans have the ability to commune with these ancestral spirits and, in times of desperation, to temporarily reanimate their fallen kin as *revenants*- powerful undead that know the sole purpose of enacting vengeance against those who had slain them.
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#### Yeenoghu (The Destroyer) [CE]
___
A powerful Demon Lord, the ravenous Beast of Butchery demands the complete and total collapse of civilization. He and his children live to slaughter and consume everything that stands in their way.
___
**Edicts:** Enslave, kill, and devour all who are prey to Yeenoghu
<br>**Anathema:** Show mercy
<br>**Symbol:** Three-headed flail
<br>**Areas of Concern:** Hunger, madness, ritual sacrifice
<br>**Favored Creatures:** Flinds, ghouls, leucrottas

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## Additional Resources

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**Clan Names:** Blackmoon, Bloodmane, Cairnbriar, Crushpaw, Drakeblight, Dreadhowl, Duskfall, Dustspear, Emberfang, Feralheart, Flamecrest, Frostbane, Gorepelt, Graveden, Greymist, Knifegut, Mistveil, Nightsong, Pridefury, Rageborn, Razorfang, Rockjaw, Rotbreath, Shadetotem, Splittooth, Stoneclaw, Stormsnarl, Thornhide, Tidemaw
<br><br>**Honorific Titles:** Packlord, Matriarch, Packwarden,<br>Claw / Fang of <*hierarch*>, Denmother or <*clan*>-Mother 
####
ex: Packlord Yara, Matriarch of Clan Grimfur
<br>Packwarden Braunr, the Fang of Yara
<br>Denmother Dagrun -or- Grimfur-Mother

#### Suggested Languages:
- **Abyssal.** By their history of demon-worship, the Gnoll dialect has been greatly influenced by Abyssal. Many gnolls are quick to learn it as a secondary language.
- **Giant.** Some gnoll elders believe that Gorellik was once a lesser deity among the giant pantheon. As such, shamans who worship the ancient, hyenine god of the hunt may share this language with the Jotunbrud.

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>#### Image Credits
>* [*Slave Master Gristtlefang* by Miguel Regodón](https://www.artstation.com/miguelregodon)
>* [*Cackling Archer* (2016) © Hex Entertainment (by Xavier Ribeiro) ](https://www.deviantart.com/lozanox/art/Cackling-Archer-668741385)
>* [Gnoll (2014) © Paizo Inc. (by Ben Wootten)](https://www.deviantart.com/benwootten)
>* [*Burning Village* by Andre Sutherland](https://artlords.com/u//andresutherland)
>* [Gnoll Scout (2014) © Paizo Publishing (by Ben Wootten)](https://www.deviantart.com/benwootten/art/Gnoll-Scout-481766616)
>* [*Thunder Bluff* by László Szabados](https://www.artstation.com/artwork/lV8wdo)
>* [*Arena Bred* (2010) © Wizards of the Coast (by Michael Phillippi)](https://www.artstation.com/artwork/xLEO)
>* [*Deserted* by Tom P. Mackintosh](https://www.artstation.com/artwork/9eq0YL)<br>
>* [*Jackal Shaman* by Piotr Krezelewski](https://piotrkrezelewski.artstation.com/projects/B6GYr)<br>
>* [*Spirit Summoner* by RalphHorsley](https://www.deviantart.com/ralphhorsley/art/Spirit-Summoner-167722139)<br><br>
>#### Text Credits
>* *Gnolls - a Race of Ferocious Hyenafolk for 5e* by Monco
>* This document was inspired by Keith Baker's *Playing Gnolls*. Some text has been adapted from his work.<br><br>