Homebrew Dunesanies (Gnollkin) Species Details

Dunesanies (Gnollkin)

Pronunciation: doo-NAY-zuh-nees
Also called: sand-laughers, cairn-kin, jackalborn

A shard of old myth

Dunesanies claim they were laughed into being by a god who mistook a graveyard for a banquet. Their elders point to a half-remembered story from the Dreaming Age—of cunning folk who bartered secrets for jewels and meat under a moon that never set. Whether that tale is literal or borrowed, the people kept two things from it: clever hands and hungering hearts. Although there are different tribes, they consider each other kin, even distantly. A misconception that many get wrong is how they how they hunt and how they fight. The females of the tribes are usually the hunters, where the males are generally focused on aspects of war and territorial disputes. 

Culture & ethos

• Packs first. A “pack” is kin, found family, debt-mates, and rivals you haven’t eaten yet. (That last part is mostly a joke.)

• Scavenger honor. Waste is a sin; reuse is a prayer. Their camps are masterworks of salvage and repair.

• Laughter rites. Laughter keeps bad spirits thin. In battle or grief, their cackling is both weapon and ward.

• Scent-lore. Stories are carried on perfumes, smokes, and oils; a pack’s history can be “read” on a cloak.

Clans & variants

• "Wiis Agi" Coyote (Trickster): road-runners and deal-cutters; make cities their hunting grounds.

• "Ingwe" Painted Dog (Pack Runner): couriers and skirmishers; run relay trails across the savanna.

• "Lupul" Jackal (Desert Scout): night-wise guides; keep water, shade, and secrets.

• "Impisi" Hyena (War-Laughter): line-breakers and bone-singers; hold the cairns and take the oath of the last watch. 

Faith & oaths

Most Dunesanies bargain with quiet gods—those that bless firesides, crossroads, and the dead. Oaths matter: breaking an oath marks the scent, and other packs will treat a promise-breaker like meat. All know of the stories of Yeenoghu, a few follow the forbidden hunger that satiates him. Most recognize him as a corruptor, oath breaker, and a bringer of plagues. 

Names

Given: Ashen, Braid, Copper, Ember, Flint, Jangle, Kesh, Lilt, Rattle, Sable, Tallow, Vetch
Pack-strings (epithets): of the Cairn-Road, Laughs-at-Storms, Bone-Cairn-Keeper, Runs-Before-Dawn, Scent-of-Sage, Bone-marrow, Breaklegger, Goremaw 

Relations

• Humans & halflings: trade partners; wary of the laughter, fond of the craftsmanship.

• Elves: call them “Gnollkin”; respect their night wards, dislike their pragmatism.

• Dwarves: mutual admiration for repair-craft; arguments over “proper burial” never end.

• Undead & carrion cults: mortal enemies—Dunesanies protect cairns from desecration.

 Born of grit, grief, and clever hands, the Dunesanies thrive where others falter. They live by pack-oaths, honor salvage as sacred, and keep their dead in stone cairns watched by laughter-rites. Four lineages (Coyote, Painted Dog, Jackal, and Hyena) shape their gifts—trickery, endurance, night-sense, and battle-cackle—while a shared scent-lore binds story to smoke and oil. Dunesanies trade fairly, repay debts fiercely, and believe nothing in the world should be wasted—not a scrap of cloth, not a promise, not a life. 

Dunesanies (Gnollkin) Traits

Born of grit, grief, and clever hands, the Dunesanies(Gnollkin) thrive where others falter.

Darkvision

Dunesanies have darkvision at 60 feet.

Scavenger's Nose

Dunesanies can survive in difficult or harsh environments. They start with a survival proficiency.

Keen Senses

Dunesanies have keen senses and can smell and hear better than most.

Jagged Bite

Dunesanies are known to fight 'tooth and nail', literally. Their jagged teeth can cause 1d6 points in bite damage.

Pact Tactics

Dunesanies understand how to gain an advantage as members of a pack or group. 

Ancestral Traits

Ancestry

Choose one.

• Coyote (Trickster): road-runners and deal-cutters; make cities their hunting grounds.

• Painted Dog (Pack Runner): couriers and skirmishers; run relay trails across the savanna.

• Jackal (Desert Scout): night-wise guides; keep water, shade, and secrets.

• Hyena (War-Laughter): line-breakers and bone-singers; hold the cairns and take the oath of the last watch.