Homebrew Gnoll Species Details

A typical gnoll stands over seven feet in height, but this is belied by their hunched posture. Males and females are similar in appearance, and other species have difficulty telling them apart. Gnolls have thick fur over their bodies; depending on clan, this can be uniform in color, or broken up with spots or stripes. Their eyes are yellow or green, and gleam with reflected light. While these are common traits, the fiendish heritage of the gnoll sometimes manifests itself in its appearance. An unusual gnoll could have glowing red eyes, fur with stripes that glow like flames, or other unusual traits. Typically these don’t grant special abilities, though you could attribute a class ability or feat to such a mutation.

Bone Eaters

Gnolls possess powerful jaws, as reflected by their bite attack. They can chew through and digest bone, and dislike letting food go to waste. When feral gnolls raid a village, they consume even the bones of their victims. Znir gnolls won’t eat their fallen foes if they’re in the company of creatures who are uncomfortable with such behavior. But they often eat a small piece of any creature they slay—even if it’s just a finger—to form a bond with the victim. The Znir believe that those you kill wait for you in the realm of death, and honoring them ensures that they won’t be hungry when you travel to that land.

Pack Instincts

Gnolls have very strong pack instincts. They instinctively work together in combat, and think nothing of placing themselves in harm’s way to protect their kin. Znir gnolls won’t deceive members of their pack; if there are problems, they call them out directly. If a gnoll character adopts a group of adventurers as their temporary pack, these things apply to the other characters—but the gnoll will be surprised and angry if their non-gnoll packmates don’t show them the same respect.

Casual Aggression

Gnolls often seem very aggressive to other creatures. However, gnolls themselves don’t consider casual intimidation to be a hostile act; it’s just a way to establish a place in the hierarchy of the pack, largely ignored once that hierarchy is established. This manifests in how gnolls make demands rather than requests, and use active statements rather than passive queries.

Cunning Hunters

Gnolls are strong and aggressive by nature. But both the Znir gnolls and their uncivilized kin are cunning hunters rather than simple brutes. Gnolls work together as a pack, always searching for weaknesses in enemies and supporting injured allies. Znir goals won’t break their word, but they don’t hold to any idea of honorable conduct on the battlefield; they are ruthless and efficient, and see nothing wrong with ambushing or tricking a superior foe. Some gnolls have a supernatural knack for mimicry (which could be represented by the use of minor illusion or the Actor feat) and use this gift to draw enemies into danger.

Working Relationships

Droaam is a diverse region, and the Znir gnolls have always been prepared to work for any master. They don’t judge people by appearance or by their beliefs; just as they put up with demon-worshiping minotaurs in Droaam, a Znir hwyri can work alongside a templar of the Silver Flame or a warforged paladin of Dol Arrah. They may not like the people they are working with, and they may think that the beliefs of their companions are vile or foolish. But they place duty before such personal concerns, and won’t insult allies or pick fights with them.

Communication

The Gnoll language is unique, with a range of pitches that are difficult for humans to hear, let along duplicate. At first, it sounds much like the vocalizations of hyenas, with whining and chattering “laughter.” It’s possible for non-gnolls to learn Gnoll, but it’s a difficult feat. When stealth isn’t necessary, the Znir are often quite vocal in battle; they generally coordinate actions and confirm positions with short bursts in Gnoll. Each Znir gnoll has a whoop, a unique call it uses as a sort of verbal signature; while these are extremely short, they convey both personal identity and clan loyalty. These are used to coordinate in the field, and it’s common for a gnoll to whoop when entering a friendly location, as a simple way of identifying itself and giving allies an opportunity to respond. Body language and posture—usually slumped—are an important part of gnoll communication; for example, when a gnoll feels threatened or angry, its thick crest of fur down the spine rises up. The Znir dislike written communication, though they use it for contracts.

Gnoll Names

The most important identifier for a Znir gnoll is its whoop. While deceptively short, a whoop includes a range of ultrasonic inflections that indicate clan, a personal identifier, and a suggestion of family affiliation (the Znir trace lineage through the mother). Because it’s impossible for most non-gnolls to properly replicate a whoop, gnolls also use contract names—names intended to be used with clients and other outsiders.

There is a basic structure of contract names used by all gnolls; the inflection of the name indicates gender, though few people recognize this if they don’t speak Gnoll. The Znir typically attach clan name to a formal introduction: “Ghyrryn Barrakas, Znir.”

Gnoll Contract Names: Dagnyr, Dhyrn, Ghyrryn, Gnasc, Gnoryc, Gnyrn, Gnyrl, Hyrn, Lhoryn, Lhyr, Lhyrl, Mognyr, Myrl, Sorgnyn, Thyrn, Toryc, Yrgnyn, Yrych

Gnoll Traits

Your gnoll character has the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 1. In addition, either your Strength or Dexterity score increases by 2.

Age

Young gnolls grow with uncanny speed. A gnoll is capable of fending for itself after only a few months, and is considered an adult at 5 years of age. Gnolls live to be around 30 years old. They remain vigorous until the end; death by old age is marked by a catastrophic decline over a space of a few days. Many believe this unusual lifecycle is tied to the supernatural origins of the gnoll.

Size

Gnolls are between 7 and 8 feet tall and weigh between 250 to 320 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

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.

Bite

Your teeth are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with your bite, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Hunter’s Senses

You have proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Perception, Stealth, or Survival

Rampage

On your turn, when you make an unarmed strike using your bite attack or reduce a creature to 0 hit points with an attack, you can use a bonus action to move up to half your speed and make a weapon attack or bite attack.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Gnoll, and Goblin.