Homebrew Half-Gnoll Species Details

Half-Gnoll

Dogs of War

Their spotted pelts of black, gold, and white along with their canine like heads make their relation to Gnolls all too apparent. Half gnolls stand between 6 and 7 ft tall and usually weigh between 120 and 220 pounds. Half-Gnolls live for combat and the joys of fighting, treating it more like a sport than a danger. Any Half-Gnoll who has lived among or near Gnolls will have a particular veneration for blood and find omens in the way it splatters or drips along their body or the ground after a rousing battle. Half-Gnolls living near humans must learn to control their desire to fight for sport, and manage their immensely strong appetites.

Yeenoghu's Hunger

Yeenoghu created the Gnolls that terrorize Toril and thus even Half-Gnolls feel the demon lord's influence. Their human blood dilutes the impact of his whispers, and allows them to retain a will divorced from Yeenoghu. Some Half-Gnolls hear the whispers of Yeenoghu in their dreams, calling out to them to ravage the world.. Others feel the influence of Yeenoghu when they eat, a small desire to eat far beyond their fill and partake of the flesh of those around them. Half-Gnolls are not evil by nature, but evil is in their blood and they may choose to embrace it or rebel against it. Beyond the emotion of hunger, Half-Gnolls otherwise have obsessive personalities often fixating on tasks until they are completed. They have an intense desire to belong to a group. Their drive to do something and do it well often leads them to act harshly and without thinking, making them poor contemplators but quick to action. The most accomplished Half-Gnolls are the ones with enough self discipline to thrive in civilized lands.

Packs and Poverty

Half-Gnolls most often live among their Gnoll brethen in packs. In this pack structure they are treated as second class citizens, and only on rare ocassion rise the ranks to be Pack Lords. If a Half-Gnoll does choose to live away from their kin, it is most often among humans in their lands. Wether scrapping by in the slums of larger human cities, or fighting tooth and nail among the packs of it's kin Half-Gnoll survive on the unrelenting tenacity and sheer strength of its gnoll brethen and the resourcefulness of its human ancestry.

Half-Gnoll Names

Half-Gnolls usually have names appropriate to the culture they were raised in. A half-gnoll wishing to fit in among humans or elves may trade their gnoll given name for one in common or elvish. Some Half-Gnolls raised by non-gnolls decide to adopt the howling names of a Gnoll to sound more threatening.Gnolls that choose to live among their pack who have a pack name, similar to a clan name for dwarves.

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• Male Names: Azzoukk, Axozzk, Dergot, Thrirr, Thurgg, Yix, Zeirr, Kark, Grezzuk, Grarr, Goh, Kyrn, Rac, Zazz, Girk
• Female Names: Baggoul, Dizsaa, Szi, Valla, Tezzu, Grylle, Xera, Tyra, Szouson, Ogromma, Tha, Bol, Vel, Deth, Murli
• Pack Names: Woegrin, Blooddance, Dregsfang, Pestboot, Ashnose, Dirtwizzle, Rotcast, Dustpelt, Snotstick, Fardeath

Half-Gnoll Traits

Half-Gnoll Traits

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Strength score increases by 1.

Alignment

 Half-Gnolls have a tendency towards chaos from their Gnoll Parents and are not strongly inclined toward good. Half-Gnolls raised among Gnolls and willing to live out their lives among them are usually evil.

Age

Half-Gnolls reach maturity around age 14 and rarely live past the age of 75.

Darkvision

 Thanks to your Gnoll heritage, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 ft 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.

Keen Senses

You gain proficiency in the Perception skill.

Gnoll Weapon Training

You are proficient with spears, short swords, longbows, and flails. 

Berserker

When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points with a melee weapon attack, you may make a melee weapon attack against a creature within range as a bonus action. You cannot use this feature again until you finish a long rest.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Abyssal and Gnoll. Gnoll is a strange language consisting of whines, cackles and howls mixed with gestures and expressions. The gnoll language lacks a script or written form of its own, but uses abyssal to convey written messages.