Gnolls

Gnolls: The Insatiable Hunger Gnolls remind the world of the horrors posed by the hordes of the Abyss, and the damage that even the briefest demonic incursion can inflict on the world. Whenever the demon lord Yeenoghu enters the Material Plane and goes on a rampage, he leaves a great trail of corpses in his wake. As the Lord of Savagery despoils the land, packs of hyenas trail him and feast on the victims until the dead flesh of Yeenoghu’s prey leave them bloated and unable to move. Then, in a shower of blood and gristle, the hyenas transform into gnolls, which take up Yeenoghu’s awful mission to kill and destroy anything in their path. Yeenoghu Gnolls embody the dark urges of Yeenoghu, the demon lord of slaughter and senseless destruction. Although Yeenoghu has been defeated and cast back into the Abyss more than once, gnolls continue to pursue his horrid, apocalyptic vision of a world transformed into a barren, empty ruin, with only the decaying corpses of the last few surviving gnolls left to mark its passing. As creatures that sprang up in the wake of a demon lord, gnolls are creatures of savage blood lust, incapable of understanding or acting on any other impulse. They are extensions of Yeenoghu’s will. They pause only to devour what they have killed, and to fashion crude weapons and armor from their victims’ corpses. A gnoll war band exemplifies Yeenoghu’s plans for the world. He wants to transform it into a vicious realm of endless fighting. When the last battle ends, Yeenoghu will enter the world, slay its last surviving champion, and preside over a wasteland of rotting corpses. To Yeenoghu, pure destruction is beauty. INSIDE THE MIND OF A GNOLL From a journal recovered from a slain cultist of Yeenoghu: Day 2: The subject continues to growl and struggle, despite the removal of its arms and legs. I will let it starve for a few days to weaken its mental fortitude. If the gnoll does have some sort of tie to the Abyss, I must keep my focus on exploiting that link, even though the creature’s mind might remain aware. Day 6: No appreciable loss of vigor. Day 11: Still no appreciable loss of vigor. Day 13: Ritual must commence tomorrow despite subject’s high level of mental activity. Day 14: The ritual brought our minds together. I was assailed simultaneously by hunger and rage, as if some great force from beyond had reached out and commanded me only to kill and eat. Though it lasted only a short time, it was a terrifying feeling to my human mind, but in a way it was also comforting to feel myself a part of a much greater design. What I felt was not the hunger of one beast, but the hunger of all of them. Day 15: Used the ritual to join our minds again. This time I realized where the hunger began. I was consumed by the infinite hunger and boundless rage of great Yeenoghu, and I knew it could never be sated. Yet I felt driven to feed my lord. I killed and devoured a goat while linked to the gnoll’s mind. I had set aside a knife for the deed but killed it with my bare hands instead. The flesh was warm. I fed myself. I fed Yeenoghu. Day 16: Third use of ritual. As my connection to my lord deepens, I leave my old concerns behind. His hunger is all that matters. It is greater than me; it is greater than us all. It is His mark. He made us. He drives us. He eats what we eat. He kills what we kill. He will come if we eat well. He will come if we kill well. He will come if we eat well. He will come if we kill well. We will kill and He will eat, and we shall be He and He shall be we, never alone, never afraid, never hungry. The Gift of Yeenoghu Yeenoghu imparts to the minds of his followers an unquenchable, supernatural hunger, both for violence and for the flesh of intelligent creatures. A gnoll feels a constant, gnawing demand for blood and destruction that abates only when it kills and eats intelligent creatures. Other prey might provide temporary sustenance, but it does nothing to quell Yeenoghu’s hunger. Gnolls wander the land continually in search of new victims, rarely sleeping and never settling down. Only a large-scale assault, such as the massacre of an entire village, can satisfy their desire even temporarily. A sated gnoll rests, knowing that it has pleased Yeenoghu. Its relief is short, no more than a few days, before the gnoll once again becomes a slave to its desires. Strength, hunger, and fear are the three concepts that every gnoll extols. Strength allows a gnoll to overwhelm, kill, and devour a foe. Hunger motivates a gnoll to go forth and slay in Yeenoghu’s name. Fear is a weapon used against enemies to make them easy prey. In concert, all three play a role in advancing Yeenoghu’s goals. Omens from Beyond Of all the demon lords, Yeenoghu is perhaps the most active on the Material Plane. He shows support to his followers by sending them omens in the form of visions, dreams, and signs. As such, gnolls instinctively look for such omens to guide their activities, and they find them in many places. Among the signs that gnolls rely on are the blood trails and spatters left behind after making a meal of an intelligent humanoid. They attach significance to a number of other phenomena as well, including the sight of arrows in flight, the rush of the wind, and sounds of howling or cackling laughter that have no discernible source. Non-gnoll Cultists Few creatures aside from gnolls worship Yeenoghu, and those that do mimic gnolls in their actions and beliefs. Yeenoghu’s cultists are folk who lack all hope and have descended into nihilism. One might have suffered a tremendous personal loss, been banished from its home, or been the victim of a terrible betrayal. Whatever the reason, the would-be cultist is left isolated and abandoned, making it vulnerable to Yeenoghu’s teachings. The creature’s thoughts and dreams are plagued by visions sent by Yeenoghu. The promise of ultimate power, fueled by acts of brutality, tempt and torment it. Most folk ascribe these feelings to a fleeting bout of depression or madness and are able to resist the call to violence, but a few cannot. For these rare individuals, the true lure of Yeenoghu’s promises lies not in the power they offer, but in the deep sense of belonging they create. Those that are swayed by this offer consider themselves gnolls in mind and deed, and soon set out to commit their first atrocities in Yeenoghu’s name. Most of these cultists are almost as quickly killed by guards or other authorities. A few escape into the wilderness and continue to rampage on their own, perhaps eventually falling in league with a gnoll war band. Trying to talk to a gnoll is the quickest path to its stomach. — Volo Gnoll Tactics Gnolls might seem to throw themselves into battle mindlessly, driven only by fury and hunger, but they do possess a rudimentary form of cunning that is borne out by several tactics they use consistently. Butcher the Weak Gnolls seek only to kill, and as such prefer to deal with weak, easy targets. An enemy that can fight back is an enemy to save for later. Gnolls have no sense of honor, glory, or individual achievement. They care only for the raw number of creatures they can slay. In the face of a gnoll incursion, it is best for refugees to seek shelter in castles and other fortified positions. Gnolls avoid protracted battles if they can, much preferring to slaughter those that can’t defend themselves. Overwhelm the Strong Gnolls attack intelligent prey that is capable of resisting them only when the most powerful omens from Yeenoghu compel them to do so. They cooperate to gang up on each of the individuals in a group of explorers or adventurers, or if the prey is more numerous they rush forward in waves. The creatures will crawl over their own dead to climb a castle’s walls and kill all within it. A commonly held belief is that a fortress besieged by gnolls needs ten arrows for each one to keep the creatures from scaling the walls. Spread Far and Wide Gnolls never set up permanent camps, though they might linger for a few days at the site of a particularly great slaughter as they devour the corpses of both their victims and the gnolls killed in battle. During this time, the hyenas that follow a pack of gnolls feast until they become bloated, then burst open to spawn more gnolls. In this manner, gnolls replenish their ranks before wandering off in ragged bands to continue their rampage. Kill from a Distance Almost every gnoll carries a bow scavenged from a past victim. Gnolls use ranged attacks mainly to prevent their prey from fleeing, rather than softening up their targets with an initial barrage of arrows before an assault. A target wounded by a bow shot becomes easy prey for any gnolls near it. Some particularly clever gnolls have been known to use burning arrows to spark fires, cutting off their prey’s escape routes and driving victims into their jaws. Leave No Survivors A band of gnolls lives in a state of eternal war with everything it encounters, aside from fellow worshipers of Yeenoghu. To keep from being detected between major raids, the gnolls move through the wilderness with as much stealth as they can marshal. They never leave survivors in any group they set upon, and will pursue a fleeing enemy for days to prevent it from getting to a town or a city and raising an alarm. If the area they hunt in becomes too well-defended, the gnolls relocate in search of easier prey. Large tracts along the fringe of civilization might be devastated before the wider world becomes aware of a gnoll threat. ON DEFEATING GNOLLS An excerpt from One Hundred Years of War, a famous manual of dwarven battle tactics: Gnolls remain a threat across all seasons. Happily, our redoubts are too fortified for their tastes, but caravans, foraging expeditions, and patrols must deal with them. Gnolls take care to move quietly when they are on the hunt for prey. The events that presage their presence are easy to misinterpret as the results of other threats. A scout might go missing, a caravan fail to arrive on time, or a village be left deserted. Several kinds of creatures, such as orcs and goblins, can cause such events, but the evidence that gnolls leave of their involvement is unmistakable. Their enemies aren’t merely killed, they are dismembered and devoured. The loot that other marauders would scoop up is left where it falls, of no use to a creature that requires only flesh to feed its urges. If you suspect that gnolls are encroaching on dwarven territory, send reliable spies to human settlements in the region, while pulling back as many of our folk as you can manage. Instruct the spies to pass along updates each day, preferably by messenger bird. Do not tell the spies of your suspicions. Invent a story, such as the search for an outlaw or some other deception. If a spy fails to report, you must strike quickly. Send your fastest warriors and strongest spellcasters to the spy’s location. If the gnolls have struck a settlement, they will rest for up to a week, bloated on their kills. In this state, they are their most vulnerable. Surround the place in silence, and advance as one to catch them in a vise. Let none survive. A single gnoll can, over time, create a new war band. Some may argue for an approach that doesn’t rely on the loss of human life to see it succeed. I would gladly suggest one if such existed. Your best strategy is to defend our halls and let the humans serve as bait. Moradin knows they multiply quickly enough that their losses will soon be recouped. Treasure A cautious and skilled gang can follow in the tracks of a gnoll war band, keeping hidden and waiting for the creatures to move on after ravaging a village or a town. The gnolls leave the town’s gold and gems and other durable goods battered and gnawed, but still intact, though they invariably ruin delicate or flammable objects in their fits of destruction. Gnolls do possess a basic understanding of the value of weapons and armor, so one might decide to hold onto an object seen as useful. In this way, a gnoll might come to possess a magic item, though it might not know exactly how to use it. Gnolls regard objects of “treasure” only in terms of their ability to cause harm or preserve a gnoll’s life. Everything else is fit only for destruction. Language The language of gnolls, such as it is, consists of whines, cackles, and howls mixed with gestures and expressions. Gnolls use it to communicate only basic concepts, such as an alert about approaching prey or a call to their allies to join the fray. When gnolls fight among themselves, they rarely bother with threats or words before leaping at each other’s throats. When gnoll leaders must share complex concepts with each other, they use a broken form of Abyssal gifted to them by Yeenoghu. The gnoll language lacks a script or written form, though elite gnolls can use their limited knowledge of Abyssal to leave messages. In most cases, though, a gnoll war band has little use for written notes or signs. Gnolls simply wander, attack, kill, and feed. Anything more sophisticated is beyond the band’s concern. Roleplaying Gnolls and Cultists of Yeenoghu Gnolls have little variation in personality and outlook. They are collectively an elemental force, driven by a demon lord to spread death and destruction. The only real opportunity for interaction with gnolls is provided by the cultists that sometimes accompany a war band. This humanoid rabble might have information the characters need or could even be former friends corrupted to the worship of Yeenoghu. To portray a gnoll that is more intelligent or social than the usual, you can give it characteristics similar to Yeenoghu cultists. Gnoll/Cultist Physical Features d12 Physical Feature 1 Missing an arm 2 Infested with maggots 3 Fur matted with dried blood 4 Missing an eye 5 Walks with a severe limp 6 Covered in burn wounds 7 Vestigial twin embedded on back 8 Loud, wheezing breaths 9 Drool is mildly acidic 10 Covered in weeping sores 11 Horrific smell of rot 12 Weapon still embedded in old wound Gnoll/Cultist Personality Trait d6 Personality Trait 1 Once an enemy defies me, I dedicate everything to its destruction. 2 The best enemy to fight is one caught by surprise. 3 I hate the sun and travel only by night. 4 I have stopped using language and instead rely on growls and shrieks. 5 I have no fear of death and welcome it in battle. 6 My berserk fury makes a rabid dog look gentle. Gnoll/Cultist Ideals d6 Ideal 1 Strength. I must remain strong to survive. (Any) 2 Slaughter. If I destroy the weak, I please Yeenoghu. (Evil) 3 Destruction. Yeenoghu will return when only those worthy of his fury remain. (Evil) 4 Paranoia. Others are planning to kill and eat me. I must find a way to kill and eat them first. (Chaotic) 5 Self-Sufficiency. When the time comes, even my allies will die by my hand. (Evil) 6 Leadership. I am not part of the pack. I am above it. (Chaotic) Gnoll/Cultist Bonds d6 Bond 1 I would die before betraying the Lord of Savagery. 2 I would follow the leader of our war band anywhere and gladly sacrifice myself to protect him or her. 3 I cull the weak from our war band, so that we remain strong. 4 Yeenoghu’s omens guide my every choice. 5 If I die in battle, I was simply too weak to please Yeenoghu. 6 I devour the weak to purge them from the world, the strong to blunt their power. Gnoll/Cultist Flaws d6 Flaw 1 I lack tactical guile and rely on overwhelming attacks. 2 I flee from opponents that can match my strength. 3 My supposed allies are my first victims. 4 Deep down inside, I am terrified I will fail Yeenoghu. 5 My desire to torment my foes sometimes gives them the opportunity to outwit me. 6 My arrogance causes me to overlook opportunities. Gnoll Names As befits creatures with a language that is little more than whines, growls, and shrieks, most gnolls lack a name and would have little use for one. Powerful gnolls, usually fangs, pack lords, and flinds, receive names directly from Yeenoghu. The same applies to Yeenoghu’s blessed followers among humans, orcs, and other races. Gnoll Names d12 Gnoll Name 1 Aargab 2 Alark 3 Andak 4 Ethak 5 Eyeth 6 Ignar 7 Immor 8 Oduk 9 Orrom 10 Otal 11 Ultak 12 Ustar Gnolls are driven by bloodlust. What sways them from their savagery are signs. They see signs from Yeenoghu everywhere, even in blood splatter. A gnoll acting oddly is probably following its interpretation of a sign. — Elminster Anatomy of a War Band A gnoll war band is likely to contain a variety of gnolls and other creatures, and no two of these groups have the same composition. The gnolls that make up the rank and file have different attributes and thus different roles in the war band’s assaults. Augmenting the warriors that comprise the bulk of the force are the hunters, specialists in sneaking and attacking at range, and the flesh gnawers, which rely on natural savagery rather than weapons to tear apart their foes. A pack of hyenas is always part of the band, and sometimes these beasts are as numerous as the gnolls themselves. A war band that has been through hard times might contain a number of gnoll witherlings, while one that enjoys Yeenoghu’s favor might be led by a flind — the scarcest and strongest of all gnolls. It’s also possible, though quite rare, for a war band to include cultists — other humanoids that have dedicated themselves to Yeenoghu and attached themselves to the war band to prove their loyalty. Each of these elements of a war band is further described below. Statistics for gnoll flesh gnawers, gnoll hunters, gnoll witherlings, and flinds appear in chapter 3 of this book. Gnoll Pack Lord Most war bands are led by pack lords. These champions of Yeenoghu curry their lord’s favor with living sacrifices. They mark their hides with bloody runes, which sometimes grant supernatural power conferred by Yeenoghu himself. Pack lords favor big, heavy weapons, such as glaives and axes. Gnoll Fangs of Yeenoghu Fangs of Yeenoghu are gifted with the power to spawn more gnolls. They anoint the remains of their foes using bizarre rituals. A hyena that feeds on such a corpse spawns a gnoll, while other humanoids who join in the feast become cultists of Yeenoghu. Fangs use their claws in battle, the better to imbue their victims with the magic needed to spawn more gnolls. Gnoll Warriors Common gnolls comprise the bulk of a war band. They fight mainly with spears fashioned from wood and bone. While they lack any particular blessing of Yeenoghu, their ferocity makes them formidable enemies. Gnoll Hunters When a war band is on the move, the hunters travel in a wide arc around the perimeter of the force. Hunters are more adept than other gnolls at sneaking and moving through an area undetected, which makes them useful for reconnaissance. Sometimes a team of hunters is used to silently pick off sentries on patrol before they can raise an alarm, which makes the upcoming onslaught by the rest of the war band even more lethal. Another function that hunters perform is to trail along behind a war band, making quick work of wounded gnolls and those who can’t keep up the pace. Gnoll Flesh Gnawers All gnolls are ruthless and brutal, but the flesh gnawers in a war band use their quickness and agility to augment their savagery. At the start of a raid, flesh gnawers lurk around the edges of the gnoll forces, hoping to jump on enemies that become isolated. When a flesh gnawer springs into action, its blades and teeth turn it into a whirling dealer of death, able to dash from one target to the next as though it had been shot from a bow. Gnoll Witherlings A war band might go for weeks without coming across the sort of prey it craves. Gnolls can eat wild animals for sustenance, but only the flesh of intelligent humanoids can calm the endless hunger bestowed upon them by Yeenoghu. When a war band grows desperate for food, its members turn on each other. Those who succumb to the violence are devoured, but their service to the war band doesn’t end at that point. The survivors preserve the bones of their fallen comrades, so that a pack lord or a flind can perform a ritual to Yeenoghu to turn them into loyal, undead followers known as witherlings. Even after death, gnoll witherlings serve the war band much as their comrades do. Although not as formidable in battle as warriors or hunters, they are just as relentless. Flinds A flind is an exceptionally large and strong gnoll. No war band contains more than one flind, and such a creature is always the leader of its band. A flind wields a weapon that carries Yeenoghu’s blessing: a magical flail that saps the body and the mind of any foe that feels its touch. Because flinds are so rare, other gnolls see them as Yeenoghu’s special messengers, gifted with a keen eye for omens and an ear for Yeenoghu’s whispers. Each day, a flind consults the signs around it and determines the war band’s direction. During a battle, a gnoll that delivers the death blow to a flind claims its flail and, in a burst of abyssal energy, is touched by Yeenoghu and turns into a flind itself. The death or disappearance of a flind for any other reason causes a war band to descend into brutal infighting. Sometimes a new leader emerges from the pack after putting down its rivals; more often, the band fragments and the survivors go their separate ways. Cultists Rarely, a war band includes orcs, humans, or other humanoids that have sworn loyalty to Yeenoghu. The gnolls treat these cultists as they would other gnolls, refraining from killing them so long as they join in the slaughter when the band finds prey. Almost all cultists are brutish individuals touched by insanity, one step above the hyenas that trail behind the war band’s path. They aren’t gnolls, and thus don’t receive their inspiration directly from Yeenoghu. Yet exceptions do occur. If an individual of great intelligence and great ability heeds Yeenoghu’s call, the Lord of Savagery might elevate it to the leadership of its band. Such champions are rare, and a band led by a cultist is capable of feats that are beyond a group of gnolls — accomplishments that combine the gnolls’ savagery with a humanlike level of intelligence andplanning. THE HUNTER'S CHANT This simple declaration of Yeenoghu’s power was devised by a small cult to the demon lord discovered deep in the forest. A group of woodcutters, facing starvation, turned to cannibalism to survive and ultimately fell under Yeenoghu’s sway. Gnolls sing a similar chant in their language while they seek out prey. The first gift is hunger. It is His blessing. It is our call to bring death. The second gift is death. Death proves our strength. Death purges our fear. The third gift is fear. We fear that we will fail him. We fear the onset of hunger. Gnoll Allies Gnolls wage war against any creatures they meet, except for those that have dedicated themselves to Yeenoghu and those that act in accordance with his wishes. The Lord of Savagery stains the souls of his followers and kindred creatures in such a way that they and his gnolls recognize one another on sight and don’t immediately leap into battle. Thus, a war band might include or be accompanied by other beings of evil. Demons A fang of Yeenoghu is sometimes gifted with the cosmic insight needed to summon forth mindless demons. When Yeenoghu deigns to allow it, a war band might find itself augmented by some of his favorite demons, such as barlguras, dretches, hezrous, or manes. The Lord of Savagery also has a special affinity for maw demons, which share his insatiable hunger. Demonic hyenas known as shoosuvas are dispatched by Yeenoghu to aid his most exalted champions. Among the gnolls, the appearance of a shoosuva is a reward for recent triumphs and a harbinger of great victories and much feasting to come. A shoosuva protects the war band’s most powerful members and serves as a companion to the strongest fang of Yeenoghu in the group. For more information on maw demons and shoosuvas, see chapter 3 of this book. Ghouls Ghoul packs emerge from graveyards and dungeons to trail in the wake of a war band, feasting on the remains of its victims and sometimes eventually merging with the group. Although ghouls typically revere Orcus, their endless hunger can prompt them to turn to Yeenoghu. Hyenas Large packs of hyenas follow gnoll war bands. For their part, the gnolls largely ignore these animals. They tend to gather around fangs in battle, eager to partake of Yeenoghu’s blessing and its horrid transformation. Leucrottas Brought forth during Yeenoghu’s ancient incursions into the world, leucrottas are bigger, smarter, and faster than gnolls. When one joins a war band, it doesn’t strive to lead the group (which would cause unneeded conflict) but rather to serve and protect its leader. A leucrotta’s dedication to Yeenoghu is as fervent as that of any gnoll, and its main goal is always to advance the cause of the Lord of Savagery over its own. For more information on leucrottas, see chapter 3 of this book. Trolls Of all the creatures encountered by gnolls, trolls are the most likely to join them simply because the gnolls’ way of life appeals to them. As ravenous creatures with incredible toughness, trolls fit well into the loose scheme of a gnoll war band. Creating a Gnoll War Band To include a gnoll war band in your campaign, or if you need to generate one quickly for use in an encounter, use the tables in this section. Roll on each one in turn to determine the war band’s name, components, and unique traits. The War Band Name table is set up to create two-word names. Some war bands become infamous enough to earn an epithet from their enemies, but only the most powerful flinds and pack lords bother to name the groups they lead. The War Band Composition table determines how many gnolls and hyenas the band contains. The War Band Leadership table indicates the war band’s commander (if it has one) and gives a modifier to apply to the composition results: for a band led by a flind, double all the results, and for a band that lacks a leader, halve them. Roll once on the Special Creatures table to see which special creature is part of the war band and in what numbers. The Shared Physical Trait and Notable Behavior or Tactics tables add some distinctive flavor to the war band. Finally, the Demonic Influence table adds an abyssal tinge to the group: owing to the gnolls’ supernatural link with the Abyss, their advance toward a community might be heralded by strange effects that afflict the area or the people in it a day or so before they strike the settlement. Gnoll War Band Name d6 Name Part 1 Name Part 2 1 Abyssal Harbingers 2 Dire Hunters 3 Howling Mongrels 4 Rabid Mutilators 5 Rotted Ravagers 6 Screaming Slayers War Band Composition War Band Composition Number Appearing Gnoll fangs of Yeenoghu 1d4 + 1 Gnoll hunters 1d4 + 1 Gnoll flesh gnawers 2d4 Warriors (common gnolls) 6d6 Hyenas 4d6 War Band Leadership d6 Leader Number Appearing Modifier 1 Flind Double 2–4 Gnoll pack lord None 5–6 None Halve Special Creatures d20 Special Creature(s) * See chapter 3 of this book for statistics. 1 1 barlgura 2–5 3d6 dretches 6–8 2d6 ghouls 9–10 2d6 gnoll witherlings* 11 1 hezrou 12–13 1d4 leucrottas* 14–16 2d6 manes 17–18 2d4 maw demons* 19 1 shoosuva* 20 1d3 trolls Shared Physical Trait d10 Shared Physical Trait 1 Rune branded on forehead 2 Bone piercings 3 Ritual scarring 4 Surrounded by clouds of flies 5 Constant, cackling laugh 6 Covered with strange mushroom growths 7 Horrid stench 8 Eyes glow like fire 9 Long, black fangs 10 Albinos Notable Behavior or Tactics d8 Notable Behavior or Tactics 1 Use of flaming arrows and burning pitch 2 Use of drums and screeching horns to spread fear 3 Attempts to capture and use siege engines 4 Carry and spread disease 5 Prisoners kept in cages and tormented 6 Use of nets to take captives for feasting later 7 Leader has a powerful item, such as a horn of blasting 8 Actions magically controlled by a spellcaster Demonic Influence d12 Demonic Influence 1 Food and drink spoil 2 Animals become rabid, vicious 3 Terrible storms erupt 4 Minor earthquakes strike 5 Residents suffer bursts of short-term madness 6 Folk indulge in decadence, excessive drinking 7 Quarrels turn violent 8 Friends betray one another 9–12 None Джерело: <https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/vgtm/monster-lore#GnollsTheInsatiableHunger>