Gnoll (Nole)

Gnolls are a sentient bipedal race that resemble the many two legged canine human hybrids of Old Earth mythology.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Gnolls are humanoid in shape, with elongated muzzled snouts, furred tails and digitigrade legs. Their dense musculature sits tight to their skeleton which makes them appear lanky and long-limbed for their size.

Genetics and Reproduction

Gnolls reproduce sexually, gestating their offspring internally. Females give birth to a litter of one to three infants, averaging two, after a period of 12 months.

Ecology and Habitats

Gnolls favour a variety of environments depending on their specific ethnicity. Wolvar Gnolls tend to favour colder climates and forested environments, while Hyenik Gnolls prefer warmer climates and open plains. Vulpe Gnolls are even more subdivided with the Fënk clan preferring deserts and the Frøš clan favouring the arctic.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Gnolls are mesocarnivores with Wolvar and Hyenik ethnicities bordering on hypercarnivous.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Gnoll social structure centers around the concept of the pack. Families, co-workers, and even governments are hierarchical with leaders given autocratic authority over subordinates. However if a leader is considered to be unfit to lead, it is expected for an individual lower in rank to challenge them and defeat them in a contest of ability. This leads to a system where orders are seldom questioned publicly but each individual has a high degree of personal investment in the system as rank challenges can be issued from the lowest rank to the highest rank without refusal. A private in the army could challenge a general's decisions if  they felt that the general was leading incorrectly, though if such a challenge was raised in a compromised setting (such as an on going fire-fight) the challenge would wait until a suitable time and location could be agreed upon by both parties for a suitable contest. Vulpe Gnolls have less adherence to pack structures outside of their immediate family or clan, while Wolvar Gnolls are almost fanatical in their adherence to the pack structure. Hyenik Gnolls are matriarchal in nature and put less stress on the challenging for higher rank than on adherence to convoluted genealogical traditions.

Average Intelligence

Gnolls have a comparable intelligence to humans, with the Vulpe ethnicity being considered of a slightly higher average intelligence than their Wolvar or Hyenik cousins.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Gnolls have comparable senses of touch and taste to humans, with noticeably better senses of hearing and smell. Their eyesight by comparison is weaker, lacking the ability to discern between red and green.

Civilization and Culture

Beauty Ideals

Gnolls take great pride in the quality of their fur, with both males and females investing significant time and capital into hygiene products that involve fur. One of the greatest insults to a gnoll is to be called "mangy".

Average Technological Level

Gnolls have attained a species wide tech level of TL4, though many of their colonies are rated at a high TL2 or low TL3

Common Etiquette Rules

A common gnoll greeting is to lean in and sniff the other person similar in style to the human "side kisses" greeting. This serves as a form of hand shake and quick indentification for Gnolls as their sense of smell is their most keen source of information.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Hunting is still considered a sacred practice among traditional gnoll polities and each ethnicity has their own practices that define the ritual act.

Wolvar - The hunt occurs as a communal event. Strict roles are assigned and carried out to the letter. The prey is harried with hit and run attacks until exhaustion where the pack leaders perform the kill. Successful hunts are fed upon communally, with the leaders receiving first choice of meat.

Hyenik - The hunt occurs as a communal event. A loose group of equal hunters surround and ambush isolated prey, with a quick rush from all sides overwhelming it in short order. Successful hunts are fed upon communally with the participating clan matriarch and her children getting first choice of meat. Participating adult males feed after all females have fed.

Vulpe - The hunt occurs as a private event. A single hunt tracks and stalks a prey of their choice, typically following it to their chosen resting place. Once in place, a single strike from ambush is used to deliver a quick death to the prey. If the prey is not mortally wounded immediately, the hunt is abandoned. A successful hunt is brought back to the dwelling and eaten by the hunter's immediate family (spouse and juvenile kits). Interestingly, Vulpe Gnolls with adult children will ritually leave fresh hunted prey on display outside of their residence for an extended period of time for these offspring to take should they have difficulty in life as a form of "care package".

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Gnolls maintain generally friendly relations with other species. They have significant trade ties with the Kobolds though they find the small creatures' energy and lack of decorum tiring and aggravating.

Scientific Name

Homo Sapiens Lupus (Wise Wolf Man)

Origin/Ancestry

Canine Mammalian

Lifespan

80-90 years

Average Height

Depends on ethnicity: Wolvar: between 2-2.5 meters (6’7”- 8’2”) Hyenik: between 1.9-2.3 meters (6’3”- 7’7”) Vulpe: between 1.5-1.8 meters (4’11”- 5’11”)

Average Weight

Depends on ethnicity: Wolvar and Hyenik - between 240-300lbs (109-136kg) Vulpe - between 120-180lbs (54-82kg)

Average Physique

While each ethnicity of gnoll appears lean for their body size, the Hyenik ethnicity appears bulkier due to their muscle mass being the same as the Wolvar but on a shorter frame. Gnolls are still comparable to humans in terms of proportional strength, with a 8'2" Wolvar being of similar physical strength to a 6'6" human.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Variable depending on ethnicity:

Wolvar - Hair and fur colouring tends towards muted browns and greys with a brownish-red also being common. No decernable patterns shown in the fur. Eyes are almost universally yellow with a small minority of blue eyed individuals existing.

Hyenik - Hair and fur colouring has greater variation than Wolvar, with muted brown to dark blond making up the base fur colour with dark to light brown for hair and manes. Patterns ranging from spotted, to striped, to brindled are common to the point of majority. Eyes vary from yellow to brown with a very small minority of blue eyes existing.

Vulpe - Hair and fur colour has the greatest range of all ethnicities, ranging from black, to light brown, to reddish-orange, silvery-grey, or pure white. Eye colours are also varied with green, blue, yellow, hazel, brown, and grey being very common. Turquoise eyes are rare but prevalent enough to be considered normal.

Stars Without Number Player Character Modifiers:
+1 Dexterity 
+2 Wisdom
-2 Intelligence
-1 Charisma

Starting Alien Focus - Innate Ability - Gnolls have a strong sense of smell that can be used to track their prey in many environments.