Gnolls are hyena-headed, evil humanoids that wander in loose tribes.
Contents
Gnoll society
A tribe of gnolls is ruled by its strongest member, who uses fear, intimidation, and strength to remain in power. If a chieftain is killed, the stronger members of the tribe fight to be the new chieftain; if these combats take too long or several combatants die, the tribe may break up into a number of bands that go their separate ways. Gnolls revere the phases of the moon, but most tribes have no true clerics.
A band or tribe includes as many non-combatant young as there are adults. Gnoll lairs are fortified surface encampments or underground complexes. Gnolls take prisoners for use as slaves, and any lair will have at least one slave for every ten adults. Slaves (usually humans, orcs, or hobgoblins) suffer a high attrition rate because of the gnolls’ appetite.
Gnoll
This humanoid is slightly taller than a human. It has gray skin, a furry body, and a head like a hyena’s, with a reddish-gray mane.
Most gnolls have dirty yellow or reddish-brown fur.
A gnoll is a nocturnal carnivore, preferring intelligent creatures for food because they scream more. Gnolls tend to think with their stomachs, and any alliances they make (usually with bugbears, hobgoblins, or orcs) often fall apart when the gnolls get hungry. They dislike most other humanoids, and they disdain manual labor.
A gnoll is about 71⁄2 feet tall and weighs 300 pounds.
Combat
Gnolls like to attack when they have the advantage of numbers, using horde tactics and their physical strength to overwhelm and knock down their opponents. They show little discipline when fighting unless they have a strong leader; at such times, they can maintain ranks and fight as a unit. While they do not usually prepare traps, they do use ambushes and try to attack from a flanking position. Gnolls always take special care to seek favorable conditions when laying ambushes (such as darkness, cover, or some other form of advantageous terrain).
Gnoll
Medium humanoid (gnoll)
Init +0; Senses darkvision; Perception +2
Defense
AC 15, touch 10, flat-footed 15 (+1 natural, +2 armor, +2 shield)
hp 11 (2d8+2)
Fort +4, Ref +0, Will +0
Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Melee battleaxe +3 (1d8+2/×3) or morningstar +3 (1d8+2) or spear +3 (1d8+3/×3)
Melee battleaxe +2 (1d8+4/×3) or morningstar +2 (1d8+4) or spear +2 (1d8+6/×3) (Power Attack)
Ranged shortbow +1 (1d6+2/×3)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Statistics
Str 15, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 8, Wis 11, Cha 8
Base Atk +1; CMB +3; CMD 13
Feats Power Attack
Skills Perception +2
Languages Gnoll
Morale mercenary (+0)
Ecology
Environment warm plains or desert
Organization solitary, pair, hunting party (1d4+1 with 1d2 coyotes), band (10d10 plus 50% noncombatants plus 1 3rd-level sergeant per 20 adults and 1 leader of 4th–6th level and 1d4+4 coyotes), or tribe (20d10 plus 1 3rd-level sergeant per 20 adults, 1 or 2 lieutenants of 4th or 5th level, 1 leader of 6th–8th level, and 1d6+6 coyotes; underground lairs also have 1d3 cave bears)
Equipment leather armor, heavy steel shield (if wielding 1-handed weapon), weapon (battleaxe, morningstar, spear), shortbow, quiver with 20 arrows
Flind
This humanoid is slightly larger than a human and a little broader. It has short, dirty, brown and red fur covering its hyenalike head.
These powerful and merciless relatives of the gnolls are often found in gnoll bands as leaders or elite hunters. While gnolls admire and respect them, flinds have no great love for their lesser cousins.
A flind appear much like a gnoll, though it is a little shorter and broader. It stands roughly 7 feet tall and weighs 300 to 350 pounds. A flind’s forehead does not slope back as far, and its ears are more rounded than those of an ordinary gnoll.
Combat
The merciless flinds are clever tacticians, preferring to use surprise, terrain, and superior numbers to their advantage. When commanding gnoll hunting parties, they have no qualms about sacrificing their cousins for personal gain.
Flindbar: A flindbar resembles a pair of chain-linked iron bars, not unlike a flail. This one-handed exotic weapon costs 30 gp, deals 2d4 points of bludgeoning damage, has a threat range of 19–20, deals double damage on a critical hit, and weighs 2 pounds. Flinds treat a flindbar as a martial weapon instead of an exotic weapon.
The wielder of a flindbar gains a +2 bonus on checks made to disarm an enemy. If a proficient wielder threatens a critical hit, he can make a free disarm attempt against that opponent before confirming the critical hit (this disarm attempt doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity).
Flind
Medium humanoid (gnoll)
Init +1; Senses darkvision; Perception +3
Defense
AC 18, touch 11, flat-footed 17 (+1 Dex, +2 natural, +3 armor, +2 shield)
hp 19 (3d8+6)
Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +1
Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Melee masterwork flindbar +7 (2d4+3/19–20)
Melee masterwork flindbar +6 (2d4+5/19–20) (Power Attack)
Ranged shortbow +3 (1d6+2/×3)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Statistics
Str 17, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 10
Base Atk +2; CMB +5 (+8 disarm); CMD 16
Feats Power Attack, Weapon Focus (flindbar)
Skills Perception +3
Languages Gnoll, Common
Morale intrepid (+2)
Ecology
Environment warm plains or desert
Organization solitary or with gnolls
Equipment studded leather armor, heavy steel shield, flindbar, shortbow, quiver with 20 arrows
Special Abilities
Skills
A flind has a +2 racial bonus on Charisma-based checks made to influence gnolls.
Gnoll shaman
Gnoll shamans offer prayers and sacrifices to dark forces, empowering their brethren with unholy gifts. They usually worship either Yeenoghu or Demogorgon.
Combat
Gnoll shamans who worship Yeenoghu have the Destruction/Rage and Chaos/Demon domains. They wade into melee, using their spells, domain powers, and their Channel Smite feat to enhance their ability to damage their enemies.
Gnoll shamans who worship Demogorgon have the Chaos and Madness domains. They typically hang back, using their spells and domain powers (enhanced with their Reach SLA feat) to harry and disadvantage their enemies, summon monsters, and enhance their fellows’ abilities. They use their channel energy ability only if surrounded by enemies who have broken through the lines of their melee fighters.
Gnoll shaman
3rd-level cleric
Medium humanoid (gnoll)
Init +1; Senses darkvision; Perception +8
Defense
AC 16, touch 11, flat-footed 15 (+1 Dex, +1 natural, +2 armor, +2 shield)
hp 16 (3d8+3)
Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +5
Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Melee masterwork flail +4 (1d8+1) (Yeenoghu) or masterwork dire whip +4 (1d4+1) (Demogorgon)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (or 10 ft. with whip)
Special Attacks channel energy (4/day; 30-ft. radius; 2d6; Will DC 12 half)
Yeenoghu: destructive smite (5/day; +1 damage; 1 round), fury of the abyss (5/day; +1 atk/dmg, −2 AC; 1 round)
Demogorgon: touch of chaos (5/day; disadvantage; 1 round), vision of madness (5/day; +1 to any of atk/save/skill, −1 to other two; 3 rounds)
Spells Prepared
- 0th (DC 13)—bleed, create water, resistance, virtue
- 1st (DC 13)—true strike (Yeenoghu) or lesser confusion (Demogorgon), bless, cause fear, remove fear
- 2nd (DC 13)—bull’s strength (Yeenoghu) or touch of idiocy (Demogorgon), sound burst, summon monster II
Statistics
Str 12, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 11, Wis 15, Cha 12
Base Atk +2; CMB +3 (+5 disarm or trip); CMD 14
Feats Combat Casting, Channel Smite (Yeenoghu) or Reach SLA (Demogorgon)
Skills Knowledge (religion) +6, Perception +8
Languages Abyssal, Gnoll
Morale intrepid (+2)
Ecology
Environment warm plains or deserts
Organization one plus hunting party (1d4+1, with 1d2 coyotes) or with gnoll band
Equipment leather armor, large steel shield, flail (Yeenoghu) or dire whip (Demogorgon), sacrificial knife (+2 to sacrifice checks)
Special Abilities
Destructive Smite (Su)
Gnoll shamans who worship Yeenoghu gain the destructive smite power: the supernatural ability to make a single melee attack with a morale bonus on damage rolls equal to 1⁄2 their shaman level (minimum 1), a number of times per day equal to 3 + the shaman’s Wisdom modifier. The shaman must declare the destructive smite before making the attack.
Fury of the Abyss (Su)
Gnoll shamans who worship Yeenoghu gain the fury of the abyss power. A number of times per day equal to 3 + the shaman’s Wisdom modifier, as a swift action, the shaman can give himself an enhancement bonus equal to 1⁄2 his shaman level (minimum +1) on melee attacks, melee damage rolls, and combat maneuver checks. This bonus lasts for 1 round. During this round, the shaman takes a −2 penalty to AC.
Touch of Chaos (Sp)
Gnoll shamans who worship Demogorgon gain the touch of chaos power. A number of times per day equal to 3 + the shaman’s Wisdom modifier, the shaman can imbue a target with chaos as a melee touch attack. For the next round, anytime the target rolls a d20, he must roll twice and take the less favorable result.
Vision of Madness (Sp)
Gnoll shamans who worship Demogorgon gain the visions of madness power. A number of times per day equal to 3 + the shaman’s Wisdom modifier, the shaman can give a creature a vision of madness as a melee touch attack. The shaman may choose one of the following: attack rolls, saving throws, or skill checks. The target receives a bonus to the chosen rolls equal to 1⁄2 the shaman’s level (minimum +1) and a penalty to the other two types of rolls equal to 1⁄2 the shaman’s level (minimum −1). This effect fades after 3 rounds.