Saturday, May 29, 2021

Gnoll (Cultist, Seregant, & Hunter)

Gnolls tend to have a rather unsavory reputation, most often deservedly so. Their relation to hyenas is made obvious not only in their appearance, but also their behavior - moving in packs, refusing to waste any meat (well, almost any), including that of their own fallen kin and, generally, steering towards bloodthirsty bouts of violence rather than fine arts.

As previously mentioned, they have some inkling of reverence towards remains of living creatures, albeit they display it in their own gruesome way.

By eating them.

Refusing to eat someone's corpse is, in a gnoll's eyes, a great slight toward the deceased. A thing to keep in mind in more social interactions, perhaps.
An interesting note about their physiology: females are bigger and stronger than the males to the point that it's typically them leading the packs of hunters or warriors to battle.

Despite their apparent lack of aptitude for matters considered practical by most of the civilized world, gnolls prove to be quite an efficient force in combat, particularly given their pack mentality. This is illustrated particularly by their Pack Attack ability, which can greatly improve the damage output of any group of gnolls the party could stumble upon. Once you consider that the gnoll deals extra damage if any two allies are within reach, and then realize that most of them have have access to Attack of Opportunity, you can set up one nasty surprise for your players.



Hook 1 (Max) - Betrayer of Blood

There is word of a pack of ravenous beasts rowing the nearby plains, leaving only devoured corpses of animals in their wake.

They are trailing one of their own, a traitor to their tribe in need of swift judgement. Not all of them are willing to disclose the exact nature of this crime. When pressured in the right way though, a few among them will describe the night when Khazrash poisoned their chieftain, the group leader's father, leading to a rupture in the clan. Terash now seeks revenge for her sire as doesn't have much else to lose, rage fueled by the betrayal of her once closest friend.

Hook 2 (TJ) - Tooth for a Tooth

In gnoll society, teeth are highly prized. A gnoll is not considered fit for the hunt until all of their milk teeth fall out and are fully replaced with their permanent teeth. The gnollish phrase "still got your milk teeth" is a reflection of this idea, and is commonly used to refer to inexperienced outsiders.

As the teeth are used primarily for capturing prey, gnolls who settle disputes with strength rely on hand-to-hand combat. Knocking an opponent's tooth out in a fight is the ultimate indicator of victory. Any tooth gained in this way is commonly kept as a proof of a favor owed, to be returned when the favor is cashed in. As a result, any gnoll who's "got all their teeth" is one who is both strong and above reproach in society.

This also led to a more unusual development; gnolls are considered the progenitors of modern dentistry. Gnoll physiology is more forgiving of infectious materials given their propensity for eating carrion. As such, they were able to develop techniques for dental work first and worry about sterilization later. These gnollish techniques for reinserting teeth or creating dentures are highly valuable to all of the surrounding peoples and has led to some gnolls adjusting to a lifestyle of nomadic, philanthropic, dentistry.

Hook 3 (Nemanja) - Dregs of the Imperium

In the hobgoblin-ruled Imperium Of The Perfect Life, every subject species has a role, even those once treated as barbaric. The recently conquered gnoll tribes, for example, are tasked with taking care of the ever-growing pile of bodies coming back from the Holy Conquest.

In times of relative peace, when not many soldiers fall to the Adversary, gnoll-adjacent neighbourhoods might occasionally report missing children or pets. The authorities are instructed to turn a blind eye, though, for the danger of another Undead Uprising is far greater than letting the occasional civilian get eaten.

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