I'm working on a Gnoll ranger/bloodhound NPC for my next game, but have a couple questions.
What would be a good name for said Gnoll?
At what age to they reach adulthood/old/venerable?
Just wondering...
-Kurocyn
I guess a good question would be, "Is there an Ecology of the Gnoll article in a Dungeon somewhere, and which one is that?" I'd be interested in finding out as well!
It might not give good info on naming conventions, however. That really depends on the culture you invision your gnolls embodying. Just as a one-off suggestion, hyenas are African, and gnolls bear at least a superficial resemblance to Anubis, so perhaps something vaguely Egyptian? Or perhaps a combo of something quasi-Egyptian and a surname or title in Common (like Amtehp Blackfang or something). Just a random thought.
There was an article on gnolls in Dragon #63 by Roger Moore entitled "The Humanoids" (obviously, covering more than just gnolls).
Dragon #289 had the Gnolls of Naresh, from the Chainmail game.
That's all dragon's had on gnolls.
Gnolls have a section of their own in the Monster Manual IV. It includes the slave-taker (gnoll ranger 2), the fiendish cleric of yeenoghu (fiendish gnoll cleric 3), and a half-fiend gnoll warlock (half-fiend gnoll warlock 4). It also has sample encounters (using said NPCs) at ECLs 6, 9, and 12.
Finally, it has a detailed ecology (one full page), and another section specifically on society (about a half-page). It also has information for gnolls in Eberron and Faerun, and a "Gnoll Lore" sidebar with Knowledge checks for Local, Nature, and Religion that regard gnolls.
So, if you don't have the MM IV, that may be a good reason to check it out. I'd suggest asking your FLGS if you can browse it before you buy it, though, as it hasn't been as well received as, say, the MM III, because of its expanded (several page) entries on Drow, Githyanki, Gnolls, Lizardfolk, Ogres, Orcs, and Yuan-ti, as well as the often derided Spawn of Tiamat. However, if you're looking specifically for expanded information on these classic monsters (or are interested in the spawn), this could indeed be a useful book for you.
Oh, excuse me, I'm sorry. I forgot to specifically address the OP's questions.
Re: age - Apparently Gnolls mature *very* rapidly, and are near full grown in about 2 years. As for their maximum age, there's no information on that in the MM IV.
Re: a name - Saern's suggestions are pretty good, but I'd also like to throw in that Gnolls just about universally worship Yeenoghu, the Demon Prince of Gnolls and Undead. So that may influence your name choice there.
Yeenoghu has an Undeath aspect? That strikes me as odd. Is that in FC I?
Yeenoghu has an Undeath aspect? That strikes me as odd. Is that in FC I?
Indeed it is (though I had to look it up to make sure). He's got power over gnolls and ghouls primarily (though the White Kingdom of the true ghouls is under the control of Doresain, the King of Ghouls, Doresain pays fealty to Yeenoghu.
Yeenoghu has stolen a lot of Orcus's powers in this respect (including the White Kingdom). I think it's mostly due to his cannibalistic nature.
A picture of a Gnoll Shaman that "tore his eyes out in a religious fervor."
Enjoy!
As for their maximum age, there's no information on that in the MM IV.
Nevermind that, there is! Apparently gnolls live till approximately 40 years of age, but most die WAY sooner.
You should maybe reference the Races of the Wild.
Races of the Wild does indeed have some sample names in it - though I'm not fond of the tribe names. Mashing two monosyllabic words together randomly is the kind of thing goth emo kids do when they're going through their "My real name is too lame" phase. Bleh. I mean, "Speardeath?" Seriously?
So MM IV has info, eh?
I don't have it, but from what you were saying about it, I may have to pick myself up a copy.
What is their culture like? Just need basics really. From said posts, it's obvious that they're tribal, and the MM says that their leaders rule by strength, but what about the size of their clans? How they raise their young? Common (civilized) interaction?
As for my original questions:
2 years? Wow... I guess they are like hyenas (sp?)... I was going to guess around 15 or so... So what would the other age categories be? 2 = adult, 20ish? = old, 30ish? = venerable, +D10 = max age?
Name wise, I'm still in the dark. Combining two words seems like it'd be the easiest route...
Any other ideas for a male Gnoll NE ranger 4/bloodhound 1? He's taken humans as his favored enemy, has the two weapon combat style, and has a hyena animal comp.
-Kurocyn
So MM IV has info, eh?
I don't have it, but from what you were saying about it, I may have to pick myself up a copy.
What is their culture like? Just need basics really. From said posts, it's obvious that they're tribal, and the MM says that their leaders rule by strength, but what about the size of their clans? How they raise their young? Common (civilized) interaction?
As for my original questions:
2 years? Wow... I guess they are like hyenas (sp?)... I was going to guess around 15 or so... So what would the other age categories be? 2 = adult, 20ish? = old, 30ish? = venerable, +D10 = max age?
Name wise, I'm still in the dark. Combining two words seems like it'd be the easiest route...
Any other ideas for a male Gnoll NE ranger 4/bloodhound 1? He's taken humans as his favored enemy, has the two weapon combat style, and has a hyena animal comp.
-Kurocyn
There is also Gnoll information in some of the Forgotten Realms books. Unapproachable East if I am not mistaken.
Here's something that may seem strange unless you know a bit about hyenas - gnoll society is matriarchal. Females lead the packs, and indeed are physically larger (by as much as half a foot!). Because the females are the leaders, mothers rapidly put their newborns in the care of the weak members of the tribe - gnolls almost never grow up in the direct presence of their mothers. They have to earn that privilege.
You learn something every day....
