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So, I'll be starting a new Pathfinder game shortly and the beginning enemies will be competing tribes of orcs and gnolls. I love the gnoll fluff from Classic Monsters Revisited, but it doesn't work out well in the situation.
Basically, I'm looking for gnolls that are a bit lower CR (so they can outnumber the party at first level) and more flavorful. I want to make sure that they're not totally out of balance and, of course, steal any other interesting ideas along the way :)
I decided to write it up as a race which I could then slot NPC or PC class levels into. Here's what I ended up with:
Gnoll
+2 Constitution, +2 Dexterity, -2 Charisma
Darkvision 60'
Hyena's Gait (Ex) – Gnolls can drop to all fours as a free action, dropping any items held in their hands. While on all fours, they gain access to the Run feat. Standing back up is a swift action.
Iron Stomach – Gnolls are immune to mundane ingested diseases and toxins. They also receive a +2 racial bonus to survival.
Bite – Gnolls can bite for 1d6 as a natural weapon. When added as a secondary attack, it is -5 to hit and only applies half strength bonus to damage. When used as a sole attack, it applies one and a half times the Strength bonus to damage.
The stat modifiers are good, but not out of line with, say, hobgoblins. Hyena's gait is mostly flavor, but encourages them to rely on thrown weapons and other weapons they won't miss. Iron Stomach is basically flavor too.
The bite concerns me a bit. I want them to have a bite and if it's not too overpowered, having it as a secondary attack would be cool. If it's too much, I'd probably have it just when on all fours.
So here's the final product for their first big fight:
Blood Crest Warrior (CR 1/3)
NE Medium humanoid (gnoll)
Init +2; Senses Darkvision (60'), Perception +1
Defense
AC 14 (+2 armor, +2 Dexterity), touch 12, flatfooted 12
HP 10 (1d10+5)
Fort +4, Ref +2, Wil +0
Immune Mundane ingested diseases and toxins
Offense
Speed 30 ft. (Run 150 ft.)
Melee +1 Throwing Axe (1d6) and -4 Bite (1d6)
Ranged +3 Throwing Axe (1d6)
Statistics
Str 10, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 9, Wis 11, Cha 6
Base Attack +1; CMB +1; CMD 14
Feats Toughness
Skills Survival +3; Racial Modifiers +2 Survival
Languages Gnoll
Aside from the very good chance I messed something up, I'm a bit concerned by how it's not that much worse than the CR 1 standard gnoll. If I throw a pack of these guys at a group of first level PCs (who will start from a position of advantage), should I expect a massacre?
Thanks for your help.
Cheers!
Landon
It looks good. I'm a little concerned about them getting bonuses to two physical ability scores, and penalizing Cha is a probably the "best" ability score to get penalized in. I might consider putting the penalty to Int (they're not too bright) instead, and MAYBE swapping out the Dex bonus for a Cha bonus (it jives with being a greedy bully, and perform buffoonery for their bards).
I think the thrown weapons and bite attack actually synergize quite well. The only problem I have with Hyena's Gate is that getting up as a swift action is pretty powerful, especially if tripped. If it's a swift action ONLY to go from 4 to 2 feet, then it's fine.
I'm a big fan of gnolls too. I ran a campaign where they were the primary antagonists--and pirates to boot!
It looks good. I'm a little concerned about them getting bonuses to two physical ability scores, and penalizing Cha is a probably the "best" ability score to get penalized in. I might consider putting the penalty to Int (they're not too bright) instead, and MAYBE swapping out the Dex bonus for a Cha bonus (it jives with being a greedy bully, and perform buffoonery for their bards).
I think the thrown weapons and bite attack actually synergize quite well. The only problem I have with Hyena's Gate is that getting up as a swift action is pretty powerful, especially if tripped. If it's a swift action ONLY to go from 4 to 2 feet, then it's fine.
I'm a big fan of gnolls too. I ran a campaign where they were the primary antagonists--and pirates to boot!
Heh, there's a UK based LARP called Maelstrom that has gnolls in it as a playable race. It's got colonial era technology, so that was what the end of your post first reminded me of.
As far as the race goes, I don't think that it's unbalanced since the bite becomes secondary. I wonder why the boost to dexterity though?
I ran a Gnoll Invasion themed campaign once, had a great time with different tribes having different fighting styles and companion monsters. One thing to consider- you may WANT the first encounter with large number of gnolls to be overwhelming, Just a full on "no way in hell can we beat this!" experience, to teach the players some discretion. Then hit them with a swarm of Goblin slaves commanded by a gnoll driver of some sort. Allows you to get the "omg!! these things are tough!!" feel without watering them down. I made that mistake in my last campaign of making "common rakshasa" (1/2 orcs with the serial # scraped off) so much so that when they ran into "actual" Rakhs, the players were unimpressed.
I ran a Gnoll Invasion themed campaign once, had a great time with different tribes having different fighting styles and companion monsters. One thing to consider- you may WANT the first encounter with large number of gnolls to be overwhelming, Just a full on "no way in hell can we beat this!" experience, to teach the players some discretion. Then hit them with a swarm of Goblin slaves commanded by a gnoll driver of some sort. Allows you to get the "omg!! these things are tough!!" feel without watering them down. I made that mistake in my last campaign of making "common rakshasa" (1/2 orcs with the serial # scraped off) so much so that when they ran into "actual" Rakhs, the players were unimpressed.
That's a neat idea: uber-gnolls that are rakshasa with hyena heads instead of gnoll heads. Maybe change the alignment to Chaotic Evil, and voila! A new level of evilness for our favorite cackling bandits!
Hey you got your great idea in my peanut butter!!!
*yoinked for future DM eville :) *
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Thanks for the feedback, everyone!
It looks good. I'm a little concerned about them getting bonuses to two physical ability scores, and penalizing Cha is a probably the "best" ability score to get penalized in. I might consider putting the penalty to Int (they're not too bright) instead, and MAYBE swapping out the Dex bonus for a Cha bonus (it jives with being a greedy bully, and perform buffoonery for their bards).
It's kind of funny, I was thinking about the opposite. I feel like between the laziness and the cowardice, their strength of personality would be pretty low. Then add in the "carrion breath" factor and justifying a Charisma penalty is pretty easy.
I originally shied away from an Int penalty to separate them from orcs. Maybe I'm weird, but I don't see gnolls as dumb brutes. Just cowardly, lazy, uncaring brutes.
In the back of my head, I keep wanting to justify an Intelligence bonus. Something about the cowardice and the laziness tinged with a sense of entitlement and superiority... well, it sounds like a lot of the people I know with high Int, I guess.
I wonder why the boost to dexterity though?
Basically because that's what they'd want to have a bonus in, which isn't really a good reason. I can't really justify them as being very dextrous.
I think for now I'll just go with +2 Con, -2 Cha.
I ran a Gnoll Invasion themed campaign once, had a great time with different tribes having different fighting styles and companion monsters. One thing to consider- you may WANT the first encounter with large number of gnolls to be overwhelming, Just a full on "no way in hell can we beat this!" experience, to teach the players some discretion. Then hit them with a swarm of Goblin slaves commanded by a gnoll driver of some sort. Allows you to get the "omg!! these things are tough!!" feel without watering them down. I made that mistake in my last campaign of making "common rakshasa" (1/2 orcs with the serial # scraped off) so much so that when they ran into "actual" Rakhs, the players were unimpressed.
That's pretty good advice, actually. I'm not sure I'm too worried about them finding the gnolls threatening. Long-term we've got the orcs, some drow, and a side order of runic goodness... well, evilness.
You might want to take a look at Bleached Skulls Gnolls from Raging Swan Press:
That looks interesting, thanks!
That's a neat idea: uber-gnolls that are rakshasa with hyena heads instead of gnoll heads. Maybe change the alignment to Chaotic Evil, and voila! A new level of evilness for our favorite cackling bandits!
And here I was thinking I might need to stat out the crazy jackal-headed progenitors I was thinking about. Yoink!
Cheers!
Landon