Hyena, Spotted

Family: Animal

Medium beast, unaligned

Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 11 (2d8 + 2)
Speed 40 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
13 (+1)	12 (+1)	12 (+1)	3 (-4)	12 (+1)	10 (+0)

Skills Perception +3
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages understands Gnoll but doesn’t speak it
Challenge 1/8 (25 XP)

Special Traits

• Keen Smell. The spotted hyena has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
• Pack Tactics. The spotted hyena has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the spotted hyena’s allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn’t incapacitated.

Actions

• Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) piercing damage.

About

When left to their own devices, hyenas are happy to scavenge carcasses once larger predators have had their fill and seldom hunt their own food (with the exception of the spotted hyena, which is a voracious predator). However, in the company of gnolls, hyenas’ behavior more resembles trained attack dogs, or the worgs kept by other monstrous races (though the comparison would be taken as a grave insult by any gnoll who heard it).

Gutter gnolls favor the company of brown hyenas, who can also be found scavenging in cities and so easily make the transition to their way of life.

The primarily nocturnal striped hyena is preferred by rock gnolls, and can be trained to use their crushing jaws to pin their quarry in place or otherwise hamper an escape.

Spotted hyenas, already formidable on their own merits, are made even more vicious by the influence of their plains gnoll clan mates.