Gnolls

Gnolls appear as humanoid jackals, hyenas, and pharaoh hounds. Those native to the country of Borboto dress in sophisticated colors, while their more feral cousins in Wutente prefer tans and grays that aid them while hiding in and around dunes.

Sellers of Wares and Comfort

Borbotos Gnolls get along with the other races that live in or frequent their country. Since they raise some of the best mounts for the sky races and caravans that travel the country, they are treated well by their hosts when a family visits a city between jobs.

Gnolls outside of Borboto continue to live in tribal communities, where they are known to fight with dwarves and orcs over patches of desert. While still willing to act as protection for those seeking passage across wastelands or salt flats, they lack the connections to other races that their cousins have developed and cultivated over time.

Walking Borboto

Gnolls are not known to keep their own society, prefering small packs and families, either as hunters or when protecting caravans. The closest structure the race has to leadership comes when one must make decisions. If a fight breaks out, the rest of the pack does things the winner’s way, while those opposed are either killed or shunned.

In Search of Silks

Exiled gnolls and those without family will adopt a pack and adventure with it. Borbotos gnolls are natural barbarians, clerics, rangers, and zealots.

Names

Gnolls often have a name by which their family refers to them and another representing who they become as they mature. It is this name that many gnolls present to the world.

Family Names. These tend to describe either a task the family is known to do well, or a physical distinction between them and other gnolls.

Example Names. Brokenearth, Chipgrin, Spot-Bearer, Sunseeker, Treefinder, and Worldpainter.

Heritage Traits

• Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 2.
• Age. A gnoll is considered an adult at 15, and can live as long as any human, about 90-100 years.
• Alignment. The feral gnolls in Wutente are chaotic neutral, bordering on evil. In contrast, their cousins in Borboto lean more toward good, although they can still be a challenge to work with when there’s a misunderstanding. Gnolls capable of understanding religion often worship Brutus Peregrin, the god of travel and luck, or Blazoke, the Passionate Devastation.
• Size. Even with their legs bent as they are, gnolls still stand as tall as 6-foot, 6 inches tall and weigh as much as 270 pounds. Your size is Medium.
• Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
• Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
• Caravan Driver. Gnolls are experts at getting the most out of their travel. On any normal day, your party can travel for 2 additional hours before you risk exhaustion (up to 10 total hours of travel). Otherwise, you grant yourself and each of your allies a +2 bonus on any checks or saving throws to avoid losing time as you travel.
• Sand Walker. Loose sand and dirt never count as difficult terrain for you.
• Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common, and Gnoll.

Culture

Choose one of the following cultures:

Borbotos

Gnolls never sought to rule Borboto, but after the aerios dragonflight fled during Dragonfall, they inherited the country, and have taken care of it ever since. Most borbotos gnolls are happy to live their lives as tradespeople, spreading beautiful colors across the country and out into the world. Their bulette and wyvern companions accompany the gnolls on long treks around the region.

• Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1.
• Beast Taming. Animals you train are better at tasks than others of their kind. You are proficient in the Animal Handling skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.
• Borbotos Weapon Training. You have proficiency with the heavy crossbow, longbow, shortbow, and sandthumper, which is detailed in Chapter 4.

Fafutan

A small, but growing population of gnolls has found their way to the island country of Fafutan, where they bring their love of color and animal training to the nation’s tourists. Their newfound comfort within the coastal nation has made these gnolls less inclined to physical activities practiced by those in Borboto and Wutente.

• Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1.
• Fafutan Weapon Training. You have proficiency with the buugeng, dire chakram, poi, and razor wire, all of which are detailed in Chapter 4.
• Nurturing Communication. Beasts and plants can understand the meaning of your words, though you have no special ability to understand them in return. You have advantage on all Charisma checks you make to influence them.

Wutenten

For a short time between the Age of Air and the Age of Fire, gnolls fled Borboto from an unknown force. They made their way into Wutente, where they would take a page from the orcs and form clans to stay safe in the harsh desert environment. When the gnolls of Borboto were granted the ability to see and appreciate color, these members of their race were left to survive without that gift.

• Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1.
• Thick Hide. When you aren’t wearing armor, your AC is 13 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield’s benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.
• Wutenten Weapon Training. You have proficiency with the hand crossbow, longsword, rapier, and shortsword.

Alternate Traits

Unless stated otherwise, these traits can be chosen by any gnoll to replace the traits normally gained by their heritage or culture.

• Desert Runner. You have advantage on checks and saving throws to avoid the effects of extreme heat. This replaces sand walker.
• Long-Limbed. When you make a melee attack on your turn, your reach for it is 5 feet greater than normal. This trait replaces Weapon Training.
• Merchant Family: Gnolls born into merchant families are expert tradespeople. On any normal day, you can craft items or make progress on an item up to 1-1/2 times as fast (usually up to 7 gp, 5 sp). Alternatively, you can maintain a modest lifestyle without having to pay up to 1 gp, 5 sp each day, or a comfortable lifestyle at one-third the normal cost. This trait replaces caravan driver.
• Primal Intuition. You have proficiency in two of the following skills of your choice: Animal Handling, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Nature, Perception, and Survival. This trait replaces Caravan Driver.
• Spire Walker: Borboto is well known for its vast canyons and soaring spires. The gnolls of that region sometimes master its terrain in order to get through it quickly. Rocky or mountainous terrain never count as difficult terrain for you. This trait replaces sand walker.