Gnolls in Dungeons & Dragons

Gnoll
flind

Physical description

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, gnolls greatly resemble hyenas[1]. They are usually between seven and eight feet tall, weighing around 250 to 320 pounds,[2] and use armor made of horn, metal, or leather[1]. Gnolls are generally depicted in the game world as feral nomads who kill and pillage without warning[3]. Their whole bodies are covered in reddish-brown fur which becomes shorter as it surrounds their faces and clawed hands to reveal grey colored skin. Their pelts vary from mono-colored to spotted and their eyes are either yellow or black.

Subraces

Within the context of the Dungeons & Dragons game, one notable subrace of gnoll is the flind (alternately spelled flynd), which is shorter, broader, and stronger than other gnolls[4]; flinds are often found leading a tribe or settlement of gnolls[4]. Flinds use a nunchaku-like weapon called a flindbar, which consists of a pair of metal rods linked together by a chain[4].

Religion

Gnolls in most Dungeons & Dragons settings are worshippers of the demon lord Yeenoghu, who also holds domain over ghouls. Gnolls indulge in humanoid flesh in imitation of this aspect.[5].

Publication history

Gnolls are the literary descendants of Lord Dunsany's "gnoles", who were clever, evil and nonhuman. Gary Gygax writes in the earliest edition of "Dungeons & Dragons" (1974): "A cross between gnomes and trolls (...perhaps, Lord Dunsany did not really make it all that clear) with +2 morale. Otherwise they are similar to hobgoblins..." [6]

Dungeons & Dragons (1974-1976)

The gnoll was introduced in the earliest edition of the game, in the Dungeons & Dragons "white box" set (1974), where they were described as a "cross between gnomesand trolls." [7]

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)

With the 1977 publication of Gygax's Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual gnolls were described as hyena-men, a characterization that continues to the present.[1] This book also describes Yeenoghu, a demon lord that many gnolls devote themselves to.

The flind, a more intelligent but less physically powerful relative to the more common gnoll, was introduced in the Fiend Folio (1981)[8]

The mythology and attitudes of the gnolls are described in detail in Dragon #63 (July 1982), in Roger E. Moore's article, "The Humanoids."[9] The article also describes theshoosuva, servants of Yeenoghu that have characteristics of both gnolls and ghouls.

The first "Creature Catalog" article, an insert in Dragon #89 (September 1984), featured the ghuuna, a lycanthrope-like creature that could transform between a gnoll andhyaenodon form.

Dungeons & Dragons (1977-1999)

This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the gnoll, in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1977, 1981, 1983).[10][11][12] The gnoll was featured as a player character race in the Orcs of Thar gazetteer (1989). Gnolls were also later featured in the Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1991), the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991),[13] the Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1994), and the Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game set (1999).

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)

The gnoll and flind appear first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989),[14] and are reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).[15]

The flind is also detailed in Dragon #173 (September 1991), in "The Sociology of the Flind," a variation on the "Ecology of..." column.[16]

The gnoll and flind are detailed as playable character races in The Complete Book of Humanoids (1993).[17] The gnoll and flind are later presented as playable character races again in Player's Option: Skills & Powers (1995).

Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)

The gnoll appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000).[18]

Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003-2007)

The gnoll appears in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003).[2]

The flind appears in Monster Manual III (2004).[4]

Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-)

The gnoll appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008), including the gnoll huntmaster, the gnoll claw fighter, the gnoll marauder, and the gnoll demonic scourge.[3]

The gnoll was later released as a supported 4th edition player race in Dragon #367.[19]

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BALOR [ROG] DEMONIC COMMAND UNIT

Image
In the original Dungeons & Dragons pamphlets, this breed of demon was known as "balrog", but the name was revised in subsequent supplements to simply "type VI demon" so as not to infringe on J. R. R. Tolkien's copyright. In second edition AD&D, the name "type VI demon" was revised to "balor," taking the name of the greatest individual of their rank as the name for the entire breed. Also in second edition, balors now had vorpal swords. # Typical physical characteristics In the original Monster Manual, balors are twelve foot tall, winged humanoids with horns and demonic features. They prefer to wield swords and many-tailed whips. They are able to create flames around themselves and shed darkness at will. They possess a strong charisma that attracts other chaotic evil creatures. They tend towards organized evil. Six are known to exist. In the 2nd edition Monstrous Manual, balors are the most powerful tanar'ri. They exist sole...
Read more

GREEN RONIN WRATH AND RAGE

Image
Game : Wrath & Rage Publisher : Green Ronin Series : d20 Reviewer : Wyrdmaster Review Dated : 17th, October 2002 Reviewer's Rating : 7/10 [ Good ] Total Score : 7 Average Score : 7.00 The Races of Renown series from Green Ronin is part of the OGL Interlink program. This means that titles will not clash with others in the OGL Interlink. Wrath & Rage is the Orc and Half-Orc book in the Interlink and it'll probably be the only one. I can only hope that the other companies in the Interlink are producing material as good as Green Ronin's because Wrath & Rage is rather good and before that the Dwarf book, Hammer and Helm , is even better. The introduction here is your typical short RPG supplement introduction. It contains an important point though; the author, Jim Bishop, notes that orcs are often portrayed as filthy, stupid and savage and that's entirely as it should be. Right from the start then you can't expect Wrath and Rage to offer you any cliché bus...
Read more