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Among the many creatures you can slay inDungeons & Dragons, Gnolls appear to be the most savage of the lot. While tribes of Goblins can do considerable damage, Gnolls will raze everything to the ground, leaving no survivors or even corpses since they feast on them.
But in terms of any actual lore, not much is often expanded about them. There’s no reasoning with them since they’re mostly designed as enemies you can slay guilt-free. But many players and DMs alike want to know more about these hyena-like creatures and what makes them tick.
Origin Of Gnolls
The origin of the Gnolls differs greatly from one D&D edition to the next, sowe’ll only focus on what the 5th edition covers.The Gnolls are creatures related to Yeenoghu, a Demon Lord from the Abyss and the chief deity of their culture.
Yeenoghu is a Huge Demon Lord that looks like a humanoid hyena, with some added demonic features like glowing red eyes and a deformed jaw.He traveled the realms, followed by a large pack of hyenasthat gorged on whatever he slayed.
The hyenas were not made by Yeenoghu; they’re just animals like in the real world. How he first developed the ability to control them is unexplained.
As these hyenas ate, they became bloatedwith the meat and Yeenoghu’s demonic essence,giving birth to the first Gnolls.WhileGnolls can naturally reproduce, they can also recreate this demonic ritual, which has advantages; the Gnolls created in this way are fully grown.
Gnoll Society
Gnolls value strength over all other things, making the leadership of their pack constantly challenged. In all other respects,they’re extremely loyalto one another,putting the pack above everything; if you’re welcomed into the pack, no matter your species, you’re family.
Their savagery is the one common aspect among all Gnoll tribes, buthow evil they behave depends on how closely they worship Yeenoghu.Some tribes only hunt animalsand keep to themselves, whileothers constantly hunt until nothing is left alive.
Players most commonly see gnolls that worship the Demon Lord, since they work perfectly as enemies to fill any dungeon.They raid any settlement, eating the fallen as they goandoffering sacrifices of their weak to Yeenoghu.
Using Gnolls In A Campaign
Gnolls are designed to be mindless enemies, creatures that are evil to the core. Since they value strength,you can make them minions of greater foeswithout explaining their allegiance too much, andtheir innate loyalty will make them always fight to the death.
If you want a tribe of Gnolls as enemies and wishto avoid any moral dilemmas, you’re able to have them reproduce exclusively via Yeenoghu’s ritual.This makes them more akin to Demons than humanoids, and you don’t have to worry about your party encountering little Gnoll cubs.
If you want to give them added depth, or if a player wishes to play as a Gnoll,it’s best to leave their Demonic heritage aside.They can still be savage enemies but not exclusively evil, andthey could even end up as loyal alliesif players play their cards right.
