Gnoll

Mightiest of the beast-kin, the former rulers of Alm

Almish Gnoll Heritage Traits

Game rules for the Almish gnoll are identical to the gnoll race detailed in the D&D 4e official rulebooks, except as noted below.

Ability Scores: +2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution or Strength

Languages: Bestial and Common

Primal Beast: Your ancestors were amongst the many beast-kin who once ruled Alm. You are considered both a beast and a humanoid for the purpose of effects that relate to creature type. For the purpose of effects relating to beast form, you are considered to always be in beast form.

Pack Tactics: You gain a +2 heritage bonus to damage rolls against enemies that are adjacent to two or more of your allies. This replaces the Pack Attack feature.

Bestial Might: You gain your choice of either the bestial charge or bestial surge power. This choice replaces the ferocious charge power.

Bestial ChargeGnoll Heritage Power
You lunge toward the enemy with all of your considerable might.
Encounter
Standard Action Personal
Effect: You charge and deal an extra 1[W] on a successful attack. If you are bloodied, double the extra damage and gain an equal number of temporary hit points.
Bestial SurgeGnoll Heritage Power
You are revitalised by the scent of impending victory.
Encounter
Free Action Personal
Trigger: You bloody an enemy or reduce an enemy to 0 hit points.
Effect: Spend a healing surge. If the amount healed would exceed your maximum hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to the excess.

In Alm’s distant past, the lands were shared by countless beast-kin tribes of all types. The most powerful of these were the gnolls, whose strength and numbers allowed them to dominate less powerful folk for millennia. Arrayed in matriarchal clans from one side of Alm to the other, these brutal warlords lost their absolute dominance only after the Calans came to power. Even after centuries of war between the two empires, it took the mythic hero Brayden Bloodmane—and the combined might of the bannyri clans—to finally break the gnolls.

Though the pride of conquerors still burns in them, the gnolls are now an empire in decline. The territory of Beasthome is their final stronghold, the only land where they still enjoy complete dominance. Increasingly, their leaders are beginning to understand that if they are to have any place in their changing world, they must begin to form relationships with other cultures.

As it stands, most gnolls are still hostile toward other races. Outsiders are no longer treated as prey, but they are still foes in a war that is ultimately unresolved. The typical gnoll still lives fast, bleeds often, and dies surrounded by their enemies.

Any active advocate for peace can expect to be cast out of their clan, most likely to face a future of scorn and fear. These few often become adventurers—hard-bitten survivors, seeking to rise above their totalitarian history. Many remain outcast to the end, but others make genuine efforts to repair past ills, laying the trail for slow but inevitable progress.

Almish gnolls are perceived as… Savage, proud, unforgiving, warlike, decisive, spiritualistic, domineering, capable, standoffish.

Names: Blackheart, Bladeclaw, Bloodburn, Bonesaw, Deadscar, Denward, Godhand, Longtooth, Redfang, Stonefist, Warcry.

Gnollish names are given in bestial, largely unpronounceable to foreigners. However, to make their achievements known to their enemies, most translate their names into common as well.

New Gnoll Feats

The following feats include this heritage as a prerequisite.

Blood Fury

Prerequisite: Gnoll

Benefit: The first time you bloody an enemy during an encounter, you gain a +1 bonus per tier to damage rolls until the end of the encounter.

Blood Hunt

Prerequisite: Gnoll, Warlord

Benefit: Whenever an ally taking advantage of your commanding presence feature misses all targets, that ally regains an Action Point at the end of their turn and may spend it during this combat.

Blood Magus

Prerequisite: Gnoll

Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus per tier to attack rolls with arcane powers. When you are bloodied, you gain an additional +1 to attack rolls and +2 to damage rolls per tier with arcane attack powers.

Brutal Display

Prerequisite: Gnoll

Benefit: When you reduce an opponent to 0 or fewer hit points, each enemy who can see you suffers a -2 penalty to attack rolls and damage rolls until the beginning of your next turn. This is a fear effect.

Definitive Might

Prerequisite: Gnoll or Equitarn; trained in Intimidate

Benefit: You use your Strength modifier in place of your Charisma modifier on Intimidate checks.

Hounding Harrier

Prerequisite: Gnoll, Leader

Benefit: Whenever an ally misses all targets with a basic attack granted by you, you can make a basic attack against one missed target as a free action.

Howl of Command

Prerequisite: Gnoll, Warlord, brash assault power

Benefit: At the end of a charge, you can use brash assault in place of a melee basic attack.

Savage Hunt

Prerequisite: Gnoll or Wilderskin

Benefit: If a bloodied enemy is threatened by you and at least one ally, you gain combat advantage against that enemy.

Savage Scion

Prerequisite: Jotun or Gnoll; Paladin

Benefit: You gain a +3 feat bonus to your healing surge value. The bonus increases to +4 at 11th level and +5 at 21st level.

Your paladin powers and paladin paragon path powers are primal as well as divine.

Shield of Blood

Prerequisite: Gnoll, Paragon Tier

Benefit: At the beginning of your turn, you can choose to take 10 damage which cannot be reduced in any way. If you do, you gain resist all 5 until the start of your next turn.

Thirst of the Beast

Prerequisite: Gnoll

Benefit: The first time you become bloodied during an encounter, you regain the use of your ferocious charge power.