What would be an interesting Gnoll class?

[BlackRabbit]

I've always liked Gnolls (since I like hyenas) and would like to play one. However, I'd like to give it some "spice" instead of being a fighter/meatshield (not that there's anything wrong with that, but I want my baby to have potential). What would be an interesting class? I was looking at Duskblade. Also, what might be a fun familiar/companion if his class allows it? Hyena would be the obvious choice, but why be obvious? There's no deadline here, just something for folks to ponder. :smallbiggrin:

[sonofzeal]

Another Gnoll fan! You, like me, are a rare breed. :smallsmile:

I know it's not quite what you're looking for, but my last Gnoll character was a Flind Gnoll (MM3) Ftr2/Brb1/Rgr3. Flind Gnolls get a very sweet racial weapon that gets free disarms on critical threats, so optimizing that was actually very sweet. I got him up to a 50% chance to trigger a free disarm on every full attack routine. Also, with Speed 50, an inventory list a mile long (Str 26 is a huge carrying capacity), and a whole bunch of Ranger scrolls refluffed as animal bones, he was almost more of a utility character than a combat brute.

Here's the list of refluffed scrolls, for your convenience:

Rat Bone of Animal Messenger
Monkey Bone of Branch to Branch (1h, +10climb, can brachiate for +10 spd)
Raccoon Bone of Detect Snares and Pits (10 min)
Wolf Bone of Embrace the Wild (10 min)
Badger Bone of Endure Elements (1 day)
Hawk Bone of Hawkeye (10 min, +50% range, +5 spot)
Lark Bone of Lay of the Land (50 miles)
Rabbit Bone of Jump (1 min, +10 jump)
Deer Bone of Longstrider (1 hour, +10 speed)

I figured he'd crush the bone either in his hand or his mouth to activate them. ^^

[BlackRabbit]

"Mmm, tasty magic! Nom nom nom!" :smallbiggrin:

That does sound cool, I'll admit. Yeah, I'm a gnoll fan. Also half-orcs. Ooo, a half-orc/half gnoll. There's a fun baby shower. :smallsmile:

[sonofzeal]

"Mmm, tasty magic! Nom nom nom!" :smallbiggrin:

That does sound cool, I'll admit. Yeah, I'm a gnoll fan. Also half-orcs. Ooo, a half-orc/half gnoll. There's a fun baby shower. :smallsmile:
My second real character was a quarter-Gnoll Dwarf. No mechanical change, just a flavour thing, but very fun. Totally evil, but highly lawful. Ended up in both Dwarven Defender and Deepwarden, with a Trip focus. Not horribly optimized, but fun as heck.

[dsmiles]

Flinds would also make good warblades or swordsages. The stat bonuses fit nicely.

[Kol Korran]

i think gnolls might make an interesting spirit shaman, with laughing/ cackling/ laughing spirit of dead gnolls, hyenas and such as his "spells": each retrieved spell is such a spirit, all following the gnoll with barely audible sounds, which the careful listener might grasp. but when a non stealthy spell is cast the spirt howls, growls and makes terrifying munching and bone breaking noises (even on beneficial spells such as cure light wounds) that may scare the unprepared.

the gnoll shaman refer to the spirits as "his pack" and sometime talk to them in their own tongue.

record various hyena sounds to play as spells are cast and the like. never stop grinning, disturbingly...

(oh, and sonofzeal: i never got to the gnoll entry on my compendium. and to tell the truth i haven't got enough ideas for that, though i love gnolls myself.)

[Urpriest]

Just off the top of my head, a Gnoll Binder would be kind of interesting.

[CGforever!]

Gnolls are supposed to be rangers more than meathsield/brutes anyway.

Personally, in my homebrew, gnolls are more like 4E skirmisher/scout types.

[GreenSerpent]

I want to play a Gnoll now.

[Sgt. Cookie]

I'll just leave this here.

http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/n607/Xanmyral/Gnoll-Necromancer.jpg

[Glimbur]

Totemist! Yes, you'd probably have to learn Incarnum, but it is spicy.

[sonofzeal]

I'll just leave this here.

http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/n607/Xanmyral/Gnoll-Necromancer.jpg
But that's just playing with your food... :smalltongue:

[VGLordR2]

A Dragonfire Adept could be pretty cool. Imagine a hyena-person breathing fire. It may be a bit sub-optimal, but who cares.

[Empedocles]

"Mmm, tasty magic! Nom nom nom!" :smallbiggrin:

That does sound cool, I'll admit. Yeah, I'm a gnoll fan. Also half-orcs. Ooo, a half-orc/half gnoll. There's a fun baby shower. :smallsmile:

My half-orc. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=238705) It's worth your time :smallcool:

In other news...

Gnoll totemist, binder, warblade (not magical, but can be fluffed as so), or factotum would all be interesting. Although most of that has already been suggested...double points for totemist and binder though. Those rock.

Also, you said you were thinking of a duskblade, which would be a fine choice. However, if you just want a gish (warrior wizard) I'd go with a psychic warrior instead.

[Lonely Tylenol]

Druid, Spirit Shaman, Totemist, or PF Oracle. Going for something of a "spirit guide/naturally attuned" fluff, which is kind of what they were all designed to do. Or a Gnoll Bard, with Perform (Bark at the Moon).

[BlackRabbit]

Or maybe a hexblade? Somehow a gnoll beguiler just doesn't work.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Psychic Warrior or Ardent. Maybe even War Mind with the right build.

I'd go Flind (MM3) instead, especially if you're using Int or Cha based casting. Compared to the MM Gnoll, it gets +2 to every stat except Wis and +1 natural armor for an extra +1 LA. Plus they get weapon familiarity with the Flindbar, which is one of the best gimmick weapons in the game.

[BlackRabbit]

Psychic Warrior or Ardent. Maybe even War Mind with the right build.

I'd go Flind (MM3) instead, especially if you're using Int or Cha based casting. Compared to the MM Gnoll, it gets +2 to every stat except Wis and +1 natural armor for an extra +1 LA. Plus they get weapon familiarity with the Flindbar, which is one of the best gimmick weapons in the game.

Also, it sounds like a great insult. Tell them it's Swedish. :smallsmile: Eat my flindbar!

[Invader]

Wizard 7, Loremaster 6, Archmage 5, +1

And play him as an middle/old/venerable/ bookish recluse type character who is very frail but excels at magic.

Fluff would be easy as he's outside the normal bounds for his race.

[Red_Dog]

Just a quick note[since everyone covered most options already ^^].

There are 2 types of Gnolls generally when it comes to their origins =>

Daemonic Gnolls that warship Yeenoghu
&
Every other Gnoll who can be from any alignment you want.

I just wanted to suggest that if you would like a chaotic evil gnoll that worships Yeenoghu, you can go with Black Blood Cultist[Champions of Ruin] and perhaps some fighter levels for extra feats so there is room for Abyssal Heritor feats for flavor^^.