Pimp my Gnoll Warren

[Azoth]

OK, so my gaming group has decided to do a dungeon grind with me at the helm. They have asked that I give them a challenge befitting my time and experiences here at the playground.

I initially thought to use Kobolds, but felt that was too cruel, and as such have fallen back to another favorite monster of mine...Gnolls. I intend to design a full blown Gnoll warren that is dug into the side of a mountain.

The group will be 3-4 players and I am starting them at level 5. They are starting on their builds this week, so I do not have any specifics on their optimization or party composition at this time.

I am asking the playground for interesting combats, traps, or other ideas to make this dungeon a fittingly maddening experience for my players. They are aware of Tucker's Kobolds, and have given their consent to be subjected to a dungeon that seems the love child of those Kobolds and Demon Souls. Please help me give it to them.

[Cwymbran-San]

For an opening encounter, i would suggest something nice and straight: an Ettin throwing rocks, shielded by 4 Gnoll-Warrios with tower shields, each throwing tanglefoot bags and poisoned javelins. Major PITA for most groups that level as they cannot easily dispose of the ettin and the tanglefoot bags make movement quite problematic. Locate them in a bottleneck (Thermopylae-style) and see if your players are up to it.

Which classes will your group be playing?

Please excuse any errors in grammar or spelling, english is not my first language.

[Azoth]

I had considered doing something like that. a few other ideas I had were:

Bats trained to drop alchemical items on them to soften them up or scare them.

Collapsing tunnel sections to help get them lost.

A shield phalanx protecting some Gnoll alchemists with shot on the run positioned on a narrow incline.

An ambush of Gnoll hunters using hyenas to pincer attack while dropping BFC on the party.

[Elvenoutrider]

Throw in a pathfinder skald with a group of cannibal barbarians

[Honest Tiefling]

Gnolls are associated with demons, Lamashtu in particular, aren't they? I would toss in some demons as well. Witches can be easily reflavored to have gained powers through a demonic patron. I'd also throw a summoner behind the shield wall to keep them buffed up and scary. Oh, and Spider Climb is on both the Alchemist and the Summoner spell/extract list, for hilarity's sake. Especially if you have a ranged person in your party who'd enjoy the challenge.

[Nibbens]

Gnolls are associated with demons, Lamashtu in particular, aren't they? I would toss in some demons as well. Witches can be easily reflavored to have gained powers through a demonic patron.

I agree with this sentiment.

As far as my own contribution: Not all encounters have to be combat. I'd suggest a Roleplay encounter somewhere in there. Introduce a baby gnoll still crying in a mothers nest somewhere in the "sleeping quarters." Aaaand watch and see if the PCs maternal instincts kick in or not. Then the lengthy debate if a gnolls are born evil or disposed to evil or just a product of their society. And then what to do with the gnoll baby - who's going to kill it, keep it, who will they give it to, etc etc.

[Thealtruistorc]

I happen to like Gnolls quite a bit, so I am glad that I have a chance to try this.

Gnolls rely primarily upon ambushing and scavenging, so if they can fight you from out of nowhere and slowly cripple you that would be optimal. Here's what I'm thinking

A Gnoll Bouda (or possibly a gnoll suicide bomber with an anti-magic field item) runs into a room and sets up AMF. In the event it dies, it just starts laughing madly. Immediately after that, Walls of Stone immediately seal off the rest of the room, and several aids with the ability to burrow/earth glide (or just from holes in the walls) start pelting you with poisoned arrows and watching as you slowly wither and die (drop in giants or other beasties from above to finish them off). If the party starts doing well at resisting, cave the floor out from under them into a giant underground lake, and have sharpshooters or folks with harpoons start spearing them, aiming at divine spellcasters first. Speed this up by having them throw buckets of eels or summoning octopi into the water. If the PCs are able to get out amidst the pitch-black darkness, have a sharpshooter tag them with brand, faerie fire, or something else that would enable you to track them down (use called shot rules and aim for the legs. That will slow them down). The party is now running blind through an underground labyrinth, likely with many of their stats depleted, and all the while the gnolls are running in the surrounding hallways with spears at the ready. One by one they are separated and picked off, either with environmental hazards, battlefield control spells (rock to mud and deeper darkness will be particularly nasty), or just sporadic ambushes (I like the idea of them riding giant, half-fiendish moles in and out of the walls). When they are alone and feeling helpless, that's when raiding parties come out of nowhere to stab one of them to death and drag off the body. By the time only one remains, chase him to a giant pit trap where he slips, falls, and winds up in a pit (antimagic fielded and with the walls greased, obviously) slowly being filled with a delicious-looking broth. The scattered limbs of his fallen compatriots are laying around the giant soup kettle, and all he hears as he slowly drowns in the boiling concoction is the incessant laughter of a thousand bloodthirsty hyena-men.

The laughing...The laughing never stops.

[Novawurmson]

AMF is a little much for a level 5 party, isn't it?

A gnoll Crossbowman (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/fighter/archetypes/paizo---fighter-archetypes/crossbowman) Fighter 5 with Vital Strike and a heavy crossbow using his readied actions to Vital Strike+Deadly Aim spellcasters could be a nice addition.

Edit: Also, you can use the Gnoll (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/races/other-races/more-races/standard-races-1-10-rp/gnoll-6-rp) stats from the ARG to make gnolls without racial hit die (especially good for casters).

[ShurikVch]

Pimp my Gnoll Warren
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/e2/6a/59/e26a59bb4ccb0b77c685d8ffd7670aaf.jpg
Gnoll pimp from d20 Modern.

[Novawurmson]

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/e2/6a/59/e26a59bb4ccb0b77c685d8ffd7670aaf.jpg
Gnoll pimp from d20 Modern.

The internet is a beautiful and terrifying place.

[Florian]

I wouldn't use a "Warren" or similiar kind of Dungeon, as that's not all too fitting for Gnolls and the theme they run on.

Instead, use an katapesh-y styled village and oasis as setup, build up on the slaver aspects, pack hunting tactics and mobility here. Also include lots and lots of traps.

Take the regular Gnoll, switch Power Attack for EWP: Net and have some Gnoll Slayer w. poisoned arrows in the background.

Have Packs with regular Gnolls, regular Hyena, upgrade with a Skald and an Anti-Paladin.

The Gnoll Pimp was mentioned, so actually use that, have the, flood an important area with human commoner 1 slaves that panick around.

Show your mean streak an sprinkle in some occult classes, especially Mesmerist, Psychic and Spiritualist.
Anti-Paladin of Lamashtu and Spiritualist with a Fear phantom make a terrifying encounter.

Show the Lamashtu connection and go a bit bonkers. Hippo dosed in alchemists fire and sicced on the characters? Do it!

And use Bear Traps. A lot!