Gnoll Claw Fighter

Gnoll Claw Fighter (CR 9)

Chaotic Evil - Medium - Humanoid (Gnoll)

Lore:	Know (Local)
17		33
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

16

Perception:
24	+14
Passive	Active

Ambush:

10+

on a d20

Senses:

• Standard Senses
• Low-Light Vision
• Keen Scent 40 ft.

Movement Types:

• Walk 40 ft.

Defense

AC

27

Man Def

26

Monster Health
178	89	14
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+11
Refl:	+6
Will:	+6

Strong Against:

Weak Against:

Offense

Size:	Medium
5 ft.		5 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+15

Man Off

+14

Action

0

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 1x Gnoll Bite +15 (2d10+12/x2)
  as crushing (physical, common)

Full Attack (Melee):

• 1x Gnoll Bite +15 (2d10+12/x2)
  as crushing (physical, common)
• 2x Gnoll Claws +15 (2d6+5/x2)
  as slashing (physical, common)

Standard Attack (Ranged):

Full Attack (Ranged):

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

19

STR

15

DEX

14

CON

9

INT

12

WIS

8

CHA

Skills:

• Perception: 14
• Stealth: 14
• All other skills: 9 (no ranks)

Languages: Gnoll

Feats:

Special Abilities

Giggling Charge (Su) Standard Action

As a standard action, the Claw Fighter may make a charge combat maneuver and use Giggling Charge. As part of the Charge, the Gnoll may force the victim of the Giggling Charge to make a Will Save against a DC of 19, regardless of whether the combat maneuver hits or misses. Those who fail this Will Save are Baffled for one round. Those who make this Will save are instead Dazzled for one round. This is a sonic based mind-affecting power.

Pack Attack (Ex) Automatic

Any time a Claw Fighter would receive a bonus to-hit for a Flank, it doubles the to-hit bonus, to +4 instead of +2.

Slink (Su) Full Attack Action

As a full-attack action, the gnoll may use its animalistic nature to drop to all fours and Slink to the attack against its enemies. It may move up to 15 feet without provoking attacks of opportunity, and take a full attack (claw/claw/bite) at any point during the movement. If it desires, it may make all these attacks upon a single enemy, or it may spread them among enemies it passes as it wishes. All attack bonuses (such as for flanking) are calculated for each square in which the gnoll makes an attack.

Gnoll Claw Fighter

Gnolls are, in general, vile things. But the Claw Fighter is the most animalistic of gnolls, the one closest to their hyena nature. Claw Fighters wear the rudiments of clothing at best, crouch on all fours, and their speech is babyish, often interrupted by compulsive yipping giggles that are terrible to hear. Perhaps the worst thing about Claw Fighters is that they are not stupid. They are as intelligent as any Gnoll, and are fully aware of their degenerate state compared to other Gnolls.

Claw Fighters are hunched things that seem to never stand still. They are always twitching and swaying, shuffling in little circles, their terrible eyes peering over toothy maws stretched wide by painful giggles and lolling tongues. Claw Fighters would be MUCH better at stealth than they already are, if they could only stand still and stop giggling. Even as it is, they are still uncomfortably good at creeping up on their victims. Claw Fighters are eager cannibals, eating every sentient race including other gnolls.

In Gnoll society, claw fighters are, weirdly enough, not looked down upon for their foibles. Indeed, Claw Fighters are not exactly revered, but they are certainly respected. Part of that might have to do with their absolute savagery in combat, which, combined with their horrible strained laughter, is very effective.

Combat Tactics

Claw Fighter Gnolls are sly but eager combatants. They will try to sneak up on victims if they can, although their stealth leaves a lot to be desired. Once the battle is joined, they will use Giggling Charge to race to the attack on all fours, cackling the whole time, and try to inflict Baffled or Dazzled upon as many enemies as they can.

Once in melee, fighting Claw Fighters is a disorienting experience, as they will use Slink every round to set themselves up for Pack Attack flanking bonuses. They are quite infuriating, especially with the constant giggling. Even worse, Claw Fighters are not stupid. If there are soft targets in a party, they will utterly ignore the heavily armored sorts and use Slink to go and attack the clothies mercilessly. Wise opponents will seek to go 'back to back' against Claw Fighters, and unwise opponents will suffer.

Claw Fighters are not courageous, and will flee a battle without hesitation...if they think of it. Claw Fighters love fighting and love killing things, and can easily become distracted in a fight to the point that they will fail to flee until it is far too late.

Out of Combat

Gnolls live in large, loose, rambling encampments, in things sort of like yurts made of wood, bone, and raw, rotting skins. If they have been in one place for more than a few days, their burrowing instincts will prompt them to begin digging warrens under their yurts, and if they have been in place for a while the tunnels and chambers beneath are usually even larger than their territory above. Slaves are seen everywhere, miserable and bedraggled.

They typically have a few large cooking pits where they char meat, and large open areas in which they circle and snarl, or preen. From these semi-nomadic camps, they strike out in loose bands, of varying composition and size, to prowl and hunt all their territory. Gnolls are strong and vicious, and if they were better organized could be a major threat, but as they are, even orcs can easily drive them away with numbers and tactics. Woe betide the weak and unwary when gnolls are around.

Claw Fighters are some of the most high-visibility Gnolls, even though there are lots of other kinds of Gnolls out there. Their appearance and behavior, with the constant strained giggling, is frankly unnerving. Even worse is their demeanor of murderous cannibalism. Everyone knows they eat sentients, and like it.

As a result, quite a few Claw Fighters wind up working as 'muscle' for more civilized types. Even though they are true horror shows, they are not stupid and can be made to restrain themselves. They make great threatening henchmen, and can be found in the company of unsavory sorts for lots of reasons, none of them good.

Rewards

XP: 6,400

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 5,125 gp.

Weight: 90 lbs.     Volume: 3.6 cu. ft.

Optional Treasure Rules: Roll a d20 on Table 1 below once per encounter (NOT per creature). Any items discovered are in addition to the normal treasure for the encounter.

Table 1: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 10	Nothing Found
11 - 14	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
15 - 17	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
18 - 19	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
6 - 10	3 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
11 - 14	1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
15 - 17	1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
18 - 19	1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
20	Roll on Table 3
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
6 - 8	3 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
9 - 11	3 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
12 - 14	3 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
15 - 17	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
18 - 19	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)