Faction Friday: Naomi’s Gnolls

Posted by on March 31, 2017
Gnoll Defenders by benwootten

Gnoll Defenders by benwootten

Naomi’s Gnolls can be used either as a friendly faction that sends the PCs out on a mission, or as a foe that the PCs must overcome. This pack of gnolls is led by a charismatic human woman, Naomi Darvenel, who either restrains the gnolls into a force for good, or leads them on directed raids.

As a friendly faction, Naomi was a necromancer who repented of her vocation and wanted to make a grand gesture to bring good into the world. She used her powers to create a band of gnolls, but teaches them to do good instead of evil. This is a terribly difficult task, as the gnolls’ base nature constantly tempts them towards acts of carnage.

Plot hook: Naomi seeks the Amulet of Control, which should give her better control over the gnolls. She hires the adventurers to retrieve it from a ruined castle.

As a foe faction, Naomi is a necromancer who used her powers to create a band of gnolls. Necromancy is a lonely profession, and she considers the gnolls her (extremely fierce) pets. She occasionally uses them to hunt ruins for artifacts, but mostly keeps them in her lair. This last tactic is turning into a problem; the gnolls grow increasingly restless.

The PCs can encounter Naomi’s Gnolls in practically any dungeon environment, exploring it for treasure much like the PCs. Naomi’s protectiveness of her gnolls causes her to retreat as soon as one gnoll is defeated in combat, so the PCs may face Naomi many times.

Naomi’s Gnolls lair in an abandoned temple.

  1. The long entrance corridor contains two pit traps (DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) to detect). The first simply deals 1d8 falling damage; the other is a spiked pit trap, which also deals 1d6 poison damage.
  2. The entrance corridor was expanded into a small, time-wasting excursion that leads to room 2, in which an ochre jelly lies dormant until the PCs open either door (AC 8, HP 47, Attack +4, Damage 9 (2d6+2) bludgeoning + 3 (1d6) acid; splits if hit by lightning or slashing damage and HP >= 10).
  3. Naomi uses the large chamber in area 3 has her personal laboratory and study space. It contains a large table piled with books and artifacts and a bed. She magically summons food and water for herself and her gnolls.
  4. The gnolls sleep in this circular stone room, which looks like it may have once served as a ritual chamber of some kind.
  5. This small, oddly shaped room is now used to store Naomi’s supplies. Pushed against the walls are crates of clothes, sweets that Naomi can’t conjure, and some expensive plates and goblets Naomi has collected over the years (150 gp value in total).

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