Christina Stiles Presents: Races Revised – Cackle of the Gnolls by Mike Welham is a role playing game supplement published by Rogue Genius Games, when it was Super Genius Games, for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. As such, it is covered by the Open Game License and some parts are considered to be Open Game Content as a result.
The supplement is available from DriveThruRPG as a 13-page PDF for $3.99 although it was purchased at a greatly reduced price as part of a special bundle. Two thirds of a page are the cover and one page is the Credits and Open Game License.
The opening paragraphs explains that the Races Revised series is meant to make alternate, often evil or NPC, races more interesting, with an overview of the sections.
Gnolls explains that gnolls are an opportunistic race of lazy and cowardly scavengers. Their physical description, racial traits and society are covered. Gnolls are strongly unified – odd, for a chaotic race – and killing another gnoll or betraying one to a racial enemy results in the offending gnoll being outcast – again, rather odd. Gnolls do not like doing work and prefer to have slaves doing it. Gnolls met in cities will be outcasts and they dislike other outcast gnolls. They find elves and half-elves frail, get along best with humans and half-orcs, with the occasional halfling or gnome. They respect dwarven loyalty to clan. Finally, there are example names as well as physical stats.
Alternate Racial Rules starts with Alternate Racial Traits which can replace an existing trait or be used as a balancing trait if no existing one is listed. Racial Subtypes are subraces created using the alternate traits. Favoured Class Options covers the different classes.
Racial Archetypes has two, a feral soul and a pack-bonded hunter.
New Racial Rules has gnollish equipment and special materials, the latter being an anti-gravitic ore.
Gnoll Feats has some new feats.
Gnoll Magic Items has some new magic items, a new clerical subdomain and some new spells.
Christina Stiles Presents: Races Revised – Cackle of the Gnolls in Review
The PDF is well bookmarked with major and minor sections linked. Navigation is good. The text maintains a three-column landscape format and appeared to be free of errors. The landscape format is intended to be easier to read, but it works less well on smaller devices. There are some stock colour and black and white images. Presentation is okay.
The supplement covers gnolls well and makes them more interesting. Some of this could be used to make foes livelier, but the outcast gnolls gives a way of having a gnoll join an adventuring party. Such would also make loyal comrades, as the gnolls would class their compatriots as their new clan; even outcast gnolls still value clan. The new additions add some unique features to gnolls. Christina Stiles Presents: Races Revised – Cackle of the Gnolls is a decent little supplement and it can be found by clicking here.
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