Gnolls look like hyenas given humanoid bearing. Their powerfully built bodies are covered with short brown or dull yellow fur spotted in darker brown. The claws on their hands and feet, while often painted or decorated with whorls, are brittle and ill-suited as weapons. Gnolls find most clothing restrictive and uncomfortable and favor short kilts or skirts with hardened leather mail or a leather apron to protect the torso. They like to adorn their leather with metal links and spikes.

Though they are viewed as lazy and vicious by their detractors, gnolls are no more likely to be indolent or violent than the members of any other lineage. They once lived in familial packs like the hyenas they resemble, but they are increasingly becoming citizens of the world and can be found in most desert and port cities. Nonadventurous gnolls gravitate toward physical occupations, such as tanning and trapping. Gnolls evidence some amount of wanderlust, and they are often found among traveling caravans or as the crew of merchant vessels.