Giant Hyena
Large Beast · · CR 1
- Beast
- Large
- Tier 1
Giant Hyena, CR 1, fills the large beast role with unaligned disposition. Encounter regions: desert, forest, grassland, and hill. Sourced from Monster Manual (5e 2014) and Monster Manual (5.5e 2024).
Stat Block
- Challenge Rating
- 1
- Type
- Beast
- Size
- Large
- Alignment
- —
- Speed
- —
- Habitats
- Desert, Forest, Grassland, Hill
- Sources
- Monster Manual (5e 2014), Monster Manual (5.5e 2024)
Ecology
Giant hyenas range across savannah, dry forest, and badlands, where they hunt in clans of four to twelve. They are scavengers and active predators both, capable of bringing down a wildebeest or running down a wounded bison over miles. Females are larger than males and lead the clan. They breed seasonally and den in abandoned sinkholes, raising cubs communally. Their bone-crushing jaws process carrion others cannot.
Behaviour
Giant hyenas laugh, whoop, and yip in complex social vocabularies that scholars believe approach proto-language. They are cruel by mortal standards, playing with wounded prey and stealing kills from other predators. They bond strongly within the clan but treat outsiders as food. Yeenoghu's cult corrupts wild clans into gnoll-allied warpacks. They despise lions, eagles, and any creature that competes for carrion.
Origin
Most giant hyenas are products of a fey-touched ancestral hyena lineage stretching back to the early ages. A more disturbing minority were created by Yeenoghu, the demon prince of gnolls, as feral mounts and breeding stock for his cult. Such hyenas carry a faint demonic taint detectable by celestials. Ordinary giant hyenas are unaligned beasts; Yeenoghu's are stepping stones to gnoll-hood, transformed in blood rituals.
Related Monsters
Frequently Asked Questions about Giant Hyena
- What is the challenge rating of Giant Hyena?
- Giant Hyena's challenge rating is 1. A party in this band fits parties at the start of their adventuring careers.
- What type of creature is Giant Hyena?
- The bestiary type for Giant Hyena is beast, large size.
- Where does Giant Hyena live?
- Giant Hyena's listed habitats include Desert, Forest, Grassland, Hill.