Yahoo

Medium humanoid (human), chaotic neutral

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Armor Class 12 (toughened hide, crude defenses)
Hit Points 60 (8d8 + 24)
Speed 30 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
14 (+2)	13 (+1)	16 (+3)	8 (−1)	10 (+0)	7 (−2)

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Saving Throws Con +5, Wis +2
Skills Athletics +4, Stealth +3, Survival +2, Perception +2
Damage Resistances Bludgeoning from improvised weapons and unarmed strikes
Condition Immunities Frightened (while in a pack of three or more)
Senses Passive Perception 12
Languages Understands Common but cannot speak coherently
Challenge 2 (450 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +2

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Traits

Pack Savagery.
The Yahoo has advantage on melee attack rolls against a creature if at least one Yahoo ally is within 5 feet of the creature and isn’t incapacitated.

Feral Endurance (1/Day).
When reduced to 0 hit points, the Yahoo can make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. On a success, it drops to 1 hit point instead.

Human Degeneracy.
A creature that sees a Yahoo up close must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be unsettled by the sight of its degraded humanity, imposing disadvantage on the creature’s next attack roll or ability check.

Filthy Stench.
A creature that starts its turn within 5 feet of the Yahoo must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the start of its next turn. On a success, the creature is immune to this Yahoo’s stench for 24 hours.

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Actions

Multiattack.
The Yahoo makes two melee attacks with its fists or improvised weapon.

Fists. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) bludgeoning damage.

Improvised Weapon. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d10 + 2) bludgeoning damage (stones, bones, or branches).

Throw Filth (Recharge 5–6).
Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) bludgeoning damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of its next turn.

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Bonus Actions

Pack Instinct.
The Yahoo can move up to half its speed toward a hostile creature it can see, without provoking opportunity attacks, if another Yahoo is already within 5 feet of that creature.

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Reactions

Desperate Swing.
When a creature misses the Yahoo with a melee attack, the Yahoo can immediately make one melee attack against that creature.

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Tactics

Yahoos attack in feral swarms, relying on speed, persistence, and instinctive coordination. They stalk and harass from cover, pelting intruders with stones and refuse before closing to fight in chaotic packs. They favor ambushes and overwhelming assaults, using Pack Savagery to exploit isolated enemies. Even when wounded, a Yahoo fights with alarming tenacity, driven by a primal fury that borders on madness.

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Lore: The Fallen Mirror of Man

“I never beheld in all my travels so detestable a creature. They were the most filthy, noisome, and deformed animals which nature ever produced.”
— Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels (1726)

The term Yahoo originates from Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, where these feral beings served as an allegory for humankind’s basest instincts. In the world of fantasy and myth, Yahoos have endured as a symbol of civilization in decay—humans who have lost the capacity for reason and restraint, reverting to filth, aggression, and mimicry of their former lives.

They haunt ruins, overgrown cities, and desolate battlefields, aping human behavior with grotesque familiarity—mock rituals, crude shelters, and hoarded relics of a forgotten world. To scholars and clerics, Yahoos are a living moral warning: the thin line between humanity and bestiality, and what remains when the mind’s higher nature collapses.

Yahoo

Medium Humanoid (Human), Chaotic Neutral

CR: 3 | XP: 800 | Alignment: CN | Init: +1
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Perception +2 | Languages: Understands Common but speaks incoherently

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Defense

AC: 13, touch 11, flat-footed 12 (+1 Dex, +2 natural) | HP: 34 (4d8+16)
Fort: +5; Ref: +2; Will: +1
Defensive Abilities: Feral Endurance (Ex, once per day, may drop to 1 hp instead of 0)
Immunities: Frightened while in packs of 3 or more

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Offense

Speed: 30 ft.
Melee: Fist +5 (1d6+2), Improvised Weapon +5 (1d8+2)
Ranged: Throw Filth +4 (1d4 bludgeoning + poison, 20 ft.)
Special Attacks: Pack Savagery (Ex), Throw Filth (Ex, 1/day)

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Statistics

Str 14 (+2), Dex 13 (+1), Con 16 (+3), Int 8 (−1), Wis 10 (+0), Cha 7 (−2)
Base Attack: +4 | CMB: +4 | CMD: 15
Feats: Improved Initiative, Toughness, Weapon Focus (Improvised Weapon)
Skills: Athletics +6, Stealth +3, Survival +4, Perception +2
SQ: Human Degeneracy (Ex), Filthy Stench (Ex)

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Special Abilities

Pack Savagery (Ex): Allies within 5 ft. grant +2 to attack rolls against threatened enemies.
Feral Endurance (Ex): Once per day, may succeed on DC 10 Con to drop to 1 hp instead of 0.
Human Degeneracy (Ex): Creatures seeing the Yahoo closely must make DC 13 Will save or take −2 on next attack/skill check.
Filthy Stench (Ex): Creatures starting turn within 5 ft. must succeed DC 12 Con save or be poisoned 1 round.
Throw Filth (Ex): Once per day, target within 20 ft. takes 1d4 bludgeoning and DC 12 Con save or poisoned 1 round.

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Combat Tactics

Yahoos operate in chaotic packs, opening with filth to distract or poison, then closing with melee. They focus on isolated targets using Pack Savagery and fight recklessly when wounded, using terrain to retreat if necessary. Weak or unarmed creatures are prioritized; spellcasters and leaders are targeted second.

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Ecology & Lore

Yahoos are humans who have abandoned reason and civility, devolving into aggressive, filthy, and greedy creatures. Originating in Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, they symbolize humanity’s basest instincts. They inhabit ruined settlements, desolate wilderness, and overgrown villages, forming packs that grotesquely mimic human society. They are unsettling to encounter, imitating human gestures without comprehension, creating a disturbing echo of civilization’s fragility.

Yahoo

The head, chest and lower legs of this naked manlike creature are covered in a thick pelt of hair, while the rest of its body is bare mud-brown skin. The creature stinks like a rancid weasel and its entire body is stained with filth. Hands and feet sport pointed, claw-like nails.

Originally Posted by Shade of the En World forums.

On this Thread

These disgusting creatures may once have been humans or another humanoid race, but are now little more than beasts. They have all the worse aspects of humanity that their limited wits can support – cowardice, greed, lust, sloth and mischief are almost instinctive to a yahoo.

The houyhnhnm keep “tamed” yahoos as beasts of burden (or possible slaves), and other intelligent beings may use tame yahoos in this way. Wild yahoos congregate in gang or mobs led by the most treacherous and vicious male, who keeps a lickspittle as his second-in-command. Whenever the mob changes its leader, usually by deceit or violence, the entire tribe heaps ordure on the old leader’s lickspittle. A group of wild yahoos frequently wars with neighboring yahoos or engages in a civil war among themselves. Such conflicts rarely result in deaths, mostly due to the yahoos’ cowardice and lack of weapons.

All yahoos are violently fond of shiny stones, and will go to great effort to dig them from the ground or steal them from another yahoo. A yahoo will keep its hoard of stones buried in some secret spot. Fields rich in such stones are the site of the yahoos’ most frequent and fiercest battles.

Yahoos will always flee from or obey a houyhnhnm, depending on the circumstances. Even the wildest yahoo will not attack a houyhnhnm or other horse-like creature. A yahoo will see other humanoids as another yahoo, and will attack, bully, grovel towards this new yahoo, depending to the circumstances. The really unlucky may have a yahoo of the opposite sex lust after them. A yahoo is likely to see a soft-skinned and clawless humanoid (like an adventurer) as a weakling ripe for tormenting. Yahoos hate humanoids who show a close relationship with the houyhnhmm, any often assault such humanoids the moment they leave the protection of a houyhnhnm. It is possibly they view such a person as being a houyhnhnm “lickspittle”.

The houyhnhnm use their yahoos them to carry loads or drag sleds for transporting sick or elderly houyhnhnm. A tamed yahoo always obeys a houyhnhnm’s orders, but will work petty mischief if unsupervised – stealing food or milk, devouring their master’s pets, vandalizing property and so forth. Yahoos are too short-sighted, fractious and indolent to organize any resistance against their masters, but require constant supervision to produce any useful work. Houyhnhnm often tie leashes made from vines or braided twigs to the neck of their yahoos, unsupervised yahoos are tied to posts or beams to keep them from working mischief.

Yahoos will eat almost anything. Most of their diet is roots and carrion, supplemented by fruit, nuts, and small animals. They like the flesh of fish, rats and weasels. Yahoos particularly enjoy the effect of intoxicating plants (a certain root is highly sought after), and eat them at every opportunity.

Most wild yahoos sleep in shallow dens dug in sloping earth, but they may also sleep in trees and caves. Domestic yahoos sleep in kennels constructed by their masters.

A yahoo is the same height and weight as a human. Male yahoos have matted beards and a ridge of hair down their spines, females have long hair but lack the hairy ridge. Yahoos develop more quickly than humans, becoming full-grown in their early teens. Yahoos are very unclean and often wallow or sleep in mud.

Yahoos do not have a language, but can be taught to obey very simple commands.

Yahoo
Medium Humanoid (Yahoo)
Hit Dice	3d8 (13 hp)
Initiative	+2
Speed	30 ft (6 squares), Climb 40 ft.
Armor Class	13 (+2 Dexterity, +1 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 11
Base Attack/Grapple	+2/+7
Attack	Unarmed strike +3 melee (1d3+1) and rock +5 ranged (1d3+1)
Full Attack	2 unarmed strikes +3 melee (1d3+1) and rock +5 ranged (1d3+1)
Space/Reach	5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks	Fling filth, natural flinger
Special Qualities	–
Saves	Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +1
Abilities	Strength 13, Dexterity 15, Constitution 10, Intelligence 6, Wisdom 7, Charisma 8
Skills	Climb +9, Jump +5, Listen +1, Spot +1, Swim +5
Feats	Improved Grapple, Improved Unarmed Strike
Environment	Any forests or plains
Organization	Solitary, gang (2-10) or mob (10-50 plus 100% noncombatants)
Challenge Rating	2
Treasure	None
Alignment	Always chaotic
Advancement	4-6 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment	+1 (cohort)

COMBAT

Whenever possible, yahoos prefer to fight from a distance. They throw rocks, branches and even their own filth at opponents. Extremely craven, yahoos will flee from even slight setbacks.

Fling Filth (Ex): A yahoo can fling a clump of its own filth as a splash weapon. Treat this as a ranged touch attack with a range increment of 10 feet. Any living creature (except yahoos and troglodytes) hit by the filth are sickened for 1d4 rounds (Fort DC 11 for half duration), while every creature within 5 feet of the point where the filth hits are sickened for 1 round by from the splash (Fort DC 11 negates). The save DC is Constitution-based.

Creatures that successfully save cannot be affected by the same yahoo’s fling filth ability for 24 hours. A delay poison or neutralize poison spell removes the effect from the sickened creature. Creatures with immunity to poison are unaffected, and creatures resistant to poison receive their normal bonus on their saving throws.

Natural Flinger (Ex): Yahoos have a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls made with thrown weapons.

Skills: Yahoos have a +4 racial bonus on Jump and Swim checks and a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks. A yahoo can always choose to take 10 on a Climb check, even if rushed or threatened.

Clawed Yahoo

In Jonathan Swift’s satirical book Gulliver’s Travels the yahoos fought mainly with claws, augmented by their sharp teeth. They were not adept at thrown weapons as described above. Indeed, there is no mention of them using any weapons at all. Such a yahoo uses the following statistics, with any missing statistic being the same as the yahoo detailed above.

Attack	Claw +4 melee (1d3+1)
Full Attack	2 claws +4 melee (1d3+1) and bite +1 melee (1d4)
Special Attacks	Improved grab, stench
Feats	Multiattack, Weapon Focus (claw)

COMBAT

Clawed yahoos fight by biting and scratching. Instead of using thrown weapons like other yahoos, clawed yahoos prefer to attack opponents by outnumbering and ambushing them. They are just as cowardly as other yahoos, taking to their heels if they face any significant resistance.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a clawed yahoo must hit an opponent of up to Large size with a claw attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold. Clawed yahoos have a +4 racial bonus to grapple checks.

Stench (Ex): A clawed yahoo is covered in filth whose smell nearly every form of animal life finds offensive. All living creatures (except yahoos and troglodytes) within 30 feet of the yahoo must succeed on a DC 11 Fortitude save or be sickened for 1d4 rounds. The save DC is Constitution-based. Creatures that successfully save cannot be affected by the same yahoo’s stench for 24 hours. A delay poison or neutralize poison spell removes the effect from the sickened creature. Creatures with immunity to poison are unaffected, and creatures resistant to poison receive their normal bonus on their saving throws.

Originally appeared in Polyhedron #106 (1995).

Yahoo Alpha

Medium humanoid (human), chaotic evil

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Armor Class 14 (improvised armor of bone and hide)
Hit Points 110 (13d8 + 52)
Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
16 (+3)	14 (+2)	18 (+4)	10 (+0)	12 (+1)	9 (−1)

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Saving Throws Str +5, Con +6, Wis +3
Skills Athletics +5, Intimidation +2, Perception +3, Survival +3
Damage Resistances Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from nonmagical attacks while raging
Condition Immunities Frightened
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 13
Languages Understands Common and Sylvan but speaks only in broken, guttural fragments
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +3

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Traits

Alpha’s Ferocity.
All Yahoos within 30 feet of the Alpha have advantage on attack rolls against creatures the Alpha has attacked this turn.

Berserk Endurance (2/Day).
When the Alpha is reduced to 0 hit points, it can make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a success, it drops to 1 hit point instead and gains advantage on all attack rolls until the end of its next turn.

Aura of Savagery.
Any hostile creature that starts its turn within 10 feet of the Alpha must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the start of its next turn.

Improvised Mastery.
The Alpha treats any improvised weapon as a club dealing 1d10 + 3 bludgeoning damage.

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Actions

Multiattack.
The Yahoo Alpha makes three melee attacks or two ranged attacks.

Crushing Blow. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (1d10 + 5) bludgeoning damage.

Throw Debris. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 30/90 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (2d6 + 2) bludgeoning damage.

Rage (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest).
As a bonus action, the Alpha enters a furious rage lasting 1 minute. While raging, it gains:

• Advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.
• +2 damage with melee weapon attacks.
• Resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
  The rage ends early if the Alpha is incapacitated or if it fails to attack a hostile creature on its turn.

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Bonus Actions

Howl of Command (Recharge 5–6).
The Alpha releases a guttural roar that drives nearby Yahoos into a frenzy. Each Yahoo within 60 feet can immediately use its reaction to move up to its speed and make one melee attack.

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Reactions

Savage Retaliation.
When hit by a melee attack, the Alpha can make one melee attack against the attacker.

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Tactics

The Yahoo Alpha leads through violence and dominance, driving its pack forward with snarls and blows. It opens combat by hurling debris to draw attention, then charges into melee, using Aura of Savagery to disrupt enemy lines.
It directs lesser Yahoos to swarm isolated foes, using Howl of Command to coordinate ambushes or overwhelm spellcasters. When wounded, it becomes increasingly unpredictable—its Berserk Endurance fueling a savage final assault.

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Lore: The Apex of Degradation

“Among the brutes there arose one fouler still—a beast that remembered command, but forgot compassion.”
— Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels (1726)

In Swift’s original vision, the Yahoo represented humankind stripped of virtue. The Yahoo Alpha embodies the same allegory magnified: the instinct to rule surviving beyond the death of civilization. These leaders are cunning and cruel, commanding through fear and strength, their dominance sustained by perpetual violence.

In wilder regions, Alphas hoard the relics of a bygone humanity—broken crowns, twisted swords, fragments of books—and treat them as sacred symbols of their lost dominion. Other Yahoos obey without question, mistaking brutality for greatness.

Scholars claim that each Alpha is a mirror of a fallen age, proof that the desire to lead may outlast the capacity to be human.