A gniche for gnomes?

[Mouseferatu]

Inspired by the rampant gnome-hatred in the "I must be the only crazy person here" thread, I have a question for gnome-lovers out there.

What the heck do you do with 'em?

See, I don't hate gnomes, so much as I've just never gotten a handle on who they are or what purpose they serve. Somehow, throughout all the editions, I've never really gotten a good idea of their society or their personalities, despite all the descriptions in the books. It seems that everything they're suited for, a halfling or a dwarf fits even better. The only truly "gnome-unique" personality type I've seen for them is the tinker gnomes in Dragonlance, and I hate that concept with a passion that's almost holy in its intensity.

So how do you use gnomes in your campaigns, either as a DM or a player? What sort of culture and personality to create for them that A) stands apart from the other races, and B) actually adds something to the campaign world?

 

[rounser]

What the heck do you do with 'em?

Start an industrial revolution with 'em.

 

[Pbartender]

As opposed to their transient, thieving ne'er-do-well cousins, Gnomes are Halflings with half a modicum of sense and a Real Job.

 

[Femerus the Gnecro]

Personally?

I make them deprived, evil bastards with a propensity towards lichdom.

But that's just me.

-F

 

[FungiMuncher]

In my world, gnomes fill the place between dwarves and elves. Both elves and dwarves, for their own reasons, don't interact well with human/halfling societies. The gnomes act as the go-betweens.

They're also superior alchemists, with alchemy being the most common form of magic.

FM

 

[hong]

Gnomes are Halflings with half a modicum of sense and a Nose Job.

Hmmmm.

 

[Horacio]

Look at the gnome necromancer in Everquest player's handbook and maybe you will change your ideas

 

[Moe Ronalds]

Well in my campaign the gnomes are slowly being turned to the side of evil by a dark and evil god of corruption. Of course mister corruption still makes time for the other races...

 

[F5]

You really have to stretch to give gnomes any kind of personal identity seperate from the other races. The myths that the gnome race is based on really put them in the same niche as elves (woodland creatures that tend to nature), and a little bit of the halfling/hobbit's niche (they build comfy homes in tunnels or old tree stumps).
I like the fact that they gave gnomes more fey-like powers in 3E, but it still doesn't quite make them unique enough. I tried making them evil, related to goblins, but nobody in my game really bought into it.
The best niche I've come up with for gnomes was in my silly, humor-based game, in which gnomes hid from the big races, and hadn't been seen in hundreds of years. I put a whole "UFO" spin on them, with peasants in taverns talking about Gnome Sightings, Gnome Abductions, and the sinister M.I.P.H (Men In Pointy Hats) who would appear in the night to silence People Who Knew Too Much...

 

[The Forsaken One]

Start an industrial revolution with 'em.

Seen it, been there and crushed that