D&D General Aquatic gnomes and kobolds

[JEB]

Digging through 0E material, for reasons, and stumbled across this section which (apparently) talks about aquatic variants of other monsters:

GNOMES: Live in air-enclosed subterranean cities connected to the surface by tunnels.

KOBOLDS: Live in air-enclosed cave complexes connected to the surface by tunnels.

As near I can tell, just about nothing has been done with this idea since in official material. There were aquatic gnome and kobold variants in the 3.5 Unearthed Arcana, but that seems to be it.

 

[gamerprinter]

Not to pour cold water on your premise (pun intended), the two described OE "variants" sound like surface gnomes/kobolds whose lairs were in underwater air pockets with tunnels to the surface, not so much biologically aquatic variants - not to be confused with the 3.5 UA version which do exist. Not that there shouldn't be aquatic variants, just that the example doesn't seem to qualify in the evolved game. If I need aquatic any surface race - I create them, rather than relying on canon anything, but that's only how I'd do it.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Early D&D had aquatic versions of pretty much everything. Largely so you could use the regular encounter tables if the party happened to be under water.

Kwalish is gnome (according to Lost Laboratory) and he invented a going-under-the-water-apparatus. Does that count?

 

[JEB]

Not to pour cold water on your premise (pun intended), the two described OE "variants" sound like surface gnomes/kobolds whose lairs were in underwater air pockets with tunnels to the surface, not so much biologically aquatic variants - not to be confused with the 3.5 UA version which do exist.

Yep, I noticed that. Which is why it's interesting (to me) that this idea was (near as I can tell) abandoned, and the closest we get is the UA versions.

The same section similarly describes underwater "evil high priests" that "live in underwater castles surrounded by a spell which allows those within to breathe the water just as if it were regular air from the surface."

 

[JEB]

Kwalish is gnome (according to Lost Laboratory) and he invented a going-under-the-water-apparatus. Does that count?

Kwalish being a gnome could possibly be a very oblique reference to this, though I suspect coincidence is more likely.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Kwalish being a gnome could possibly be a very oblique reference to this, though I suspect coincidence is more likely.

I think it's just an example of the "gnomes are crazy inventors" trope.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Underwater kobold city.

 

[gamerprinter]

While it was designed for Pathfinder, Alluria Publishing released the Cerulean Seas campaign setting and supplements and modules. They tackled all kinds of interesting undersea situations with mechanics for varying levels of presssure, buoyancy, thermoclines, light levels. New races, civilizations, spells, monsters and tactics. They have harpoon like weapons attached to gas balloons, that you release beneath your target so it floats up as a spear like weapon... interesting stuff, and as a campaign, it could probably convert to 5e or other games...

 

[Reynard]

I my favorite kind of gnomes underwater are the air breathing ones.

 

[JEB]

I my favorite kind of gnomes underwater are the air breathing ones.

Sounds like the 0E designers agreed!