Crossbreed mania- Gnomelings?

[drdevoid]

Continuing our coverage of bastard fantasy races week, I was thinking about gnomelings (part gnome, part halfling). Does anybody think designing one of these would be possible?

This somewhat harkens to the topic brilliantly rebuted by CRGreathouse about using 1 point mods. However, the only way I can think up involves breaking the rule of 2 (-2 Str, +1 Dex, +1 Con) and mixing and matching racial abilities (unless one doubles the above mods and butchers the race by giving them -4 Str). I think this kind of a character could be a blast, and it's the last core race variant left without mixing the sizes (which the half-dwarf comes close enough to doing anyhow.)

Among other fun possibilities, you can use the PHB mention to halflings calling themselves "the Hin" making the slur "gninies" quite easily. Seriously, any thoughts?

I know KenzerCo has something like this in Hackmaster, but I don't own the handbook, and it is, well, Hackmaster.

Thanks,
Joe Sullivan
"A man who hasn't found a good sig yet"

 

[the Jester]

Don't break the 2-point racial modifier rule!

But other than that, I like the idea. I have a few gelflings in my campaign- the offspring of a gnome and a half-elf. (The gnome's a pc.)

 

[Gez]

I had Ghelfels that are gnome/hin crossbreeds. They do have -4 Str +2 Dex +2 Con.

-4 Str for small size seems about right, it just give them a musculature on pair with that of humans, elves, or dwarves. Standard gnomes and halflings only have -2, they are build as strongly as half-orcs. (Look at the MM the rules for increasing a creature in size, a Small becoming Medium gets +4 Str -2 Dex +2 Con. Hence Medium Gnomes would be +2 Str -2 Dex +4 Con, and Medium Halflings would be +2 Str -2 Con.)

It prevent them from being efficient min-maxed warriors (although they could still reach 12 in Str at creation), but they would still be efficient spellcasters and rogues.

 

[Technik4]

-Gnomeling-
First a note, many potential gnomelings fail to become one, instead they just grow up to be a gnome or halfling, as the luck may fall. Because they are a rare birth (and powerful) I suggest ECL +1.

Small Size
Base Speed 20 ft
-2 Str,+2 Dex, +2 Con
Lowlight Vision
Natural Dodge +2 (this is a stackable dodge AC bonus)
+2 Alchemy, Listen, and Move Silently. Gnomelings are surefooted and quiet, also extremely sensitive to vibrations in the air, enhancing their hearing and alchemical abilities.
Immune to non-magical fear. +2 bonus against magical fear.
+1 bonus to all saving throws. This stacks with the magical fear bonus.
Gnomelings with Intelligence scores of 12 or higher may cast Mirrror Image 1/day.
Gnomelings with Charisma scores of 11 or higher may cast Silent Image 1/day.
These spells are arcane and as such the gnomeling suffers spell failure penalties for wearing armor. Treat the gonmeling as a caster equal to his character level.

Just the first draft.....

Technik

 

[drdevoid]

Am I right in assuming the consensus is -4 Str is the way to go for an ECL +0? And by doing so, I think the halfling climb and jump bonus should go out the window as per Technik4's version.

What's the consensus about mixing the abilities? What stays what goes, which cantrips?

 

[Technik4]

For ECL +0 I would drop all the spells. Keep the saving throws, keep some of the skills. I suggest Alchemy, Listen, and Move Silently. Keep either the Illusion or the Fear bonus. Keep the -4 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Con. Favored Class: Any (imo).

Small Size
Base Speed 20 ft
-4 Str,+2 Dex, +2 Con
Lowlight Vision
+2 Alchemy, Listen, and Move Silently. Gnomelings are surefooted and quiet, also extremely sensitive to vibrations in the air, enhancing their hearing and alchemical abilities.
+2 bonus against Illusions
+1 bonus to all saving throws. This stacks with the illusion bonus.
+1 bonus to thrown weapon attacks
Automatic Languages: Common, Gnome, Halfling
Bonus Languages: Any (except Special)
Favored Class: Any
ECL: +0

Technik

 

[drdevoid]

This looks good. Obviously, some might mix and match the abilities a little differently, but both versions are solid. Does anyone have any other take on the combination?

I guess the real question now is would anyone actually play one of these characters? Would they suffer the way Half-elves and Half-Orcs do (and presumably Half-Dwarves were one to use them). Your thoughts?

 

[aRogueByAnyOtherName]

what about the +1 to thrown weapons?

 

[Starseeker]

What they would be like culturally is the foremost on my mind. First of all though, which sort of gnomes are we talking about? I figure there are three schools of thought on this:
1. Gnomes are docile little nature creatures, hanging out in forests in shady little mounds and doing private tinkering on the side.
2. They are smaller, illusionist cousins to the dwarves, like them in most respects (except for the fullblown facial hair) with big noses and a penchant for making big forgey-type machines.
3. Krynnish Gnomes. Need I say more?

I figure the first type of gnome would mix very well with the traditional halfing (LotR), and since halflings of that sort are generally accepting of other races and the gnomes a gentle sort, that these gnome/halfling children would find the peaceful village life of a halfling or the quiet natural appreciation of gnomish settlements quite satisfactory.
The second type would prove a little more difficult, but i figure one possiblity is that halfchildren would be drawn into a life of travel, much like half-elves.
Perhaps their halfling inquisivtiveness and need for belonging meld with their gnomish ingenouity and drive, this would result in an odd child indeed.
If he is in a halfling community:
1. The child may very well end up in charge of important jobs in a halfling community, his drive providing the catalyst for change.
2. Maybe he might be seen as the local crackpot, desigining useless things on the edge of the village green.
3. He might become the lovable travelling tinker, at home with halflings, but prefering the solitude that a nomadic lifestyle gives, and the challenge that tinkering presents.
If he is in a Gnomish community:
1. He will probably be seen as a useless layabout, always more preoccupied with simpler pursuits of family and mischief rather than concentrating on important matters like mining and design.
2. His halfling side is likely to rebel against too much seriousness on the part of other gnomes in the pursuit of engineering, and likely to be driven away to halflings or the wider world as a half-elf is.

With Krynnish gnomes, multiply what was said a thousandfold, and you might get something ludicrously funny.... however, keep in mind that there ARE no halflings on Krynn.....*shudder* kender/gnomes.....*collapses in shock at idea* lol

 

[Gez]

I'm not someone agressive, you see, and I'm rather tolerant, especially of people that live in another plane in a wholy different cosmology. And usually, I like all gnomes.

Yet, I really think we should genocide all Krynnish gnomes so that the stop soiling the name of gnome. Yeah, I do.