Exeunt gnomes: bang or whimper?

[Nifft]

They should disappear 1984- style in a retcon. There never were no gnomes!

"We have always been at war with Gnomica!"?

, -- N

 

[Hairfoot]

I absolutely cannot understand all the gnome hate.... oh, wait, yes I can, and its all Dragonlance's fault.

I think that's partially true, but my indifference toward gnomes is mostly because dwarves make them redundant. They're too similar, IMO, for both to warrant a berth in the PHB, and mythically they're the same thing.

What self respecting race tolerates being called a half of something anyway?

Certainly not halflings! Since the days of yore, almost every sourcebook, article and supplement regarding halflings has included a paragraph along the lines of "halflings don't consider themselves to be half the size of anything, and usually refer to themselves as [insert setting's racial name for halflings]."

 

[JohnSnow]

I think that's partially true, but my indifference toward gnomes is mostly because dwarves make them redundant. They're too similar, IMO, for both to warrant a berth in the PHB, and mythically they're the same thing.

And that, in a nutshell, is the problem with gnomes. Traditionally in D&D, they were basically "dwarves that can do magic." The problem is that with the rise of 3e, dwarves can do magic, so what niche do gnomes now fill?

As the "mysterious short race that disappears into the woods," they share the same turf as halflings. Some people therefore decide they hate halflings, so that they can find room for gnomes. They think that because "gnome" is an older name that gnomes are somehow less "setting-specific" than halflings (which they rightly regard as derived from Tolkien's hobbits). That's a viable opinion, but the simple reality is that because of Tolkien, halflings have more public recognition than gnomes.

Certainly not halflings! Since the days of yore, almost every sourcebook, article and supplement regarding halflings has included a paragraph along the lines of "halflings don't consider themselves to be half the size of anything, and usually refer to themselves as [insert setting's racial name for halflings]."

The exception is Birthright, where the name "Halfling" is reflective of the fact that the race originated in the Shadow Realm and, as such, is only "halfway" in the world. Hence: Half-ling.

Which is both the weirdest and most clever justification for the name I've ever heard.

 

[howandwhy99]

I think they'll survive as well as Giant Crayfish and Cave Bears have in 3e. Those pointy-hatted buggers are damned resourceful.

The question is: "Will humans survive?" They've been out of the MM for decades now.

 

[Hairfoot]

I think they'll survive as well as Giant Crayfish and Cave Bears have in 3e.

I once had a fine time sending players on a subterranean expedition to fetch a giant cray for magic item components. It nearly ate an elf's leg.

 

[Trench]

http://www.enworld.org/showpost.php?p=3832095&postcount=33

That's why gnomes are a cool and vital race in Whiz's and my campaigns. It's not just a race, it's a way of life.

 

[Lurks-no-More]

But just because I play with right-thinking players who eschew elves doesn't mean WotC should drop elves from the PHB. Nor does it mean that gnomes should be dropped because of someone else's campaign.

Agreed. And I think that WotC has done that research (possibly via playtest), and has come to the conclusion that gnome-gamers are a sufficiently small minority compared to elf enthusiasts or dwarf dudes, so that they don't necessitate gnomes in the PHB. (At least they are putting gnome PC rules in the MM.)

 

[Arkhandus]

Meh. Most likely, the RPGA is filled mostly with players of Humans, Dwarves, and Halflings, and a smattering of others, because the low point-buy used in RPGA games combined with the poor game-mechanics design of other core races makes them rather seriously disadvantaged.

Elves, gnomes, half-orcs, and half-elves just generally suck by comparison stat-wise for such games (and most folks aren't fine with their character sucking most of the time in actual play; especially in games like the RPGA, where the DM doesn't have as much freedom to help out such characters if he or she is so inclined).

So statistics from the RPGA wouldn't really be telling, since many folks not participating in that have home games with a broader variety of races used because they don't use heavily-restrictive ability score determination. Of course there are some folks that still use the 25-point buy or similar, too, but probably not as many.


As for the halfling-name point: Yeah, in some settings they have their own name for their race. In Faerun they're called Hin, at least by some of their own kind. In my Rhunaria homebrew, the halflings' own name for their race is Keth, but with many of their kind being wandering traders and explorers, they don't cause any trouble with other folks calling them 'halflings'. Besides, halflings are probably just fine with other races dismissing them and underestimating them; it makes it all the easier for them to live relatively undisturbed and also makes it easier for them to engage in shady or revolutionary activities.

 

[Gort]

I can't say I'll miss them. They're pretty much impossible to take seriously, and I've seen as many gnome PCs as I have seen werebears, araneas and hags.

One.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

The exception is Birthright, where the name "Halfling" is reflective of the fact that the race originated in the Shadow Realm and, as such, is only "halfway" in the world. Hence: Half-ling.

Which is both the weirdest and most clever justification for the name I've ever heard.

Amusingly, gnomes weren't allowed as a PC race in Birthright, but appeared on a list of suggested monsters.

My 3.0 Birthright DM took that bit of bad editing and gave us gnome sith lord opponents.

Brad