Gnome Favored Class: BARDS?!?

[wayne62682]

Look, favored classes are just there to provide a guideline for nubs. For experienced gamers, I suggest applying the human's favored class rule to all races.

Amen. My group makes it a point to always do this, if not just do away with favored classes entirely. Really, they only exist because some people are afraid of a character picking up three or more classes, and because you always have some people who think class == profession and not a skillset, and thusly its "wrong" to take more than two.

 

[Artoomis]

Amen. My group makes it a point to always do this, if not just do away with favored classes entirely. Really, they only exist because some people are afraid of a character picking up three or more classes, and because you always have some people who think class == profession and not a skillset, and thusly its "wrong" to take more than two.

Actually I think they exist to partially offset the bonuses other races get that humans do not.

I do not mind doing away with them - I think XP penalties are not a good thing.

However, one needs to look carefully at the balance between humans and other charcters to see if maybe then some small thing needs to be added to humans in compensation.

 

[Felon]

However, one needs to look carefully at the balance between humans and other charcters to see if maybe then some small thing needs to be added to humans in compensation.

I almost shot Diet Coke out my nose when I read this.

I've been carefully examining humans since 3e came out. Everyone has. They're easily one of the most potent candidates for just about any character class, and require no compensation whatsoever to retain their appeal.

Conversely, half-elves stink even with a favored class of "any".

That whole concept of compensation is a pernicious thing. Over in the rules forum, I started a thread about how pointless it is to have a feat for tracking. And while most folks agree, there is this odd notion that eliminating the Track feat requires the ranger to be compensated in some way. The basic flaw with this mentality is it assumes everything was balanced perfectly to begin with. Anyone who compares what a dwarf gets to just about any other race should know better.

 

[pawsplay]

I always liked gnome for wizard and elf for sorcerer. Magic is in the elves' blood, right? But that would dealing with a lot of legacy issues, like Bladesinger AC and so forth. And gnomes could be studious wizards, and some might specialize in illusions.

 

[werk]

Ah but half-elves can still go that way. They inherited the human's adaptability and have favored class: any

And if you take that away, you might actually have to make them play-worthy.

As is, unfavored class is about the only thing going for them. I say make their favored BARD and rebuild the race.

 

[Felon]

And if you take that away, you might actually have to make them play-worthy.

As is, unfavored class is about the only thing going for them. I say make their favored BARD and rebuild the race.

Meh. I say drop half-elves altogether. You can either play an elf with roundish ears, or a human with slightly pointy ones. No half-race required.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Drop half-orcs and half-elves and make them a human-only, 1st level-only feat instead.

 

[airwalkrr]

Why couldn't they have two favored classes, bard and illusioninst? It wouldn't have been overpowering at all.

Heh heh. Here comes the multiclassed bard/illusionist munchkin. Fear him!

IMC gnomes have favored class: illusionist. A quote from the 3.0 PH (page 26): "There are no bardic traditions among dwarves, gnomes, or halflings..." Yea, that sounds like a favored class to me.

 

[irdeggman]

Heh heh. Here comes the multiclassed bard/illusionist munchkin. Fear him!

IMC gnomes have favored class: illusionist. A quote from the 3.0 PH (page 26): "There are no bardic traditions among dwarves, gnomes, or halflings..." Yea, that sounds like a favored class to me.

And yet from the 3.0 PHB

Personality: Gnomes adore animals, beautiful gems, and jokes of all kinds. Gnomes have a great sense of humor, and while they love puns, jokes, and games, they relish tricks—the more intricate the better. Fortunately, they apply the same dedication to more practical arts, such as engineering, as they do to their pranks.

Gnomes are inquisitive. They love to find things out by personal experience. At times they’re even reckless. Their curiosity makes them skilled engineers, since they are always trying new ways to build things. Sometimes a gnome pulls a prank just to see how the people involved will react.

Sounds like a pretty good description of at least one aspect of the bard.

And since we are talking about 3.5 and not 3.0

Personality: Gnomes adore animals, beautiful gems, and jokes of all kinds. Members of this race have a great sense of humor, and while they love puns, jokes, and games, they relish tricks—the more intricate the better. They apply the same dedication to more practical arts, such as engineering, as they do to their pranks.

Gnomes are inquisitive. They love to find things out by personal experience. At times they’re even reckless. Their curiosity makes them skilled engineers, since they are always trying new ways build things. Sometimes a gnome pulls a prank just to see how the people involved will react.

Nothing changed from 3.0.


But in the bard description. . .

Races: Bards are commonly human, gnome, elf, or half-elf. Humans take well to the wandering life and adapt easily to new lands and customs. Gnomes have a sense of humor and trickery that lends itself to a bardic career.

There are no bardic traditions among dwarves, or halflings, though occasional individuals of these races find teachers to train them in the ways of the bard.

 

[smootrk]

For sticking with the original flavor for gnomes, I would re-assign them to Beguiler or Specialist Wizard (Illusion). It would be a player choice, but they would only get one favored class. Bard never made much sense to me; I can see Druid as an option, but that harkens back to folklore-ish conceptions of the race that predates d&d completely.