Gnomes and their role in your game
Neil Aitken
Explorer
I working on my homebrew still, but the current plan has the gnomes as a race of traders, smugglers, and con artists. Sort of a mix of mafia and yakuza, they are the facilators of commerce -- but they always have a finger in everyone else's pie. Although they lack physical strength, they are usually the masterminds behind very complex criminal organizations and involved in a wide variety of intrigues.
Krieg
First Post
This topic seems to make the rounds periodically, so I'll add my .02 again. 
In my campaign Gnomes are a fantasy parallel to some of the difficulties faced by Jews in Medieval Europe.
They are a people that have lost their homeland so long ago that they no longer have knowelege of exactly where it lies. They were forced from their land in the shadows of prehistory.
After untold decades of wandering, they came to settle in human controlled lands. In the beginning they got along well enough with the humans with which they found themselves living. They were willing to take many of the jobs that the larger folk were loathe to perform. In time, through hard work & thriftiness they began to acquire wealth & some small measure of power.
As their fortunes rose, so did the jealousy of those humans who needed a scapegoat for their own failuers in life. They found an all too easy target in the small newcomers. Soon Gnomes began to face prejudice & persecution. The fact that the Gnomes followed a different spiritual path than their human hosts did them no favors either.
In time the Gnomes were forced from their homes or faced pogroms at the hands of the humans. Those that remained were forced into seperate districts in the city (ghettos), limited in what trades they could undertake (so as to not challenge human monopolies) & found their individual rights severely curtailed.
But the Gnomes were survivors, they weathered the storm of prejudice & in time even found prosperity again. The ghettos became safe-havens for the small folk & those humans foolish enough to go after gnomes on their home-turf found the ghettos to be virtual strongholds as well.
Today in most human cities the gnomes still live in ghettos, but in many this is by choice as much as by force. Their faith is strong & their Clerics' magic stronger yet. They control much of the trade between cities, have a virtual stranglehold on the precious metal/stone market (through shrewd treaties with the Dwarves who refuse to deal with anyone else), and count the finest jewelers & gemcutters among their number.
While in most lands gnomes are not allowed to hold public office or manorial property, they still wield a great deal of power & are a force to be reckoned with (although that power is primarily subtle & behind the scenes).
Despite the security that they are slowly gaining for themselves, many gnomes still dream of once again finding the lost promised land that they still call home.
Recently there is a slow but steadily growing interest in the newly discovered lands beyond the sea....
In my campaign Gnomes are a fantasy parallel to some of the difficulties faced by Jews in Medieval Europe.
They are a people that have lost their homeland so long ago that they no longer have knowelege of exactly where it lies. They were forced from their land in the shadows of prehistory.
After untold decades of wandering, they came to settle in human controlled lands. In the beginning they got along well enough with the humans with which they found themselves living. They were willing to take many of the jobs that the larger folk were loathe to perform. In time, through hard work & thriftiness they began to acquire wealth & some small measure of power.
As their fortunes rose, so did the jealousy of those humans who needed a scapegoat for their own failuers in life. They found an all too easy target in the small newcomers. Soon Gnomes began to face prejudice & persecution. The fact that the Gnomes followed a different spiritual path than their human hosts did them no favors either.
In time the Gnomes were forced from their homes or faced pogroms at the hands of the humans. Those that remained were forced into seperate districts in the city (ghettos), limited in what trades they could undertake (so as to not challenge human monopolies) & found their individual rights severely curtailed.
But the Gnomes were survivors, they weathered the storm of prejudice & in time even found prosperity again. The ghettos became safe-havens for the small folk & those humans foolish enough to go after gnomes on their home-turf found the ghettos to be virtual strongholds as well.
Today in most human cities the gnomes still live in ghettos, but in many this is by choice as much as by force. Their faith is strong & their Clerics' magic stronger yet. They control much of the trade between cities, have a virtual stranglehold on the precious metal/stone market (through shrewd treaties with the Dwarves who refuse to deal with anyone else), and count the finest jewelers & gemcutters among their number.
While in most lands gnomes are not allowed to hold public office or manorial property, they still wield a great deal of power & are a force to be reckoned with (although that power is primarily subtle & behind the scenes).
Despite the security that they are slowly gaining for themselves, many gnomes still dream of once again finding the lost promised land that they still call home.
Recently there is a slow but steadily growing interest in the newly discovered lands beyond the sea....
Last edited:
TroyXavier
First Post
Gnomes are a very diverse race in my game second only to humans. They are most frequently scholars and engineers, followed by arcane pursuits(wizardly, sorcerorly, and bardic) there are also quite a few nature followers. They're my favorite race(not counting humans) so they see quite a bit of action in my campaigns.
Creamsteak
Explorer
Throw another vote in for tinkers. I don't like "illusionists" or "bards" as they have as favored classes, but I think that they make interesting tinkers.
Pants
First Post
I switched Gnomes and Elves IMC. Gnomes have Wizard as Favored Class and have more Wizardy benefits. Elves have Druid as their favored class and have more naturey benefits. In fact, here are their stats:
ELF
— Type: Humanoid
— +2 Dexterity, –2 Constitution.
— Medium size.
— An elf’s base land speed is 30 feet.
— Immunity to sleep spells and effects and a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells or effects.
— Low-light vision.
— +2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks. An elf that merely passes within 5 feet of a secret or concealed door is entitled to a Search check to notice it as if she were actively looking for it.
— Lightfooted: Elves are naturally light and quick on their feet. The DC to Track an elf increases by +4. Plus they receive a +4 racial bonus on Move Silently checks.
— Automatic Languages: Elven, Regional, and Sylvan.
— Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day— speak with animals. Caster level equals Hit Dice; save DC 10 + elf’s Cha modifier + spell level.
— Alignment: Usually chaotic.
— Favored Class: Druid.
GNOME
— Type: Humanoid
— +2 Constitution, –2 Strength.
— Small size. +1 bonus to Armor Class, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +4 bonus on Hide checks, –4 penalty on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits 3/4 those of Medium characters.
— A gnome’s base land speed is 20 feet.
— Low-light vision.
— +2 racial bonus on saving throws against illusions.
— A gnome casts spells from the Transmutation and Illusion schools at +1 caster level.
— +2 racial bonus on Craft (alchemy) and Listen checks.
— Magically Adept: Gnomes are naturally adept at using magical tools. No matter his class, a gnome always treats Use Magic Device as a class skill. If he has levels in a class that already has Use Magic Device as a class skill, he gains a +2 racial bonus on it.
— Automatic Languages: Gnome and Regional.
— Spell-Like Abilities: A gnome with an Intelligence score of at least 10 has the following spell-like abilities: 1/day— detect magic, read magic. Caster level equals Hit Dice; save DC 10 + gnome’s Int modifier + spell level.
— Alignment: Usually good.
— Favored Class: Wizard.
ELF
— Type: Humanoid
— +2 Dexterity, –2 Constitution.
— Medium size.
— An elf’s base land speed is 30 feet.
— Immunity to sleep spells and effects and a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells or effects.
— Low-light vision.
— +2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks. An elf that merely passes within 5 feet of a secret or concealed door is entitled to a Search check to notice it as if she were actively looking for it.
— Lightfooted: Elves are naturally light and quick on their feet. The DC to Track an elf increases by +4. Plus they receive a +4 racial bonus on Move Silently checks.
— Automatic Languages: Elven, Regional, and Sylvan.
— Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day— speak with animals. Caster level equals Hit Dice; save DC 10 + elf’s Cha modifier + spell level.
— Alignment: Usually chaotic.
— Favored Class: Druid.
GNOME
— Type: Humanoid
— +2 Constitution, –2 Strength.
— Small size. +1 bonus to Armor Class, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +4 bonus on Hide checks, –4 penalty on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits 3/4 those of Medium characters.
— A gnome’s base land speed is 20 feet.
— Low-light vision.
— +2 racial bonus on saving throws against illusions.
— A gnome casts spells from the Transmutation and Illusion schools at +1 caster level.
— +2 racial bonus on Craft (alchemy) and Listen checks.
— Magically Adept: Gnomes are naturally adept at using magical tools. No matter his class, a gnome always treats Use Magic Device as a class skill. If he has levels in a class that already has Use Magic Device as a class skill, he gains a +2 racial bonus on it.
— Automatic Languages: Gnome and Regional.
— Spell-Like Abilities: A gnome with an Intelligence score of at least 10 has the following spell-like abilities: 1/day— detect magic, read magic. Caster level equals Hit Dice; save DC 10 + gnome’s Int modifier + spell level.
— Alignment: Usually good.
— Favored Class: Wizard.
The Kender
First Post
They're a huge group of evil short wizards that have formed a group like the illumanati...
Similar Threads
