Gnomes! (HUH) What are they good for? Absolutely nothing!

Blowing the dust off my post the last time this topic came up:

Gnomes are the equivalent of magical rabbits. They are smaller and weaker than almost everyone else (except for kobolds, whom they compete for living space with -- no one ever remembers that kobolds also live in dark forests per the RAW). EVERYONE can wipe them out if they want to, so gnomes, like rabbits, have learned to hide.

They're not illusionists because they're into Zen Buddhism, as Races of Stone tried to explain. They're illusionists because, if they're not, the local orc tribe will dig them all up and eat them during the next lunar eclipse.

And they're not illusionists in the cold, dry way that D&D magic is often portrayed. It permeates every aspect of their society. They learn tricks to hide their settlements, with secret doors and traps all over the place (albeit less cruel than the ones the kobolds use). They tell tall tales about the size of their settlements and nations, concealing the fact that the local "king of the gnomes" rules over four families living beneath a single meadow. They use false names and disguises when dealing with outsiders, to effectively increase their numbers. They lie and trick everyone they meet to see how easy they are to fool -- because they have to fool them to survive. Garl Glittergold isn't some Harlequin-style fool, he's El-ahrairah, the rabbit trickster hero from Watership Down. Some of them might even tell the world they're halflings because, you know, they're short and smart-alec and who really checks what race the short guy is?

They speak with animals because even the elves don't worry if a ground squirrel is watching them move through the forest, little realizing that the ground squirrel will pop into a gnome burrow for a treat later on, and tell the gnomes all about the band of elves marching single file through the woods.

They play with clockworks to bolster their numbers and master technology as an outgrowth in their trap-making expertise.

They trade in precious gems to buy the things they need to survive, and they call themselves "forest gnomes" who know nothing about mines and such when they're talking to those that might figure a gnome burrow full of gems will be easy to rob.

There's one race of gnomes. They're just not foolish enough to show a single face to the world.
 

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Some of them might even tell the world they're halflings because, you know, they're short and smart-alec...

;)

Because of this, my next gnome PC will wear flesh-colored boots with fur on them, and will obtain a bag of holding as soon as possible, devoted entirely to concealing/producing food, anywhere, anytime.
 


Gnomish Types

Joe Every-gnome
This gnome is the twinkle-eyed craftsman or miner with a spring in his step and a smile on his face. He might be a fighter…he might be a rogue…he might be both and an illusionist to boot…but he’s not going to tell you. He probably has a pick-axe or hammer on his shoulder, but you’d better bet there’s a knife somewhere too…to whittle on his lunch break, of course. He could ask for a hunk of cheese or a bite of bread to exchange for this small dull copper bracelet. Yes or no, you’ll get a friendly flip of his brightly colored cap as he passes by on his way to his workshop or mine in his equally brightly colored (though probably not matching) stylish curly-toed shoes. Hey, where’s your coin purse? Hey! Where’d he go?!

The Gnome Fighter
This adventuresome forest gnome is not as strong as her dwarven counterpart, but twice as nimble and probably more intelligent. She makes up for her lack of strength with maneuverability and strategy. Lighter studded leather armor, a small shield and use of reach weapons like her spear-ax and sling, combined with her racial abilities and knack for trickery make her as real a threat as any dwarf with a hammer. Of course, a short sword is necessary when in close quarters. When not wandering, she is likely to spend time as one of the warren guards. It would not be unusual for her to be multi-classed fighter/thief to better be able to spot and deal with the traps and locks often encountered in adventuring. Besides, being stealthy is part of her nature.

The Gnome Illusionist
Among gnomes, those that primarily use magic are highly revered. Though many gnomes enjoy practicing magic, there are few that make it their life. This gnome is likely to be (or come from) a position of some authority from his warren. If he is a wanderer/adventurer, he is certainly a magician of some skill being able to dare the dangers of the world with only his arcane arts to protect him. He definitely has a magical item or two to help him in his pursuits. A wand or amulet, maybe a ring or some other trinkets that he asserts has mystical properties. Though he may appear befuddled or inept (by comparison to other wizards) he is still highly intelligent and as the old gnomish saying goes, “The size of one’s spell is in no way proportionate to the size of one’s stature.” A little gnomish ingenuity coupled with his sorcery make him a formidable opponent…and who knows? Beneath his robes might be some leather armor and a short sword that he just happened to find in his travels. He almost certainly has a dagger, stashed somewhere, should his magic fail…but that never happens, of course.

The Gnome Rogue
As with rogues of all races, he can be anything and with a race that seems (to outsiders) to be all rogues, he is particularly dangerous. He is a thief, an acrobat, an assassin, a con-man, a treasure-hunter, or a bard, perhaps. Who can say? Even in the bright garish garments that his kind prefers, he can be impossible to locate. Though carrying a dwarvish-made crossbow, having “just returned for a hunting expedition in the far off (insert name here) mountains”, and with a dirk hanging on his belt, it is still difficult to determine what his specialty is. He is a gentleman of the first order and a scoundrel of the highest rank. There isn’t a trap he hasn’t seen, a lock he hasn’t picked….or a pocket for that matter. His charming tales are the stuff of legend and he has a show-stopping singing voice as well. He is an expert jeweler, appraiser, merchant, antiques dealer, poet, linguist, monster-hunter, treasure-seeker, trap-springer, and assorted other less honorable pursuits. You’ll be happy to count him among your company for his expertise…in whatever…while he’ll happily make off with your gold.

The Gnome Trickster
One of the most popular multi-classes with gnomes is a thief-illusionist. She is happy to help you with whatever small magic she can, not having time to really study magic intently because she needs time to get her hair just right. She’ll pick a lock here or there, “…daddy was a locksmith”…scale the wall or get into that tight crevice, but you’d better watch your back when it comes time to divvy up the loot, because everything she does for you, she does for her. With a smile and a stab of her slender dagger she’ll make her cut to get your cut. If she likes you or isn’t feeling like drawing attention, maybe a sleep spell so she can quietly slip away. Her magic is all geared around playing tricks to get what she wants. If she has any magic items, you won’t know it until she uses them on you. She plays the damsel in distress every chance she gets and will try to flirt her way out of anything…unbelievable that humans still fall for that.


Read more: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?295185-Racial-Archetypes-Elf-amp-Dwarf#ixzz2prtDsa3G
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Blowing the dust off my post the last time this topic came up:

<snip>

And they're not illusionists in the cold, dry way that D&D magic is often portrayed. It permeates every aspect of their society. They learn tricks to hide their settlements, with secret doors and traps all over the place (albeit less cruel than the ones the kobolds use). They tell tall tales about the size of their settlements and nations, concealing the fact that the local "king of the gnomes" rules over four families living beneath a single meadow. They use false names and disguises when dealing with outsiders, to effectively increase their numbers. They lie and trick everyone they meet to see how easy they are to fool -- because they have to fool them to survive. Garl Glittergold isn't some Harlequin-style fool, he's El-ahrairah, the rabbit trickster hero from Watership Down. Some of them might even tell the world they're halflings because, you know, they're short and smart-alec and who really checks what race the short guy is?

This is actually the first write-up of gnomes I've ever seen that made them sound interesting to me. An entire society based on illusions! I like it. :cool:
 

This is actually the first write-up of gnomes I've ever seen that made them sound interesting to me. An entire society based on illusions! I like it. :cool:
Thanks! I've been playing a gnome illusionist (who works as an unconventional detective in Ptolus, of all things) since 2007 and while the rest of the group trusts his motives, they know that they can't take anything he says at face value. (Not to mention the fact that he's sometimes dealt with the rest of them through illusions and aliases, due to paranoia after the team was previously infiltrated by a changeling working for one of the city's crime syndicates.)

Illusions-as-a-cultural-defense-mechanism works pretty well as a universal theory of gnomes for me.
 

If there's one thing that comes to mind, while reading this, it's that the races should be thought of by their cultures, rather than the meta idea that each is better at some specific class/combination than the others are.

Well, that's the way they should be looked at. D&D isn't a min/max game. It's a story telling game, as are basically all RPGs, of every type, from Table-top games to Video games. So, why fill out a sheet of paper that basically will be nothing more then a sword, or a spell? I mean, that seems a bit of a waste to me. There's a reason those pieces of paper we all hold dear are called "character sheets" after all.

Which is another reason I love Gnomes. The possibilities when it comes to good/great characters that can be made from them. Well, all races can be made into great characters, be they simple and easy to understand, or complex with many layers (like shrek!). I just find that Gnomes, for me at least, bring out the best possible characters. From the simple and loveable, to the dark, and misunderstood. They could be Bat-man, or Joker... or even Mr. Myxlplyx. (man, that's a hard name to say.) It's just a damn shame that people will shoe-horn a race into a particular role, without giving them the proper attention they desire and require. (Best to stop here, otherwise I'll run through my rant on Orcs, and how I feel they are often misrepresented in most fantasy games, and stories, but you can blame "The Elder Scrolls" for that one, and how awesome they are in Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim. Before that, they were just enemies to kill...)
 
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