Gnomes' niche in the D&D world

[johnsemlak]

If you don't like the standard Gnome, consider adding an additional twist that is not standard D&D (Like the Sovereign Stone Dwarves, which are a horse-riding (well donkey riding) Mongol-style race).

Gnomes: Masters of Illusion offers a subrace based heavily on Chinese/Korean culture. That might be an idea.

 

[A'koss]

While not serving a vital role in the ecology, I do like to keep a few on retainer as handy makeshift weapons and cover... gnomechakus, gnome-walls and the like.


Cheers,

A'koss.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

In my game, faery can infect mundane creatures. Elves and half-elves are faery-tainted mortals. Gnomes are faery-tainted dwarves.

That's pretty funny... That's exactly how I'm handling it in my new campaign world! Gnomes are half-fey/half-dwarf, and have a wierd dichotomy - they're friendly with fey creatures, and talk to animals, but they're also master craftsmen, and work with steel and iron, which the Fey despise.

I'm making my gnomes skilled craftsmen and inventors, but not the "absent-minded scientist" types - or at least no more than any of my scientist types! Gnomish work is highly reliable, and beautiful to look at. They've organized themselves in Guilds, modeled after human guilds, but in the gnomish ones, there's much less politicking and petty jealousy.

 

[Nifft]

IMC, Gnomes are Tiny-sized, and they tend to be researchers: Bards, Druids, Wizard/Loremasters, etc. With their low Str and high Cha, they make interesting social Rogues, too.

Culturally, the tend to live as small tribe/families, sending individual Gnomes from one family to another for apprenticeship & courtship. Gnomes don't have a homeland of their own, but they're not as urban as Halflings... you can find a family/tribe literally anywhere.

-- Nifft

 

[Azure Trance]

In my game, faery can infect mundane creatures. Elves and half-elves are faery-tainted mortals. Gnomes are faery-tainted dwarves.

I like that idea. It's elegant.

So, I'm curious - what are halflings? Are there any other interesting histories you created for other normal / not so normal races?

 

[Desdichado]

frikkin-frakkin double post.

 

[Desdichado]

Midnight has an interesting take on gnomes, but it may not make sense without the rest of the campaign setting. And, for that matter, it's not terribly different than the role of halflings normally, except that they wander around on rivers instead of in wagons. Gnomes as caravan traders is still an interesting idea that gets away from the somewhat silly gnomes as both pastoral country dwellers and paradoxically tinkering inventors that D&D typically presents. I'd agree with BG though -- drop 'em.

Then again, if you've already used them, you shouldn't have to worry about how they fit in; you've already created a niche for them in your world. Or just do it quietly; gnomes don't appear unless someone specifically goes looking for one. Since they probably won't, you can just quietly excise them from your campaign without worrying about continuity. Heck, Games Workshop does that all the time. Whatever happened to the Chaos Dwarves anyway?

BiggusGeekus; is anyone actually playing an orc? That sounds interesting.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Originally posted by Joshua Dyal BiggusGeekus; is anyone actually playing an orc? That sounds interesting. [/B]

One guy did. He was visiting and it was a one-shot (for him) and as soon as he heard he could play an orc he immediately jumped at the chance to play an orc paladin. He used that orc two-bladed axe thing as a weapon. Very, very cool character. I wish the player was a little more local and could play more.

 

[FraserRonald]

Gnomes: Masters of Illusion offers a subrace based heavily on Chinese/Korean culture. That might be an idea.

Funny you should mention that. I just added a web enhancement with the gaming info for the imperial gnome culture. It can be found at AtFantasy. There's a blurb on the main page and you can download from the link there or from the link in the Articles section.

I'm hoping to include a web enhancement similar to this for the other two cultures from the book (Hill Gnomes and Mountain Gnomes).

Take care all.

 

[Gnarlo]

In my Forgotten Realms campaign, I took a page from Douglas Adams and turned the gnomes into the overseers and custodians of the world, like the mice were for Earth. They are the tinkerers behind the scenes; adjusting the balances and powers to keep the Realms moving toward *their* vision of How Things Should Be. Just like the mice, the other races suspect nothing, thinking gnomes are funny at best, ridiculous and powerless at worst; which, of course, fits right into the gnomes master plan.

Only a hand full of individuals outside the Gnomish community know about this; in fact, less than 1% of gnomes know about it. The race of gnomes is organized like the Masons or Shriners in my campaign (helps to explain those red pointy hats as well ). The Gnomish Powers encourage their members to be tinkers, artisans, and illusionists, expecting this way that the cream of the cream will rise to the top and reveal themselves as being ready to be inducted into the deeper Mysteries.

When my players get high enough to start thinking of planes travelling, they will stumble across the Great Mission, and learn that the gnomes are the Spelljamming representatives of Faerun, sent here to look after the planet and shepherd the cultures toward being ready to join the universe at large.