Gnomes

[Zulithe]

In recent threads regarding race preferences, Gnomes have faired poorly, probably no noone's surprise.

I am starting a new campaign soon and I do not want to remove Gnomes, but I agree with many that Gnomes just don't cut it.

What are your ideas for changing or customising Gnomes to make them more interesting and a more viable choice for player characters? They seem almost like a "second dwarf" or halfling, they are just too similar and don't stand out enough, even with the new 3.5e changes.

 

[SylverFlame]

Check out the Minoi, the Ansalon (Dragonlance) Gnomes. Now, they are unique. If they are too crazy for you, check out the gnomes of...ooh, whats it called, anyway its the other continent on Krynn, I think its Talados or something like that. You have the engineering gnomes without the crazyness. These less crazy guys make cities in volcanoes and survive. It's pretty neat.

 

[Derfel]

In my own homebrew worlds I've tackeled this in a variety of ways. Some of my more recent methods were:

1. Make them Fey. In a recent campaign I made gnomes fey instead of humanoid. They acted as a go-between, if you will, between the faerie races and the remaining mortal races. Often this role is given to elves, but I felt that it made the gnomes stand out more. While I made few changes to their statistics (this was a 3.0 game not the revised) just changing this one aspect of their race went a long way to making them unique.

2. In a second world I had two races of gnomes. One was akin to the typical race from the PHB, while the other was much more mystical. Statistics wise, they gained Detect Magic (in addition to their other innate spells). I believe their ability score modifiers were also different(can't remember the exact details at the moment, intelligence or wisdom bonus I believe). Where they really differed was the culture. They lived in small tribes that kept themselves isolated and hidden for the most part. Their society was theocratic, where their spirtual leaders also managed many secular matters. I tried to emphasize their reliance on magic in general, which pulled them away from the typical image my players had of tinker gnomes. And this reliance on magic was a larger step away from the very non-magical image my players still have of dwarves.

3. My most recent campaign has the gnomes being a nomadic race that live in a region called the Sinking Forest (forest/swamp) where they are skilled hunters and warriors. In this situation I made Ranger their favored class and in general I try to emphasize some of their combat skills and abilities. Gnomes are a small race which makes them great stealth warriors. Of course it also helps that in this game the primary dwarven group is a barbaric mountain race so the cultural differences are more pronounced.

 

[Nightfall]

In the Scarred Lands we have a kind of shamanist druid gnomes. Think those lost african tribes or those buried deep in the Amazon.

 

[nopantsyet]

In my campaign, gnomes are the most prevalent non-human race. Instead of medieval fantasy, it is renaissance fantasy, where they fit very nicely as tinkers and scientists of a materialist inclination. I've tried to maintain the standard disposition, but giving them some tangible pursuit makes them much more substantive.

I'd say try to take the aspects of the race that you like, and build on it in a way that fits your world. Unfortunately, I don't believe any of the core classes work as a proper preferred class for gnomes, so I've gone with a tinker style rogue.

 

[kirinke]

give them dire-bunnies with big teeth!

give them dire-bunnies with big teeth and a mean disposition. i mean, these guys are supposed 2 be the creme-dela-creme of alchemists or should be anyway. can we say poison tipped arrows as a joke? and can you imagine those suckers on big hippity hops charging through an army of orcs, shooting merrily away with their mechanical wasis?
lol. no way the orcs r gonna win. not with cute fluffy demons chasing them. ^_^

 

[ergeheilalt]

In my campaign, anything that is beyond common building technique is the domain of gnomes. The gnomes on the mainland continent (ie: the one I've developed the most) are very good at building clockwork stuctures, golems, and some mechanical weapondry. They are the only people where engineering is a common profession - be it seige, civil, or research.

The other group of gnomes in my campaign have combined mechanical devices with magical foci to create a type of magic called mechanomancy (ideas borrowed from Mongoose Publishing's Power Class - Artificer.) They have city aided by steam powered works and golems comparible to the intelligent ones on the plane of Mechanus.

The first group tend toward chaotic alignments, while the second tend toward lawful alignements.

Erge - who may be slightly biased towards tinker gnomes being an ME major at a polytechnic school

 

[maddman75]

What I've done with them is to make them the diplomats and traders. My gnomes were once in control of a powerful magical nation, but it fell during one of the great wars. The gnomes were scattered and found their niche as advisors and counsellors to the humans now in control of their lands.

Even though I'm not 3.5, bard makes a lot more sense as a favored class than illusionist.

 

[Oni]

The way I had pictured gnomes for the setting I came up with the for the WotC setting search was as the race that was the most knowledgeable. Commonly found as advisors to royalty, as sages and diplomats. Also they where perhaps the most universally wealthy of the races, commonly being merchants and travelers and controlling a vast merchantile network. Gnomes are city creatures.

 

[Moe Ronalds]

3. My most recent campaign has the gnomes being a nomadic race that live in a region called the Sinking Forest (forest/swamp) where they are skilled hunters and warriors. In this situation I made Ranger their favored class and in general I try to emphasize some of their combat skills and abilities. Gnomes are a small race which makes them great stealth warriors. Of course it also helps that in this game the primary dwarven group is a barbaric mountain race so the cultural differences are more pronounced.

So, you combined Gnome, Gungan, and Ewok?