Gnomes

[Nifft]

I'm almost ashamed to pimp this for the 3rd time in one week... almost

Gnome 2.0

Tiny size (+2 Attack & AC, +8 Hide checks, 50% carrying capacity)
Base Speed 20 ft.
Str -4, Cha +2
Weapon Familiarity: Gnomes may treat gnome hooked hammers as Martial rather then Exotic weapons.
+2 racial bonus on saving throws against illusions
Add +1 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against illusion spells cast by gnomes
+1 racial bonus on attack rolls against kobolds and goblinoids (including goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears)
+4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the giant type (such as ogres, trolls, and hill giants)
+2 racial bonus on Listen and Craft (alchemy) checks
Low-light Vision: Gnomes can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
Automatic Language: Common.
Bonus Languages: Sylvan, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Goblin, Orc and Terran. In addition, a gnome can speak with animals once per day. This ability is innate to gnomes. See the speak with animals spell description.
Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day -- Speak with Animals (duration 1 minute). A gnome with a Charisma score of at least 10 also has the following spell-like abilities: 3/day -- Prestidigitation. Caster level 1st or Gnome's character level, whichever is higher; save DC 10 + gnome's Cha modifier.
Favored Class: Bard.



Special: Gnomes may take a 4-level Racial Prestige Class. (As a PrC, these levels cannot cause an XP penalty.)

Gnome PrC
HD: d6
BAB: Half (as Sorcerer)
Good Saves: Reflex, Will / Bad Save: Fortitude
Skill Points: 6 + Int bonus
Class Skills: Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowlege (any) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis) and Swim (Str).

[u]Level   BAB   Fort	Ref	Will	Spellcasting 	Special Abilities[/u]
1	+0	+0	+2	+2	-- 		[i]Faerie Fire[/i], [i]Speak with Animals[/i] 3/day
2	+1	+0	+3	+3	+1 Level Bard	Improved Illusion
3	+1	+1	+3	+3	-- 		Fey Sight
4	+2	+1	+4	+4	+1 Level Bard	Fey Wings, +2 Charisma

Special Abilities:

• Faerie Fire (Special): The Gnome gains the spell Faerie Fire as an extra known 1st level Bard spell. If the Gnome cannot yet cast 1st-level Bard spells, he gains Faerie Fire as a spell-like ability usable once per day until he can cast 1st-level Bard spells.
• Speak with Animals (Sp): The Gnome can use his Speak with Animals spell-like ability thrice per day, and his caster level increases
• Improved Illusion (Ex): The Gnome's racial bonus to Illusion spell DCs increases to +2.
• Fey Sight (Su): The Gnome perceives the world as though under a constant See Invisibility spell, which cannot be dispelled. Due to his improved visual acuity, he gains a +2 racial bonus to Spot and Search checks.
• Fey Wings (Ex): The Gnome gains faerie wings, which give him a fly speed of 40 ft., with Good maneuverability. He may choose dragonfly, butterfly or bird wings.
• Charisma Increase (Ex): This bonus is gained as though through level advancement.

-- N

 

[AFGNCAAP]

I can understand your issue with gnomes: I've had a bit of a problem trying to define their role in my own homebrew game. However, here's a few ideas on what you can do to work with them:

1) Leave the gnomes as is, stat wise, but put a twist on their culture/habitat/appearance/etc. Perhaps the gnomes dwell in a secluded territory, such as an arctic ice cap, the heart of a desert, the depths of a jungle, etc. Maybe gnomes have green hair & orange skin. Maybe gnomes have a pseudo-Greek style of culture. You get the idea...

2) Make gnomes a variety of fey: there's been plenty of examples for that...

3) Use another gnome race as your world's sole gnome race--maybe use forest gnomes or deep gnomes instead of the standard rock gnomes. Or even use the spriggan instead.

4) One idea links gnomes & dwarves: Classify gnomes as a type of "dwarf" (ala the "elf blood/orc blood" concept for half-races, & thus considered a dwarf for particular effects). Gnomes are the original race: dwarves are actually half-gnomes (half human, half gnome; you may want to decrease the dwarven age range if you consider this), though they became a race of their own through continued breeding with other half-gnomes. It explains the link between dwarf & gnome, as well as the signifact size difference between these two "cousin" races.

5) Make gnomes elementals/elemental-blooded. (According to the theory of Paracelsus, gnomes were elemental beings that inhabited the earth, just as salamanders were beings of fire, undines beings of water, and sylphs beings of air). Gnomes could become a race native to the Elemental Plane of Earth (ala the azer dwarves of the Plane of Fire), with abilities/powers related to that status (maybe using a half-earth elemental template).

Or, perhaps gnomes are a variety of earth genasi (planetouched)--either mix their abilities with those of an earth genasi, or simply use a staright-up earth genasi, except reducing them to Small size, & using the gnome height/weight (& maybe age) ratios for them.


Well, that's just a few ideas on how to put your own twist on gnomes. Some are rather intensive, while some are as simple as adding a bit of flavor text.

 

[Ackem]

Make the Gnomes Jewish.

I'm not kidding.

Think of the real Jews, they were often the Mystics, Scholars, Industrialists, Traders, and Advisors of the real Middle Ages. We're ascribing many of these roles to Gnomes but we need more flavor to them, we need to figure out the whys-and-hows of what being those things means. So draw upon the treatment and attitude of the Fuedal/Renaissance Jews and twink it to fit your tastes and apply it to the Gnomes.

 

[Ferret]

Gnomes are druids, I can see them resembling halflings and dwarves, but not to the point that either is better.

 

[psychognome]

Make the Gnomes Jewish.

I'm not kidding.

Think of the real Jews, they were often the Mystics, Scholars, Industrialists, Traders, and Advisors of the real Middle Ages. We're ascribing many of these roles to Gnomes but we need more flavor to them, we need to figure out the whys-and-hows of what being those things means. So draw upon the treatment and attitude of the Fuedal/Renaissance Jews and twink it to fit your tastes and apply it to the Gnomes.

Well, hey, gnomes like gems, don't they? And as Joan Rivers said, "I'm Jewish. I don't work out. If God had wanted us to bend over, He would have put diamonds on the floor."

So, gnomes would become bankers, and a people that nobody really trusts, and who are opressed into living in their own little ghettos. They'd also have their own little banter based on Common that they'd use just to confuse other people.

I can just see it: A gnome shouting "Oy Vey!" It just fits perfectly!

 

[Nightfall]

LOL! Jewish gnomes. That will make for some very neurotic(sp) sons of gnomes with mothers! Maybe even one gets a scandal after becoming a famous playwright!

 

[CCamfield]

Just to toss another idea in the ring, in The Deed of Paksenarrion and Oath of Gold (by Elizabeth Moon) gnomes are extremely lawful, with a culture that puts a lot of emphasis on fairness, the law, and equality, to the point that they don't like the idea of anyone giving them anything - it has to be a fair trade or it puts an obligation on them. Quite different from the standard D&D gnome, but also pretty distinct from dwarves too.

 

[maddman75]

For another historical tidbit, there's a reason that European Jews tended to banking in the middle ages. The Church had declared that usury (banking/moneylending) was sinful, and that Christians couldn't practice it. Therefore the Jews were the only ones that could be bankers, and they did rather well at it.

/me contemplates ways to file the serial numbers off this and pop it into his world.

 

[Derfel]

So, you combined Gnome, Gungan, and Ewok?

Hey if it works

Actually one of the benefits in my campaigns is I have a player who frequentlly plays gnomes so I tend to try and spend a bit more time working on the race in order to make it as interesting as possible. Right now he's playing a gnome fighter who specializes in the Bladed Gauntlet. Which has had the interesting side-effect of making his character an absolutely brutal close-quarters melee warrior. High AC + High crit range has resulted in the gnomish-equivalent of the Tazmanian Devil.

 

[Gez]

I define my gnomes as "druid loremasters".

Gnome etymology yadda yadda means "thought" in greek yadda yadda same origine as gnosis yadda yadda knowledge yadda yadda alchemy yadda yadda secret of transmuting metals yadda yadda talk with animals yadda yadda live hidden in secretive places yadda yadda.

There it is. After the 4th year, I'm becoming tired of repeating it.

If there's a race I would have changed their favored class to bard, it's the elves. Magic and swordplay, check; all artsy-like check; frequently found beautiful, check; good knowledge of enchantment magic, check.

But gnomes, gnomes should definitely be druids.