How are GNOMES ?

[Shadowlord]

I’m intrigued by this small yet “mighty” race in their own kind. They are often underestimated and undeveloped, leaving me/us with an unclear image of how they really are and how they came into being like that.

I can’t find the logical connection between practical/annoying jokes and foolhardiness on one side, and the mad inventors, ingenious alchemists and talented illusionists on the other side. Even then, technolgy and magic never really went well together.
Then we have the nature-frolicking gnomes in burrows, and then there are the cavern-infested holes with obsessed little scientists that even the dwarves frown upon.

All this leaves me thinking that gnomes seem to be a collection of unrelated traits, but there must be a rational explanation. And maybe more importantly, what are gnomes else than this?

PS: if you don’t like gnomes (tss tss) then don’t share it here.

 

[Gez]

Technology and magic don't mix? You've never seen Verditius from Ars Magica, or Son of Ethers, Virtual Adepts, or Technocrats from Mage.

That said, how I see gnome is that they're lorekeepers. They are the sage, the loremasters, the old erudites who know everything of the way of things. The dusty old mage who may tell you about the weird customs of a dead civilization; the kind hermit that knows the virtue of each plant in the forest, etc.

My gnomes aren't bards -- feh. They're druids or wizards, and loremaster each time they can.

Lore and wisdom is the connection between their alchemic knack, their skillfull magic, their nature-frolicking, and even their sense of humor.

 

[Tonguez]

I’m intrigued by this small yet “mighty” race in their own kind. They are often underestimated and undeveloped, leaving me/us with an unclear image of how they really are and how they came into being like that.

I can’t find the logical connection between practical/annoying jokes and foolhardiness on one side, and the mad inventors, ingenious alchemists and talented illusionists on the other side. Even then, technolgy and magic never really went well together.
Then we have the nature-frolicking gnomes in burrows, and then there are the cavern-infested holes with obsessed little scientists that even the dwarves frown upon.

All this leaves me thinking that gnomes seem to be a collection of unrelated traits, but there must be a rational explanation. And maybe more importantly, what are gnomes else than this?

PS: if you don’t like gnomes (tss tss) then don’t share it here.

I love Gnomes and although the tinker model was a horrible DnD mistake all their little quirks 'fit' the image within my mind - you just need to remember that these are clans of small, wise, fey-like creatures living in a medium-sized world. (oh and also that the adventuring gnome is a true anomally - even more so than the adventurer in general)

Wisdom Gnomes are inheritors of secret Wisdom (and should have a Wis+2 ), as a race they are 'in tune' with nature (hence speak with animals) able to discern things which bigger races miss.
Because of this Gnomes move through life flowing with the natural rhythms, and full of wonder about the world and how it works. Alchemy is just the biproduct of this wonder, they will spend hours working with minerals, herbals and potions because of the 'marvellous transformations' taking place rather than any kind of 'scientific curiosity'

Fey-like Gnomes are more fey than dwarf and as such share the same alien mindset of the fey. They have a natural affinity for illusion - which means an affinity for distractions, misdirection and mischief- and thus like fey Gnomes often cause good-humoured mischief for the 'hell of it'- which the more concrete-minded big races can not understand and so Gnomes are often viewed as annoying and foolhardy.

small Gnomes are small (and IMC never grow over 2 feet) yet they are 'builders' - they excavate their burrows and construct mines. This has required gnomes to develop certain techniques and tools to assist them to do what mediumsized races take for granted - hence Gnomes have a culture which values engineering skills.
In bigger society gnomes continue to rely on these skills - a gnome needs a grappling hook and rope just to climb up to the bar to buy a drink in a human-sized tavern, opening a door might need a system of jury-rigged ropes and pulleys and of course a single gnome is going to have to use everything available to win a fight against an enraged Orc...

Gnomes should have favoured class Druid - but BArd works well too imho

 

[Mithreander]

Gnomes are an enigma, for they trully are allien to us. We equate intellegence with ambition, and therefore have a hard time grasping the ideals of the gnome. Fun, curiosity and humor are not missing from thier lives because of their other presuits; on the contrary, their prosuits are based on those exact prospects.

The gnome want sto experience EVERYTHING, personally, so they tend to experiment. They want to see how things work, or what will happen if you do THIS. It's a racial trait, and not an exception as it is in other races. In that way, they advance more in areas of experimentation then other races. Magic has the same type of formulas and such as alchemy and engeneering, so it only makes since that they would excel in it, and illusion is even better for they are capable of keeping the humor alive in what they do.

The hardest part for me, is to play a wise gnome. Otherwise, they are indeed a FUN race.

 

[Shadowlord]

Technology and magic don't mix? You've never seen Verditius from Ars Magica, or Son of Ethers, Virtual Adepts, or Technocrats from Mage.

That said, how I see gnome is that they're lorekeepers. They are the sage, the loremasters, the old erudites who know everything of the way of things. The dusty old mage who may tell you about the weird customs of a dead civilization; the kind hermit that knows the virtue of each plant in the forest, etc.

My gnomes aren't bards -- feh. They're druids or wizards, and loremaster each time they can.

Lore and wisdom is the connection between their alchemic knack, their skillfull magic, their nature-frolicking, and even their sense of humor.

I don't see how they can be such wise sages when they lack common sense (wisdom). They are extremely curious which drives their passion for mechanics & technology (and makes them intelligent) but at the same time they kinda loose control. They aren't "serious", or better: "disciplined" enough to have the patience of old sages & learned wizards. I think the magic part simply comes from their frolicking, from their "faerie side".

PS: I don't like mixing magic with technology. The former is supernatural and "chaotic", the latter mundane (logical) and "lawful".

 

[Dinkeldog]

I admit that in any game I run, using Tinker and Gnome in the same sentence is akin to starting a blood feud with any gnomes in hearing distance.

Beyond that, the link to humor and practical jokes is easy. Use the illusions and alchemy to spawn the practical jokes. One of my gnome PCs went into a kobold lair and lured the kobolds away with dancing lights and a ghost sound. You could also use tanglefoot bags and the like for the same type of thing.

To me, the importance is to balance everything the gnome does between the "safe" way and the "funny" way. Always err on the side of funny, and you'll have the touch of foolhardiness you need while not incurring genocide.

 

[Shadowlord]

So gnomes seem to have the best of all worlds. Part elven (fey & magical), part dwarven (science & mundane) and part halfling (the small race that doesn't interfere with the world, yet it's the mightiest of all -> think the role halflings play in LOTR). Their humor reminds them not to become too eager and take life easily.

 

[Ed Cha]

If you're interested in gnomes, check out "Gnomes: Masters of Illusion" by Dark Quest Games. It's got some great stuff in there about all kinds of gnomes. It is probably the premier d20 product on this interesting race and it's published by EN Publishing!

http://www.enworld.org/reviews/index.php?sub=yes&where=currentprod&which=cgc3

 

[Ferret]

I love Gnomes and although the tinker model was a horrible DnD mistake all their little quirks 'fit' the image within my mind - you just need to remember that these are clans of small, wise, fey-like creatures living in a medium-sized world. (oh and also that the adventuring gnome is a true anomally - even more so than the adventurer in general)

Wisdom Gnomes are inheritors of secret Wisdom (and should have a Wis+2 ), as a race they are 'in tune' with nature (hence speak with animals) able to discern things which bigger races miss.
Because of this Gnomes move through life flowing with the natural rhythms, and full of wonder about the world and how it works. Alchemy is just the biproduct of this wonder, they will spend hours working with minerals, herbals and potions because of the 'marvellous transformations' taking place rather than any kind of 'scientific curiosity'

Fey-like Gnomes are more fey than dwarf and as such share the same alien mindset of the fey. They have a natural affinity for illusion - which means an affinity for distractions, misdirection and mischief- and thus like fey Gnomes often cause good-humoured mischief for the 'hell of it'- which the more concrete-minded big races can not understand and so Gnomes are often viewed as annoying and foolhardy.

small Gnomes are small (and IMC never grow over 2 feet) yet they are 'builders' - they excavate their burrows and construct mines. This has required gnomes to develop certain techniques and tools to assist them to do what mediumsized races take for granted - hence Gnomes have a culture which values engineering skills.
In bigger society gnomes continue to rely on these skills - a gnome needs a grappling hook and rope just to climb up to the bar to buy a drink in a human-sized tavern, opening a door might need a system of jury-rigged ropes and pulleys and of course a single gnome is going to have to use everything available to win a fight against an enraged Orc...

Gnomes should have favoured class Druid - but BArd works well too imho

Well put....

 

[Green Knight]

I don't see how they can be such wise sages when they lack common sense (wisdom).

They're not lacking common sense. Having no plus or minus to Wis, they just tend to be average on the Wis scale, rather than above or below average.