How are GNOMES ?

[nopantsyet]

Really like your response, Gez. It expresses several ideas I had but couldn't articulate, as well as presenting some new ones that I quite like.

 

[Eldorian]

Why do gnomes have to stick to one single racial stereotype? Is it unreasonable to assume that some gnomes are in touch with nature, some are facinated by magic, some love tinkering, and most love a good joke? Your best bet is to view gnomes as small, curious, light-hearted humans. They cover quite a larger spectrum of personality than a dwarf or an elf.

Eldorian Antar

 

[bret]

Gnomes are best with cloves and a pineapple glaze, baked just slightly longer than a ham. Serve with red wine and green beans.

Tastes great, I highly recommend you try it.

 

[Shadowlord]

I think all three traits can be tied to one explanation: gnomes are very CURIOUS (like annoying children). It's this impulse that drives their mechanical thinkering, their mishevious pranks and illusions.

Now, I remember gnomes with spiky hats which were almost as big as their entire body (merely some inches) and with long "dwarvish" beards. Where does the bigger beardless gnome with the big moustache and fat nose come from? Which is a more correct image? And I'm not talking D&D gnomes, but gnomes in general.

Also, what's their relation with dwarves? Many say they are related (another theory could be they're the "not necessarily natural" offspring of elves & dwarves) but how do dwarves feel about those energetic gnomes? I imagine they look a bit down on them as being annoying, but having helpful inventions (which should be perfected to proud dwarven standards).

 

[Shadowlord]

So?

 

[Gnome Berzerker]

Great post Shadowlord.

 

[Tsyr]

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

Your view of gnomes and mine are spot-on identical.

 

[Dinkeldog]

Now, I remember gnomes with spiky hats which were almost as big as their entire body (merely some inches) and with long "dwarvish" beards. Where does the bigger beardless gnome with the big moustache and fat nose come from? Which is a more correct image? And I'm not talking D&D gnomes, but gnomes in general.

Probably a man-shaped small creature made apparently from the soil and rocks, with twigs and leaves and bits of dropped fur for hair.

Of course, that doesn't work too well for D&D, so the about halfling-sized, big nose thing works for me.

 

[Shadowlord]

Great post Shadowlord.

I'm not sure what to make of this post. Was it sarcastic? If not, which post were you talking about?

For those that wanna know, I'm gonna make my own rpg: setting, rules and stories. Never wanted to do that, but with what's currently available on the market, I don't have much choice. I'm looking forward to this thrilling project, but I'll do it step by step.
It's a more mythical place, yet it's not so historically correct (for starters, the continent doesn't look in no way like Earth). It's a struggle between law (sience) and chaos (magic) with both being able to be good & evil. Think of Elric / Stormbringer. But there's more than this law vs chaos but I'm not gonna tell it all here! It's just this theme that keeps everything from becoming a mess, there's a reason why things are as they are.

For ex elves are elves; ie mysterious fey that are hardly ever seen by humans. They aren't an uber-race.
Magic is mysterious, magical, intriguing, corrupting, and dangerous. Magic isn't bound in strict spells & rules like a sience.
On the other side there's sience that's growing. It's still primitive, so no electricity and such, but it allows for those cool inventions that Da Vinci drew 500 years ago. The setting is comparable to early renaissance, late medieval, thus 15th century. Think more of printing presses and gunpowder.
And what race is better at these then gnomes & dwarves?

I could go on & on, but lets say it's a combination of Chaosium's % skill system and Warhammer's chaos infested setting. There are other influences, like from GURPS (they have hostorically correct books) and Fallout (skills...).
So I must know where I'll place gnomes in this setting. Are they neutral like halflings in LOTR and do they not interfere with the world, or do they have the best of elves & dwarves? Like I said, I don't wanna mix everything, things must be consistent.

 

[Gnome Berzerker]

I'm not sure what to make of this post. Was it sarcastic? If not, which post were you talking about?

No sarcasm, my friend. I was talking about post #24