How do you differentiate Gnomes from Dwarves and Halflings?
- Thread starter Rinulin
- Start date
This brings up the wider question of whether there should even be a difference between Halflings, Gnomes, and Dwarves/Dwarfs. In a Tolkienesque world, you certainly want homebody Hobbits and warrior Dwarves, but in any other campaign, is that the case? And a Tolkienesque world wouldn't have any Gnomes, just Hobbits.
The Dwarfs of Norse myth and the "little people" of folklore are generally pretty gnome-like and pretty indistinguishable; they're all small, live underground (or otherwise out of sight), know secrets men don't know, etc.
Also, do we need to differentiate Kobolds, Goblins, Hobgoblins, Orcs, Bugbears, etc.? A lot of those monsters exist to fill a specific hit-die niche, not because they're qualitatively any different.
The Dwarfs of Norse myth and the "little people" of folklore are generally pretty gnome-like and pretty indistinguishable; they're all small, live underground (or otherwise out of sight), know secrets men don't know, etc.
Also, do we need to differentiate Kobolds, Goblins, Hobgoblins, Orcs, Bugbears, etc.? A lot of those monsters exist to fill a specific hit-die niche, not because they're qualitatively any different.
Last edited:
Tonguez
A suffusion of yellow
As background material I suggest TERRY PRATCHETT - my take on gnomes is based on the Discworld Pictsies and Brownies (see Wee Mad Arthur) and especially the Nomes of the Bromeliad trilogy (Truckers/Diggers/Wings)- Another inspiration was Smurfs
For DnD I also add in the spice of the East African Mole Rat!
ergo
Gnomes imc are inventive, pranksters with an affinity for alchemy, illusion and engineering. They are irreverent and have little respect for non-gnome social convention which sometimes gets them into trouble. Because of their size they use their inventiveness and engineering prowess to achieve big works which the average bignob (ie Human) takes for granted - eg when opening a human sized door a gnome might rig up a systems of pulleys and ropes to accomplish that task, when erecting a 9 foot standing stone they will use a similar invention.
Another important aspect often overlooked is their affinity for nature - gnomes know hidden secrets and strange knowledge which even Druids envy and rangers long to learn
In play this manifests as wilderness knacks - like finding a berry bush when hungry, water when thristy or a hole to hide in when being chased. (check Wilderness Lore)
IMC all PC gnomes are slightly shorter (15inch average) than standard and all carry a grapple and rope to allow them to climb onto counter tops and buy ale.
Finally gnome society is eusocial and hive like (like ants, bees and ther East African Mole Rat) Gnomes work as a single unit for the benefit of the clan which is lead by a single brood mother and her male mate (a la Papa Smurf)
PC gnomes are an anomaly in that they have left the community of the clan and must learn to operate in bignob society.
For DnD I also add in the spice of the East African Mole Rat!
ergo
Gnomes imc are inventive, pranksters with an affinity for alchemy, illusion and engineering. They are irreverent and have little respect for non-gnome social convention which sometimes gets them into trouble. Because of their size they use their inventiveness and engineering prowess to achieve big works which the average bignob (ie Human) takes for granted - eg when opening a human sized door a gnome might rig up a systems of pulleys and ropes to accomplish that task, when erecting a 9 foot standing stone they will use a similar invention.
Another important aspect often overlooked is their affinity for nature - gnomes know hidden secrets and strange knowledge which even Druids envy and rangers long to learn
In play this manifests as wilderness knacks - like finding a berry bush when hungry, water when thristy or a hole to hide in when being chased. (check Wilderness Lore)
IMC all PC gnomes are slightly shorter (15inch average) than standard and all carry a grapple and rope to allow them to climb onto counter tops and buy ale.
Finally gnome society is eusocial and hive like (like ants, bees and ther East African Mole Rat) Gnomes work as a single unit for the benefit of the clan which is lead by a single brood mother and her male mate (a la Papa Smurf)
PC gnomes are an anomaly in that they have left the community of the clan and must learn to operate in bignob society.
Last edited:
trentonjoe
Explorer
My favorite gnome trick is to use the dancing light spell in swamps to create false will-o-wisps.
I did that once to a party and they almost killed me.
I am also a big fan of creating giant illusionary sandwiches and handing them out to party members.
I did that once to a party and they almost killed me.
I am also a big fan of creating giant illusionary sandwiches and handing them out to party members.
Rune
Once A Fool
In most of my games (including my current one, but not my next one), halflings are treated by all non-halflings as children playing at being grown-ups. I have one player who frequently plays halflings who attempt (in vain) to show the bigger peoples that they can do big things, too. In my next game, the halflings are going to be the oppressors of the world. I can't wait to see what he plays in that one!
Last edited:
i agree on the comments about halflings being hobbit-like and kender-like, but i disagree about gnomes. as someone else said, they are technical geniouses, and im dissapointed that 3e made them +2 con instead of +2int, so my dm changed that back. gnomes are very cool though, and my nxt character is going to be a gnome fighter monkey-gripping a greatsword
el-remmen
Moderator Emeritus
Mark Plemmons
Explorer
Well, I suppose it depends on what kind of gnome, halfling, or
dwarf you're talking about. In Kalamar, we've got three kinds of gnome and two kinds of halfling, for example.
However, overall, the "personality" of the dwarves, halflings, and gnomes is just the label that the human races puts on them, I think. ALL the members of a specific race (like halflings) shouldn't have the same personality. The humanoid races should have the same amount of variety in them that human races do.
Two cents... who wants change?
Mark
dwarf you're talking about. In Kalamar, we've got three kinds of gnome and two kinds of halfling, for example.
However, overall, the "personality" of the dwarves, halflings, and gnomes is just the label that the human races puts on them, I think. ALL the members of a specific race (like halflings) shouldn't have the same personality. The humanoid races should have the same amount of variety in them that human races do.
Two cents... who wants change?
Mark
Nightfall
Sage of the Scarred Lands
SL Gnomes, Dwarves, Halflings Oh my!
Unlike your generic type of races, the world of Scarn/Scarred Lands "short" people are pretty distinguishible from each other.
Dwarves fall into three types: Mountain dwarves (regular dwarves), Charduni (religious warriors that follow an evil god), Forsaken (wild type of dwarves)
Halflings are much more numerous than either race but still have a grand rougish streak that make them good at that field.
Gnomes are a wild, uncivilized race that use illusion and trickery to hide from the unnatural and foul creatures both divine and titanspawn.
Unlike your generic type of races, the world of Scarn/Scarred Lands "short" people are pretty distinguishible from each other.
Dwarves fall into three types: Mountain dwarves (regular dwarves), Charduni (religious warriors that follow an evil god), Forsaken (wild type of dwarves)
Halflings are much more numerous than either race but still have a grand rougish streak that make them good at that field.
Gnomes are a wild, uncivilized race that use illusion and trickery to hide from the unnatural and foul creatures both divine and titanspawn.
Similar Threads
