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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Gez" data-source="post: 109351" data-attributes="member: 1328">OK. I already said this several times, but Search is disabled here and topics are not safekeeped on Wizards' (autodeletion after X days), so I have to say it again.Gnomes are keepers of knowledge. The word "gnome" comes from the greek word "gnosis", which means knowledge and wisdom. Mythical gnomes were said to masters the secrets of alchemy and nature. Several Hermetist mage would have loved to interview a gnome.So, my gnomes are keeper of knowledge as well. The best loremasters are gnomes IMC. However, they also are wise and cautious, and for these reasons they like to go unnoticed. For this, they use illusionary magic (which school is Invisibility, again ?) and affects to be harmless pranksters. As they usually have a good sense of humour, this is easy for them. Hence, most people dismiss gnomes as pointless and unnoticeable. And that's exactly what they want.Sometimes, you'll see a drunkard in an inn, who will tell you: "the world must know... the gnomes... they are not what they seems... it is a conspiracy... take care... they will rule the world if we let... Ah ! A gnome ! Run !" And the fool will flee the inn out by a window because a halfling entered the room. The usual reaction to these declarations is "ah, again a poor guy who got caught by a gnome joke. These little men should get a life and stop to play such tricks".On the other hand, gnomes are geeks. Love of engineery is a geeky trait. And affinity to illusion (also known as virtual reality, eheh) is geekish also. A whole race of nerds.Finally, they are fey-like. Elves often say they are kin to the fey, but gnomes don't pretend it, they are. They speaks with animals, are at home in wilderness, have innate magic, and genuinely enjoy the pranks they perform.Well, basically, I go with the keeper of knowledge thing. Each subrace has its domain of specialization, though:Forest Gnomes knows all the secrets of nature. All animals and plants have a name in the forest dialect of the gnome tongue. They are always at ease with animals, plants, and fey, but wary of other civilized races. Especially the ones that carelessly slaughter and destroy, like most orcs, goblinoids, and reptilian humanoids.Deep Gnomes knows the art of engineery, stone working and metal working. They often works with dwarves IMC and have helped them in the creation of a magically-motionned subway system. They are architecture and engineery buff.Rock gnomes often travels as they collect the lore of geography, political matters, and trade. They also act as middlemen between the other gnome subraces and the rest of the world. They are often merchants and charlatans.I also have a custom subrace of gnomes, practically unknown to other, who are called by those in the know "night gnomes", "moon gnomes" or "mystic gnomes". Their domain of lore is legends and cosmology. They live the night, as bright light dazzle them. They are as pale as the moon, and have silvery hair and eyes. Seen from afar, they seem ghostly. They live near lakes that they "carve" until it is perfectly circular, and build underground homes around it.Halflings are opportunists. They are not all rovers (funny to see that they turned the hobbits into gypsies in 3e -- that's quite a drastic change -- and yet how it was easily accepted and seen as natural), although some are, but they indeed do not have their own culture and civilzation. Instead, they meld into an existing one. You can find halflings everywhere, with humans, dwarves, elves or even goblins.Dwarves are expert warriors, miners and crafter. Everyone knows that. They also have a caste society somewhat akin to medieval japan, with the people not being able to pray, fight, or smith being the equivalent of eta. Honor and bloodlines are important concepts to the dwarves (and totally irrelevant to the elves except the lawful evil high elves).</blockquote>

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