How do you like your gnomes best?

[ajanders]

Tiny magical fae.
Actually, in the homebrew I'm working on, elves and gnomes are one race with major sexual dimorphism. All the males use gnome stats, all the females use elf stats.
As for personality, equal parts Rumpelstiltskin, Puck, and brownies.

 

[tvknight415]

Roasted, with paprika.

Needs garlic.

(my gaming table is a gnome-free zone).

 

[Mycanid]

Hmm ... I voted for both Old School - illusionists and the underground pseudo-dwarf option (a 'la the svirfneblin - who have always been my favorite type of gnome).

Looks like I am in the minority ... at least of those who have posted (not voted) in the thread. :\

 

[was]

guarding flowers and vegetables

 

[derelictjay]

The 3.5 trickster/bard version of the gnome is the way I always envisioned them, even back in my 2e days. The Eberron treatment of gnomes, is just awesome. I like the gnome as a race.

But what Dragonlance did to the gnome is unforgivable, and entire race of absent-minded professors and mad-scientists; it has tainted how many see gnomes in DnD. And to make matters worse the shoehorn this type of gnome into Forgotten Realms, gaaa.

Enough with my rant. I like gnomes. Are they my favorite race, no, but they are a nice balanced race.

 

[Psimancer]

Needs garlic.

(my gaming table is a gnome-free zone).

Sauteed with garlic and chives, with a side of wild rice and roasted vegetables.

(our game is likewise a gnome-free zone)

 

[dren]

Forest or mushroom dwelling quasi-fey, while most adventurers believe they are illusionists or bards, the few who adventure are usually multi-classed rogue / spellcasters. They have strong connections with elves (fellow foresters), dwarves (fellow burrower), halflings (fellow foodies) and fey; the only humans who see these reclusives are farmers and rural protectors (rangers and druids.)

A rare PC race, and virtually unused npc but come on, you can't kill'em off.

 

[Dragonhelm]

But what Dragonlance did to the gnome is unforgivable, and entire race of absent-minded professors and mad-scientists; it has tainted how many see gnomes in DnD.

Yet what are gnomes without tinkering? Illusionists? Tricksters? Anybody can be these. Miners of gems? We've got dwarves.

What I keep coming back to is that most gnomes have little in the way of identity. Tinkering gives the gnome something that no other race has. Yes, they're often portrayed as comic relief, but they don't have to be. A gnome could have a Life Quest, for example, that amounts to finding a cure to his father's critical illness.

Likewise, Dragonlance has more than just tinker gnomes. There are mad gnomes who create smaller gadgets that work. Wild gnomes are rustic biologists.

And to make matters worse the shoehorn this type of gnome into Forgotten Realms, gaaa.

Tinker gnomes also show up in Spelljammer, d20 Modern, and a host of other RPG products. Seems to me that the concept is popular enough that it keeps getting re-used.

 

[Scarbonac]

Miracle Max & Engywook.

 

[TarionzCousin]

This guy:

Nice pic. I especially like the blazon on the shield.

I voted for Eberron gnomes. Many other gnomes, especially Dragonlance, might as well all be named Jar-Jar Binks.