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[Kulan] The Lands of Harqual (Updated: Feb 3/2022)
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<blockquote data-quote="Knightfall" data-source="post: 1384924" data-attributes="member: 2012"><p><span style="color: DarkOrange"><strong>THE GNOMES OF HARQUAL</strong></span></p><p>There is only one major race of gnomes on Harqual; however, it hasn't always been that way.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: DarkOrange"><strong>A LITTLE BIT OF GNOME HISTORY</strong></span></p><p>In past eras gnomes were as widespread as elves and halflings. Gnomes came to Harqual during the migration of the Ne Mei'neav from wildspace during the Second Era.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px"><span style="color: White"><strong>Note:</strong> Ne Mei'neav was the term given to the new races by the barbarians of the Northlands (i.e. dwarves, elves, gnomes, etc.). The term is archaic and not even the barbarians use it anymore. (Mei'neav by-it-self refers to the new people or new human cultures that came to Harqual in the same way.)</span></p><p>During this time period, gnomes were respected members of the Ne Mei'neav, and their god, Garl, was given a place of Honor at the Great Table of Cronn as were Corellon, Moradin, and Yondalla.</p><p></p><p>Gnomes wished to live peacefully amongst the forested lands of the Ragik Peninsula but it was not to be so. The dark gods Mussin and Nether had fallen to Kulan after the destruction of the World of Trel in Kulanspace during the First Age. These two gods together with the outcast Xuar formed a deadly alliance. They began corrupting the followers of the North Gods throughout Harqual.</p><p></p><p>Then, as the Third Era began, Hiisi, Lord of Darkness, came to Harqual and war swept up the continent — mortal versus mortal, god versus god. The hardest hit of the Ne Mei'neav were the gnomes. Dozens of gnome clans native to the Ragik Peninsula were slaughtered by the followers of the Sword Gods.</p><p></p><p>The newly formed lands of the Sword Gods expanded and fought the gnomes to the brink of extinction. The gnomes fell back every year as the corrupt worshipers of the Sword Gods came at them with all their might. Soon the lands of the Sword Gods swept over half of the northern lands enslaving all those who did not convert to worship their dark gods. Many barbarians, gnomes, halflings, elves, and dwarves would fall to what would become the Empire of Swords.</p><p></p><p>War raged for so long that the people soon forgot when the war had begun. The war amongst the gods (known as the Divinity War) soon moved into the Outer Planes while the mortals continued to slaughter each other. The Mortals War soon engulfed the entire continent from the Northlands to the Far South.</p><p></p><p>The demihuman races found themselves outnumbered and most retreated into their respective homelands. However, the gnomes did not have homes to retreat to anymore. Most had settled on the Ragik Peninsula and those lands were now in the iron grip of the Sword Imperium. Thus, the gnomes had little choice but to continue south away from the worst parts of the Mortals War.</p><p></p><p>They found allies in the rakasta and the lightfoot halflings living in the Far South. The gnomes quickly adapted to life in the verdant forests of Heverkent and the hills and peaks of the Hinderfall Mountains. Here the gnomes survived the end of the Mortals War and the hundreds of years of unrest known as the Black Wars as well as the First and Second Ogre Wars. However, it was only through the divine protection of the Patron of Magic, Immotion, that they survived. The goddess used a portion of her essence to give the forest-dwelling gnomes the spark of magic in their souls. Now known as rockwood gnomes, they have become even closer to nature allying with the treants and sylvan creatures of Heverkent.</p><p></p><p><strong>Rockwood Gnome Traits</strong></p><p>Rockwood gnomes benefit from a number of racial traits: <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">-2 to Strength, +2 to Constitution, -2 to Wisdom, +2 to Charisma.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Small: Rockwood gnomes gain a +1 size bonus to AC and attack rolls and a +4 size bonus to Hide checks, but they must use smaller weapons than humans use, and their lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of Medium-size creatures.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Rockwood gnome base land speed is 20 feet.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Low-light Vision. Rockwood gnomes can see twice as far as a human can in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Weapon Familiarity. Rockwood gnomes may treat gnome hooked hammers as martial weapons rather than exotic weapons.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">+2 racial bonus to saving throws against illusions.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">+1 racial bonus to attack rolls against kobolds, goblinoids, orcs, and reptilian humanoids (i.e. lizardfolk).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Add +1 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against abjuration spells cast by rockwood gnomes. This adjustment stacks with those from similar effects.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">+4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the giant type. Any time a creature loses its Dexterity bonus (if any) to Armor Class, such as when it's caught flat-footed, it loses its dodge bonus, too.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Rockwood gnomes receive a +2 racial bonus to Listen checks, for their keen hearing, and to Craft (alchemy) checks, because their sensitive noses allow them to monitor alchemical processes by smell. Rockwood gnomes receive a +2 racial bonus on Knowledge (arcana) and Spellcraft checks because they spend their lives devoted to magic. Rockwood gnomes can use Knowledge (arcana) and Spellcraft untrained. Rockwood gnomes receive a +4 racial bonus to Hide checks, which improves to +8 in a wooded area.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Rockwood gnomes have the innate ability to pass without trace (as the spell).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Speak with Animals (Sp): Once per day a rockwood gnome can use speak with animals as a 1st-level druid to communicate with a burrowing mammal (badger, fox, rabbit, etc.).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Rockwood gnomes may cast detect magic, Nystul's magical aura, and read magic each once per day (caster level equals the gnome's character level). Rockwood gnomes with Charisma scores of 10 or higher may cast dancing lights, ghost sound, and prestidigitation, each once per day as a 1st-level sorcerer (spell failure penalties for armor apply).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Automatic Languages: Gnome and Suar. Bonus Languages: Dwarven (Torin-dialect), Halfling, Heverkent, Kitt, Orc, Rakasta, Sylvan, and Yuan-Ti.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Favored Class: Sorcerer. Rockwood gnomes are embedded with the very essence of the magic of nature. Thus, a multiclass rockwood gnome's sorcerer class does not count when determining whether he suffers an XP penalty for multiclassing.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Level Adjustment: +2.</li> </ul><p><strong><span style="color: DarkOrange">MINOR GNOME RACES</span></strong></p><p>Since the end of time of The Transformation, there is a new, minor race of gnomes on Harqual that live almost exclusively in the Kingdom of Ahamudia.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: DarkOrange"><strong>Bitran Gnomes</strong></span></p><p>The word “Bitran” is the collective name given to the dwarves and gnomes that were brought to Kulan from the world known as Maran (my Dark World campaign setting). While these newcomers to Kulan are distinctively two different races, they are in fact considered one people regardless of race.</p><p></p><p>The gnomes of Bitran were transported to Kulan during the Transformation. Cutoff from their previous world, they have been tested by the evil of the Empire of Swords and endured the loss of clan members not duplicated by the mysterious magical event. Bitran gnomes live amongst their dwarven cousins and the two races are considered equals. (The King of the Bitran is a gnome.)</p><p></p><p>Bitran gnomes have the touch of magic in them, even more so then their dwarven cousins. They can just as easily become sorcerers as they can become illusionists; however, they rarely become other types of specialist wizards and they never become generalist wizards.</p><p></p><p><strong>Bitran Gnome Traits</strong></p><p>Bitran gnomes have the following racial traits: <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">-2 to Strength, +2 to Constitution, +2 to Charisma. Bitran gnomes are both robust and charming, but are not the strongest in a fight.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Bitran gnomes aren’t native to the World of Kulan; therefore, they have the Extraplanar Subtype.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Small. As a Small creature, a Bitran gnome gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but he uses smaller weapons than humans use, and his lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of a Medium character.<br /> Bitran Gnome base land speed is 20 feet.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Low-light Vision: A gnome can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Weapon Familiarity: Gnomes may treat gnome hooked hammers as martial weapons rather than exotic weapons.<br /> +2 racial bonus on saving throws against illusions. *Not reflected in the saving throw numbers given here.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Add +1 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against illusion spells cast by gnomes. This adjustment stacks with those from similar effects.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">+1 racial bonus on attack rolls against kobolds and goblinoids.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">+4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the giant type. Any time a creature loses its Dexterity bonus (if any) to Armor Class, such as when it's caught flat-footed, it loses its dodge bonus, too.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">+2 racial bonus on Listen and Craft (alchemy) checks.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Spell-like Abilities (Sp): 1/day–speak with animals (burrowing mammal only, duration 1 minute). A gnome with a Charisma score of at least 10 also has the following spell-like abilities: 1/day–dancing lights, ghost sound, prestidigitation. Caster level 1st; save DC 10 + gnome's Cha modifier + spell level.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Endure (Su): A Bitran gnome is permanently affected as if a resistance orison had been cast upon the character. (This replaces the ability to cast 0-level spells (cantrips). Note that all Bitran gnomes have this ability regardless of their Intelligence score.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Automatic Languages: Bitran. Bonus Languages: Aphranaen, Goblin (Maran), Javeldian, Orc (Maran) and Vananean. Bitran gnomes haven't been exposed to the cultures of Harqual for very long and, thus, have a limited number of obscure Maran languages to choose from.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Favored Class: Players may choose either the Illusionist or Sorcerer class as their Bitran gnome's favored class. Once the player has made this choice the decision cannot be changed. A multiclass Bitran gnome's favored class does not count when determining whether he suffers an XP penalty for multiclassing.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Level Adjustment: +1.</li> </ul></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Knightfall, post: 1384924, member: 2012"] [COLOR=DarkOrange][b]THE GNOMES OF HARQUAL[/b][/COLOR] There is only one major race of gnomes on Harqual; however, it hasn't always been that way. [COLOR=DarkOrange][B]A LITTLE BIT OF GNOME HISTORY[/B][/COLOR] In past eras gnomes were as widespread as elves and halflings. Gnomes came to Harqual during the migration of the Ne Mei'neav from wildspace during the Second Era. [INDENT][COLOR="White"][B]Note:[/B] Ne Mei'neav was the term given to the new races by the barbarians of the Northlands (i.e. dwarves, elves, gnomes, etc.). The term is archaic and not even the barbarians use it anymore. (Mei'neav by-it-self refers to the new people or new human cultures that came to Harqual in the same way.)[/COLOR][/INDENT] During this time period, gnomes were respected members of the Ne Mei'neav, and their god, Garl, was given a place of Honor at the Great Table of Cronn as were Corellon, Moradin, and Yondalla. Gnomes wished to live peacefully amongst the forested lands of the Ragik Peninsula but it was not to be so. The dark gods Mussin and Nether had fallen to Kulan after the destruction of the World of Trel in Kulanspace during the First Age. These two gods together with the outcast Xuar formed a deadly alliance. They began corrupting the followers of the North Gods throughout Harqual. Then, as the Third Era began, Hiisi, Lord of Darkness, came to Harqual and war swept up the continent — mortal versus mortal, god versus god. The hardest hit of the Ne Mei'neav were the gnomes. Dozens of gnome clans native to the Ragik Peninsula were slaughtered by the followers of the Sword Gods. The newly formed lands of the Sword Gods expanded and fought the gnomes to the brink of extinction. The gnomes fell back every year as the corrupt worshipers of the Sword Gods came at them with all their might. Soon the lands of the Sword Gods swept over half of the northern lands enslaving all those who did not convert to worship their dark gods. Many barbarians, gnomes, halflings, elves, and dwarves would fall to what would become the Empire of Swords. War raged for so long that the people soon forgot when the war had begun. The war amongst the gods (known as the Divinity War) soon moved into the Outer Planes while the mortals continued to slaughter each other. The Mortals War soon engulfed the entire continent from the Northlands to the Far South. The demihuman races found themselves outnumbered and most retreated into their respective homelands. However, the gnomes did not have homes to retreat to anymore. Most had settled on the Ragik Peninsula and those lands were now in the iron grip of the Sword Imperium. Thus, the gnomes had little choice but to continue south away from the worst parts of the Mortals War. They found allies in the rakasta and the lightfoot halflings living in the Far South. The gnomes quickly adapted to life in the verdant forests of Heverkent and the hills and peaks of the Hinderfall Mountains. Here the gnomes survived the end of the Mortals War and the hundreds of years of unrest known as the Black Wars as well as the First and Second Ogre Wars. However, it was only through the divine protection of the Patron of Magic, Immotion, that they survived. The goddess used a portion of her essence to give the forest-dwelling gnomes the spark of magic in their souls. Now known as rockwood gnomes, they have become even closer to nature allying with the treants and sylvan creatures of Heverkent. [B]Rockwood Gnome Traits[/B] Rockwood gnomes benefit from a number of racial traits:[list][*]-2 to Strength, +2 to Constitution, -2 to Wisdom, +2 to Charisma. [*]Small: Rockwood gnomes gain a +1 size bonus to AC and attack rolls and a +4 size bonus to Hide checks, but they must use smaller weapons than humans use, and their lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of Medium-size creatures. [*]Rockwood gnome base land speed is 20 feet. [*]Low-light Vision. Rockwood gnomes can see twice as far as a human can in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. [*]Weapon Familiarity. Rockwood gnomes may treat gnome hooked hammers as martial weapons rather than exotic weapons. [*]+2 racial bonus to saving throws against illusions. [*]+1 racial bonus to attack rolls against kobolds, goblinoids, orcs, and reptilian humanoids (i.e. lizardfolk). [*]Add +1 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against abjuration spells cast by rockwood gnomes. This adjustment stacks with those from similar effects. [*]+4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the giant type. Any time a creature loses its Dexterity bonus (if any) to Armor Class, such as when it's caught flat-footed, it loses its dodge bonus, too. [*]Rockwood gnomes receive a +2 racial bonus to Listen checks, for their keen hearing, and to Craft (alchemy) checks, because their sensitive noses allow them to monitor alchemical processes by smell. Rockwood gnomes receive a +2 racial bonus on Knowledge (arcana) and Spellcraft checks because they spend their lives devoted to magic. Rockwood gnomes can use Knowledge (arcana) and Spellcraft untrained. Rockwood gnomes receive a +4 racial bonus to Hide checks, which improves to +8 in a wooded area. [*]Rockwood gnomes have the innate ability to pass without trace (as the spell). [*]Speak with Animals (Sp): Once per day a rockwood gnome can use speak with animals as a 1st-level druid to communicate with a burrowing mammal (badger, fox, rabbit, etc.). [*]Rockwood gnomes may cast detect magic, Nystul's magical aura, and read magic each once per day (caster level equals the gnome's character level). Rockwood gnomes with Charisma scores of 10 or higher may cast dancing lights, ghost sound, and prestidigitation, each once per day as a 1st-level sorcerer (spell failure penalties for armor apply). [*]Automatic Languages: Gnome and Suar. Bonus Languages: Dwarven (Torin-dialect), Halfling, Heverkent, Kitt, Orc, Rakasta, Sylvan, and Yuan-Ti. [*]Favored Class: Sorcerer. Rockwood gnomes are embedded with the very essence of the magic of nature. Thus, a multiclass rockwood gnome's sorcerer class does not count when determining whether he suffers an XP penalty for multiclassing. [*]Level Adjustment: +2.[/list] [B][COLOR="DarkOrange"]MINOR GNOME RACES[/COLOR][/B] Since the end of time of The Transformation, there is a new, minor race of gnomes on Harqual that live almost exclusively in the Kingdom of Ahamudia. [COLOR="DarkOrange"][B]Bitran Gnomes[/B][/color] The word “Bitran” is the collective name given to the dwarves and gnomes that were brought to Kulan from the world known as Maran (my Dark World campaign setting). While these newcomers to Kulan are distinctively two different races, they are in fact considered one people regardless of race. The gnomes of Bitran were transported to Kulan during the Transformation. Cutoff from their previous world, they have been tested by the evil of the Empire of Swords and endured the loss of clan members not duplicated by the mysterious magical event. Bitran gnomes live amongst their dwarven cousins and the two races are considered equals. (The King of the Bitran is a gnome.) Bitran gnomes have the touch of magic in them, even more so then their dwarven cousins. They can just as easily become sorcerers as they can become illusionists; however, they rarely become other types of specialist wizards and they never become generalist wizards. [B]Bitran Gnome Traits[/B] Bitran gnomes have the following racial traits:[list][*]-2 to Strength, +2 to Constitution, +2 to Charisma. Bitran gnomes are both robust and charming, but are not the strongest in a fight. [*]Bitran gnomes aren’t native to the World of Kulan; therefore, they have the Extraplanar Subtype. [*]Small. As a Small creature, a Bitran gnome gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but he uses smaller weapons than humans use, and his lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of a Medium character. Bitran Gnome base land speed is 20 feet. [*]Low-light Vision: A gnome can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. [*]Weapon Familiarity: Gnomes may treat gnome hooked hammers as martial weapons rather than exotic weapons. +2 racial bonus on saving throws against illusions. *Not reflected in the saving throw numbers given here. [*]Add +1 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against illusion spells cast by gnomes. This adjustment stacks with those from similar effects. [*]+1 racial bonus on attack rolls against kobolds and goblinoids. [*]+4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the giant type. Any time a creature loses its Dexterity bonus (if any) to Armor Class, such as when it's caught flat-footed, it loses its dodge bonus, too. [*]+2 racial bonus on Listen and Craft (alchemy) checks. [*]Spell-like Abilities (Sp): 1/day–speak with animals (burrowing mammal only, duration 1 minute). A gnome with a Charisma score of at least 10 also has the following spell-like abilities: 1/day–dancing lights, ghost sound, prestidigitation. Caster level 1st; save DC 10 + gnome's Cha modifier + spell level. [*]Endure (Su): A Bitran gnome is permanently affected as if a resistance orison had been cast upon the character. (This replaces the ability to cast 0-level spells (cantrips). Note that all Bitran gnomes have this ability regardless of their Intelligence score.) [*]Automatic Languages: Bitran. Bonus Languages: Aphranaen, Goblin (Maran), Javeldian, Orc (Maran) and Vananean. Bitran gnomes haven't been exposed to the cultures of Harqual for very long and, thus, have a limited number of obscure Maran languages to choose from. [*]Favored Class: Players may choose either the Illusionist or Sorcerer class as their Bitran gnome's favored class. Once the player has made this choice the decision cannot be changed. A multiclass Bitran gnome's favored class does not count when determining whether he suffers an XP penalty for multiclassing. [*]Level Adjustment: +1.[/list] [/QUOTE]
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