Let's Make: Svirfneblin as a Race

ColinChapman

Longtime RPG Freelancer/Designer
So, despite drow being a racial option, deep gnomes weren't included. While I can understand the choice based on Drizzt and drow fandom, I've always had a soft spot for the svirfneblin. So, time to stat 'em up as a Gnome subrace. Let's make 'em.

Looking at the MM you find the following:Stat-wise their highest is Str, with Dex and Con only a point behind. Int is then 2 points further behind at 12, and Was and Cha are unremarkable. The fluff mentions them being surprisingly heavy and strong too. So, their Ability Score Increase will be Str + 1.

Their Speed is only 20 ft., however, lower than other gnomes. I'm getting the image of rock hard, dense little buggers.They have the standard Gnome Cunning ability.

More to come.
 

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Language-wise we give them Gnomish, Terran, and Undercommon.

Darkvision is extended to 120 ft. ala the Drow.

They have Stone Camouflage which gives them Advantage on Dex (Stealth) checks in rocky surrounds.

The real issue now is that they also get several spell-like abilities just like drow do and I wonder if they'll be balanced as they lack the drow's sensitivity to sunlight.
 

They get the following in the MM:

At will: nondetection (self only)
1/day each: blindness/deafness, blur, disguise self

Following the lead on how the drow get their spell-like abilities as they level, the deep gnome would get:

3rd level: Disguise Self 1/day
5th level: Blindness/Deafness and Blur 1/day
7th level: Non detection (self) at will

While they get these at later levels, I'm wary of them being overpowered. Thoughts? Suggestions?
 

I gave mine disguise self at 1st, blur at 5th, blind/deaf at 6th and nondetection at 7th. Nondetection becomes a constant effect at 15.

other than that we did exactly the same thing.
 
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Mostly all good.
Gnome Cunning, Stone Camouflage, Darkvision out to 120' all works.

For me, there are two issues...and they are slightly related.

1. Sunlight Sensitivity. That's a big fat yes! They are Underdark creatures. They have 120' Darkvision. There is nothing in the MM to indicate these guys are running around on the surface ever. So, for a PC race, yes, you have Sunlight Sensitivity.

2. The Innate magic. See, the Drow have an at-will cantrip. A 1st level effect at 3rd. A second level effect at 5th. Trouble is, the svirf's have no cantrips, 1 1st level effect, 2 2nd level effects, and a 3rd level effect.

Here's what I'd do...the 3rd level effect is Nondetection...that is an at will of the race. For a PC adventurer guy, and in keeping with previous editions lore, that gets moved off the spell list to be a set racial trait:
Inscrutable: The PC can not be targeted by divination magic or perceived through magical scrying sensors.

There, Nondetection is off the table/out of the way while still contributing something special to the PC in a way keeping with the lore.

Now, we're still left with no cantrip, the 1st level effect (going into 3rd level, obviously), and 2 2nd level effects. So, is blur or blindness/deafness the more "iconic" svirf power and/or can those be achieved in some other way? Is there a cantrip power, that giving it to the pC would not be overpowered?

After some research. It seems neither can be simulated by cantrip effects, without significant alteration of the svirf history/lore. Which means the spells and their effects will have to stay as is and have to be sorted as best we can. So I would propose:

At will: Blade Ward cantrip. (Goes with the whole race of warriors/taking down enemies twice their size. Resistance to slashing, bludgeoning and piercing damage in fights against drow, kuo-toa and duergar seems like it might come in handy. As well as dovetailing nicely with the flavor/fluff of them being extra dense/heavy/hard and tough.
At 3rd level: Disguise Self 1/day. (which, ironically seems like the most potent spell effect)
At 5th level: Blur 1/day. (in keeping with the svirf knack for being difficult to find)

I would, here, deem that by virtue of making the 3rd level spell effect up all of the time, and the keeping-with-flavor cantrip, that's all the PC svirf gets. No, it's not the exact same as the NPC race. PCs aren't supposed to be.

Optionally, if you feel you must, at 7th level: Blindness/Deafness 1/day.

SO, the final [that is, "Steeldragons' variant" if Steeldragons were going to allow svirf PCs -which he never would unless playing a whole Underdark campaign/game] Svirfneblin PC race looks something like this:

Ability Score Increase, Age, Alignment, Size: as Gnome
Speed: slowed to 20', as per MM.
Darkvision: out to 120', as per MM & drow.
Gnome Cunning: as Gnome.
Languages: Common, Gnomish.
Sub-race: Deep Gnome.

Deep Gnome, Svirfneblin
Ability Score Increase: Your Str. score is increased by 1.
Bonus Languages: Terran, Undercommon
Stone Camouflage: as per MM
Inscrutable:
as above.
Sunlight Sensitivity: as Drow.
Innate Magic: At will: Blade Ward. @3rd: Disguise Self 1/day. @5th: Blur 1/day.

Even with the sunlight sensitivity and removing the blindness magic, I would be nervous about this being OP'd in relation to other PC races. But, given the magics of Drow and Tieflings (and presumably other "optional" races I don't really remember from the DMG preview, like Aasimar and 3-4e Eladrin )...perhaps not. [EDIT: upon some reflection, I REALLY dig the flavor of the Blade Ward a, like, the Martian Manhunter/Vision trick of becoming extra-dense to protect themselves. But all told, it still might be OP compared to other PC races...not necessarily Underdark races, but "normal" PC races, I mean./EDIT]

So...there's mine. :)
 
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