Revision Spotlight on Gnomes

[Sejs]

I wonder if Gnomes get +2 Charisma now.

WotC seems to be avoiding giving any core (PhB) race a bonus to any mental attribute. Something which I rather like, actually. I don't like the idea that X race is just flat out smarter than everyone else, or Y race more charismatic. I much perfer mental stats to be a function of the individual rather than their species.

Oh, and real quick, while we're on the topic of little people, doesn't it seem just a bit odd that halflings and gnomes only get -2 Str? Shouldn't they get at least -4? I mean, they weigh an eighth as much as a comparable human!

No, and frankly go ahead and toss out the football player comparason, too. It doesn't work.

Look at it this way - that same 200lb football player is easier to beat up than the 60lb gnome. He also gets tired faster, and get sick more easily. Heh, comparing real world folks to fantastic creatures rarely holds water.

As for the -4, that's easy. Game balance. No core race has any single stat adjustment less or greater than +/- 2. If you want to slap an additional -2 str on gnomes and halflings, go right ahead. But you better give 'em something to balance it out over and above what they already have or you'll not see anyone playing them in your games.

 

[Staffan]

In the previous Revision Spotlight, the Osyluth are renamed to Bone Devils...

You missed a "re-". It should be rerenamed to bone devil.

 

[Kerrick]

I thought it was silly at first, but then when i read down through the responses, it started to make a little sense. Gnomes in our world are traders - they ply the rivers and waterways, dealing with all races. It seems somewhat logical that they would have some sort of bardic knowledge, since they carry news everywhere; also, having illusions enables them to hide their boats when necessary. They said the bard's spell list was getting revised; it's likely that they'll be getting more Illusion magic.

 

[Gez]

It's a pun, referring to "I love Lucy" and osyluths. Pretty funny, actually.

Yes, but... The point ? Gnomes are now diabolist bards ? Do they get the fiend-loved feat for free ?

Hmm... honestly, I think the real problem with gnomes is that they don't fulfill any known archetype. They're a cross-breed of dwarf and gnome (which are solid fantasy archetypes) at best, it seems, with a magical affinity thrown in willy-nilly, and that's why they've always been (IMO) far more "flavourless" than any half-elf. Maybe the bard favoured class will help to give a little more pizazz to a race that, frankly -- and without exaggeration -- I've never seen played as a PC race in 23 years of gaming.

But maybe that's just me... ;-)

I always gave the loremaster archetype to gnome. Sages, erudites, sometimes a bit excentric, but always knowledgeable. IMC, they are good druids and diviners, as well as illusionists. Sometimes a bit monastic -- between the tao-style "all is merely illusion" and their great stoical toughness, they makes great monk. One thing is certain, even when prankster, they are always wise.

You missed a "re-". It should be rerenamed to bone devil.

And here we see the 1e die-hard... Note that, in my language (French), that don't change much:
Bone devil: diable osseux: osyluth.
Horned devil: diable cornu: cornugon.
Frost devil: diable gelé: gelugon.
Bearded devil: diable barbu: barbazu.

 

[kenjib]

For all the talk about illusionist pranksters, aren't bards supposed to be musicians or performers? I think they've taken two of the weakest executed archetypes in the game and shoved them together.

The reason that bards are good for gnomes is that bards are really good with illusions?????

I think that gnomes should have been made more fey and given druid as favored class. The druid should also have had more ability with lore. The bard is just a lost cause.

 

[Drakron]

Wlecome to 4th edition ....

Of what? I am not sure .... it sure looks less and less D&D ...

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

Also note: Those vestigial gnome racial spells are now CHA-based Spell-Like Abilities, not INT-based arcane spells.

Great news for my CHA dump-statted ( ) gnome rogue. I just have to spend several weeks after 3.5 convincing my DM not to change the gnome race.

Oh, and thanks for the picture, Wormwood. Made my day!





[edit - added thanx for the pic]

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

It doesn't help any that I only just received my publisher's version of the 3.5 revision, either...

I know a certain Bad Axe illustrator who is going to be VERY upset...


Wulf

While that really sucks on the one hand, I (on the other hand) would gladly by two different gnome books from Bad Axe Games. Or one book that's twice as thick.

On a more serious note, does this push the gnome book to a later release than June? Not too bad, as we still get the halflings book that month.

 

[Angcuru]

How short does a human have to be to be mistaken for a halfling, anyway?

 

[Lalato]

I like it. I really do. I still have to see the revised Bard spell list, but I like what I've seen thus far.

One of the more annoying gnome concepts is the gnomish tinker. I have never understood why gnomes would be thought of as these little guys that loved to tinker with technology... and at the same time they also loved to deal with illusion. That never made sense. Illusion made some sense, but the techonology tinker thing never made sense.

It would seem better that humans would be the technology people since they're the ones that gain the most benefit from technology... (and they get the extra skill-points at first level).

I think this is a good step in making the gnome a more viable PC class than it was before.

--sam