Tell me about gnomes in your world.

[Turjan]

Well, IMC gnomes live only on as statistics. The name is gone, but the elves that inhabit the world use slightly altered gnome statistics. As gnomes are gone, there's no problem with distinguishing them from dwarves. As dwarves are gone, too, there's another reason . And, finally, as "my" elves are old style (i.e., pre-LOTR) elves, there's no need for making dwarves or gnomes different from elves. It's just the "elder folk" .

 

[mythusmage]

I must admit, I really haven't given much thought to gnomes in my worlds. So what follows is a rough draft.

Ki

A mix of human and ground hog. Small by d20 reckoning, with a talent for mechanics and wild life. They prefer the border lands between forest and plains. Scrub land, brush, and the banks of streams and creeks suit them better. When found living near rivers it's usually near a small tributary, or an eddy or backwater.

The rise of cities opened up a new niche for the diminuative folk. In urban areas they usually dwell near the homes of larger races. Sometimes small gnome communities will form, but such are rare.

While they have 'roguish' talents, they rarely take up the profession. The same with arcane and priestly occupations. Most often the gnomes of Ki are found as tradesmen, merchants, rangers, and the occasional paladin. Though in the last case the gnome paladin is more apt to seek out allies and other sources of assistance, rather than take on an evil toe-to-toe.

Dragon Earth

Again, a small people. The race arose in Middle Paleolithic Europe, descended from a human population small in size and robust in build. Unlike their Neanderthal contemporaries, gnomes were able to adapt to the coming of Modern Man and the subsequent end of the last ice age.

The modern gnome is most often found in close areas. Whether it be due to urban buildup or bush. They're not comfortable in open areas. Or in 'lifeless' regions. Gnomes in short love company, even the company of non-gnomes.

The gnomes of Dragon Earth also hold many of the same positions and receive much the same treatment as real world Jews. They are prominent in science, finance, and the arts. Though it must be noted that the infamous Gnomes of Zurich are actually a family of stone giants who run a foundation supporting agricultural research.

Bankers, accountants, dancers, painters, and the occasional U.S. Navy SEAL* are more the gnome's line of work in Dragon Earth

*The U.S. Navy's Underwater Demolition Teams (UDTs), first formed during the Great War, were initially adhoc affairs. Put together when the commander on the ground needed people for a special mission. Whoever was hanging around got to volunteer for the mission. During the Lich King's War the old UDTs were brought back, their structure formalized, and standards set. Which meant that such races as kobolds, halflings, and others were effectively banned from becoming SEALS. Except for the gnomes, who were officially 'grandfathered' in. The truth is, American gnomes made such a stink about being excluded the U.S. Navy made an exemption for them. The gnomes have not let them down.

So there you have some of how I handle gnomes.

 

[Dragon-Slayer]

My gnomes...

Are short (2-3 feet tall) and round, but quick,

Are inherently magical (but in a subtle way),

Live in the forest,

Like playing tricks,

Have an intrinsic link with animals,

And have technology, clothing, and architecture like iron-age celts, while the rest of the world has a range from 10th century (in the most rural, isolated places) to gunpowder-free 14th century (in the most heavily populated areas) technology.

Basically, they're culturally like 'standard' wood elves, and physically like particularly small, soft, and narrow-shouldered dwarves. Oh, and they've got large (medium, rules-wise) eagles that they ride. Oh, and they're rare enough outside the forest to draw gapes in most towns...more so than elves, in fact.

My gnomes are very close to these except for the eagles.


Then there are the bad gnomes, who, through no fault of their own (originally) were twisted by a malign artifact (using the Warhammer Fantasy Chaos Dwarf as a basic idea--there are also dwarves and elves that were the victims of this cursed item as well). This has created a blighted realm of dwarves, elves and gnomes who plot against their former brethren and send out occasional monstrosities for others to deal with. My gnomes are not really technologically inclined, they lean heavily towards magic and curiosity though, whether good or vile.

 

[Gez]

Gnomes crave gnosis and gnowledge.

They are a mysterious race, as they do not want to be well known. Sure, there are gnomes living in human cities (often keeping a shop for alchemical or herbal products, or jewelry), and nomadic gnomes following the roads from place to place (usually as wandering charlatans/merchants of rare remedies/fortune tellers). They are easy to dismiss as mere minor spellcasters with an overcomplicated, superstition-laden view of arcane magic. They are people that have no importance, no influence on the world at large. You'll never see a gnome mayor, or a gnome captain of the guards, or even a gnome advisor... Although the gnomes' famous patience, kind nature, and scholarship make them prized tutors and teachers for the kids of wealthy and powerful families.

Yet, there are gnome towns and cities. But they are reclusive and hidden, carefully obscured by clever architectural tricks (both in engineering and in the use of vegetation or natural stone formations) and by layers upon layers of illusion and abjuration magic. Illusions are used to perfect the disguise, and then to hide the magical auras of the warding spells. In these places, the gnomes drop all pretense of being minor charlatans, and do not clutter anymore their spellcasting with extraneous grigris and folklorical formulas. There, they stop acting like irrelevant fools. Gnomes are actually the race with the largest, and most accurate, understanding of magic. Gnomes are taught since childhood the basics of arcane spellcasting (I've undone the 3.5 change, the gnome cantrips are still spells, vulnerable to spell failure, and based on Int, rather than spell-like abilities based on Cha).

But magic is just one part of gnome lore. Gnomes are learned in all fields of gnosis, their knowledge of Alchemy is another aspect of it (monitoring reactions by smell? this means learning hundreds of thousands of chemical odors, it's not an instinctive thing!). They learn the language of animals. They learn combat tricks against giants, goblinoids, and kobolds. They learn history and geography, they learn cosmogony and cosmology, they learn everything about magic, the four ways, the eight schools, the twelve elements...

Once a gnome has finished her education, she can stay in the safety of the gnome city, or leave and explore the world. Those who leave will from now on watch the world, study how wars evolves, how rulership changes hand, what the commoner mass thinks, and so on; or look for things that have not yet been discovered by gnome scholars -- a rare plant, animal, or vermin, an unknown race of extraplanar creature, an undiscovered Ethereal Realm...

And then, they'll write reports, called Obscura, and bring them back to the gnome loremasters in their hidden cities, and the gnomes will dutifully recoup those informations and transcribe it in their encyclopedia, and the Elder Memories will be awakened from their sleep to record these new knowledges and what the loremasters think about the situation, they will be asked for guidance and insight, and put to sleep again.

But only the gnomes know that. And only the gnomes know how much leverage a mentor can have on his pupils.

 

[The Baron]

In our homebrow gnomes are "on that island... over there..."

No one in our group has really ever played gnomes, and we always thought they were kind of silly. A bunch of alchemists and illusionists *cough, I mean bards, cough* running around. With silly gnome gnames, like Gimble. Bah.

I guess we still leave the option open, but in most cases, you would mistake a gnome in our world for a halfling. Only a person who's actually been to the gnome island would probably tell the difference. For most people, they're a myth, and most gnomes probably like it that way, being a private peope who guard the secret of the One Song.

Through the years, Master Bards have passed the One Song on and on. All songs heard are a fragment of the One Song, played in a form that will not harm mortal ears. Those have heard the One Song and survived and are still sane say that is "completely frightening and lovely all at once. The notes and rythms of all time and history. The secret message of the Divine."

Mortals given the ability to sing the One Song have changed the tides of battle, saved cities from destruction, become leaders of nations, and, for the most lucky, ascended to become one with the song, adding a new progression to the ever changing melody.

Think that's kinda cool. Keeps them mysterious and mostly uninvolved. Maybe a fun trip for a high level adventure.

 

[Janx]

This is a good series of threads. Don't forget dwarves, and I'll fill in the other side of the coin.

Once again, my players, get out (Darwin, Jean Pierre, etc). We'll be covering bits they don't know yet...

Like the elves of my campaign, I've taken an existing story and applied it to D&D. So the gnomes are another recipient of that. My campaign is an oceangoing one. The humans, from an island called Tarai, had only recently begun to explore. Their first contact with another race, is with the gnomes. I'll probably hunt this thread down and grab my content for my next game document...

I've kept the basic gnome race, with no changes. They call themselves the Genari.

Hundreds of years ago, the Genari Empire was large, spanning hundreds of islands. Over time, they grew decadent, and they lost prominence in the world. At one point, about a hundred years ago, they conquered and enslaved the Bjorn (known as dwarves). The Bjorn was a primitive race, but their island had greater mineral resources. So the Genari took over and used the Bjorn to mine those resources. The Bjorn resisted their benefactors and after a few years of rebellion and terroristic attacks, the Genari left. The ungrateful Bjorn used stolen Genari technology (ship building, crystals, cannon) to raise themselves up the technological ladder.

Presently, the Genari are a society the revels in the glory of the past. They are steeped in tradition, and though they know they are fading from the scene, they cannot change, for that would be an acknowledgement that they have lost their way.

A few years ago, the Genari made contact with a new race, the humans. These people, though more primitive than the Genari, impressed them with their ingenuity. The Genari opened trade with the humans, giving them maps and crystals for other trade goods. The crystals were an ancient invention, a magical communication device that allowed short messages to be sent over long distances. The inability to communicate over long distances was often a limiting factor in a race's ability to expand beyond their home island. Initially, the Genari presented themselves as big players in the world, and as the original creators of the crystal. As the humans explored more, they learned that this was mere bluff and bravado to impress the newcomer race.

Janx

 

[Tonguez]

Gnomes are tiny (averaging around 15 inches) eusocial burrowers generally reclusive and not fond of making a 'big show' of things like the Bignobs (ie larger races) do. Although often confused with Dwarfs they have more in common with Fey than the much larger dwarf race. Gnomes are known for their innate illusionary powers are often use them to escape detection or pursuit and to ensure that the burrows remeain hidden, they can also be used for mischief (though mainly among less social gnomes)
Gnomes have a simple faith that 'The Land Provides' which means they are not too caught up in 'a life of toil' (like bignobs do) instead they have much time to appease their insatiable curiosity and explore and learn the many Secrets of the Nature (Magic, Alchemy, Druidism). Even their tinkering is merely an offshoot of this curiosity (combined with the need to work together and overcome obstacles of surviving in a human sized world - like say having to climb up on to the bar top in order to get some attention).

All gnomes have a highly developed sense of smell (and in the dak can naviagte by smell alone *imc gnomes don't have low light vision, they have scent-navigation which means the same thing mechanically*)

Gnomes are hermaphrodites and in immature gnomes only a gental bump exists. Full sexual characterisitcs do not emerge until maturity. Burrows have up to 100+ members, they are lead by a single mature female Matriarch who will have 1 - 3 Mature males mates. All other gnomes in the colony are likely to be her offspring (or homeless siblings)

Four Gnome types deserve mention these are the Brownies (also called Blue Gnomes), Boggarts and Boggans.
Brownies are a less civilized gnome group practically identical to common gnomes although slightly hairier and prone to smearing their bodies with blue woad, raiding cattle from neighbouring peoples and occasional fits of Rage (favoured class Barbarian)

Boggarts are mature males who have left the burrows to become Recluses (either after the death of a Mate or overthrow by a younger male). They are characterised as grumper old men in Gnome society and are known tricksters who will lead others to their deaths in order to be left alone (folktales say that Boggarts can sniff out gemstones and so some larger humanoids try to capture them for that reason - only to be lead into a pit of doom!)

Boggan is the gnomish term for 'Criminal' and Boggans are evil gnomes who love to play mischief, sneaking in to farmyards to sour milk and smash eggs, kidnap babies and cobble shoes.

 

[der_kluge]

I just love the blatant fey ties that some of you have to gnomes. Those are very interesting. I also just love the cultural tidbits that some of you have regarding the races in your world. I have stolen some of them quite handily.

More, more stories about gnomes!

 

[mythusmage]

...and cobble shoes.

Those dastards!

 

[Laundreu]

I just love the blatant fey ties that some of you have to gnomes. Those are very interesting. I also just love the cultural tidbits that some of you have regarding the races in your world. I have stolen some of them quite handily.

More, more stories about gnomes!

Gasp!

UNHAND THAT TIDBIT, MISCREANT, OR FACE THE WRATH OF THE GNOMISH HORDE!

Or, y'know, have fun with it! Either one, really.