The newest Iconic... Gimble the Gnomish Bard?

[Mark CMG]

Gimble the Gnome Bard...

Macy the Elf Cleric...

Walmart the Dwarf Wizard...

Sears the Half-Orc Sorcerer...

Five N Dime the Halfling Barbarian...

Such an obvious marketing ploy!

(...and who'd know better than me about obvious marketing ploys? )

 

[Sixchan]

I thought about doing this too. I'd like to take the gnome physical description and culture, slap on all the halfling racial attributes and abilities, and toss the rest.

I'd keep the gnome name. "halfling' is to Tolkein-y.

I figure, why wouldn't a race of tinkerers favor a class with the most skill points?

Options are nice, but halflings are redundant. If we need two small races, make the kobold a core race.

You could give them levels in Smart Hero! Gnomes would be unstoppable Skill 'n' Feat machines. Hey, maybe one of my players would actually take a Gnome PC if I let him be a smart hero...

 

[Gez]

There was a thread about "cooling up" gnomes a while back. Someone (don't remember who) suggested using them as earth-lovers, in tune with nature, and lovers of wisdom and knowledge (instead of practical jokes and engineering )

Far closer to nature than halflings, and the world's librarians, basically, but to an extent that even the elves cannot manage.

I liked it; I stole it.

That was probably me.

Since you draw the comparison with elves, the elves as I see them are either Elfquest-like barbarians (for the primitive), or swashbuckler type (for the civilized). (I won't expand on the decadent ones.) Lovers of beauty rather than of knowledge.

Droogie and Mercule, you'll probably concede that it's not exactly like the gypsie-esque halflings.

 

[Pielorinho]

I think gnomes and halfling are both interesting, if you change their flavors just a little bit.

IMC, Gnomes are earth-spirits who have largely been forced into slavery by more powerful races. Large cities may have populations of free gnomes, and certain areas far from the campaigns center have communities of free gnomes, but most gnomes in the world are enslaved. They tend to be quiet, mournful, and watchful.

Halflings IMC are monotheistic islanders; most paladins are halfling. They are fierce, passionate, loyal.

A little bit of work can distinguish them nicely; it's just the core books that make them so similar and uninteresting.

Daniel

 

[Mercule]

I figure, why wouldn't a race of tinkerers favor a class with the most skill points?

Options are nice, but halflings are redundant. If we need two small races, make the kobold a core race.

*shudder*

Playing a tinker gnome in my game is a sure way to die a painful death. That diseased thought path is my major grudge against DragonLance.

IMC, gnomes have a favored class of Druid. I keep meaning to change their innate spells, but haven't yet.

Kobolds as PCs would be interesting. I've considered adding them to the "normally available" list, myself. I don't think it'll ever happen in the core books, though. They just aren't human enough. We'll see pure-blood orcs, first.