D&D General The truth about Gnomes, Gnolls, and Kobolds!

[Cadence]

Kobold origins in German folklore are basically house or mine fairies/elves/dwarves, with neither dog-like nor dragon-like appearance.

"Gnome" is the name given by the medieval physician, alchemist, and philosopher Paracelsus to the most important spirits of the Earth. According to him, they had a misshapen appearance, live in the earth, guard treasures, and move through earth and stone like we walk around on the surface. Sunlight turns them to stone.

So, what you're telling me, is that the Gnomes are also in the process of rewriting the historical record, but haven't been nearly as successful as in D&D?

 

[Lidgar]

This thread makes me want to create the Gnomnollboldroll - the ancient species that spawned lineages of gnolls, kobolds, gnomes and trolls.

Common traits include large noses, barking, and smelly breath.

 

[Cadence]

Gnolls eat gnomes*, which makes the kobolds happy up until the point where the gnolls run out of gnomes.

*I did this in a 2E campaign and I don't feel bad about it.

I wonder if some of the Gnomes frantically choose dropping the glamour and survival over their pride, leaving the Gnoll chefs wondering why their shoppers can't tell Kobolds and Gnomes apart.

 

[Bupp]

Yeah - right after I posted it I thought of "Let that be your last battlefield" with the guys who are painted half black and half white but on opposite sides.

It would be hilarious if actually gnomes had faces like English bulldogs with their flat features while kobolds look more like American bulldogs. Everyone else sees a resemblance while the two groups are like "no they're nothing like us".

Then your french bulldog walks in...

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

The S and the D, so close together, yet so far!

At least they didn't have to type out "Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett" in full.

Also can I add that I love that the typo of Lord Dunsany's name never got corrected in any subsequent printings of the books. Good old Lord Sunsany.

Honestly, had things gone differently with D&D's creation, relying more on folklore than fiction, we could've seen gnomes, kobolds, and dwarves all consolidated into one thing. Or maybe not. From the beginning, it's clear Gygax loved classification and variation.

 

[Weiley31]

Explorering Eberron is the best option for playable 5E Gnolls.