What is THE iconic Gnome Class?

[Nyaricus]

You know, I was thinking of adding in the option of Gnome Druid, but then I figured that it's not very 'iconic', other than Forest Gnomes in game and Garden Gnomes out of game.

Oh well, I suppose we might very well have a lot of people choosing 'other' and opting for Druids

Personally, I am more or less undecided. I've never really been exposed to gnomes in any great amount; I generally think that Artificer/Tinker gnomes are rather silly (ala Dragon Lance, whihc composed much of my early D&D novel reading), Gnome Bards to be simply ridiculous and a bad ret-con by WotC, Gnome Illusionists to be a little too niche for a core race, and the Beguiler class to not really mesh well with what a gnome has for crunch - but fluff-wise they are a perfect match. Now, if they brought back the +2 Int, -2 Wis, well THEN we'd be talkin'

Druids, however, do seem to fit the concept as well as Beguilers do. Hmmm...

 

[wmasters]

No... it's all about the David and Goliath moment, it's got to be Giant Slayer. Which I guess is Fighter until the PrC.

Druid would be a second choice for me as well, so I've voted Other.

 

[Tinker Gnome]

I am fond of the Gnomish Tinker(not Artificer) concept myself.

 

[Sammael]

Druid for Forest Gnomes.
Beguiler for Rock Gnomes.
Rogue for Svirfneblin.

 

[Aeric]

A third vote for Tinker Gnomes. Dragonlance really helped to give the little guys a niche all their own, whereas before they were just kinda tacked on due to the popularity of the gnomes book that was out at the time. Illusionist was a bogus class, and bards...well, sorry, I can't picture gnomes (real gnomes, not the three-foot-tall humans from 3e) as charming Alan-a-Dale type minstrels. Although pairing up the most useless race with the most useless class did seem kind of fitting, I'd just as soon say good bye to gnomes than let them continue to suffer in obscurity, a comic relief race good for nothing but a laugh.

 

[Mighty Veil]

Considering I don't like 3.5 vision of gnomes. I prefer to see them as either, a cousin of dwarves who special in magic magic items. So gnomes would be the dwarf of most mythos of dwarves, since dwarf in D&D are all Gimli (no complaints mind you!). Or I like them as another forest fey, with the iconic character being the dwarf from 3 Hearts, 3 Something. So my answer is: wizard or ranger, depending of the type of gnome you're going with.

Maybe if I'd read whatever book illusionist gnomes were from, I might think otherwise. I don't steam-punk gnomes. Nor do I like the 3.5 gnome whom seems to be more of a hobbit than anything else.

 

[Tsillanabor]

I go with illusionist I suppose. Never played one myself.

 

[Tonguez]

Druid

Of course my gnome is an Alchemist using Scorcerer as a mechanical stand-in but yep as a race Gnomes are mysterious feyish keepers of the Nature Way...

 

[shilsen]

Beguiler, definitely. Especially in Eberron.

 

[MonsterMash]

I've always thought of those little guys as Illusionists and one thing I love with C&C is I can play a Gnome Illusionist.