What's the big deal about gnomes not being in the PHB? **Edited for adversarial tone*

[Rechan]

To me, I think that if you are going to make a new edition of a game, you should respect its heritage. Its part of what I consider artistic taste. If you want to make something new, then make something new. Don't butcher the old thing just because you want to benefit from the recognition of the brand name, IMHO.

And to me, it's better to Better something for more enjoyment, and to blaze new trails, when all the old ones have been there for 30 years growing stagnant.

Companies very often make mistakes, despite "market research." Anyone remember New Coke?

New Coke resulted in a lot more cash-in of Coke Classic, so it very well could have been an intentional marketing ploy to get people to buy more Coke Classic.

 

[Rechan]

Keep in mind I was only referring to fluff with such comments. Rules and mechanics are always fair game.

And one has to wonder where the fluff ends and the mechanics begin.

From 1e's "Gold = xp" to 3e's "Dwarves treat x weapons as martial rather than exotic".

 

[Falling Icicle]

And to me, it's better to Better something for more enjoyment, and to blaze new trails, when all the old ones have been there for 30 years growing stagnant.

I certainly wouldn't call my game experience over the last decade and a half "stagnant."

New Coke resulted in a lot more cash-in of Coke Classic, so it very well could have been an intentional marketing ploy to get people to buy more Coke Classic.

I would never go so far as to accuse the designers of 4e D&D of such a conspiracy.

 

[Falling Icicle]

And one has to wonder where the fluff ends and the mechanics begin.

From 1e's "Gold = xp" to 3e's "Dwarves treat x weapons as martial rather than exotic".

Radically and fundamentally changing what a race is and its entire history and outlook on the world is what I would call a major fluff change. Totally changing the planes, the nature of the adventuring world (points of light), the gods, demons and devils, and practically every fluff and story element in the entire game is what I'm talking about. That goes far, far beyond a mere racial ability or statistic. It is a total reimagining of the entire game universe.

 

[Rechan]

Radically and fundamentally changing what a race is and its entire history and outlook on the world is what I would call a major fluff change.

You mean like "Elves live in forests and like to be rangers" and "Dwarves live on mountains"? RADICAL, man.

the nature of the adventuring world (points of light)

Middle Earth, Greyhawk, most campaigns, FR (According to Greenwood, anyhow)...

 

[Rechan]

I certainly wouldn't call my game experience over the last decade and a half "stagnant."

Yours, no. But RPG sales, yes. The same ideas printed over and over and over do not bring in new people.

 

[Falling Icicle]

You mean like "Elves live in forests and like to be rangers" and "Dwarves live on mountains"? RADICAL, man.

You don't think elves were changed at all? Okay, how about splitting the race in half and making two races out of it - eladrin and elves, one of which used to be an outsider. Nope, not radical at all. How about the change of halflings from being gypsies to being river boaters. Nope, not a big change at all. Or how about making gnomes into green-skinned, skinny, beardless "monsters" with large black eyes. Nope, not a radical change at all.

 

[The Ubbergeek]

You don't think elves were changed at all? Okay, how about splitting the race in half and making two races out of it - eladrin and elves, one of which used to be an outsider. Nope, not radical at all. How about the change of halflings from being gypsies to being river boaters. Nope, not a big change at all. Or how about making gnomes into green-skinned, skinny, beardless "monsters" with large black eyes. Nope, not a radical change at all.

Actually, not at all.

First, it have a strange sound like some elf myths...

Second, minor, minor, minor.

Third, it's in line with fey myths.

 

[atom crash]

I hate to see the gnome slip out of standard out-of-the-box D&D in 4E. But then again, the designers haven't really known what to do with the gnome for some time. They got the biggest revision of any PHB race during the 3.5 revision, and their niche seems to be vaguely defined as "part elf, part dwarf." Sure, they'll be in the MM, which means they'll get as much love as a PC race in future installments as the gnoll and the bugbear get in 3rd Edition.

And yes, as others have pointed out, having them appear in the MM but not the PHB means a player would have to get DM approval for using them, since they're not in the default PC races.

My first 3E character was a gnomish rogue/wizard. I made gnomes an integral part in my current campaign. My players don't really care for gnomes, but I dig them. I used my players' feelings about gnomes to help shape their racial identity, as IMC the other races hate the gnomes as much as most of my players do.

Of course, I've changed the story of the gnomes from what's in the PHB in order to make them more interesting and unique in my campaign: they were a fey race cast out of the faerie realm eons ago because of a prank pulled by Garl Glittergold -- a prank that went horribly wrong -- on the Queen of the Seelie Court. And boy does she hold a grudge.

Gnomes, in finding themselves new residents of the prime plane, created an advanced culture based on a blending of nature and magic. They love the pursuit of magical knowledge and dabble in magitech, and in their homeland there is a library of magical and natural history unsurpassed in all the world. But they always sought a way to return to the faerie realm. Then their homeland was destroyed half a millenia ago by hordes of kobolds and the black dragon they worship as a god.

Now the gnomish race drifts around in small insular groups rather gypsy-like, looking for a place where they will be welcomed. Except nobody likes them, nobody trusts them, and they can't seem to defend themselves very well. Now the gnomes are a dwindling race, on the brink of extinction, and where they have settled in the cities of men and dwarves they form tightknit little near-autonomous enclaves. They don't like outsiders because outsiders don't like them, and if one is in danger chances are the entire community will come to their aid.

 

[Rechan]

You don't think elves were changed at all? Okay, how about splitting the race in half and making two races out of it - eladrin and elves, one of which used to be an outsider. Nope, not radical at all. How about the change of halflings from being gypsies to being river boaters. Nope, not a big change at all. Or how about making gnomes into green-skinned, skinny, beardless "monsters" with large black eyes. Nope, not a radical change at all.

Not all that radical to me, no.

As I said earlier, radical would be if Drow were topless bikers that rode on rainbow Elemental-Bound cycles.