When did gnomes fall from grace?

[LordMelquiades]

Thanks Letters - so you keep the existing core rules mechanics for the critter?

Page four! We're onto page four!

 

[Zander]

Excluding David the gnome -- the only Gnome I know in fiction is Hugi from Poul Andersons Three Hearts and Three Lions -- thats the book that has one of the major D&D Paladin archetypes (Holger Carlson) and the D&D troll -- Big Green Regenerating Warts and all

The problem of course is Hugi could be a woodsy Dwarf -- there is nothing especially Gnomish other than his sense of smell

I was going to bring up Hugi but you beat me to it. Although he's called a "dwarf" in 3H3L and despite the fact that Col Pladoh hasn't stated that Hugi was largely the inspiration for the D&D gnome AFAIK, I believe he was. You're not quite right about Hugi's characteristics. In addition to the woodland affinity and his sense of smell, he also had the ability to speak with burrowing animals.

My personal fix for the Gnome is to make them Tiny Fae -- and give them the Burrow Speak as an at will ability -- make prefered class Druid or some woodsy varient.

My fix is similar. To account for their fae traits - affinity for nature but also tricksters - I give gnomes both druid and illusionist as favoured classes.

In addition to the book titled Gnomes which has already been mentioned on this thread, I also highly recommend the follow-up Secrets of the Gnomes.

The title of this thread asked when gnomes fell from grace. I believe it was in the transition from 2E to 3E. Why? Back in 2E (and before), the only arcane magic-using small PC race were gnomes. Dwarves and halflings could not cast arcane spells. So gnomes had their niche partly because they could (albeit only illusionist spells). When 3E allowed any race to become an arcane spell-caster, gnomes got squeezed out of their niche.

 

[Klaus]

Gnomes never fell from grace, they rose from disgrace!

If not for gnomes, how could I do these pictures?:

 

[Red Spire Press]

The Dark Legacies gnome traits are as follows:

Novag Racial Traits

• +2 Constitution, -2 Strength: Novags are hardy and resilient but smaller in stature and therefore weaker than larger humanoids.
• Small: As Small creatures, novags gain a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but they must use smaller weapons than humans use, and their lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters those of Medium characters.
• Novag base land speed is 20 feet.
• Low-light Vision. Novags can see twice as far as humans in starlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
• Technological Savvy: Novags are second to none when tasked to build sophisticated structures or the tools of war. They receive a +2 racial bonus on Knowledge and Profession checks related to architecture, construction, and engineering, and a +2 racial bonus on Craft (mechanical weapons) checks.
• Warrior Bloodline: Novags are resistant to all but the most severe ailments, receiving a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against disease and poison.
• Fearless: Novags are possessed of legendary courage, receiving a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against fear effects and spells.
• Automatic Languages: Novska, Low Common. Bonus Languages: All regional human languages.

 

[Richards]

Those are really nice, Klaus, but to me (despite the "3E makeover" they received), a gnome just isn't a gnome without a honkin' big nose.

Johnathan

 

[Psion]

How limited of vision are we if the reason for a hate-on of gnomes is "they aren't in LotR".

I like gnomes. Halflings are lame. Nyah!

 

[CRGreathouse]

I can't tell you how many campaigns (3? 4?) I've been in where a player brought in a gnome character and, from that point on, my character took only ranger levels (FE: gnomes), regardless of initial class. Sometimes this would refocus the whole campaign (either destroying it or revitalizing it) as we'd travel in search of the vermin.

Keeping track can be hard, though; I'd usually try to take a skull from every tenth one or so to help my character remember his count.

 

[Kaodi]

Gnome Variant

Gnome

Small Humanoid
-2 Str, +2 Con, +2 Int
Low-Light Vision (x4)
Weapon Familiarity (Gnome Hooked Hammer)
+2 saves VS illusions/enchantments
All intelligence based skills, except Knowledge skills, may be used untrained.
Intelligence check, DC 10, to speak with burrowing mammals
Mending 1/day, Flare 1/day
Common Languages: Gnome, Common
Bonus Languages: Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Goblin, Sylvan, Terran

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I guess that is just some suggestions for now...

 

[Gez]

If you want a gnome variant.

The extra traits need some balancing to do.

 

[The Shaman]

The D&D races are the single most Tolkien-esque element of D&D: every adventuring party resembles the Fellowship of the Ring. A pulp swords & sorcery setting simply wouldn't offer non-human races for player characters -- but it would offer plenty of different human races.

Very true. But as much as I love S&S, I still want lizardfolk and goblins and such in my games - I just make them less prevalent than in 'genre' D&D.

For my next fantasy setting, gnomes are indeed woodsy tricksters, but the kind that parents warn their children about to keep them from going into the woods alone. A small village might shut its doors and shutters if a gnome walks down the main path, and one of the reasons that people kill rats is because they are believed to be gnomish spies. Gnomes are FEARED - they are blamed for stolen babies, for lame horses, for cows with no milk, for hunters lost or waylaid in the forest. That's MY gnome archetype!