why do folks hate gnomes?
- Thread starter alsih2o
- Start date
Dr. Strangemonkey
First Post
I love Gnomes and I always have.
Back when I started DnD my big thing on Gnomes was that they were the one uniquely DnD thing you could play. They weren't Tolkien and they weren't precisely Dragonlance. They were just there.
And I think they are spun all wrong given their common habits and proclivities. IMO and IMC Gnomes are, at heart, the scariest PC race.
-They're good at making chemical weapons.
-They're harder to hit and better at hitting than humans.
-They're as tough as dwarves.
-They get good intel from animals. Where isn't there a rabbit?
-They get a little bit of magic ability which is essentially perfect for luring people into traps.
-They all live in camoflauged fortified encampments and have a nebulous national identity that is perfect for conspiracy and guerrilla warfare.
-Instead of sending an evil subrace into the underdark they sent down some lawful good gem diggers and got Deep Gnomes.
-They can smell you before you see them.
Gnomes are the guys who save you and give you shelter when your way out alone in the woods or caverns and the elven glades and dwarven halls are miles and days away.
But the big thing is that illusion is a lot scarier in 3ed and it was never as scary as it should have been in 2e. Nothing is as arcane, save perhaps necromancy, as illusion.
If the big purple silent void that appears to be swallowing up the landscape appears in front of you and you fail the saving throw you might know that it can't be, but you also know its there and its coming for you.
At least charm feels kind of natural.
IMC, Gnomes were the only race to survive all the major Fall of Rome castrophes relatively intact and they became the kingdom and purveyors of secret knowledge. They were the kingdoms of Byzantium and Prester John to the Elves and Dwarves Italy and Germany.
And it wasn't simply that they knew more, but that they had a lot more capability and didn't flaunt it.
Most of the time they were subtle by being small and magical, but when they weren't they were subtle by being grander and more bizarre than anyone could believe.
Know I like a good trickster, but I prefer a bad ass trickster.
Back when I started DnD my big thing on Gnomes was that they were the one uniquely DnD thing you could play. They weren't Tolkien and they weren't precisely Dragonlance. They were just there.
And I think they are spun all wrong given their common habits and proclivities. IMO and IMC Gnomes are, at heart, the scariest PC race.
-They're good at making chemical weapons.
-They're harder to hit and better at hitting than humans.
-They're as tough as dwarves.
-They get good intel from animals. Where isn't there a rabbit?
-They get a little bit of magic ability which is essentially perfect for luring people into traps.
-They all live in camoflauged fortified encampments and have a nebulous national identity that is perfect for conspiracy and guerrilla warfare.
-Instead of sending an evil subrace into the underdark they sent down some lawful good gem diggers and got Deep Gnomes.
-They can smell you before you see them.
Gnomes are the guys who save you and give you shelter when your way out alone in the woods or caverns and the elven glades and dwarven halls are miles and days away.
But the big thing is that illusion is a lot scarier in 3ed and it was never as scary as it should have been in 2e. Nothing is as arcane, save perhaps necromancy, as illusion.
If the big purple silent void that appears to be swallowing up the landscape appears in front of you and you fail the saving throw you might know that it can't be, but you also know its there and its coming for you.
At least charm feels kind of natural.
IMC, Gnomes were the only race to survive all the major Fall of Rome castrophes relatively intact and they became the kingdom and purveyors of secret knowledge. They were the kingdoms of Byzantium and Prester John to the Elves and Dwarves Italy and Germany.
And it wasn't simply that they knew more, but that they had a lot more capability and didn't flaunt it.
Most of the time they were subtle by being small and magical, but when they weren't they were subtle by being grander and more bizarre than anyone could believe.
Know I like a good trickster, but I prefer a bad ass trickster.
Templetroll
Explorer
I like gnomes who are delighted by Illusions and into creative work like gem-cutting and jewelry making. I see the bonus with Alchemy to also work well with gnomes being fine brewers and cheesemakers. Gnomes work well with certain materials that require careful handling and creativity to achieve art.
Gunpowder is not in any D&D game I'll be running with the core rules. Psionics are not in any D&D game I'm running with the core rules either; I just don't think they fit.
I enjoyed the tinker gnomes, kender and gully dwarves IN the Dragonlance stories and adventures; I don't need them in other campaigns.
Gunpowder is not in any D&D game I'll be running with the core rules. Psionics are not in any D&D game I'm running with the core rules either; I just don't think they fit.
I enjoyed the tinker gnomes, kender and gully dwarves IN the Dragonlance stories and adventures; I don't need them in other campaigns.
Son_of_Thunder
Explorer
I like Gnomes
Howdy all,
Are most here just unimaginative drones that need someone else to tell them how gnomes work? Oh, but I forget, most needed Monte Cook to write crap on evil hmm.... Anywho, Some of the most memorable characters I've seen have been gnomes. My brother played a killer gnome diviner. I have an awesome wizard for Rappan Athuk. My DM made a frightening gnome assassin that has plagued our group for a long time. I could just as easily say I hate elves, humans, dwarves, orcs etc.'
Get over it and just play what you like.
Son of Thunder
Howdy all,
Are most here just unimaginative drones that need someone else to tell them how gnomes work? Oh, but I forget, most needed Monte Cook to write crap on evil hmm.... Anywho, Some of the most memorable characters I've seen have been gnomes. My brother played a killer gnome diviner. I have an awesome wizard for Rappan Athuk. My DM made a frightening gnome assassin that has plagued our group for a long time. I could just as easily say I hate elves, humans, dwarves, orcs etc.'
Get over it and just play what you like.
Son of Thunder
