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why do we have halflings and gnomes?
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<blockquote data-quote="steeldragons" data-source="post: 8176532" data-attributes="member: 92511"><p>Halflings have been covered and everyone knows where they came from and why they are there.</p><p></p><p>Gnomes existed in B/X but as a "monster/npc" species to be encountered: potential allies, little people in need of the PCs assistance/rescue, a respite from other dangers, and so on. They became a player character race in 1e AD&D.</p><p></p><p>Mythologically, gnomes date back to the physician/alchemist Paracelsus, who claims to trace back to ancient greek sources and magical tradition wherein Gnomes are the elemental beings/spirits of the Element of Earth (along with Salamanders: fire, Undines: water, Sylphs: air). In order to engage in magic that required or related to the element of earth, you had to "deal with" (conjure, entreat, bind, negotiate, what have you) a Gnome to get your "spell/ritual/alchemy/etc..." done right. This morphed over the centuries into European folklore of multiple cultures/countries as "magical little people," who lived underground or in dark/hidden places (like in the roots of trees, behind waterfalls, or other removed-from-men places that one would expect to find magic and faeries). They became conflated with brownies, spriggans, the pechs, the picts ("pixies"), kobolds, "knockers," and others.</p><p></p><p>So that's the origin of what a "Gnome" is.</p><p></p><p>It became a PC race in AD&D because, I think, there was a desire for a species that was "Earth related", where you had "Elves: trees/forests, Halflings: fields/farming, Dwarves: mountains/stone" I am betting Gygax et al were looking for something to sill in "Hills/craftsy" and the various sorts of gnomish peoples existing in history and mythology have all -since ancient greece, the near east, the ancient British isles- been renowned for their smithing/metal working (moreso than the super-masons that Tolkien dwarves were).</p><p></p><p>The "Svirfneblin" came about shortly thereafter, introduced in Descent to the Depths of the Earth and Vault of the Drow, added as a playable race in 1e's Unearthed Arcana (the original "UA"). There was also, at the time, a Saturday morning cartoon and toy line, based on a European comic strip/series, called "The Smurfs" that was enormously popular. So, the "svirfs" picked up steam/popularity from npc/"potentially-friendly monster to be encountered" to PC" pretty quickly. Like everything Drow/Descent-related, they were uber magically-powered as compared to "surface" elves/gnomes, and in the case of svirfneblin in particular, their "earth elemental" origins was played up much more than the surface gnome "little people/short "Keebler/Santa" elf/mischief makers" vibe.</p><p></p><p>The Pech are alleged to be related to/come from tales of the Pictish people (also related to the origins of the folklore of small statured faerie-peoples called Brownies). A Scottish [I think it's scottish] folktale talks about the Pech as a people, with a king, renowned for having impressive physical strength. Of course, the fantasy classic "Willow" used the Pech as the name of the small-folk in that world. And then they made a D&D appearance in the "Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth" as, again, a potentially friendly/ally species, of small (gnomish) stature, and with stone-related/elemental earth magical power. So, the Pech became, through the game's iterations, a replacement for the "Gnome as earth elemental" as the Gnome became more and more closely tied/related to "Faerie land" beings, being either originating [or exiled] from the plane of the fae...which was, not until 4e I believe, rewritten/dubbed "the Feywild." In my campaign world, I have pech as members of the gnome species.</p><p></p><p>Basically, gnomes are in the game to be another small-statured, non-human, legend/folklore-based people (giving them more "real world gravitas" than even the halfling/hobbit, imho) that has [earth/hill-related] skills and expertise and magic, knows things, other races do not.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="steeldragons, post: 8176532, member: 92511"] Halflings have been covered and everyone knows where they came from and why they are there. Gnomes existed in B/X but as a "monster/npc" species to be encountered: potential allies, little people in need of the PCs assistance/rescue, a respite from other dangers, and so on. They became a player character race in 1e AD&D. Mythologically, gnomes date back to the physician/alchemist Paracelsus, who claims to trace back to ancient greek sources and magical tradition wherein Gnomes are the elemental beings/spirits of the Element of Earth (along with Salamanders: fire, Undines: water, Sylphs: air). In order to engage in magic that required or related to the element of earth, you had to "deal with" (conjure, entreat, bind, negotiate, what have you) a Gnome to get your "spell/ritual/alchemy/etc..." done right. This morphed over the centuries into European folklore of multiple cultures/countries as "magical little people," who lived underground or in dark/hidden places (like in the roots of trees, behind waterfalls, or other removed-from-men places that one would expect to find magic and faeries). They became conflated with brownies, spriggans, the pechs, the picts ("pixies"), kobolds, "knockers," and others. So that's the origin of what a "Gnome" is. It became a PC race in AD&D because, I think, there was a desire for a species that was "Earth related", where you had "Elves: trees/forests, Halflings: fields/farming, Dwarves: mountains/stone" I am betting Gygax et al were looking for something to sill in "Hills/craftsy" and the various sorts of gnomish peoples existing in history and mythology have all -since ancient greece, the near east, the ancient British isles- been renowned for their smithing/metal working (moreso than the super-masons that Tolkien dwarves were). The "Svirfneblin" came about shortly thereafter, introduced in Descent to the Depths of the Earth and Vault of the Drow, added as a playable race in 1e's Unearthed Arcana (the original "UA"). There was also, at the time, a Saturday morning cartoon and toy line, based on a European comic strip/series, called "The Smurfs" that was enormously popular. So, the "svirfs" picked up steam/popularity from npc/"potentially-friendly monster to be encountered" to PC" pretty quickly. Like everything Drow/Descent-related, they were uber magically-powered as compared to "surface" elves/gnomes, and in the case of svirfneblin in particular, their "earth elemental" origins was played up much more than the surface gnome "little people/short "Keebler/Santa" elf/mischief makers" vibe. The Pech are alleged to be related to/come from tales of the Pictish people (also related to the origins of the folklore of small statured faerie-peoples called Brownies). A Scottish [I think it's scottish] folktale talks about the Pech as a people, with a king, renowned for having impressive physical strength. Of course, the fantasy classic "Willow" used the Pech as the name of the small-folk in that world. And then they made a D&D appearance in the "Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth" as, again, a potentially friendly/ally species, of small (gnomish) stature, and with stone-related/elemental earth magical power. So, the Pech became, through the game's iterations, a replacement for the "Gnome as earth elemental" as the Gnome became more and more closely tied/related to "Faerie land" beings, being either originating [or exiled] from the plane of the fae...which was, not until 4e I believe, rewritten/dubbed "the Feywild." In my campaign world, I have pech as members of the gnome species. Basically, gnomes are in the game to be another small-statured, non-human, legend/folklore-based people (giving them more "real world gravitas" than even the halfling/hobbit, imho) that has [earth/hill-related] skills and expertise and magic, knows things, other races do not. [/QUOTE]
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