D&D General Why Gnomes Are Awesome (+)

[doctorbadwolf]

what have gnomes been doing between the time of myth and now?

Rock Gnomes, IMO, are the inventors of many alchemical and mechanical devices and processes, from the dnd crossbow that reloads in a mere second, to the elchemists fire and many well known potions. Also stuff like the alembic, and the cucurbit, and the crucible, and hermetic sealing.

Forest Gnomes are creators of art and other illusions. They invented some of dnds classic stealth and illusions.

Gnomish is called rthe language of alchemy, and so many alchemical terms are derived from it, as are many terms of musical composition.

 

[Richards]

I run a 3.5 campaign, but my gnomes are always more like their AD&D 1st and 2nd edition counterparts: with ridiculously large noses and a love for ridiculous names. My son ran a gnome fighter named Binkadink Dundernoggin through a previous 20-level campaign, in which he rode a jackalope named Obvious and was involved in a back-and-forth prank war with his cousin, Jinkadoodle Dundernoggin. He also used his innate gnomish powers of prestidigitation and ghost sound to convince the party they were being stalked by invisible pixies who liked turning the PCs' hair different colors for fun. (That particular gag went for months in real time.)

Johnathan

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

I made them Tiny Elemental Fae, descended from the Chwingas captured by the Formorians of the Feywild to craft charms against their inborn curse.

 

[el-remmen]

I love gnomes (but not rock gnomes).

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Gnomes when they build strongholds with siege traps are like a tower defense videogame. (have you played Orcs must die! or Fortnite: Save the world?)

That’s a heck of an image!

I run a 3.5 campaign, but my gnomes are always more like their AD&D 1st and 2nd edition counterparts: with ridiculously large noses and a love for ridiculous names. My son ran a gnome fighter named Binkadink Dundernoggin through a previous 20-level campaign, in which he rode a jackalope named Obvious and was involved in a back-and-forth prank war with his cousin, Jinkadoodle Dundernoggin. He also used his innate gnomish powers of prestidigitation and ghost sound to convince the party they were being stalked by invisible pixies who liked turning the PCs' hair different colors for fun. (That particular gag went for months in real time.)

Johnathan

Perfect.

I made them Tiny Elemental Fae, descended from the Chwingas captured by the Formorians of the Feywild to craft charms against their inborn curse.

Nice!

I love gnomes (but not rock gnomes).

But they rock!

But seriously I wish they’d give them good abilities so they could shine more. Just little tinker buddies.

 

[Oofta]

In my campaign both goblins and gnomes originated from the same fey faerie folk. When the first of these folk found their way to Midgard (the prime material plane) they found themselves pulled in two directions. One decided to worship Maglubiyet and leaned into the cruel and malicious side of being a sneaky prankster. Gnomes decided to follow Garl Glittergold and embraced the joy and fun associated to their nature.

All gnomes were creative and inventive, some became rock gnomes who love to tinker and invent. Others hearkened back to their fey roots by embracing nature and subterfuge in the way of illusion. Oddly, while both types of gnomes have roughly equal population, many people have never seen a forest gnome community while rock gnome communities are infamous. It's not that people haven't stumbled across forest gnome towns, it's that they pass through or are subtly redirected without ever realizing it.

Meanwhile in rock gnome communities, the gnomes are often in competition with each other trying to earn the title of "Greatest Crafter" with inventions that are sometimes practical but other times lean a bit too much into pizzazz and excitement. People who enter a gnomish city often tell tales of their visit with equal amounts of joy mixed with moments of sheer abject terror akin to riding an extreme roller coaster.

As NPCs both types of gnomes tend to be sages and advisors, but present quite differently. Forest gnomes are calm and gentle, leading you in to a cozy room (watch your head if you're a tallfolk) to have some tea. They'll sit in a comfortable chair as they pull out a pipe and gently ask you how they may assist you. After listening with a furrowed brow, they'll raise their pipe and start blowing bubbles.

A rock gnome? If it's in a human community, you can often get exciting stories from children of the amazing toys and gizmos that get stern looks of consternation from the adults when they aren't secretly smiling at their own memories. The gnome's house will likely decorated with clocks that chime or roar, various devices that may or may not be functional, a clutter of half built and discarded but soon to be recycled objects everywhere. Oh, and tall folk, watch out for the automated flying cobweb remover in case you don't want a haircut.

 

[el-remmen]

But seriously I wish they’d give them good abilities so they could shine more. Just little tinker buddies.

I am just not into "sub" races or artificing.

I do love forest gnomes though and my favorite part of my "Out of the Frying Pan" campaign involved the PCs wintering in a secluded gnome community as their "guests" (i.e. prisoners). They eventually became allies with the gnomes and rescued them from a half-fiend gnome who had weaseled his way into being their leader.

 

[Richards]

Gnomes can make for interesting villains, too. One of my previous campaigns ("Wing Three") had a gnome lich (Toofles Pigwilligan, although once he took on lichdom he wore the illusion of a skeletal equiceph - a Large sized, horse-headed skeleton - and went by the name "Darklord Drago von Mordak" to be more intimidating) who transported an entire magic shop into the Negative Energy Plane (while the PCs were in it - bummer for them!) so he could make off with its entire contents. That same campaign had a crazed gnomish baker named Pogo Snuffmuffin take out the entire Adventurers Guild by making a slow-acting potion in cake form that turned those who ate it into stone; for that adventure, my players used their animal companions and familiars to overcome the evil baker and his gnome henchmen and stop them from looting the Guild Headquarters, then found a way to get them returned to flesh. (Fortunately, they had the help of an elderly hireling to do things like open doors for them.)

Johnathan

 

[Lidgar]

Most of my gnomes try to emulate this guy.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I am just not into "sub" races or artificing.

Ah man I gotta have tinkering in my D&D.

Rant: I can live without magical tinkering, tho it makes no sense to me that you’d see anything but a mix, as long as there is mundane tinkering, but I literally cannot imagine a world where magic is both powerful and non-ubiquitous that doesn’t have scientific/tech progress. /rant

I do love forest gnomes though and my favorite part of my "Out of the Frying Pan" campaign involved the PCs wintering in a secluded gnome community as their "guests" (i.e. prisoners). They eventually became allies with the gnomes and rescued them from a half-fiend gnome who had weaseled his way into being their leader.

Nice.