Undergelf

It is an honor. It is said, The gelf have forgotten more knowledge than they have ever known.
That sounds like an insult... and also it doesn't even make any sense...
Yes... uhm...but uhm... you know what i want to say right?
That you are bad at mathematics?

— Human merchant trying to start smalltalk with an undergelf warrior

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Gelf, besides the usual primary and secondary sexual characteristics, show no sexual dimorphism at all and this shows in their names. All names work for both genders though, as they all describe traits which work for males and females. Hence they are based on the same words and can (but don't have to) differ according to male or female flection. The nicknames are then derived accordingly.

Undergelf Given Names (derived Female Nicknames)

Prillolarr (Prill, Olarr), Calliequisna (Callie, Cal, Quiesna), Cyqillna ( Cygi, Quilna), Remmaskallda (Remma, Skallda), Drusifaba (Dru, Drusi, Faba), Kimarikyuka (Kimari, Kima, Kimi, Kyuka), Pipaskuldi (Pip, Pippa, Skuldi), Roodnaglot (Rood, Glot), Lomfligula (Lom, Fligula), Sirculapan (Siri, Lapan), Ragneflorr (Ragne, Florr), Rattnekina (Ratta, Kina), Alxagoog (Alxa, Goog), Fringialuffa (Fringia, Luffa), Banssaylokini (Banssa, Lokini), Rydnixifix (Rydna, Fixi), Kirakhilkha (Kira, Kiri, Hilkha),...

Masculine names

Gelf, besides the usual primary and secondary sexual characteristics, show no sexual dimorphism at all and this shows in their names. All names work for both genders though, as they all describe traits which work for males and females. Hence they are based on the same words and can (but don't have to) differ according to male or female flection. The nicknames are then derived accordingly.

Undergelf Given Names (Derived Male Nicknames)

Prillolarr (Prill, Olarr), Calliequisne (Cal, Quiesne), Cyqill (Cyq, Quill), Remskalld (Rem, Skalld), Drusifab (Dru, Fab), Kimarekyuke (Kimare, Kyuke), Pipaskuldi (Pip, Skuldi), Roodnaglot (Rood, Glot), Lomflig (Lom, Flick), Sirculapan (Sircu, Lapan), Ragneflorr (Ragne, Florr), Rattnekin (Rattne, Kin), Alxagoog (Alxa, Goog), Fringeluff (Fringe, Luff), Banssaylokin (Banss, Lokin), Rydnixifix (Rydni, Fix), Kirakhilk (Kirak, Hilk),...

Family names

Family names of Gelf consist of two parts, each part a usually positively connoted trait or goal, which the family has sworn to uphold. While the given name of a gelf can change oftentimes over his life, the values a gelf family upholds remain the same over generations, simply due to the respect gelf have for their ancestors. Therefore, at least the family names remain constant. This respect does not prevent the gelf from shortening the names in everyday use however, normally by taking one of the two traits and rolling with it. The familyname of queen Kimarikyuka Karokisty for example becomes shortened to Karo.
In case the pronunciation of the chosen trait does not work well or easily in a sentence structure, the other one is chosen, or it is replaced by a similar sounding, but better working, idiosyncrasy.

Example Family Names:

Karokisty (Karo, Kisty), Guggaskulde (Gugga, Skulde), Haltropraxnek (Halt, Praxi), Brossnelukk (Bross, Lukk), Tifflakamp (Tiffla, Kamp), Harkokalesti (Harko, Kalesti), Jumanjikuppu (Juma, Jikuppu),...

Other names

Next to Family Name and Given Names (of which Gelf can have a lot due to the Naming Festival tradition) they also have a Clan name, which holds special religious meaning to them. It is the name of the founder or foundress and first ancestor of the clan, and the Gelf believe that these gelf were actual gods, and children of Kayakalla, The Worldmother, who were forced to give their lives and join the spiritworld to protect the gelf , when the Plague threatened to turn them into gremlins.
As the number of clans in the Undermountain goes into the hundreds so does the number of ancestor deities, such that here only a small number of Clan Names can be described.

Example Clan Names

Rokumaricul, Ku, Gindagapp, Hotrufanna, Falguntha, Jaksunnana, Tispoklet, Gontaknar, lopureki, Datmyrkalla, Gon, Vertandisstakul, Nopraggnestra, Jostpatneke, Lisofassla, Hilgi, Morokalanti, Fundiruvoni...

Culture

Average technological level

It is true. Of the civilization, that once managed to dig the undermountain and hold it against the hordes of the underdark while also preventing its detection by the humans and elves, only a loose community of tribes is left. The undergelf have lost the knowledge, and their understanding of the ancient workings barely suffices to keep them at work, by spit and hope as the gnomes use to say.
There is the great underground trackway between of Underhall and Midhall, continuously powered by the hundreds of watermills at the underground channel. There are the Deep Gates, giant gateway doors that mark the end of the Undermountain and the beginning of underdark proper, which at the behest of stationed guards open to those who know the passwords while barely making a sound. There are the garden levels with the fungal woods, providing food and building material for the undergelf as they had done for centuries. Many building and rooms in the undermountain are derelict today, and where once stone homes dominated the picture, wooden houses made either from what is harvested from the garden levels, the upperworld, or taken from excursions into the underdark set the tone.
However, it used to be worse. Since the undergelf have opened the gates to the upperworld again, new material and technics were discovered or rediscovered by the undergelf, and albeit there had been setbacks, like the fourth and fifth shadow war, the gnomes managed to pull through, in no small part due to their fearless and always optimistic attitude.
Today undergelf mainly excel in three fields of science: Mechanics, which is mainly used for the construction of traps, a necessary skill for small people who want to survive the underdark. Alchemy, and here especially the concoction of poisons (something the undergelf have perfected due to their better access to the oftentimes poisonous plants of the underdark) and something the gelf call "ReEncyrcling": the art to disassemble broken things and reuse the parts for other projects.
Due to the circumstances most undergelf also developed a knack for repurposing things in ways they never were intended to, something which some gelf even developed to almost an artform.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

Given Names and the Naming Festival

PRILLOKINI TIFFLAKAMP!!!
THAT'S... NOT... MY... NAME!!!
"sigh"

— Scene which plays out like this or in slight variations in almost every gelf house with teenagers.

Full given names of Gelf are extremely long constructs, and they are written down fully probably once or twice in the lifetime of a gelf. This is due to the Naming tradition which gelf follow. When a new gelf is born, all relatives gather, and each relative gives one name to the new child that relates to what the respective gelf wishes for it. As the crowd gathering during this “Naming Festival” can go into the hundreds, the full name of a gelf could fill pages.
For purposes of everyday life, these names are obviously impractical and thus the parents at first choose which two traits they consider most important, and shorten the name of their child to those parts. Once the child grows older however, it can choose to replace its names by those, which it considers most important itself. Because attitude and priorities of a gelf can change over time, the gelf are not bound to stick with this choice for their life however. Gelf can choose to change their given name on a whim and because of the generally large number of traits wished upon a child at its Naming Festival, they rarely run out of options to do so.
Although gelf like to play pranks on non-gelf by exploiting this tradition, out of practical reasoning gelf limit themselves to truly changing their established names to probably once or twice a lifetime, after having settled for one. If it happens, it usually happens after a major impact changed their outlook on life. However, finding these established names has to happen in the first place and the teenage years of gelf are confusing even to their parents.
Just like the familynames, the twofold given names, which result from this tradition, are still quite long, and are, in everyday live usually shortened again, until something remains, which has mostly one or two, but in rare cases at most three syllables. Just like with the familynames, this is either done by taking just one of the two nameparts, or by replacing it with similar sounding malapropisms and nicknames. Undergelf Queen Kimarikyuka for example could have become either Kimari or Kyuka. She decided for Kimari but everyday life shortened it even further to Kimi, which works better with Karo, the short form of her familyname Karokisty.

Encompassed species

• Gelf

Related Organizations

• The Undermountain

Languages spoken

• Undergelf

D&D 5e Stats

Undergelf

Ability Score Increase +2 Int, +1 Dex

Size Small

Speed 25 ft

---

Size: 3 to 3.6 feet (0,9 to 1,10m)

Gelf Traits:

• Darkvision: Accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
• Rooted in the material world: Albeit differrently than the elves, Gnomes are protected against the influence of the Fae. You have advantage on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws against magic.
• Gelf Empathy: You get advantage on all Insight checks.
• Retractable Claws: You can decide to extend your claws. Should you do so, your unarmed strikes do 1d4 + Str modifier damage.
• Trance: Like Elves, Gelf do not sleep. Instead they meditate deeply, remaining semi-conscious, for 4 hours a day. The Common word for this meditation is "trance". While meditating, you dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive after years of practice. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit a human would from 8 hours of sleep.

Undergelf Traits:

• Superior Darkvision: Your darkvision has a radius of 120 feet. Should you have been underground for more than week, it takes 1 day to accomodate to the light of the upperworld again. Until you have accomodated, you suffer disadvantage on all checks which require eyesight.
• This should work for now...: Given material to work with (at discretion of the DM), you can repurpose it to tools that suffice for one proficiency check as if they were a real tool. You suffer no penalty for using them. You can only create tools , which you are proficient in using yourself. (e.g. a rogue could repurpose a hairpin into a thieves tool). You gain proficiency in two toolsets of your choice.

Languages. Common, Undercommon and Undergelf

Pathfinder 2e Stats

See also the Feats at the Bottom of the page

Hit Points

8

Size

Small

Speed

25

Ability Boosts

Constitution
Charisma
Free

Ability Flaw

Strength

Languages

Common
Undergelf
Additional languages equal to your Intelligence modifier (if it’s positive). Choose from any other languages to which you have access (such as the languages prevalent in your region)

Traits

Gnome
Humanoid

Low-Light Vision
You can see in dim light as though it were bright light, and you ignore the concealed condition due to dim light.

Claws In unarmed combat you deal 1d6 Slashing damage.If you Attack unarmed with either your feet or your hands you can choose to deal 1d6 lethal Slashing Damage. Your feet and hands are in the "Brawling" Group and have the finesse and unarmed traits.

Undergelf Heritages

Umbral Gnome
Whether from a connection to dark or shadowy fey, from the underground deep gnomes also known as svirfneblin, or another source, you can see in complete darkness. You gain darkvision.

Sensate Gnome You see all colors as brighter, hear all sounds as richer, and especially smell all scents with incredible detail. You gain a special sense: imprecise scent with a range of 30 feet. This means you can use your sense of smell to determine the exact location of a creature (as explained on page 465). The GM will usually double the range if you’re downwind from the creature or halve the range if you’re upwind. In addition, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Perception checks whenever you’re trying to locate an undetected creature that is within the range of your scent.

Chameleon Gnome
The color of your hair and skin is mutable, possibly due to latent magic. You can slowly change the vibrancy and the exact color, and the coloration can be different across your body, allowing you to create patterns or other colorful designs. It takes a single action for minor localized shifts and up to an hour for dramatic shifts throughout your body. While you’re asleep, the colors shift on their own in tune with your dreams, giving you an unusual coloration each morning. When you’re in an area where your coloration is roughly similar to the environment (for instance, forest green in a forest), you can use the single action to make minor localized shifts designed to help you blend into your surroundings. This grants you a +2 circumstance bonus to Stealth checks until your surroundings shift in coloration or pattern.

Wellspring Gnome
Some other source of magic has a greater hold on you than the primal magic of your ancestors. Choose arcane, divine, or occult. You gain one cantrip from that magical tradition’s spell list (pages 307–315). You can cast this spell as an innate spell at will, as a spell of your chosen tradition. A cantrip is heightened to a spell level equal to half your level rounded up. Whenever you gain a primal innate spell from a gnome ancestry feat, change its tradition from primal to your chosen tradition.

Gnome Ancestry Feats

At 1st level, you gain one ancestry feat, and you gain an additional ancestry feat every 4 levels thereafter (at 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th levels). As a Gnome, you select from among the ancestry feats as described here or in the Core Rulebook or Advanced players Guide which haven't been replaced by the ones described here. The feats which replace those described in the Core Rulebook or Advanced players Guide describe essentially the same effect but with a different reasoning, as Gnomes on Ardu differ fundamentally from Gnomes in other universes
A comprehensive lists of Gnome Feats can be found here:
Gnome Feats
if picking from that list, choose only those which come from the Core Rulebook or the Advanced Players Guide, and then see if the Feat has been replaced. Use the Text of the Replacement Feat.

Level 1

Original Feats

Gnome Polyglot - - Feat 1 -

GNOME

Description Your extensive travels, curiosity, and love of learning help you to learn languages quickly. You learn three new languages, chosen from common languages and uncommon languages you have access to. These languages take the same form (signed or spoken) as your other languages. When you select the Multilingual feat, you learn three new languages instead of two.

Grim Insight - - Feat 1 -

GNOME

Description Others’ attempts to scare you often grant you insights about your would-be bullies that you can then exploit. If you roll a success on a saving throw against a fear effect, you get a critical success instead, and the source of the fear effect is flat-footed to you until the end of your next turn.

Inventive offensive - - Feat 1 -

GNOMETRIPLE ACTION

Requirements Undergelf, Trained in Crafting

Description You can jury-rig your weapons to perform in unexpected ways. When you use this ability, add one of the following weapon traits to a melee weapon you wield: deadly d6, disarm, nonlethal, shove, trip, versatile B, versatile P, or versatile S. You cannot add a trait that the weapon already has. The weapon retains this trait until you a successfully hit and deal damage with the weapon. The weapon retains this trait only while you wield it, and you can have only one weapon modified in this way at any time.
If you have expert proficiency in Crafting, you can use this feat as a 2-action activity. If you have legendary proficiency in Crafting, you can apply two weapon traits from the list when using this feat.

Life-Giving Magic - - Feat 1 -

GNOME

Requirements Once per Minute (10 rounds)
Trigger You cast an innate spell from a gnome heritage or ancestry feat.

Description The upwelling of innate magic refreshes your body. You gain a number of temporary Hit Points equal to half your level (minimum 1) that last until the end of your next turn.

Natural Performer - - Feat 1 -

GNOME

Description Entertainment comes naturally to you. You become trained in Performance and gain one 1st-level Performance skill feat.

Theoretical Acumen - - Feat 1 -

GNOMESINGLE ACTION

Requirements Frequency: Once per day
Trigger You succeed at a skill check to Recall Knowledge to identify a creature.

Description You study a creature’s form and behavior to hypothesize likely means of overcoming its strengths. Once before the end of your next turn, you can use the skill modifier from the triggering check in place of your saving throw modifier against one of the creature’s abilities, in place of your Perception modifier to Seek the creature, in place of your Deception modifier to Feint against the creature, or in place of your Intimidation modifier to Demoralize the creature. Alternatively, against one of the creature’s attacks, you can use your DC for the skill used in the triggering check in place of your AC.

Share Throughts - - Feat 1 -

GNOMEGOBLIN

Description You have an uncanny knack of communicating with other gelf without speaking, though this habit that is often uncomfortable to observers. You can cast mindlink as an innate occult spell once per day, but you can target only other gelf or goblins

Replacements:

Replaces Fey Fellowship

Fae Connection (Gnome) - - Feat 1 -

GNOME

Description Your enhanced Connection affords you a warmer reception from creatures of the Counterrealm as well as tools to foil their tricks. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to both Perception checks and saving throws against all inhabitants of the counterrealm.
In addition, whenever you meet a Fae creature in a social situation, you can immediately attempt a Diplomacy check to Make an Impression on that creature rather than needing to converse for 1 minute. You take a –5 penalty to the check. If you fail, you can engage in 1 minute of conversation and attempt a new check at the end of that time rather than accepting the failure or critical failure result.
Special: If you have the Glad-Hand skill feat, you don’t take the penalty on your immediate Diplomacy check if the target is a Fae Creature.

Replaces First World Magic

Natural Magic - - Feat 1 -

GNOME

Description Your connection to the Counterrealm grants you a primal innate spell. Choose one cantrip from the primal spell list. You can cast this spell as a primal innate spell at will. A cantrip is heightened to a spell level equal to half your level rounded up

Level 5

Original Feats

Intuitive Illusions - - Feat 5 -

GNOME

Requirements Illusion Sense, Frequency: Once per day
Trigger Your turn begins,

Description Illusion magic comes to you so naturally that you can effortlessly sustain your magical ruses. You immediately gain the effects of a Sustain a Spell action to extend the duration of one of your active illusion spells.

Eclectic Obsession - - Feat 5 -

GNOME

Requirements Gnome Obsession

Description Your desire for stimulation has led you from one pursuit to another and granted you a smattering of expertise with myriad crafts and professions. You reflect on snippets you’ve learned to temporarily become trained in one Lore skill of your choice. This proficiency lasts for 10 minutes or until you critically fail a check with that skill. Since this training is temporary, you can’t use it as a prerequisite for a permanent character option like a feat or a skill increase.

Replacements:

Replaces Natural Illusionist

Natural Illusionist - -Feat 5-

GNOME

Requirements Illusion Sense

Description By drawing upon primal magic from the counterrealm, you can siphon a portion of that malleable world to create a convincing illusion. Once per day, you can cast illusory disguise, item facade, or ventriloquism. At 7th level, the spell is heightened to 2nd level, and every 2 levels thereafter, the spell is heightened an additional spell level.

Level 9

Original Feats

Sense Thoughts - - Feat 9 -

GNOMEGOBLIN

Requirements Share Thoughts

Description You have an even stranger knack for knowing what other people are thinking. You can cast mind reading as an innate occult spell once per day.

Replacements:

Replaces First World Adept

Natural Magic Adept - - Feat 9 -

Requirements at least one primal innate spell

Description Over time your innate magic has grown stronger. You gain faerie fire and invisibility as 2nd-level primal innate spells. You can cast each of these primal innate spells once per day.

Replaces Life Leap

Nimble Dodge - - Feat 9 -

GNOMEMOVEMENTSINGLE ACTION

Description You dodge through a space that a living creature occupies, appearing on the opposite side of it. You move from your current location to another location that's still adjacent to the same living creature, but on the opposite side or corner of the creature's space. To determine whether a position is valid, use the same rules as for flanking: a line through the center of the two spaces must pass through opposite sides or corners of the creature's space.
You dodge through the creature's location, appearing in the selected location; this doesn't trigger reactions based on movement. You must be able to see your destination, and you can't move farther than your Speed would allow.

Replaces Vivacious Conduit

Fae Conduit - - Feat 9 -

GNOME

Description Your connection to the Fae has grown, and its energy flows into you rapidly. If you rest for 10 minutes, you gain Hit Points equal to your Constitution modifier × half your level. This is cumulative with any healing you receive from Treat Wounds.

Level 17

Replacements:

Replaces Homeward Bound

Fae Wanderer - - Feat 17 -

GNOME

Requirements twice per week

Description The connection between you and the Fae resonates within your body stronger than it does for most gnomes, allowing you to cross the threshold between the Material Plane and the Counterrealm. You gain plane shift as a primal innate spell. You can cast it twice per week. This can be used only to travel back and forth between the Counterrealm and the Material Plane. Due to your body's natural resonance, you can act as the spell focus, and you don't require a tuning fork.