Hidden Woodland Dwellers
The reclusive forest gnomes live simply in hillside dwellings deep in the woods. A neighbor could live only a few miles from a forest gnome settlement for a lifetime and never know it. In these communities, anonymity and stealth help to ensure protection, peace, and survival.
If they are discovered and treated well, forest gnomes make fine neighbors, but they usually avoid contact even
with civilizations that seem friendly. Forest gnomes use their affinity with small animals and their knack for illusions to help them remain hidden. When necessary, a forest gnome community defends itself with all the resources at its disposal. Many settlements, however, simply vanish if they are discovered, retreating to some uncharted corner of the forest to begin anew.
Forest gnomes have no consistent geographical spread in Avalor, appearing randomly in forested regions.
Their villages, carved into the trunks of trees and giant mushrooms, consist of less than a hundred members. Forest gnomes stick to somewhat of a hunter-gatherer gerontocratic culture with great appreciation for nature and wilderness. However, in contrast with more primitive forest peoples, forest gnomes are rather versed in the arts and willing to manipulate natural resources (with great care, of course), devoting themselves to gemcutting and jewelry-making in their free time.
The rare forest gnomes who leave their people to become adventurers often draw upon their closeness to nature and their magical gifts to serve as guides, scouts, or mystics. Living close to nature also makes forest gnomes likely to take up roles as druids, who serve various forest spirits and deities. They tend to get along well with other good-spirited woodland folk, and they regard elves and fey as their most important allies.
Forest Gnome Traits
As a forest gnome, you have a natural knack for illusion and inherent quickness and stealth.
Forest
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Natural Illusionist. You know the minor illusion cantrip. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for it.
Speak with Small Beasts. Through sounds and gestures, you can communicate simple ideas with Small or smaller beasts. Forest gnomes love animals and often keep squirrels, badgers, rabbits, moles, woodpeckers, and other creatures as beloved pets.
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