Gnome
Gnomes are often mistaken for offshoot species of dwarves or
halflings. In fact, gnomes have more in common with elves
and the fey, for they are closely bonded to nature and its essence
as much as elves are. Even the most renowned sages can only say
that gnomes emerged long ago from primordial forests and from
under the deep roots of massive trees. Small even by dwarven
standards, gnomes have the potential to be powerful friends and
deadly foes despite their size. Although partial to forests and
mountains, gnomes can be found living in other remote locations
as well. Afflicted with wanderlust, many gnomes are world
travelers and enjoy visiting strange, foreign lands in search of new
information about the world in which they live.
Description: The gnome is small in stature, averaging 3 feet 6 inches tall. They have wide eyes and small noses with rounded ears that afford them excellent hearing. Their skin tones range as widely as humans and elves. Gnomes tend to enjoy loose-fitting clothing that leaves arms and legs free to move. They enjoy accouterments of all descriptions woven into their clothing, belts, sashes, and the like. They sport tattoos as well, often marking themselves with inks that range in meaning. Some tattoos may be deeply personal, others may have origins in their clan, others may mean nothing at all.
Personality: Considered pranksters or mischief-makers in many circles, gnomes are generally more concerned with relaxation and mirth than with most other matters. The gnome is occasionally serious, although this demeanor is normally reserved for times of war and great stress. Even in these grave situations, gnomes remain light of heart compared to the other races. Keenly intelligent, curious and observant, gnomes involve themselves in all manner of travels and experiments to fulfil an unremitting curiosity.
This thirst for knowledge often brings gnomes and their friends together in great concourse. Individuals, families and clans gather from time to time to feast and make merry, and pass the news of the day. All are welcome at these gatherings and it is not odd to see elves, halflings, dwarves or even humans sitting amongst the gnomes and sharing in stories and tales of great escapades. Gnomes are famous for their songs, dances, drinks, speeches and many other disparate forms of entertainment. In fact, gnomes encourage others to sit at tables with them as they struggle to glean information from all and sundry folk. For this reason, gnomes are careful in their speech and possess great skills in extracting all manner of information from their guests, whether their guests intend to reveal it or not. These skills are not limited to civil conversation, but are as often used to glean secrets and even concessions from others. Conversely, gnomes are loath to give up information and rarely do so without a price. Knowledge gained in this manner is rarely used for evil purposes, but is tucked away for the proverbial rainy day. At such times it is brought forth to the immense enjoyment of the gnome and often to the embarrassment of the victim.
Gnomes tend to be clannish, living in extended, though tightly knit family units. These families are not restricted to blood relations or even to the race of gnomes. Once trust is given or earned, gnomes welcome friends of almost any race into the inner confidence. Their love of gatherings and their skills in story telling help to bind these clans together through shared folklore and public exchanges of appreciation.
Gnomes are accounted as great craftsmen and they take pride in the creation of all manner of objects, from musical instruments, exotic papers, and colorful inks to noisy clocks and other such goods. But their greatest craftsmen focus on religious edifices. These are large stone menhirs shaped and carved over decades, and placed within sacred groves or upon windy heights. At these spots, gnomes gather on summer and winter solstices to offer tidings unto their deities and thanks for lives well lived.
Racial Affinities: Preferring a simple and static world, gnomes are friendly with most of the benign peoples with whom they come into contact. Gnomes, however, have contentious relations with those who are destructive and aggressive. They particularly abhor goblins and kobolds. Gnomes consider elves to be distant and elitist cousins. They find dwarves marginally acceptable, but wish they would quit digging so many holes in the earth before it collapses. As for halflings and humans, gnomes consider one just a shorter, more polite and better fed version of the other. They typically relate well with both.
Environment: Gnomes prefer wild regions that are peripheral to urban or settled lands, including high mountains, hills, deserts, forests or, more rarely, marshes.
RACIAL TRAITS AND ABILITIES
Animal Empathy: The gnomish relationship with nature and its creatures allows them to communicate with burrowing mammals (badger, fox, mole, rabbit, etc.). The communication is more telepathic and empathic than it is conversational, though posture and sounds can communicate emotions such as stress and fear. The information communicated must be relatively simple, taking place on the animal’s level of understanding and comprehension, not the gnome’s.
Combat Expertise (Goblins, Kobolds): Gnomes have battled goblins and kobolds in the forests and mountains since the dawn of their race. Because of these frequent and bloody encounters, gnomes have developed special techniques for fighting goblins and kobolds. Gnomes receive a +1 bonus to hit kobolds and goblins using hand held weapons in melee combat. Using missile weapons does not confer a bonus.
Darkvision: In a similar manner to dwarves, gnomes can see in complete darkness for up to 60 feet. Darkvision produces images that are in shades of gray, but it is otherwise like normal sight. Gnomes can function well with no light at all. Bright lights, such as from a lantern or other light source, spoil darkvision. A gnome requires one minute to adjust their eyes when a light source is extinguished before gaining full use of darkvision.
Enhanced Hearing: Gnomes have keen ears, often likened to those of a fox. No one knows whether this is due to gnome physiology, or because gnomes are such close observers of their environment. Gnomes receive a +3 bonus to all listening checks.
Spells: Gnomes have an innate ability to cast the following spells once per day as a 1st level caster: dancing lights, ghost sound, and prestidigitation. These innate spells are in addition to any spells available to gnomes of spellcasting character classes.
Language: Common, Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Goblin, Kobold
Size: Small
Movement: 20 Feet
Typical Classes: Rogue, Illusionist, Druid, Bard
Attribute Modifiers: +1 Intelligence, -1 Strength
Ability Modifier: +3 Listen
Description: The gnome is small in stature, averaging 3 feet 6 inches tall. They have wide eyes and small noses with rounded ears that afford them excellent hearing. Their skin tones range as widely as humans and elves. Gnomes tend to enjoy loose-fitting clothing that leaves arms and legs free to move. They enjoy accouterments of all descriptions woven into their clothing, belts, sashes, and the like. They sport tattoos as well, often marking themselves with inks that range in meaning. Some tattoos may be deeply personal, others may have origins in their clan, others may mean nothing at all.
Personality: Considered pranksters or mischief-makers in many circles, gnomes are generally more concerned with relaxation and mirth than with most other matters. The gnome is occasionally serious, although this demeanor is normally reserved for times of war and great stress. Even in these grave situations, gnomes remain light of heart compared to the other races. Keenly intelligent, curious and observant, gnomes involve themselves in all manner of travels and experiments to fulfil an unremitting curiosity.
This thirst for knowledge often brings gnomes and their friends together in great concourse. Individuals, families and clans gather from time to time to feast and make merry, and pass the news of the day. All are welcome at these gatherings and it is not odd to see elves, halflings, dwarves or even humans sitting amongst the gnomes and sharing in stories and tales of great escapades. Gnomes are famous for their songs, dances, drinks, speeches and many other disparate forms of entertainment. In fact, gnomes encourage others to sit at tables with them as they struggle to glean information from all and sundry folk. For this reason, gnomes are careful in their speech and possess great skills in extracting all manner of information from their guests, whether their guests intend to reveal it or not. These skills are not limited to civil conversation, but are as often used to glean secrets and even concessions from others. Conversely, gnomes are loath to give up information and rarely do so without a price. Knowledge gained in this manner is rarely used for evil purposes, but is tucked away for the proverbial rainy day. At such times it is brought forth to the immense enjoyment of the gnome and often to the embarrassment of the victim.
Gnomes tend to be clannish, living in extended, though tightly knit family units. These families are not restricted to blood relations or even to the race of gnomes. Once trust is given or earned, gnomes welcome friends of almost any race into the inner confidence. Their love of gatherings and their skills in story telling help to bind these clans together through shared folklore and public exchanges of appreciation.
Gnomes are accounted as great craftsmen and they take pride in the creation of all manner of objects, from musical instruments, exotic papers, and colorful inks to noisy clocks and other such goods. But their greatest craftsmen focus on religious edifices. These are large stone menhirs shaped and carved over decades, and placed within sacred groves or upon windy heights. At these spots, gnomes gather on summer and winter solstices to offer tidings unto their deities and thanks for lives well lived.
Racial Affinities: Preferring a simple and static world, gnomes are friendly with most of the benign peoples with whom they come into contact. Gnomes, however, have contentious relations with those who are destructive and aggressive. They particularly abhor goblins and kobolds. Gnomes consider elves to be distant and elitist cousins. They find dwarves marginally acceptable, but wish they would quit digging so many holes in the earth before it collapses. As for halflings and humans, gnomes consider one just a shorter, more polite and better fed version of the other. They typically relate well with both.
Environment: Gnomes prefer wild regions that are peripheral to urban or settled lands, including high mountains, hills, deserts, forests or, more rarely, marshes.
RACIAL TRAITS AND ABILITIES
Animal Empathy: The gnomish relationship with nature and its creatures allows them to communicate with burrowing mammals (badger, fox, mole, rabbit, etc.). The communication is more telepathic and empathic than it is conversational, though posture and sounds can communicate emotions such as stress and fear. The information communicated must be relatively simple, taking place on the animal’s level of understanding and comprehension, not the gnome’s.
Combat Expertise (Goblins, Kobolds): Gnomes have battled goblins and kobolds in the forests and mountains since the dawn of their race. Because of these frequent and bloody encounters, gnomes have developed special techniques for fighting goblins and kobolds. Gnomes receive a +1 bonus to hit kobolds and goblins using hand held weapons in melee combat. Using missile weapons does not confer a bonus.
Darkvision: In a similar manner to dwarves, gnomes can see in complete darkness for up to 60 feet. Darkvision produces images that are in shades of gray, but it is otherwise like normal sight. Gnomes can function well with no light at all. Bright lights, such as from a lantern or other light source, spoil darkvision. A gnome requires one minute to adjust their eyes when a light source is extinguished before gaining full use of darkvision.
Enhanced Hearing: Gnomes have keen ears, often likened to those of a fox. No one knows whether this is due to gnome physiology, or because gnomes are such close observers of their environment. Gnomes receive a +3 bonus to all listening checks.
Spells: Gnomes have an innate ability to cast the following spells once per day as a 1st level caster: dancing lights, ghost sound, and prestidigitation. These innate spells are in addition to any spells available to gnomes of spellcasting character classes.
Language: Common, Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Goblin, Kobold
Size: Small
Movement: 20 Feet
Typical Classes: Rogue, Illusionist, Druid, Bard
Attribute Modifiers: +1 Intelligence, -1 Strength
Ability Modifier: +3 Listen
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