Table of Contents

Gnome

Playable subraces: rock gnome, forest gnome, deep gnome, trixie

Description

Gnomes are small cousins of the dwarves except they are generally smaller, thinner, and more nimble. They generally have large noses, and males keep their beards short and stylishly trimmed (except in the case of forest gnomes) which tends only to accentuate their noses even more. They prefer earthy tones and leather for their clothing, although they love to decorate them with ornate stitching and jewelry.

They are generally friendly but not especially social other than with their friends. They generally prefer to pursue their interests in peace and their alignment is normally neutral good. Although less inclined to be lawful - like halflings, it will also be extremely rare to see an evil gnome. Often though, they can be reckless in their desire to explore and discover new things.

They prefer to rely more on strategy in battle than brute force. Their favorite weapons tend to be short swords, hammers, but they often carry a hidden knife and are skilled at using even a simple mining pick as an effective weapon. Gnomes are intelligent creatures, quick to grasp concepts of the mind that other races struggle with. They are skilled at complexities of arcanery and mechanical constructions in particular.

Most gnomish types prefer the company of halflings and dwarves because of their similar interests. Gnomes often have an interest in magic and technology as well, so will generally share interests with elvenkind and humans. Like halflings, they have a dislike for the cruder and giant races such as ogres and gnolls. The Svirfneblin, or deep gnomes, have long been mortal foes of the drow due to the need to defend their vast underground cities from them. Other gnomes will, of course, share that hatred and distrust. They also have a longstanding mutual hatred of orcs, half-orcs, and kobolds for good reason as those races have been at odds for centuries.