Gnomes

There is only one race of true Gnomes on Arr-Kelaan; called Rock Gnomes, they live in the rocky, wooded hills usually surrounding mountain ranges. However, there are at least two enclaves of Tinker Gnomes (from Krynn) who were dropped off in remote mountains by SpellJamming ships who simply couldn't stand them any longer. Gnomes in general are a merry race, prone to practical jokes, and excelling in the arts of illusion magic.

Appearance:

Although their kinship to Dwarves is obvious, Gnomes are noticeably smaller than their distant cousins. Gnomes, as they proudly maintain, are also less rotund than dwarves. Their noses, however, are significantly larger. Most Gnomes have dark tan or brown skin and white hair.

Personality:
Gnomes have lively and sly senses of humor, especially for practical jokes. They have a great love of living things and finely wrought items, particularly gems and jewelry. Gnomes love all sorts of precious stones, even above silver, gold, and mithril, and are masters of gem polishing and cutting. Gnomes lack the Dwarves skill at fine mechanical crafting, preferring instead to develop their magical abilities.

Lifestyle:
Gnomes prefer to live in areas of rolling, rocky hills, well wooded and uninhabited by humans. Their diminutive stature has made them suspicious of the larger races--Humans and Elves--although they are not hostile. They are sly and furtive with those they do not know or trust, and somewhat reserved even under the best of circumstances.

Dwelling in mines and burrows, and coming into frequent competition, Gnomes and Dwarves are, for the most part, enemies. Gnomes and Dwarves frequently come into competition over mineral resources and Gnomes often challenge Claennaugh clans for the rights to the mountain highlands. Dwarves especially despise the Gnomes' abilities with illusion magic, seeing the use of spells as an abomination of Dwarven-kind. Dwarves do admit that Gnomes are their kin, though Gnomes proudly maintain that the Elemental Sovereign of the Earth 'repaired His mistakes' when he made the Gnomes.

Like their Dwarven-kin, Gnomes are highly resistant to poisons. Likewise, many Gnomes are also resistant to spells. A Gnome player character gains a bonus of +1 for every 3½ points of Constitution score, just as Dwarves do (see Table 9). This bonus applies to saving throws against magical wands, staves, rods, and spells.

Gnomes also suffer a 20% chance for failure every time they use any magical item except weapons, armor, shields, illusionist items, and (if the character is a thief) items that duplicate thieving abilities. This check is made each time the Gnome attempts to use the device, or, in the case of continuous-use devices, each time the device is activated. Like Dwarves, Gnomes can sense a cursed item if the device fails to function.

When Gnolls, bugbears, ogres, trolls, ogre magi, giants, or titans attack Gnomes, these monsters must subtract 4 from their attack rolls because of the Gnomes' small size and their combat skills against these much larger creatures. Like the Dwarves, Gnomes often clash with other subterranean humanoids (kobolds, and goblins) and many Gnomes develop higly effective combat tactics against these foes.

Gnomish infravision enables them to see up to 60 feet in the dark.

Being tunnelers of exceptional merit, Gnomes are able to detect the following within 10 feet (exception: They can determine their approximate depth or direction underground at any time.). They must stop and concentrate for one round to use any of these abilities.

Names and Language:
The Gnomish language is almost the same as Dwarven, save that there is less emphasis on the hard consonants and more emphasis on pleasant-sounding vowels.

Equipment:
Gnomish equipment is almost always be-jeweled.  Gnome will decorate even the meanest mining tools with cut-glass faux-gems

Pantheon:
Like Dwarves, Gnomes pay most homage the Duril, the ForgeMaster, Beyurn, and Mykke.  But, they also are fond of Sharra and Bikk.

History:
Gnomes are the youngest of the Sovereign of the Earth's races.  They proudly maintain that they were created to 'fix' the problems inherent in Dwarves, a protestation that does not endear them to Dwarves.  The two races warred briefly over mountainous resource rights, but as the Dwarves were older and better established, the Gnomes lost the early wars and retreated to their current homes in the rocky hills.  Dwarves like to point out that for all their 'perfection', the Gnomes now live in the shadow of the Dwarven mountains.

Whenever Dwarves and Gnomes meet, there are clashes.  Both races dislike the other.

They are excellent tunnelers and have come to greatly despise the tunneling Humanoids; especially kobolds and goblins whom they consider mortal enemies.

Gnomes as Player Characters

Classes and Kits
Gnomes can be fighters, illusionists, clerics, and thieves, as well as fighter/illusionists, fighter/thieves, and illusionist/thieves.  They take similar kits to Dwarves, but they have no equivalent of the battlerager.

Standard Abilities

• -4 Attack penalty for gnolls, bugbears, ogres, trolls, ogre magi, giants, or titans
• Enhanced poison resistance
• Infravision 60'

• Mining Skills (Underground Detection)
• +1 Attack bonus vs. kobolds or goblins
• +1 Attack bonus with crossbow
• Enhanced spell resistance

• Military pick
• Battle axe
• Crossbow

• Sound Analysis

• Brewing
• Gaming
• Engineering
• Ventriloquism
• Disguise