GNOMES: THE GNOMISH RACE

Gnomes are welcome everywhere as technicians, engineers, alchemist, herbalist, and inventors. Despite the fact gnomish society produces highly skilled individuals along these professions, no particular bonuses are awarded to individual PCs because of this.

Gnomes adore animals, beautiful gems, and jewelry, and jokes of all kinds (particularly those involving illusions).

Gnomes are about 3 to 3.5 feet tall and generally weigh about 40 to 50 pounds. Their skin tones range from dark tan to woody brown, their hair is fair (light brown, red, blonde, or auburn), but their eyes are almost always blue (deep to light blue, but usually blue).

Gnomes reach majority when they are about 60, but typically live well over 350, sometimes as long as 500 years old.

Gnomes are most like Dwarves of all the PC races, and they get along quite well with Dwarves, sharing many of the same joys and the same enemies. They enjoy the company of halflings (as they can take and appreciate a good joke) but are somewhat suspicious of the taller fellows (like humans, elves, half-folk, etc.) though they are not hostile toward them.

Gnomes prefer woodlands and hills, but they also dig in and make their homes under these woody hills. You could say they are above the ground more than dwarves, but less than halflings.

Religion: The chief deity is Garl Glittergold, the watchful protector of the Gnomish people.

GNOMISH RACIAL TRAITS
(Add these if your PC's race is Gnome)

+2 CON
-2 STR

Small: As small creatures, gnomes gain +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 bonus on Hide Checks. But they must use smaller weapons than humans typically use, and their lifting and carrying limits are only 75% of those of normal medium sized creatures.

Base Speed 20 feet

Low-Light Vision: Gnomes see twice as far as a human does in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish colors even then. They do not have superior color vision in normal illumination, however, like elves and halfelves do.

+2 on all Listen rolls (they have keen hearing).
+2 bonus on Alchemy checks, or other rolls involving their keen olfactory senses (smell).

Special: Once per day, a gnome may use Speak With Animals (as spell) but may only speak with burrowing mammals, like badgers, fox, rabbits, etc.

GNOMISH CULTURAL TRAITS
(Add these if your PC grew up in a Gnomish culture)

+2 bonus and saving throws vs. illusions (their cultural upbringing makes them more intimately familiar with illusions and such tricks and how to perceive them and ward them off).

Add +1 Difficulty Class to saving throws against Illusions cast by gnomes.

Weapon Familiarity: Gnomes may treat gnome hooked hammers as martial instead of exotic weapons.

+1 to attack rolls vs. Kobolds, Goblins, Hobgoblins, and Bugbears. Intimately familiar with these common enemies, this society practices special techniques in fighting these creatures.

+4 dodge bonus vs. Giants (unless caught flat-footed). This bonus similarly is derived from cultural practice born of their history in dealing with giants, and the special training they all receive to fight these common foes of the Gnomish race.

Special: Once per day (each), those with an INT of 10 or higher and growing up in a Gnomish culture may cast the cantrips: dancing lights, ghost sound, and prestidigitation. These arcane spells are subject to spell failure penalties if the character is wearing armor. Unless the character is a wizard or an illusionist, treat them as a 1st level caster for this purpose. Otherwise, use his or her level as normal. Such cantrips would be in addition to any others that their class might normally afford them.

Languages: Common and Gnomish. They may also learn from the following: draconic (as Kobolds know it), Dwarven, Elven, Giantish, Goblin, and Orcish.

Favored Class: +500 XP to the class of Illusionist at 1st level IF this is their first class. Furthermore, because Gnomish culture is steeped with illusions and the traditions of this art, those who become illusionist will gain a +5% xp bonus for all xp gained toward the illusionist class only. If they ever multiclass, they lose this +5% bonus since they no longer devote as much time to this art.