Gnomes!

Tonight I was checking out the Dungeon Dozen, when I ran across this most excellent picture by Jason Sholtis:

City gardens overrun by gnomes. Citizens advised to avoid eye-contact, report sightings to Imperial Ministry of Pest Control. (J. Sholtis)

Henceforth in my campaigns, all Gnomes shall have elongated skulls. This, obviously, is the reason for the pointy hats.

Gnomes as PCs:

I may as well take this opportunity to provide guidelines for gnomes PCs in DolmenBarrow and Operation Unfathomable. I’m using “CX1 Extra Gnomes Accessory” by New Big Dragon Games.

Sometimes called the “forgotten folk”, gnomes are the demihuman race that has best integrated into human society. Having few overt influences on the world – but many small and unseen ones – gnomes are often overlooked.

There are actually three gnomish subraces, each with its own culture and history. Rock gnomes are the most widespread – and the most common among adventuring parties. Forest gnomes and tinker gnomes are much more rare and require referee approval. Note that CX1 svirfneblin do not exist in my game.

Race-as-class options for each gnome subtype can be found in CX1 Extra Gnomes. In addition, rock gnomes can select the race-plus-class options as presented in the AEC. (Rock gnomes also make an acceptable substitute for “normal” dwarves, which have gone extinct in my campaign.)

Note the following house rules: Gnomish infravision is reduced to 60′, ratlings are their racial enemy (instead of goblins and kobolds), and rock gnome thieves are limited to 12th level maximum. And, of course, they all have pointy heads.