GNOME

Surface-dwelling gnomes (also called “rock” gnomes, a title they abhor) stand some 3 ft. tall with a slighter build relative to a dwarf. They are brown or gray skinned with bright colored eyes (gem-like; commonly blues and greens). Male gnomes typically wear facial hair, although rarely the full beard as a dwarf. Gnomes are thought to have the blood of the fey in their veins. They live longer than other demi-humans, with the exception of elves, up to 750 years. Gnomes are clannish like dwarves but with smaller units led by Elders who work together with other clans almost as guilds do.

Gnomes tend to dress in dark colors, favoring earth tones but enjoying stripes and brightly dyed hats, belts, and boots. Males usually wear high-collared shirts or blouses with trousers and boots, and a double-breasted coat worn over all. Females wear high-necked blouses with aprons or ruffled skirts, often with a matching jacket. Their hunting garments are colored with mottled greens and browns intermixed.

Gnomes are possessed of sly humor and earthy wisdom. Measuring the practical value of things as seen by the gnomes against the pretensions of other cultures, their wit is often revealed in inventive and embarrassing ways. Their creativity is not limited to practical jokes. They are fine craftsmen who appreciate precious stones and make beautiful jewelry, along with woodwork, stonework, and leatherwork of excellent quality; they invent and experiment often. Seldom avaricious, gnomes take equal pleasure in music and story, food and drink, nature and handmade things. Most gnomes are not prone to cruelty, though their lively jokes may sometimes make things appear otherwise.

Gnomes are divided into clans much like the dwarves, but unlike the dwarves, where each large clan tends to have its own kingdom, many gnomish clans are organized into confederacies that band together under councils of elders and/or kings and queens. The rivalries between gnomish clans are strong as concerns matters of gem trade or political prestige, but such things rarely come to blows, as they do with the dwarves, for instance. 

Finally, there are the exacting roles of men and women in gnomish society. Men are responsible for trade, war, and interaction with outsiders. Women are responsible for organizing social events, the general intraclan life, food, and other such niceties that maintain the general social and cultural life within the clan. In individual clans, clan elders of men, headed by one chief, are ostensibly responsible for government, but they cannot act without the support of the women, who are continually called on to give their opinions on matters dealing with the health and welfare of the clan. Women also select the men who will represent their clan at meetings of all the gnomish clans before speaking to the king of that region.

Gnomes usually live in wooden stockades within hills, that are constructed on top of tunnel warrens that lead into mines and such. Stone forts can also be built in more violent areas, or areas where the supply of wood is not suffiicent for building. Gnomes both garden, hunt, and trade for food, gathering water from nearby rivers, glaciers, and underground streams. 

As concerns relationships with other races, gnomes get along best with halflings, who often share their sense of humor, common-sense approach, and general affability. Humans and dwarves often form deep friendship with their gnomish neighbors but in some places, rivalries are strong, and gnomes tend to resent the paternalistic attitude they feel they receive from both races. As for elves, gnomes tend to keep separate from their elven neighbors, though there is no animosity.

Gnome Leaders. For every 40 gnomes encountered, the will be a leader (fighter level 1d3+1). If 160 gnomes are encountered, there will be a chief (fighter 5) and a lieutenant (fighter 3); if over 200 gnomes, there will also be a gnome priest (cleric level 1d3+3). A group of 320 or more will include a Laird (fighter 6, clad in plate mail), two chiefs and a "high priest" (cleric 7) along with four under priests (cleric 3). Unless noted otherwise, all leader-types, clergy, or veterans wear chain armor. All gnome fighters over 1 HD will have a 10% chance per character level of possessing a magic weapon and a like chance to possess magic armor. Clerics have the same chance to possess 1d3 magic items usable by clerics.

Gnome Lairs. In addition to the above, a lair will include 2d4 veterans (fighter level 1d2+1) and 1d4 acolytes (cleric 2). There will also be females (equal to 50% of males) and young (equal to 25% of males). Lairs will typically (d%; 01-80) include either (d%): 5d6 trained badgers (01-70), 3d4 trained giant badgers (71-90), or 2d4 domesticated wolverines (91-00).

Expert Miner. [complex] A gnome can note certain phenomena in underground locations.

• Detect grades or slopes in passages—80%

• Detect unsafe stone construction or tunnels—70%

• Determine direction underground—50%

• Determine depth underground—50%

Giant-fighter. (giants, ogre magi, ogres, titans, trolls) Gnomes gain a +4 bonus to AC when fighting these large giant-type creatures.

Racial Hatred. (goblins, kobolds) Gnomes gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls when fighting these humanoids.

Resistance. [magic, poison] NPC gnomes without a defined Constitution score make saving throws versus magic and poison effects as per their character level + 4. Gnomes without a character class gain a saving throw bonus of +3 against these effects.

Ring Failure. Anytime a gnome dons a magic ring, they must make a resistance roll: 01-20 the ring will never work for them; 21-00 the ring will function some of the time. If functioning, continuous functions (protection, fire resistance) will always work but invoked functions (invisibility, feather falling) have a 20% chance per use of malfunctioning (not working). Additional invocation attempts may be made during each subsequent round (action type/time required as if using the item normally).

Weapon Bonus. Gnomes gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls with picks.

Deep Gnomes. Svirfneblin, or “deep gnomes,” are a reclusive offshoot of the gnome race. They dwell underground in hidden cities, safe from dark elves and other subterranean races. Males are bald, with gnarled muscles, and have skin the color of gray or brown stone (other races have never seen svirfneblin females). Svirfneblin have long fought wars against the duergar, and can have a difficult time seeing the difference between duergar and other dwarves. Because of the hazards faced on a day to day basis, deep gnomes can seem to be overly dour or serious relative to other gnome races. A deep gnome is 3 feet tall and weighs approximately 65 pounds. Svirfneblin age as do rock gnomes, however they rarely survive past middle-age. Deep gnomes rarely interact with those outside of their small cavern communities, and they are slow to trust outsiders, sometimes keeping them imprisoned for years simply to prevent them from informing others of the deep gnome settlement. Svirfneblins value crafting and many decorate their cavernous homes with paintings on the walls, often incorporating the rock in clever ways. They also value crystals and gems, making jewelry and beads. Deep gnomes speak their own dialect of Gnomish that other gnomish subraces are able to understand 60% of the time. Most svirfneblin also speak Undercommon and a fair amount of the Kuo-toa and Dark Elvish languages. They can also communicate with any creature from the Elemental Plane of Earth via a language consisting solely of vibrations. Each pitch carries a different message.

Deep Gnome Leaders. For every 4 deep gnomes, there will be an additional deep gnome leader (4+3 HD). If over 20 are encountered, a Burrow Warden (6+2 HD) will be present along with 2 captains (5+1 HD each). Burrow Wardens have a chance (d%; 01-25) of having the abilities of an illusionist (of level 1d3+4). If a Burrow Warden does not have illusionist abilties, he will have the ability to conjure an earth elemental (see below).

Svirfneblin Armor. Deep gnomes wear fine chain mail with an outer jack of leather sporting rings of mithral. Deep gnomes wearing this armor manufactured by their kind can move as quietly as if wearing no armor and ignore armor bulk. Deep gnomes typically shun the use of shields as they operate in restrictive tunnels.

Svirfneblin Weapons. Deep gnomes use specially manufactured light picks and daggers equal to +1 weapons, although these are mundane. Other races can use such weapons as typical mundane weapons (without the bonus).

Poison Crystals. [gas, poison] Svirfneblin leaders will (d%; 01-75) have a set of 3d4 poison crystals. These operate similarly to caltrops and if trod upon by a creature weighing over 100-lbs, the crystal will be crushed, releasing a 5-ft radius cloud of poisonous gas (extending 15-ft high) and all in the area of effect must make a save vs Poison or become unconscious for 1d12 x 10 rounds (save avoids). The gas persists for 2 rounds (and any who enter the area must save).

SVIRFNEBLIN DARTS

Svirfneblin Dart. 1d3/1d3; R 40-ft/40-ft/40-ft (no range modifiers). ROF 2; No armor defense modifiers when wielded by deep gnomes (the darts otherwise are treated as typical darts for other races). Length 9-in. Each dart has a hollow glass bead that shatters on impact delivering a stun gas or acid.

• Acid Darts. [acid] Svirfneblin with 4 HD or more will have 1d3+3 acid darts. In addition to the listed damage, the acid does an additional 2d4 acid damage to any creature not protected by plated armor (or the like). Creatures hit by the dart must make an item saving throw for the armor (including plated armor). Armor that misses the item save will have a 3-inch hole and any armor taking up to 8 points of acid damage (whether plated or not) will be considered to be broken.

• Stun Darts. [gas, poison] All svirfneblin carry 1d4+6 stun darts. A creature hit by a stun dart must make a save vs Poison or become stunned for one round and slowed for four rounds following the stunning.

DEEP GNOME ABILITIES

Deep gnomes do not have the standard gnome abilities, but possess the following:

AC Bonus. A svirfneblin gains an AC Bonus of +3 and adds an additional +1 per (full) hit die above 3 HD.

Expert Miner. Deep gnomes have the same expert miner abilities as rock gnomes (see above).

Freeze in Place. When first encountered, a deep gnome that is not surprised can freeze in place, becoming effectively invisible 60% of the time (check once per party/group). This ability provides invisibility even against creatures that can normally see invisible (although it is a form of camouflage). The deep gnome must remain immobile to maintain the protection, but gains surprise (at least 1 segment) if unseen. Even if the deep gnome can be seen, it retains its normal surprise others chance (which does not change whether the gnome can be seen or not). Once creatures are aware of the individual svirfneblin, that creature gains no benefit from freezing in place unless passing out of sight of an enemy for at least 1 full round.

Immune to Illusions. Deep gnomes can see through all illusion effects (noting that they are not real).

Poison Resistance. Deep gnomes gain a +2 bonus to saves versus all poison effects.

Racial Empathy. Deep gnomes can communicate with other deep gnomes without using sound or movement.

Save Bonus. Deep gnomes gain a +3 bonus to all saving throws (included in the creatures statistics).

Weapon Bonus. Deep gnomes gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls when using deep gnome manufactured darts.

Spell-like Abilities. (CL 3)

Continuous—nondetection

1/day—blindness, blur, change self

Conjure Earth Elemental. 1/day [conjuration/summoning; conjuring, earth] (major) A Burrow Warden that cannot use illusionist abilities will have the ability to conjure a creature from the Elemental Plane of Earth (d20 to determine creature type).

• 1. Earth Elemental Prince (24 HD)

• 2-6. Royal Earth Elemental

• 7-10. Noble Earth Elemental

• 11-15. Common Earth Elemental

• 16-18. Xorn

• 19-20. The attempt fails.

Spell-like Abilities (CL 3)

Continuous—nondetection

1/day—blindness, blur, change self

Gear. See the description of deep gnome armor and weapons above.

Spell-like Abilities (CL 8)

At will—affect normal fires, scare*, shatter

* Target suffers a -2 penalty on the saving throw.

Shape Change. (major) A spriggan can shape change into a giant-sized version of gnome form. The spriggan's gear also changes size. See Spriggan Giant Form.

Thief Skills

• Pick Pockets: 75%

• Open Locks: 77%

• Find/Remove/Set Traps: 70%

• Move Silently: 77%

• Hide in Shadows: 64%

• Hear Noise: 35%

• Climb Walls: 81%

• Read Languages: 40%

Note. Spriggans cannot perform any thief abilities or use thief skills while in giant form. They also lose access to all spell-like abilities.

Giant-sized. Giant-sized humanoids possess the Large and Strong attributes as well as several benefits when fighting smaller creatures. 

• Stomp. [melee] They may stomp small opponents or kick man-sized opponents as a melee attack. This attack will do 2d6 damage. If the giant is making one melee attack, this stomp/kick can be used as part of a two-weapon fighting attack (with the standard adjustments for both attacks; No Dexterity score adjusts as follows: -2 penalty to the primary attack roll and a -4 penalty to the secondary attack roll). 

• Knock Down. (immediate) Any attack with a giant-sized melee weapon or natural weapon (including a stomp attack) that successfully strikes with a natural 18 or higher attack roll may knock a man-sized or smaller opponent flying up to 10 feet away. The target must make a Dexterity save vs. Breath or take 1d10 damage and be knocked prone, still within melee range (flying 1 foot per point of damage). Per the GM and depending upon weapon type, the target's shield or armor may be required to save vs. Crushing Blow.

• Strength Rating. A giant using a normal sized weapon or making Strength checks has a Legendary Strength rating equal to the indicated score.

• Crushing Blow. (immediate) A giant-sized creature that rolls a natural 20 on an attack with a giant-sized or natural weapon will cause attended items stuck to make a save vs. Crushing Blow or become broken or destroyed (save avoids). Typically, this is a shield, if readied or armor (or both if the shield misses it's save). Shields gain a bonus against crushing blows as indicated in the section on Item Saving Throws.

Poison Resistance. Giants are immune to poison (venom) delivered by smaller creatures or small weapons. This is due to a thick hide and size relative to dosage. If special circumstances exist, the GM will determine resistance effect (if any).

Rock Throwing. [missile] Giants can throw boulders as if launched by a siege engine. Damage is noted in the missile entry and maximum range is noted in the special attacks entry. Targets cannot be in melee with the giant throwing the boulder.

These ugly, dour cousins of gnomes are able to become giant-sized at will. In either size, spriggans look basically the same. They are ugly, thick-bodied humanoids, with pale or dull yellow skin, brown or black hair, and red eyes. On rare occasions a spriggan may have red hair, which they believe is a symbol of good luck. Their noses are large and bulbous, but not beyond the human norm. They are very fond of mustaches and bushy sideburns, but they never clean or comb them.

This same policy of uncleanliness extends to their bodies and any other possessions. Spriggans smell of dank earth, stale sweat, and grime. Outside of their lair they always wear armor and carry long weapons and even large stones in a litter, these may include polearms, heavy clubs, or spears. Spriggans never use shields. They like to carry several nasty little daggers concealed in various places in their armor. Spriggans never wear jewelry or other ornaments. They prefer to keep these things with their hoard, where they brood over them at odd moments.