Blood elves took the light from the Well of Eternity and bent/manipulated it to their will. Over time, they've learned how to manage it. Same thing with a mechanical druid. Some Dryad meets the gnome, and imbues him with the powers, yet the gnome is not able to shift into the real animal. So, instead, devises a suit which gives him the strength and speed of the requested type. Voila. Lore is not tough to implement. We have Pandas... I would think this is just as possible