Gnome Lore: Time to Expand It

[Drilnos]

I am not one for shameless plugs, but I happen to agree. I think Goblins should get similar love, and these two races should have a Tinker Class. If we can't become anything else, maybe we should be the only two races to have tinkers. Might make us more noticeable in the world when if you want a tinker, you have to play a shorty

At the very least it would make it more difficult for the "gnomes are a joke race" crowd to ignore how big of an impact that race has on the state of the world. That there remain people, after nine years of game history, who insist that gnomes and their works are nothing more than a joke or a flavor thing is testament to how woefully underrepresented they are in the ongoing story. Whatever they do to bring them into the limelight, it needs to be a grand gesture if they want to countermand that effect.

But aside from all that, I've liked the idea of gnome druids for quite a long time. That thematic contrast has the potential to make a very interesting character. And they should have gotten shamans and hunters when goblins did. And once they got priests, that kind of tore down the only barrier they had from paladinhood. Keeping those last three classes from them feels mighty arbitrary.

[Giscoicus]

Well, that's just adorable. Anyone who doesn't want this is some sort of plain vanilla savage who hates things that make them have feelings.

The face on the cat form is just freaking creepy.

[-Superman-]

The face on the cat form is just freaking creepy.

You could use the Night saber cub form from the battle pets.

[Drilnos]

You could use the Night saber cub form from the battle pets.

What about robeast forms? Mecha-cat, cy-bear-netic organisms, metalkin, aluminum trees, midget subs and storm crows. Using a transforming mechanical shell to mimic the abilities of animals and plants, as would be the first approach any self-respecting gnome would take to the problem.

[-Superman-]

What about robeast forms? Mecha-cat, cy-bear-netic organisms, metalkin, aluminum trees, midget subs and storm crows. Using a transforming mechanical shell to mimic the abilities of animals and plants, as would be the first approach any self-respecting gnome would take to the problem.

I actually covered that in another thread I made: Race-Class Combo Gnome Druid. In it, I show the mechanical options to go with a couple of natural ones, using forms already in the game and preventing Blizz from having to make new skins.

[Gothicshark]

hunter yes.
pally maybe.
druid hell no.

anyway i wish they give gnomeregan back to the gnomes in game(they have it in lore) so i dont have to deal with that damn dungeon anymore.

Now I should point out in WOW lore Gnomes are the Steam punk Race, however in every other fantasy world going back to the origins of gnomish lore, Gnomes were always Druids.



In D&D it's sort of the main trope that the Gnome is a shape shifting Beast Druid with a companion beast. Of course the coolest type of D&D gnome is the Kender, but then if WOW copied the Kender Gnomes would be Druids, Shaman, Rogues, Priests, and Mages.

[-Superman-]

Now I should point out in WOW lore Gnomes are the Steam punk Race, however in every other fantasy world going back to the origins of gnomish lore, Gnomes were always Druids.

- snipped -

In D&D it's sort of the main trope that the Gnome is a shape shifting Beast Druid with a companion beast. Of course the coolest type of D&D gnome is the Kender, but then if WOW copied the Kender Gnomes would be Druids, Shaman, Rogues, Priests, and Mages.

Very interesting details! Have not played D&D in 15 years, so I have not kept up.

[Gothicshark]

Very interesting details! Have not played D&D in 15 years, so I have not kept up.

15 years ago was the Height of AD&D. 2nd Ed Gnomes had a spell to speak with animals and spells for illusion, just for being a Gnome. Grated they were also sort of shoe horned into being Bards. But back then Druids were not a common class, bards were.

---

Here is a quote from the D&D wiki entry, it misses a few Subraces like Kender and Darksun Kender, which are now called Halflings for some reason Wizards of the Coast changed them to halflings instead of kender.

Gnomes in Dungeons & Dragons have been further divided into various subraces:

Rock gnomes are the standard gnome subrace of Third Edition. They live in burrows beneath rolling, wooded hills. Friends to animals, rock gnomes have a racial ability that allows them to speak with burrowing animals.
Tinker gnomes are the common gnomes of the Dragonlance campaign setting. In that fictional universe, they dwell in the Mount Nevermind in the world of Krynn.
Svirfneblin, or deep gnomes, dwell in cities deep underground. They are more dangerous than the common rock gnome.
Forest gnomes are smaller than rock gnomes. They are a shy, secretive folk, living deep in wooded areas.[18]
River Gnomes are graceful and quick. They live in homes dug into the side of riverbanks and speak with river dwelling animals in place of burrowing mammals. They are non-magical but gain +1 to initiative and are proficient swimmers.
Arcane Gnomes are city dwellers. They generally keep to a small community within a larger city. Arcane gnomes are focused on the pursuit of knowledge making their populace, in large part, over-eager inventors or wizards.
Chaos gnomes are the most flamboyant gnomes. Brightly colored and rare, they are strongly inclined towards chaos, as their name suggests.[19]
Whisper gnomes lack the jovial outlook of other gnome races. Sly and suspicious, they are creatures of stealth.[19]
Ice gnomes dwell in the region of Frostfell in the Eberron campaign setting
Fire gnomes live on Bytopia, on the Outer Planes, where they help Flandal Steelskin, the Gnomish god of metal and crafting, in his work[original research?].
Sky gnomes appear in the Creature Crucible Top Ballista PC2 published in 1989. They are cunning engineers living in the flying city Serraine above the World of Mystara.

In the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, gnomes are also known as the "Forgotten Folk".

Note: Gnomes are a highly adaptable people. A gnome relocated to new environs may take on many of the characteristic features of another subrace. A relocated population of gnomes may adapt in as short a time as a generation

[Ogren]

I'd like Gnome Paladins as some form of techno-paladin, but just having Gnome Hunters is fine enough. Their starting pet could just be a snow fox and I think that would fit well enough for them. Wouldn't be a creature that was out of place in Dun Morogh either.

[Karnak]

New classes for a race is not new lore.

That said, Gnomes can be Warriors and they can be Priests, so why not Paladins? Gnome Hunters also make sense.

Gnome Druids and Gnome Shaman do not make sense. Goblin Shaman don't make sense either and should never have happened.

[PuppetShowJustice]

I think that Gnome Druids are conceptually stupid but that picture of them implying that they shapeshift into the mini pet models as their alternate form melted my heart.

I don't see any real need for more Gnome classes. But I'd love to see more general Gnome lore.

[Karnak]

Very interesting details! Have not played D&D in 15 years, so I have not kept up.

That is because it isn't true. It may be true in 4th Edition or later, but it was definately not true in 3.5, 3, 2, Advanced D&D or Basic D&D.

[-Superman-]

That is because it isn't true. It may be true in 4th Edition or later, but it was definately not true in 3.5, 3, 2, Advanced D&D or Basic D&D.

Gnome-druid-build for AD&D 3.0.

Also - AD&D 2nd ed
http://dark-wolf.weebly.com/add-2---druids-guide.html
Halflings (gnomes) could be certain branches of Druid.

[Gothicshark]

I don't see any real need for more Gnome classes. But I'd love to see more general Gnome lore.

Gnome need hunters. It fits the lore, and explains why every NPC gnome runs around shooting guns and players can't.

[-Superman-]

Gnome need hunters. It fits the lore, and explains why every NPC gnome runs around shooting guns and players can't.

My rogue used to... thanks a lot Cataclysm.

[Teriz]

At the very least it would make it more difficult for the "gnomes are a joke race" crowd to ignore how big of an impact that race has on the state of the world. That there remain people, after nine years of game history, who insist that gnomes and their works are nothing more than a joke or a flavor thing is testament to how woefully underrepresented they are in the ongoing story. Whatever they do to bring them into the limelight, it needs to be a grand gesture if they want to countermand that effect.

According to lore, Goblins and Gnomes built powerful mechanical armor as a way offset their size deficit, and they use technology to even the odds against more physically powerful races. Their diminutive size and physical weakness is countered by their intellectual and technological brilliance.

In short, Gnome and Goblin warriors and Death Knights are in fact a lore contradiction.

[Gothicshark]

That is because it isn't true. It may be true in 4th Edition or later, but it was definately not true in 3.5, 3, 2, Advanced D&D or Basic D&D.

2nd ed Gnome Spell like ability was to speak with Animals. It wasn't until Dragonlance did the Tinker Gnome become a thing. Which at times I think Metzen and Blizzard based a lot of the worlds lore on Dragonlance, I mean Richard A. Knaak was a major Dragonlance writer until he started writing books for Warcraft. Only in Dragonlance did Gnomes and Dwarves have so much tech focus.

In Greyhawk Gnomes where small naturalist hobbits that wore shoes, favored class Bard, had a speak to animals spell and illusion magic as a racial ability. that was during the Heart of AD&D 2nd edition. Also Greyhawk was the first campaign world for D&D.

In Forgotten Realms we had more types of Gnomes, Kender, and halflings. Each was a subrace of the other, and they each had additional subraces. I listed a few in a previous post.

Even in Faerûn (Main continent of Forgotten Realms), very few Gnomes were 'Tinkers', Mages yes, Druids plenty, but few were 'Tinkers'. It took Dragonlance to make that trope.

As for 4th edition, that is a blasphemy to D&D and shall not be mentioned.

- - - Updated - - -

My rogue used to... thanks a lot Cataclysm.

Yes, when gnome Warriors and Rogues could use guns it didn't matter that Gnomes didn't have hunters, but now we need them.

[-Superman-]

In short, Gnome and Goblin warriors and Death Knights are in fact a lore contradiction.

So are Undead Holy Priests and Night Elf mages, but I still see them all over the place

[Gothicshark]

Gnome-druid-build for AD&D 3.0.

Also - AD&D 2nd ed
http://dark-wolf.weebly.com/add-2---druids-guide.html
Halflings (gnomes) could be certain branches of Druid.

umm 3.0 is not AD&D. AD&D is second edition, which uses the same mechanics as first edition, with expanded player options.

[SL1200]

What we're going to have new gnomes show up in alternate timeline dreanor? How would gnome lore even fit in Wod?