Gnome

>    *“The Gnomes are… weird. They just sort-of showed up one day. Keep spurting nonsense about some far-off land with large machines and sentient automatons. Sounds like hogwash to me, and I’m not even sure if they believe it themselves. But, they’re damn good engineers - so we’re willing to overlook some of their more ‘quirky’ traits.” -* quote from Nurza Cogforge, Dwarf engineer.
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A constant hum of busy activity pervades the neighbourhoods where Gnomes form their close-knit communities. Louder sounds punctuate the hum: the crunch of grinding gears here, a minor explosion there, a yelp of surprise or triumph, and especially bursts of laughter. Gnomes are an eccentric and passionate bunch, enjoying every moment of invention, exploration, investigation, and creation.

## **Physical Description - Vibrant Expression**

A Gnome’s energy and enthusiasm for living shines through every inch of his or her tiny body. Gnomes average slightly over 3 feet tall and weigh 40 to 45 pounds. Their skin is typically tan or brown, but are usually covered in grease and chemical residue. Their faces often have broad smiles (beneath their prodigious noses), and their bright eyes shine with excitement. Their fair hair has a tendency to stick out in every direction, as if expressing the Gnome’s insatiable interest in everything around.

A Gnome’s personality is writ large in his or her appearance. A male Gnome’s beard, in contrast to his wild hair, is kept carefully trimmed but often styled in curious forks or neat points. A Gnome’s clothing, though usually made in modest earth tones, are usually elaborately decorated with embroidery and embossing.

## **Mentality - Delighted Dedication**

As far as Gnomes are concerned, being truly alive is making the best of their circumstances, and so they squeeze every once of enjoyment out of their three to five centuries of life. Humans might wonder about getting bored over the course of such a long life, and High Elves take plenty of time to savour the beauties of the world in their long years, but Gnomes seem to worry that even with all that time, they can’t get in enough of the things they want to do and see - especially in the younger populations. Gnomes speak as if they can’t get the thoughts out of their heads fast enough. Even as they offer ideas and opinions on a range of subjects, they still manage to listen carefully to others, adding the appropriate exclamations of surprise and appreciation along the way.

Though some Gnomes love jokes of all kinds, particularly puns and pranks, they’re just as dedicated to the more serious tasks they undertake. Many Gnomes are skilled engineers, alchemists, tinkerers, and inventors. They’re willing to make mistakes and laugh at themselves in the process of perfecting what they do, taking bold (sometimes foolhardy) risks and dreaming large.

It’s rare for a Gnome to be hostile or malicious unless he or she has suffered a grievous injury or dramatic insult. Gnomes know that most races don’t share their sense of humour, but they enjoy anyone’s company just as they enjoy everything else they set out to do. That is not to say they are blindly loyal or naïve, but that they are simply more open-minded to others than some other races.

## **Society - Bright Burrows**

Older Gnomes claim that their original home was a large, industrialised mega-city known as Brass Rock, built on an undiscovered island. But they lost that home and now live in other civilisations - mainly the Dwarves and Humans. Most Gnomes live with the Dwarves, where they adopted the underground lifestyle. However they still get more fresh air and sunlight than Dwarves typically do, enjoying the natural, living world when they can. Small communities or ‘Gnome districts’ can be found in most Dwarven cities.

Gnomes who settle in other lands are commonly gemcutters, engineers, sages, or tinkerers. Some Human families are known to retain Gnome tutors, ensuring that their pupils enjoy a mix of serious learning and delighted enjoyment. A Gnome might tutor several generations of a single Human family over the course of his or her long life.

## **Gnome Adventurers - Seeing the World**

Curious and impulsive, younger Gnomes might take up adventuring as a way to see the world or for the love of exploring. As lovers of gems and other fine items, some Gnomes take to adventuring as a quick, if dangerous, path to wealth. Regardless of what spurs them to adventure, Gnomes who adopt this way of life eke as much enjoyment out of it as they do out of any other activity they undertake, sometimes to the great annoyance of their adventuring companions.

## **Gnome Names**

Gnomes love names and most have half a dozen or so nicknames besides their given birth name. Various nicknames are typically given by many of their kind, some sticking over time and some not. Gnome names are typically variants on the names of ancestors or distant relatives, though some are purely new inventions. When dealing with Humans and others who are ‘stuffy’ about names, a Gnome learns to simply use their birth name and a common nickname, usually the one that’s the most fun to say.

**Example Male Names -** Briver, Zantor, Quakur, Eniji, Trakur, Yosgim, Yeji, Erpos, Grahik, Ianwor.

**Example Female Names -** Banzyre, Ornoa, Inala, Rosixi, Qihani, Voza, Doroe, Inaxi, Celwyn, Tifaroe.

## **Gnome Traits**

Your Gnome character has certain characteristics in common with all other Gnomes.

* ***Ability Score Increase -*** your Intelligence score increases by 2.
* ***Age -*** Gnomes mature at the same rate Humans do, and most are expected to settle down into an adult life by around 50. They can live 350 to almost 500 years.
* ***Alignment -*** Gnomes are most often good, but vary outside of that. Those who tend toward law obey a strict code of conduct and ethics when conducting their experiments, in line with the law of their home nation. Those who tend toward chaos conduct their work with little concern to ethics or risk, prioritising their own freedom and right to experiment. However, they will still try to do the right thing.
* ***Size -*** Gnomes are between 3 and 4 feet tall and average about 40 pounds. Your size is small.
* ***Speed -*** your base walking speed is 25 feet.
* ***Darkvision -*** accustomed to life underground, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern colour in darkness, only shades of grey.
* ***Gnome Cunning -*** you have advantage on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws against magic.
* ***Engineer’s Lore -*** whenever you make an intelligence check related to mechanical items or technological devices, you can add twice your proficiency bonus, instead of any proficiency bonus you normally apply.
* ***Languages -*** you can speak, read, and write Common, Gnomish, and Dwarven. Gnomes speak with nasally voices and use very specific wording and grammar, so this likely spills over into other languages you speak.