“Gnomes? Well they’re kind of like Dwarves. But smaller. Lots smaller… and skinnier. And, not as hairy with darker skin. They build really strange stuff. Ok, they’re really nothing like Dwarves except for the building part.” – Reepicheep Munchmausen
While Dwarves are the warriors of the “Earthen” races, Gnomes are the magicians. They tend to be small, averaging 3 to 3 1/2 feet tall, with a dark ruddy complexion. Gnomes possess a creative cunning and are often known first for their love of tinkering and the mechanical, and second for pursuing careers in magic. The devices they make may be small and practical but more often, they tend to be large steam driven monstrosities that are just as lethal to themselves and their party members as they are to their opposition.
Names
Gnomish names tend to be very formal and extremely eccentric. Examples include “Conundrum K. Cataclysm,” Phineas Jasper Longfellow,” and “Ratchet V. McCogger.”
Racial Traits
+5 bonus to Mind saves
+5 bonus to Tough saves
+10 Resist vs. Poison
+5 Accuracy with Gnomish items
-5 Resist vs. Plant effects
Small Size
-Cannot use Heavy weapons
-Medium weapons gain the Heavy attribute, and all normal rules for wielding Heavy weapons apply.
Tinkering
Some Gnomes are skilled tinkerers, and may create Gnomish items using the rules outlined below. Gnomish items do not have charges, and as they are not magic items, their power does not fade with time. However, each activation attempt has a 10% cumulative chance of catastrophic failure. All Gnomish items carry an Interphaze Health and Safety Administration warning label, which clearly identifies the details of a device’s catastrophic failure.
One use is automatically attempted between Phazes. All possible consequences of this use fully apply.
Blueprints
In order to research Blueprints required to create Gnomish devices, the Gnome must have levels in the Mage class. It does not matter if this class is the Gnome’s Primary or Secondary class. Gnomish Mages receive a Blueprint Manual at level 1 containing the level 1-5 blueprints common to all Tinkerers. The Gnome may research additional blueprints using the Spell Research skill. Gnomes may substitute a Blueprint research in place of a Spell Research, following all other rules of researching. Blueprints may be transferred between magi and scholars using the Spellcraft skill as if they were spells of the same level.
Only a Gnomish mage may create an item described in a blueprint by spending 2 + (Blueprint level) EP and Ritual time. Though scholars may possess blueprints, they may not attempt actual item creation. In the case of a Gnomish mage / scholar (or vice versa), the EP required for gnomish item creation must come from the Gnome’s mage EP pool. Casting times listed in blueprints refer to the delay between an item’s activation and when the result is achieved.