Thought to be distantly related to dwarves, gnomes are smaller—averaging 3–31_2' tall and weighing about 70 pounds. Isles Gnomes come in a variety of skin colouring, blue green and brown being most prevalent. This gives rise to the thought that they were created during God's War, though whether by Immortal or mortal and why has long since been lost. They occur all over the Isles and are at home in rural or urban enviroments.

The average life span for a gnome is 350 years.

The big schnozzola is an important status symbol among all of the gnome subraces. Parents proudly point out the size of their children's noses and make enthusiastic prognostications about future growth. While the practical applications of such a facial feature are admittedly limited, gnomes will frequently embark on size contests, with heavy wagers, between members of rival clans. Some clans go so far as to make this a primary determinant in the selection of a new king or queen!

Players who choose gnomes for their characters have 45 character points to spend on racial abilities. Only 5 points can be retained for use later in the character creation process.

·Animal friendship (10): Once a day a gnome gains an animal friendship spell ability, as the priest spell, with respect to burrowing animals. ·

Melee Combat bonus (10): +1 bonus on their attack rolls vs. kobolds and goblins—the gnomes’ traditional rivals for space and resources. Also, gnolls, bugbears, ogres, half-ogres, ogre magi, trolls, giants, and titans suffer a –4 penalty on their attack rolls vs. gnomes.

Dagger bonus (5): +1 to attack rolls with daggers.

Dart bonus (5): +1 to attack rolls with darts, their preferred missile weapon.

Defensive bonus (5): +1 to Armor Class when in their native underground environment.

Engineering bonus (5): If the gnome has the engineering proficiency, he gains a +2 bonus to the proficiency score.

Forest movement (10): The ability to pass without trace through their native woodland as the druidic ability.

Freeze (10): the ability to “freeze” in place in their underground environment. This gives them a 60% chance not to be noticed by passersby.

Hide (10): the ability to hide in woods with a chance equal to a thief of the same level’s hide in shadows ability.

Infravision (10): 60' Elfsight range.

Mining Detection Abilities (10): A character with this skill is familiar with mining, tunneling and stonework. By concentrating for one round the character can: Determine the approximate depth underground, 1–4 on 1d6.

Determine approximate direction underground, 1–3 on 1d6. Detect any grade or slope in the passage they are passing through, 1–5 on 1d6. Detect unsafe walls, ceilings, or floors, 1–7 on 1d10.

Short sword bonus (5): +1 to attack rolls with short swords.

Saving Throw Bonus (5): like dwarves, gnomes are resistant to most magic. This grants them a bonus to all saving throws vs. magical wands, staves, rods, and spells. This bonus is determined by the character’s Health sub-ability score. For every 3 1/2 points of Constitution/Health, the gnome receives a +1 bonus. These bonuses are summarized on the chart below.

Potion identification (5): A gnome with this ability has a percentage chance equal to his Wisdom score of identifying a potion by appearance and scent.

Reason bonus (10): +1 bonus to the Reason subability.

Sling bonus (5): +1 bonus “to hit” when using a sling.

Stealth (10): If the gnome is not in metal armor, a –4 penalty is applied to opponent’s surprise rolls if the gnome is at least 90 feet ahead of a party of characters without this ability, or accompanied only by characters with equivalent stealth skills. The gnome is also difficult to surprise himself and receives a +2 bonus to his own surprise rolls.

Gnomes do share some traits with their longer bearded cousins: they are exceptional miners, comfortable underground, and resistant to magic. Yet, to the shorter nosed dwarves, gnomes seem excessively frivolous, sometimes even weaklings. Gnomes are quite comfortable out of doors, well at home in a forest and some are quite urban in their outlooks too., in contrast to the dwarves, who prefer nothing so much as solid rock overhead.

Gnomes are also cheerful and social creatures, of good-tempered and tolerant disposition. They regard rudeness as a major fault--a characteristic which in itself is enough to mark them as very different from most dwarves!

Gnomes relish the company of other gnomes and will eagerly compete in the telling of tales. Their calendar is marked by many festivals, each of which is an occasion of great feasting, drinking, singing, and dancing.

Although gnomes are friendly, they are also reticent; it is possible to know a gnome for many years without learning much about him (or her). When a gnome does become friends with a member of another race, that person is adopted by the gnome's whole family as someone they like and trust. Gnomes have much to fear from the larger creatures of the world, but they have not allowed this caution to become a compelling paranoia.

Very fond of good food, gnomes show little imagination in their recipes. They are skilled with fire, and quite uncomfortable--even forlorn--if circumstances prevent them from having an evening blaze.

Finally, the gnomes have raised the art of the illusionist to a cultural heritage that permeates many aspects of gnomish life and society. The steadfast loyalty and useful skills of a gnome character can provide fine additions to any group of adventurers.

Gnomes are very emotional creatures, given to laughter and joy, weeping and sorrow, in loud and affecting displays. This applies to both work and play. Despite their physical resemblance to dwarves, a group of gnomish miners can easily be distinguished not only by their smaller size but by the laughter and song that accompanies them on their task.

When given cause for sorrow, such as the death of a friend or relative, gnomes grieve openly and loudly. Natural disasters or malicious acts from enemies are likewise cause for wailing and crying--so much so that an observer might assume that an entire community has just received a sentence of painful doom. However, these moods pass quickly (perhaps because of the effusiveness of their grief) and many a boisterous party has resulted from what began as a funeral observance.

Very unlike dwarves (or elves, for that matter), gnomes are quite open in displays of affection and love. Hugs are frequent whenever friends, spouses, and relations meet. Parents cuddle children, and the youngsters accept the attention with no self-consciousness. While romantic couples are private with their intimacy, husbands and wives will loudly and publicly profess their affection and love.

Gnomes are famous, or perhaps infamous, for their sardonic sense of humor. All gnomes love practical jokes, the more elaborate the better. This can be very disconcerting when a gnome decides to express friendship or affection to a non-gnome by making that individual a special target for a string of practical jokes. As a rule, it's considered bad form to devise a joke which actually hurts somebody; the art comes from surprising the victim and making him or her look ridiculous.

In a way, practical joking takes the place filled by violence in many human cultures; two gnomes who have a heated argument are more likely to launch a feud of booby-traps to prove who is the cleverest than come to blows. Gnomes extend this attitude to their military endeavors; it's considered a more courageous act to make an enemy look foolish in the eyes of his or her allies or followers than it is to kill the same enemy.

Gnomes enjoy feasting and drinking, but their diet and beverage selection reflects far less variety than does that of the halfling or even most communities of humankind. No gnomish subrace, for example, uses yeast in the baking of bread nor in its brewing. They don't keep cows or make cheese or butter. Sugar is unknown in their diet, and gnomes tend to avoid sweets even when they travel to places where cakes or candies are available. Also, spices and sauces are rarely employed in the preparation of gnomish cuisine.

However, those foods that gnomes do cook they cook well. They are excellent at preparing wild game and in using the natural products of their surrounding areas for salads and hot dishes. All gnomes like salt. They cook their meat until it's very well done. This tendency, coupled with the liberal use of salt, insures that the food keeps for a long time without spoiling.

The brewing skills of the gnomes are effective, even if the results are not exactly tempting to humans and other demihumans. Heavy meads and ales are favored. In areas where fruit can be readily harvested (apples and cherries are preferred) gnomes make passable, if somewhat astringent, cordials.

More than a medium of wealth, gems are cherished to a degree difficult for non-gnomes to comprehend. Every gnome has a small gem he or she will carry at all times, often feeling or stroking it when thoughtful or troubled. Every gnomish village will have a few particularly splendid stones that belong to the community as a whole, each with an accompanying legend, and enchanted gems are the favorite magical items of gnomish spellcasters.

The single most artistic endeavor of the gnomish craftsman is, of course, the carving and mounting of precious gems. These little folk are adept at every aspect of the jeweler's trade, including the smelting and finishing of precious metals. Their gemcarvers are also capable of working with virtually any type of stone.

This artisanship goes beyond mere rote skill. Gnomish jewelers are capable of very creative designs in jewelry and have developed the most elegant royal crowns, sceptres, and decorative sculptures known to demihuman-kind. Stonecarving is another skill at which gnomes excel, and in those places where they have dwelt for many centuries intricate patterns have been scrolled into many of the walls and ceilings, enhancing the natural beauty of the rock.

Their special affinity to stone makes gnomes exceptional excavators, miners, and tunnelers. Those gnomes who seek employment among other cultures might work as gemsmiths if sufficiently skilled but are far more likely to find work in the mines of humankind. Even dwarves, grudgingly, admit that gnomes are almost as good at digging as themselves.

Beyond the working of stone, however, the gnomes are somewhat limited in the tooling of materials into useful products. As a general rule, gnomes find it hard to produce raw materials but easy to shape it. For example, they do not tend to weave, so most of their clothing is either made of leather or of materials bartered from other folk. However, given the right fabrics, a gnomish tailor can create almost any kind of garment, often with elaborate stitching and similar attention to detail characteristic of all gnomish work.

Carpentry is another skill that demonstrates the gnomish penchant for elaboration. Whereas dwarves will hew timbers to shore up a mine shaft and at need can make rough tables, beds, and chairs for their own use, gnomes have a compulsion to cover every available inch with decoration which goes far beyond utility. Thus gnome miners will often use their breaks to carve delicate designs into the support timbers (taking care not to weaken the beams!), often having friendly contests between different shifts as each continues the other's work. Gnomish furniture is a marvel of fine woodcarving, with a multitude of baroque detail.

The primary stock-in-trade of the gnomish folk, whether on the surface or under the ground, is naturally the gemwork that is such a trademark of the race. The urge to create is so strong (in Tinker Gnomes, it has run amuck) that gnomes regularly trade finished jewelry for uncut gems, and gnomish gem traders will sometimes travel great distances in the course of their labors.

However, gems aren't the only thing gnome communities seek in trade. Salt is a necessity to the gnomish diet, and if there is no natural source available gnomish traders will go to great lengths to acquire it. Weapons, fabric, and raw steel are generally not made by gnomes but needed by the community. Delicacies, such as tender meat, dark flour, and strong liquor, are other items sometimes gained by trade.

Since these folk have little interest or capability in freight-hauling, those who would sell such bulk goods to them generally have to take responsibility for delivery as well. Human and demihuman traders know this, and many a human and halfling merchant has gotten rich simply by carting loads of textiles or steel to the vicinity of a gnomish village. Often, the trader will sell cart and pony at the same time--after all, he or she doesn't need much space to haul away a fortune in finely-cut gems!

The primary sorcery of the gnomes, of course, is illusionary magic. This is far more than a practical application of arcane powers, however--in gnome society, the casting of illusions affects all aspects of life from art to romance to celebration to war. A lover might woo his sweetheart with a message borne by a whispering wind spell, for example. For gnomes, illusionary magic is a way of life, not something they use just to make life easier.

Illusions are also constantly employed for practical jokes among these fun-loving folk. Of course, gnomes are more adept at recognizing illusions than are most other creatures, so those illusionary pranks targeted against them must be subtly crafted and strategically planned in order for them to succeed. Invisibility , illusionary script, and wraithform spells are popular choices for this purpose.

Illusionary magic is often used to complement the finest efforts of gnomish craftsmen. A fine piece of jewelry, for example, might be enhanced with a shower of light caused by a phantasmal force, or even a hypnotic pattern, in order to create a truly stunning work of art.

On the practical side, illusionary magic is not usually employed to screen the location or nature of a gnomish community. Though such arcane devices might prove effective at concealing them against mundane detection, the emanation of magical power actually serves as a beacon to those who use spells such as detect magic. The latter enemies are judged, rightly, to be far more dangerous to a gnomish community than the former.

However, on the battlefield or in other contests of might and skill, gnomes will pull out all the stops. Hallucinatory terrain, the various applications of invisibility, and illusionary walls will be used to disguise the true nature of the battlefield, while spells such as phantasmal force, fear, phantasmal killer, and shadow monster will be employed directly against the enemy troops. Other uses of illusionary magic have stretched the creative bounds of military imagination. In one famous battle, gnomish illusionists concealed the actual location of the sun and replace it with a duplicate, causing the enemies' reinforcements to march five miles to the east when they were supposed to be going west! They have also used images of dragons, giants, beholders, and other horrors to distract the attention of their foes and keep them guessing as to the true nature of their opponents. Like halflings, gnomes are slow to anger and reluctant to wage war. However, also like their diminutive cousins, they become savage and tenacious fighters when fully motivated into battle.

Because of their small size, gnomes try to avoid combat situations that place them in open terrain where they must meet the head-on onslaught of much larger attackers. They prefer instead to fight in rough terrain, sheltered by rocks or trees, where their size can actually work to their advantage. In underground combat situations where they have sufficient time to prepare, gnomes like to excavate numerous low-ceilinged tunnels for mobility of attack and retreat.

They are not so adept with missiles as are halflings, but gnomish troops can nevertheless deliver a furious barrage of arrows and sling stones when such a tactic is needed. Firing in an undisciplined fusillade, they continue to pepper their targets with this painful attacks for as long as possible. They launch their arrows from sturdy shortbows or solid, albeit small, crossbows.

Though many of them wield spears, they prefer to use these as melee rather than missile weapons. Gnomes are adept (and very courageous) at setting these spears to meet the charge of much larger attackers. They will also use their quickness to strike from ambush, and when a force of gnomes can mingle among the troops of a larger enemy, their small size allows them to inflict a lot of damage. A favorite tactic, useable only when gnomes gain complete surprise (such as that provided by a mass invisibility spell), is to fearlessly dart among enemy horsemen, using their sharp daggers to cut the straps holding the riders' saddles onto their mounts. Such a tactic, when successful, can go a long way toward evening the odds of an unbalanced engagement.

When marching to battle, most gnomes will carry a missile weapon as well as a hammer, spear, or short sword, with a dagger reserved for the final line of defense.

Gnomes are also skilled at using deception, diversion, camouflage, and disguise as battle tactics. Their natural talents at illusionary magic help a great deal--gnomish illusionists will frequently create the appearance of the force in some unimportant area, while other spellcasters conceal the actual presence of the gnomes from enemy discovery. The sudden appearance of a gnomish force, virtually in the midst of the enemy, can be enough to throw the most veteran army into confusion.

Another asset that gnomes carry into battle is the lack of the hubris that can so often be the downfall of human or dwarven command-ers. Gnomes show no hesitation when it comes to abandoning a lost cause; when things start to go bad, the gnomes will run away, preferring this pragmatic tactic to a doomed stand motivated mainly by pride. The retreating gnomes quickly scatter and (if possible) disappear down holes into the ground or vanish among the enclosing underbrush of a forest. Even if the victorious opponents pursue ruthlessly, they are unlikely to kill or capture more than a handful of the gnomish survivors. Of course, this scattering means that it takes longer to reassemble the force and prepare to fight again, but that is a drawback that any gnomish commander willingly accepts rather than see his or her forces annihilated.

All gnomes enjoy festivals. These celebrations typically involve much music, dancing, feasting, storytelling, illusionary magic shows, drinking, and contests of strength and wit. While the actual festival observances vary somewhat by subrace, a given community will generally gather for no less than 12 to 15 big celebrations every year.

These will be for many different occasions, including celebrations of harvests, seasonal occurrences like the solstice and equinox, and anniversaries--of birthdays, famous victories or discoveries, and even weather phenomena. Gnomes have been known to hold celebrations to commemorate the date of a horrendous cyclone that once ravished their realm, the eruption of a volcano, or even a notable blizzard; anything which might serve as a good excuse for a party. The truly major festivals, however, are often years apart. The festival commemorating the total eclipse of the moon, for example, only takes place about once per century. For most gnomes, this is the most significant occasion of all, and as such it calls for the grandest festival.Similar festivities for the coronation of a new king or queen, or to celebrate the successful design and completion of an invention--now that's rare! Likewise, a gnome's most significant birthday in most areas is considered his or her one hundredth.

Another trademark of the gnomish gala is that they go on for a long time--the bigger the occasion, the longer the celebration. Even the smaller festivals are generally two-day affairs, with the first day devoted to preparations (such as rehearsals of performances and cooking the wide variety of food necessary for the feast). The second day, beginning at dawn, is likely to be a sequence of songs and performances, mixed with appropriate rituals and remembrances, and liberally spiced with many opportunities to eat and drink. Ale and wine, together with the music and revelry, flows freely from dawn to dusk and throughout the following night. The greater festivals last many days or several weeks, with the most significant lasting a full month or more. However long the celebration, the gnomes are generally quite ready to pitch back in to work as soon as the festivities are concluded. In the case of the longer celebrations this is an especially good thing, since a month of extreme partying can pretty much exhaust the food and drink reserves of a community!

The average life span for a gnome is around 300 years. A gnome is considered a child until the age of 12summers old or so when he goes into general schooling. This general schooling lasts for another twelve years before the young gnome attends the Festival of Choosing where he will be assigned to his future craft. This apprencticeship can last anything upto ten years depending on Craft. The festival held for the completion of this apprenticeship also marks his entrance to the adult world. He is still expected to complete more training as a Journeyman but is free to leave his master's home to do that. He can't call himself a Master Craftsman until he has completed a work deemed worthy by three Masters of the Craft- these craft competitions are held once every five years all over the Isles and are fiercely contended by local and travelling journeymen alike.

His 100 hundredth summer is considered a major milestone and is generally celebrated by him throwing a party for his local community. This can be very expensive so any journeyman should be saving for it from the moment his master releases him. Any journetman who hasn't reached Master status by then is considered a failure and may become the laughing stock of his local commununity.

Middle age is reached on the 150th summer and a gnome isn't considered old until he reaches 225 - another milestone excuse for a party!