Gnomes – A New Take

I hate gnomes.

Not the race themselves.

But the way D&D have dealt with them.

In 5th edition there are two versions: forest gnomes and rock gnomes (which are basically tinker gnomes).

I dislike both of these subtypes.

But, it’s not just the subtypes I dislike – there is a larger issue here.

D&D has never really decided where gnomes fit in.

And this issue has been prevalent throughout all editions of D&D, so I am not picking on 5th edition here.

The Gnome

Gnomes throughout the various editions have been both forest-loving illusionists who are inquisitive and love to build and create. 

AD&D and 2nd edition had them as lovers of life, practical jokes, and precious stones, and this continues throughout most of the editions.

At the same time they are illusionists or resistant to illusion magic, and inventors and engineers.

All the while living in well-wooded hills, basking in both underground and the surface worlds, chatting away to small burrowing animals.

This sounds like at least three distinct races to me.

And maybe you could split these out as 5th edition tried to, creating two subraces: forest gnome and rock gnome.

But the issue I have with all this is that’s it too much diversity for one race.

You would have thought at some point, the designers would have just picked one background and existence for gnomes.

Instead, they have kept the themes of tinkerer, forest gnome, and illusion specialist and tried to meld them into a cohesive narrative that just doesn’t fit.

I Heart Gnomes

I started this post saying a I hate gnomes, but in reality I love them.

Which is why I want to save them.

I knew when I started my sandbox campaign world, I would have to change the gnome. Luckily, no-one played one (maybe they felt the same way I did) and so I had time to flesh them out.

Seeker Gnome

The Seeker Gnome was born.

I decided on the theme of magic-users, but not in the “mystical creatures” angle, but rather, I weaved in another traditional gnome theme of focused individuals who are always inventing.

But not in the tinkering sense, in the studious sense.

And I expanded the illusionist specialty to include all schools of magic.

What I ended up with was a race of dedicated souls who use their intelligence and tenacity to become studious magic-users in response to a dark history.

With that in mind, I give you my Gnome (or, Seeker Gnome, as I call them).

You can also download a PDF version. 

I am keen on feedback and this is merely a first draft. 

One of my players decided to play a gnome wizard in the last campaign I ran and she had some good things to say about it:

Its also a nice way of making it clear that gnomes are inherently knowledgeable about magic and arcana – kind of like how you get the vibe from wood elves that they’re really in tune with nature.

This sums up why I created the gnome the way I did, and I hope you get some use out of it.

Over to You

Do you like the gnome as written in the PHB? Do you have your own take on them? 

While You’re Here…

Since 2021 I have been publishing d12 Monthly, a monthly zine, which has a ton of articles for any edition of Dungeons and Dragons.

Printed copies are available in my store. The PDF is available on DriveThruRPG and you can get both, plus support my work, via my Patreon.

I will also be releasing some more products in the near future.

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