IDEAS for gnome non-bards please? [Archive] - Wizards Community

IDEAS for gnome non-bards please? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
gnomefrk
02-25-06, 11:08 PM using only the core books...
Baerdog7
02-26-06, 06:18 PM I would stay away from primary melee classes as your small size gives you penalties to strength. However, gnome illusionist is always a good idea. You could even find a copy of Races of Stone to use the racial sub levels. Gnome rogue is another possiblity as rogues rely more on dex than strength and your small size helps you to hide. Gnome ranger with archery as his combat style is another viable option. However, you can play any race as any class as long as you do so intelligently and are able to either mitigate or circumvent your weaknesses.

-Baerdog7
Aminar
02-26-06, 06:33 PM Gnome monks are pretty fun too. I love gnomes as a race, and have had lots of success with Monks, and archery rangers. Just make sure you have a personalit and you should have a goodtime.
Harrow Blade
02-26-06, 09:05 PM In the words of one of the greatest small people of popular culture "Size matters not!" You can be what ever you like so long as you have fun doing it. having said that playing a druid will offer a versitility that can help overcome the penalties imposed for being vertically challenged.

An example of a simple background for a Gnome Druid.

Garjax grew up in an ordinary Gnomish community with his family who all persued frightfully ordinary lives (for Gnomes that is). From an early age Garjax would escape the onfines of the tunnels of his home and wander for hours at a time playing in the surrounding forrest and in the burrows of animals he found there. He would chat away for hours with the various creatures even though it was clear to his parents that this was but a phase he was going through and given a few years his Gnomish nose would draw him home to more constructive persuits. This view was demolished, along with part of thier home when Garjax brought home a dire badger. The pair were happily munching the remains of the pantry contents when Garjax's parents found them.

Garjax found himself spending more and more time away from home until one day he realised that it had been a full two seasons since he had been home. by this time however Garjax had seen that there was still so much to see, so many new creatures to find and so he turned in no particular direction and began walking.
Pan_Ai_Khan
03-01-06, 08:12 AM I can't remember if this is CORE, but I do remember some pretty cool fighting feats for 'small' characters - being able to run in under larger opponents and fight them (putting them at a disadvantage) and things like that.
If you concentrate on weapons you can Finesse with (using dex over str) and weapons that have additional effects (trip, entangle etc) you can have a very effective gnome fighter.
Plus, the odd level in Illusionist would help keep opponents on their toes.
Lionhearted
03-01-06, 09:40 AM without the complete series the selection you got is just plain dull
FiestFan
03-01-06, 07:06 PM I like Gnome Fighter/Sorc or Paladin/Sorc, leading into Eldritch Knight. The CON bonus is oftentimes more helpful in the early game than a high STR for melee survivability, and adding 2 levels of Fighter or 4 levels of Paladin to the Sorc helps out immensely. Give the lil fella a Toad, a Reach weapon, and a Napoleon complex, and you're ready to go. :)
cypherx
03-01-06, 08:53 PM Gnomish rogue is awesome, small size and the ability to craft alchemy is good. also, you could convince the dm to have the alchemy bonus carry over into poison making.

how about a comical mage who tries to fool everyone into underestimating him and is actually a quite deadly necromancer. (hard to play, you can't brag about anything effective)
JulesCARV
03-01-06, 09:20 PM What about a gnome archivist? She's rather skeptical about gods being the source of divine magic (if this is a setting where there's any doubt), and wants to get the the bottom of the real reason why divine magic works. Thinks that, at bottom, divine magic is no more mysterious than anything else (after all, many people (for the purposes of this backstory) think that gnome inventions must be somehow magical, but they aren't).

Whereas the gnome tinkerer spends long hours in the lab trying to figure out how to make an experimental steam engine work better, the gnome artificer takes that attitude and applies it to divine spells. How does cure light wounds really work? How can I make it work more efficiently? Etc.

Probably has a rather business-like attitude about these matters. Sometimes creeps druids, clerics, paladins, and rangers out with straightforward requests for scrolls and such. ("Listen, Mr. Paladin, I'd like to have Holy Sword, and I think that everyone would agree that 700 Galifars is a fair price for a scroll, and I'll even help you scribe it! I like you, though, some I'm offering 750. Do we have a deal?")

EDIT: Sorry, I forgot about the "only three core rulebooks" restriction.
geekling
03-02-06, 07:11 AM Paladin

It wouldn't be hard to envision a gnome, who have grown up in a noble (human) household as the child of said household's tutors, a position that is rather often somewhere between family member and servant and thus mixed freely with the children of noble household soaking up as much of their outlook on life as his own family's. To heed the call to become a paladin, perhaps he's grown up in a noble household where such a thing is near enough a family tradition.
Nor is it hard to envision the current lord and paladin extraordinare of this noble family to have accepted this gnome's request to become a squire - a paladin in training. After all this request comes from someone he's grown up with, who's parents have governed not only his childhood, but also his predecessors' for a few generations and are now teaching his very own children.
Fanged Fremont
03-07-06, 05:47 PM Don't ignore melee classes, ignore your penalty to strength and become a barbarian who wields the mighty gnome hooked hammer. Straight barbarian 20.

1 Weapon Focus: Gnome Hooked Hammer
3 Power Attack
6 Iron Will
9 Improved Crit: Gnome Hooked Hammer
12 Cleave
15 Blind Fight
18 Whatever, maybe dodge.

Don't two weapon fight with your hooked hammer. Use your piercing end on charge attacks while power attacking and pray for that x4 crit, and use the blunt end on undead baddies and the like. I think most undead baddies are either hurt by magic blunt or silver so might as well make the blunt end silver and just hit anything undead with that end. If your DM allows improved crit and keen to stack, get that pointy end keen.

I know you said no bard but a bard2/barbarian8/Dragon Disciple10 could yield some interesting results. Be sure to pick copper dragon since gnomes are such pranksters.
Alder_Fiter_Galaz
03-10-06, 01:33 PM one day i see a gnome ilusionist/monk a pretty strange combination who works pretty well for one of my experienced D&D players.
anevilpetingzoo
03-10-06, 01:52 PM One of the coolest Gnomes that I have seen was a Gnomish barbarian. He got spring-attack and was VERY nasty.

"Oh look, he is so small and angry, isn't that cute."
"OH GOD OH GOD GET HIM OFF OF ME!"

Muhahahaha
TheGnome
03-10-06, 06:28 PM Well, gnomes are my favourite race (who would've guessed that?? ;) ).

With all races you can invent any kind of character,but to help ypou choose from all those options it's easiest to start looking this way.

How to other folk see the Gnomes? You may eaither live to thair expectations by being cheerful, happy and tricky but in a good hearted way, or you can defy the sterotype with complexes for being considered ridiculous, childlish and often uderestimaded becouse of the size. Maybe you could use it as your weapon?

I've played a gnome many times since 2nd edditon and I'll give you one example of one of the weirdest gnomes I've played:

The Ebberon campaign was started before I joined and all the PC were evil, so I thought what could I play.... I wasnt realy in a mood for playing a villain, but the I got the idea - I played Lawfull Good Gnome Paladin-Artificer.

How could this work in the group? Well, my character was realy i inteligent but with wisdom 4 he couldn't realy tell right from wrong, could he? He basicly believed all the people are good, and he always had always tryed to be as helpfull as he could for all (it was just a matter of small errors that would turn good inteions into the whole village being burnt down to ashes).

In the end, people feared me more then chaotic evil sorcere in my party :)
anevilpetingzoo
03-10-06, 06:57 PM My personal style of character creation has aways been to back engineer them. That is to say that I start with a personality, a history and desires, and then I choose stats, class etc after I have done those things.

I find that it really helps me get into and understand the character.

Just my 2 cp.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
gnomefrk 02-25-06, 11:08 PM	using only the core books...
Baerdog7 02-26-06, 06:18 PM	I would stay away from primary melee classes as your small size gives you penalties to strength. However, gnome illusionist is always a good idea. You could even find a copy of Races of Stone to use the racial sub levels. Gnome rogue is another possiblity as rogues rely more on dex than strength and your small size helps you to hide. Gnome ranger with archery as his combat style is another viable option. However, you can play any race as any class as long as you do so intelligently and are able to either mitigate or circumvent your weaknesses. -Baerdog7
Aminar 02-26-06, 06:33 PM	Gnome monks are pretty fun too. I love gnomes as a race, and have had lots of success with Monks, and archery rangers. Just make sure you have a personalit and you should have a goodtime.
Harrow Blade 02-26-06, 09:05 PM	In the words of one of the greatest small people of popular culture "Size matters not!" You can be what ever you like so long as you have fun doing it. having said that playing a druid will offer a versitility that can help overcome the penalties imposed for being vertically challenged. An example of a simple background for a Gnome Druid. Garjax grew up in an ordinary Gnomish community with his family who all persued frightfully ordinary lives (for Gnomes that is). From an early age Garjax would escape the onfines of the tunnels of his home and wander for hours at a time playing in the surrounding forrest and in the burrows of animals he found there. He would chat away for hours with the various creatures even though it was clear to his parents that this was but a phase he was going through and given a few years his Gnomish nose would draw him home to more constructive persuits. This view was demolished, along with part of thier home when Garjax brought home a dire badger. The pair were happily munching the remains of the pantry contents when Garjax's parents found them. Garjax found himself spending more and more time away from home until one day he realised that it had been a full two seasons since he had been home. by this time however Garjax had seen that there was still so much to see, so many new creatures to find and so he turned in no particular direction and began walking.
Pan_Ai_Khan 03-01-06, 08:12 AM	I can't remember if this is CORE, but I do remember some pretty cool fighting feats for 'small' characters - being able to run in under larger opponents and fight them (putting them at a disadvantage) and things like that. If you concentrate on weapons you can Finesse with (using dex over str) and weapons that have additional effects (trip, entangle etc) you can have a very effective gnome fighter. Plus, the odd level in Illusionist would help keep opponents on their toes.
Lionhearted 03-01-06, 09:40 AM	without the complete series the selection you got is just plain dull
FiestFan 03-01-06, 07:06 PM	I like Gnome Fighter/Sorc or Paladin/Sorc, leading into Eldritch Knight. The CON bonus is oftentimes more helpful in the early game than a high STR for melee survivability, and adding 2 levels of Fighter or 4 levels of Paladin to the Sorc helps out immensely. Give the lil fella a Toad, a Reach weapon, and a Napoleon complex, and you're ready to go. :)
cypherx 03-01-06, 08:53 PM	Gnomish rogue is awesome, small size and the ability to craft alchemy is good. also, you could convince the dm to have the alchemy bonus carry over into poison making. how about a comical mage who tries to fool everyone into underestimating him and is actually a quite deadly necromancer. (hard to play, you can't brag about anything effective)
JulesCARV 03-01-06, 09:20 PM	What about a gnome archivist? She's rather skeptical about gods being the source of divine magic (if this is a setting where there's any doubt), and wants to get the the bottom of the real reason why divine magic works. Thinks that, at bottom, divine magic is no more mysterious than anything else (after all, many people (for the purposes of this backstory) think that gnome inventions must be somehow magical, but they aren't). Whereas the gnome tinkerer spends long hours in the lab trying to figure out how to make an experimental steam engine work better, the gnome artificer takes that attitude and applies it to divine spells. How does cure light wounds really work? How can I make it work more efficiently? Etc. Probably has a rather business-like attitude about these matters. Sometimes creeps druids, clerics, paladins, and rangers out with straightforward requests for scrolls and such. ("Listen, Mr. Paladin, I'd like to have Holy Sword, and I think that everyone would agree that 700 Galifars is a fair price for a scroll, and I'll even help you scribe it! I like you, though, some I'm offering 750. Do we have a deal?") EDIT: Sorry, I forgot about the "only three core rulebooks" restriction.
geekling 03-02-06, 07:11 AM	Paladin It wouldn't be hard to envision a gnome, who have grown up in a noble (human) household as the child of said household's tutors, a position that is rather often somewhere between family member and servant and thus mixed freely with the children of noble household soaking up as much of their outlook on life as his own family's. To heed the call to become a paladin, perhaps he's grown up in a noble household where such a thing is near enough a family tradition. Nor is it hard to envision the current lord and paladin extraordinare of this noble family to have accepted this gnome's request to become a squire - a paladin in training. After all this request comes from someone he's grown up with, who's parents have governed not only his childhood, but also his predecessors' for a few generations and are now teaching his very own children.
Fanged Fremont 03-07-06, 05:47 PM	Don't ignore melee classes, ignore your penalty to strength and become a barbarian who wields the mighty gnome hooked hammer. Straight barbarian 20. 1 Weapon Focus: Gnome Hooked Hammer 3 Power Attack 6 Iron Will 9 Improved Crit: Gnome Hooked Hammer 12 Cleave 15 Blind Fight 18 Whatever, maybe dodge. Don't two weapon fight with your hooked hammer. Use your piercing end on charge attacks while power attacking and pray for that x4 crit, and use the blunt end on undead baddies and the like. I think most undead baddies are either hurt by magic blunt or silver so might as well make the blunt end silver and just hit anything undead with that end. If your DM allows improved crit and keen to stack, get that pointy end keen. I know you said no bard but a bard2/barbarian8/Dragon Disciple10 could yield some interesting results. Be sure to pick copper dragon since gnomes are such pranksters.
Alder_Fiter_Galaz 03-10-06, 01:33 PM	one day i see a gnome ilusionist/monk a pretty strange combination who works pretty well for one of my experienced D&D players.
anevilpetingzoo 03-10-06, 01:52 PM	One of the coolest Gnomes that I have seen was a Gnomish barbarian. He got spring-attack and was VERY nasty. "Oh look, he is so small and angry, isn't that cute." "OH GOD OH GOD GET HIM OFF OF ME!" Muhahahaha
TheGnome 03-10-06, 06:28 PM	Well, gnomes are my favourite race (who would've guessed that?? ;) ). With all races you can invent any kind of character,but to help ypou choose from all those options it's easiest to start looking this way. How to other folk see the Gnomes? You may eaither live to thair expectations by being cheerful, happy and tricky but in a good hearted way, or you can defy the sterotype with complexes for being considered ridiculous, childlish and often uderestimaded becouse of the size. Maybe you could use it as your weapon? I've played a gnome many times since 2nd edditon and I'll give you one example of one of the weirdest gnomes I've played: The Ebberon campaign was started before I joined and all the PC were evil, so I thought what could I play.... I wasnt realy in a mood for playing a villain, but the I got the idea - I played Lawfull Good Gnome Paladin-Artificer. How could this work in the group? Well, my character was realy i inteligent but with wisdom 4 he couldn't realy tell right from wrong, could he? He basicly believed all the people are good, and he always had always tryed to be as helpfull as he could for all (it was just a matter of small errors that would turn good inteions into the whole village being burnt down to ashes). In the end, people feared me more then chaotic evil sorcere in my party :)
anevilpetingzoo 03-10-06, 06:57 PM	My personal style of character creation has aways been to back engineer them. That is to say that I start with a personality, a history and desires, and then I choose stats, class etc after I have done those things. I find that it really helps me get into and understand the character. Just my 2 cp.