Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Dragom 08-11-07, 02:09 AM	So as I prepared to create a Gnomish PC, I came to the hardest part about making a Gnomish PC. Scribbling down half a page of racial traits into a section the size of a business card. So as my wrist cramped, sweat beaded on my brow, focusing ever harder on writing even smaller then before, occaisionally loosing place in the list of racial traits and stopping to adjust the Characters charisma score from 12 to 9... I realized... Doesn't the Gnome have to many abilities? Can't they have fewer but better abilities instead? Anyway long story short, I know have a halfling wizard with a lot of illusions spells and I don't really know why.
Tempest Stormwind 08-11-07, 02:15 AM	Most of the gnome abilities are just written out poorly. Keywording would help a LOT. For instance, I usually refer to them as: Small, 20' base speed Low-light vision Skill affinity: Listen, Craft(Alchemy) Illusion affinity (+1 DC, +2 saves vs) Offensive training vs Kobolds, Goblinoids (+1) Defensive training vs Giants (+4) Spell-like abilities: 1/day Speak with Burrowing Mammal, Prestidigitation, Ghost Sound, Dancing Lights That's all you'd need for a gnome, and if you know the list of SLAs you can just shorten that. (Weapon Familiarity is minor enough that it almost never shows up unless it's key that your character uses such a weapon.) Compare this approach to the dwarf: Medium, 20' base speed (not slowed by encumberance) Darkvision 60' Stonecunning Stability Hale & Hardy (+2 vs Poison and spells) Offensive training vs orcs and goblinoids Defensive training vs giants Skill affinity: Craft, appraise (both stone or metal only) Gnome's shorter, and I combined more things on the dwarf. Including keywording all of stonecunning.
Dragom 08-11-07, 02:32 AM	That does look a lot simpler. Fold the Craft and Appraise into Stonecunning +2... I think it's the same +2 bonus for being good with things dwarfy...