Species File: Gnomes:

Gnomes:

Gnomes are modest fey, most typically around three-fifths to four-fifths of a meter tall. Few have seen gnomes without their signature conical hat, as it serves as a defensive mechanism for them much like a lizard's tail, being able to duck and let their hat be taken instead at times, tricking predatory creatures and beasts into losing track of them. In more civilized societies gnomes may sometimes adopt ceremonial smaller caps for special occasions or as part of their profession wear other hats, though one will often hear them complaining about prejudice against their culture and way of life if they are forced to wear a different type of hat entirely, and would rather starve than go with none at all. No popular consensus can explain their obsessiveness with their hats, especially keeping the same one and sometimes risking their life to get it back, but some theorize that the caps may be made using felt that once lined their cribs and therefore bring the comfort of family with them everywhere, while others are certain that due to how some gnomes fuss with their hats when trying to remember certain details that perhaps the felt is enchanted in some manner to help them retain a sense of self and keep them from becoming befuddled fools. In addition to using their hats as a defensive mechanism, gnomes also have the stoneskin ability, which allows them to turn their skin and attire into stone once per day for an hour, though they become immobile when they do this. While in this form, gnomes have all benefits of it, and use it to great benefit. Gnomes typically either dig a hollow underneath a great tree and build a house between and under its roots, or find a stump and turn that into the entrance to their home. However, almost all gnomes tend to be craftsmen of some trade by nature, enjoying keeping busy, and usually have caravans hidden somewhere nearby for carrying wares they intend to sell, or have a shop nearby run by them and relatives mostly. When not working, most gnomes enjoy gardening, fishing and playing with the local wildlife, though their diet almost entirely consists of fish, cheese, insects, mushrooms, and plantlife.

Gnomes usually have blue or green eyes, though some have hazel eyes. Most have either rounded spherical heads or those more akin to eggs with the thinner portion being on the top of their head, though the top of their head is itself covered in medium hair usually of white or brown color, though sometimes red or black through recessive genes. For their size, gnomes have moderate strength, being able to lift up to twenty kilograms without being encumbered even at a strength of zero, and an additional eight kilograms while only sacrificing 1 speed. They may not be very wise and have terrible memories, but gnomes are extremely intelligent and have great finesse, most being expert craftsmen. Gnomes have broad but short fingers which allow them to grip things quite easily, as well as being able to dig quite rapidly through soil even without tools. Males usually have a beard and sometimes a mustache, and they never shave either, merely trim them to look more presentable rather than ragged. Gnomes are rather quiet and unassuming as a species when left to their own devices, but when interrupted during work for something they deem trivial they tend to grow rather agitated, sputtering and stomping their feet, arms waving in the air. Gnomes give live birth, typically one at a time every four years or so, and live to be up to one-hundred-and-forty without rejuvenation, if they survive that long. Gnomes have names given to them by their parents, typically related to local flora, fauna, or that of tools and pieces of tools, with a last name of their family line, and their middle name being either tool-related or flora or fauna related if their first name was of a different type. Gnomes hybrids are rare, and it is rarer still to see them orphaned and raised by others, as gnome children rarely leave their homes until the age of six, reaching maturity at twenty, and being considered an adult at thirty, or sooner if they make a stable career for themselves.

Gnomes are associated with Plant, Stone, Slime and Rot. Most gnomes live underground and have a great affinity for nature, as well as having their stoneskin ability and building using a mixture of rock and wood for their homes primarily. Additionally, they are well versed in using ink and slime for various purposes, as well as cultivating fungus for food, and knowing how to minimize rot. Their weaknesses are Fire, Lightning, Sand, and Ghost. When not in stoneskin form, gnomes fear fire and worry for their hat, their homes and the forests they usually live in. Additionally, lightning can cause fire and is unpredictable, sand is difficult to keep from filling up their homes and so they avoid living in desert area, and specters can be a bother to their privacy as well as causing problems to their animal friends.

Gnomes tend to form different tribes with different colored caps, though none dare wears a red hat save in times of war, for they know what the only other instance a gnome wears a red cap is when they have become a dunter due to either too much excess iron in their diet, or another disease such as tetanus or the vilru virus causing them to morph into a bloodthirsty fiend. Dunters usually seek to lap up blood and make sausages of intestines for both themselves to eat and to serve to others, though the latter usually would contain poisons or toxins meant to paralyze the naïve and allow them to feast with greater ease. Uninfected gnomes tend to live in tribes or family units alone, though they do tend to make tribute and have some say in the local fey courts. Gnomes have three races: gnonim, gnobart, and gnodo. Gnobart gnomes have more focus and less difficulty remembering things, though they still have more difficulty than most other species, and aren't as reactive or as intelligent. Gnobart gnomes tend to have fairly large and round body frames, though most is merely the shape of their bone structure and not actual fat. Gnodo gnomes are very quite and fairly agile, but are poor at stealth and are fairly frail of constitution. Gnodo gnomes almost never can grow a proper mustache and their eyebrows are extremely long and bushy, growing back quickly after they attempt to trim them. Gnonim gnomes usually have very loose skin, appearing wrinkled and aged even during puberty, though they do tend to live longer than most gnomes as their diets are mostly free of toxins due to their habit of cultivating most of their food indoors under controlled conditions. They usually are more healthy and able to endure more, though they aren't as fast or as strong.

The bonuses and reductions for selecting any Gnome race as your species are as follows: +2 STR, +2 FIN, -2 WIS, -2 on Memory Checks, stoneskin ability, +1 Resistance and Plant, Stone, Slime and Rot elemental domains, -1 Resistance and Penalty to Fire, Lightning, Sand, and Ghost elemental domains, knowledge of their Court's language, and a knowledge of their local and cultural knowledge. For a gnobart gnome: +2 FP, +1 on Memory Checks, -2 REA, -1 INT. For a gnodo gnome: +3 Speed, +2 on agility checks, -3 EP, -2 on stealth checks. For a gnonim gnome: +2 HP, +2 EP, -2 Speed, -2 STR. Gnomes for maximum sustenance require 3 Orange (Protein), 7 Green (Carbs), and 7 Light Blue. For maximum intake before negative consequences, they may consume 20 White, 1 Black, 1 Purple, 3 Yellow, 7 Orange, 3 Red, 12 Green, 3 Blue, 2 Brown, 3 Light Brown, 1 Dark Gray, 1 Light Gray, 1 Light Yellow, 4 Pink, 3 Light Orange, 7 Light Purple, 20 Light Green, 20 Light Blue, 16 Cyan, and 18 Magenta, with a maximum of 30 total per day before weight gain (if at the standard weight and metabolism), and 40 total per day before sickness due to overeating.