Uthanar
Sep 29th, '08, 09:57 PM
Been working on my write up of gnomes. I will first copy the information that I have on gnomes that I have provided to my gnomish player, and then link the racial write up that I am looking at working with.
Gnomes: Myths and tales of gnomes speak of these magical creatures and their fickle natures. The myths are easily divided up into two categories of tale. The first is that of the helpful and industrious gnomish worker; the second make them out to be magical troublemakers, walking engines of chaos ready to unleash havoc upon settlements.
The first type of tales of these diminutive folk make them out to be wondrous inventors and craftsmen, able to produce large amounts of work in a small time. These myths often put the gnome into a situation where the other race portrayed in the tale is in desperate need of help, often these other characters are down on their luck cobblers, millers with a mill in need of repair, or a brick-maker fighting to kiln his product before a storm. In these stories, the gnome would come and assist the honorable representative of the story teller’s race, with the gnome’s breakneck pace working or repairing, the craftsman is able to recover from whatever calamity caused their desperation. These tales are far less common than the second types of tales about gnomes.
Gnome tales are frequently a far darker and chaotic look at this race. These tales often involve communities that come under the influence of a gnome. The gnomes of these tales bring powerful magics with them, and are able to reform reality with a simple thought. Often these tales end with only a handful of the original settlers escaping the tremendous power of the gnome, while other villagers become entranced addicts to the gnome’s magic or are casualties of the chaotic energies themselves. This type of gnome tale is far more common and teaches people to be wary of gnomes.
The truth of gnomes is that both tales are true, but the gnomes of one tale are different from the gnomes of another. Gnomes originally come from the faewyld, where they are masters of the powerful magic that dominates that realm, when they come to Ryth they embody the chaotic energies that flow throughout the faewyld, but upon Ryth these same energies are far more dangerous. These gnomes act as rampaging chaos whirlpools moving across the land and leaving a warped trail behind them. Rarely did gnomes leave their own fae woods though, confining these chaotic effects to their woods and some surrounding territory historically. Only recently a large number of gnomes did march outside of their faewoods. During the Godswar large groups of gnomes vacated their forests and rampaged the land with their chaos. Soldiers fielded against these chaotic energies had very little success, and all gave a communal sigh of relief as the gnomes returned to their woods as the Godswar came to an end.
Some gnomes came to settle within the boundaries of Ryth proper long ago. Some might wonder what would bring a creature of pure magic from a realm where they are greater than the kings of Ryth and settle for a mundane existence. The answer to such a question ties into the gnomish curiosity. Gnome curiosity is a permanent, debilitating weakness of the race. Most gnomes are content to explore everything that they can imagine or other fae creatures can imagine, but over the centuries some gnomes have become enraptured with the world of Ryth and the strange races that populate it.
Gnomes born within Ryth, or who spend too long a time inside its mundane borders lose access to their reality altering magic; these gnomes are left with a small, frail form and a great curiosity of the world around them with little understanding of it. Gnome communities are rare sites on the face of Ryth, a few of them do exist, but these creatures seek to hide the existence of these places from other races. These communities are where both young and old gnomes can be found; those who are too young and old to explore the world stay within these small hidden communities taking care of each other. Not all gnomes go exploring the world, in fact most stay very close to home, but wanderlust is a widely accepted condition among the gnomes, and wanderer is a respected profession.
Gnomes are natural craftsmen, able to produce large amounts of work in short amount of time compared to most other races. While this has earned them a reputation through other races tales of them, this reputation is not enough to overpower the fear that many settlements feel when they find a gnome at the gate. Rarely would a gnome be turned away from a community though, for fear that such an action would raise its ire.
As craftsmen, many would believe that dwarves and gnomes would get along well, but often the dwarves find these small creatures to be the height of rude guests. Gnomes, often called knockers by dwarves, have a habit of inspecting craftsmanship by loudly rapping on it. This constantly heard rapping often gets under a dwarves skin, and begins to sound like the knockers questioning the value of everything that he and his kind have put together.
Gnomes have little understanding of personal property or space. Gnomes are seen picking up and inspecting things that they have no right to touch, in the owner’s opinion, and even poke and prod pouches carried by larger folk in their presence. In their wanderings, gnomes can often decide to set up shop wherever they wish. Sometimes this means that the gnome has settled by itself, sometimes they come to a community that has come to appreciate their work, and other times gnomes simply decide to live in the cabinets of other races.
Gnomes traveling outside of gnomish communities have a habit of wearing large conical hats of various bright colors. Gnomes often do this for two reasons that have little in common. The first reason is that the bright color often wards predators away from the gnome, bright colors often being a warning sign of poison or some other malady. The second, gnomes find that larger races have a hard time noticing their small forms and by enlarging themselves in such a fashion with a bright color they become much harder to ignore.
Finally, gnomes are excessively brilliant. Gnomish curiosity of how things works only feeds their own highly developed intellect. Gnomes are able to understand complex machines and how they work with ease, and generally find it easy to reproduce blueprints of such devices. Gnomes powerful minds make them ideal spell casters, just as their small and frail form make them poor physical combatants.
(A warning on gnomes, as a PC it is easy to look at this write up and decide that you are going to play a character who is loud and squeaky, gets into everyone else’s stuff, and makes a general “curious” nuisance of himself. Please don’t, you will only make other players hate you and you will dislike their treatment of you. If you play this race with a little restraint and play your race’s curiosity as a flaw that will bring further adventure for your group, hopefully, everyone will have a good time with your character.)
E-Mail Ramblings to the Player on the Nature of Gnomes:
Gnomes live on both sides of the faewyld currently and have done so for a very long time. In the write up on gnomes it mentions that the gnomes who bring chaos and those who are industrious are separate, that I think is a bit mis worded.
There is no big division in gnomes based on having one ability or another, simply that the industrious gnomes are likely to have a greater control over faerie art or less of a desire to create chaos in those near them. However, an industrious gnome could help in one place and cause havoc in another; just like a chaotic gnome could do the same.
Historically the fae have held power throughout the plains known as the Audran'shee in the amrou language. These plains cover a huge portion of western Ryth, being bounded in by the icy plains and badlands to the north and the river Teremor in the south. Much of what the Korushan Empire once laid claim over was the Audran'shee. Small copses of woods or expansive forests could be claimed as fae woods. These woodlands have a stronger connection to the faewyld, and therefore humanity became wary of them. Crossing back and forth across the Hedge (barrier that separates the faewyld from Ryth) is not something that most fae or other creatures do regularly, and most desired travel is done on select and uncommon faerie trods.
In the faewyld they are not lords of domains, those roles are filled by more powerful fae, but the gnomes don't particularly wish to be tied down to such duties. Similarly on Ryth they have never sought dominion and a great deal of the pain associated with them is more accidental and a byproduct of their magical natures than anything malicious (though there are malicious gnomes at times). The forests that they inhabit being steered clear of by most other sentients is agreeable to gnomes, for while curiosity is a common motivation of the race, they well know that other races can cause them a great deal of harm.
Gnome settlements within Ryth are often small and well built into the natural surroundings. Gnomes are prone to living in natural caves, burrows, tree top houses, or within a semi-hollowed out tree itself. Gnomish settlements are built where there are frequently plentiful resources for these diminutive folk to survive. Fishing, herb and berry gathering, mushroom farming, hunting, and trapping supply a great deal of food for the gnomish diet. Beyond resource gathering, gnomes worry about their shelters, defenses, and comforts.
They like to keep warm and inviting homes, not for visitors so much as for themselves. A gnomes home is their place of security and shelter where they spend time with themselves and those who he invites within. To enter a gnomes home without invitation is extremely rude. However, gnomes do not extend such courtesy to other races, often pushing their way into places where they are not wanted or belong. A gnome doesn't do this out of rudeness, but it seems logical that someone so small as them would not be an intrusion into big folks lives. Gnomes often do socializing in their own communities in communal areas.
Every gnome is expected to have some profession within their community. While nearly all gnomes have some familiarity with resource gathering, some gnomes make a career out of it. Other gnomes may be crafters. To think of appropriate gnomish professions think of a rural village in the mythical good times of history, most of the professions that you would picture there might be an appropriate gnomish profession. Wanderer is an accepted gnomish profession, though a wanderer is expected to take other skills with them. Gnomish communities don't use coin or a strong sense of bartering, individual gnomes give what they can and the community grows because of it.
Small sized animals are important to the gnomes, and burrowing mammals are frequent companions of individual gnomes as well as parts of the gnomish community. Some gnomes are able to speak with these animals, and often this becomes their primary profession. The animals and the gnomes generally have a symbiotic relationship and both help each other frequently.
Gnomish Racial Package
Characteristics
Str -5 (-5)
Con +2 (+4)
Body +2 (+4)
Int +8 (+8)
Ego +3 (+6)
Pre -2 (-2)
Running -2" (-4)
Leaping -1" (-1)
Total Cost: 10 (22 cost - 12 Disad)
Powers
Faeborn: "Mana Manipulation" Luck 1d6 (5 AP); Limited to Organic Armors (Each die suffers -1 result per DEF of organic armor currently worn, unable to use while wearing non-organic armors; -1/2) RC: 3 [This ties into the Faerie Art magic system that is also posted on the boards. Gnomes are innately tied to that magic system, and so have a completely natural inclination to using it.]
Faewyld Traveler: Mental Defense +20 (20 AP); Only to protect against the ravages of the faewyld; -2. RC: 7
Gnomish Longevity: Life Support (Longevity: 200 years). RC: 1
Gnomish Speed Crafting: +2 SPD (20 AP); Only while using a PS; -2. RC: 7
Total Cost: 18
Talents
Avaricious Reader: Speed Reading (x10). RC: 4
Total Cost: 4
Skills
Easily Hidden: +2 with Concealment (4 AP); Self Only -1/2. RC: 3
Forestborn: Survival (Temperate/Subtropical Forests). RC: 2.
Hard to Hit: +2 DCV. RC: 10
Hard to Perceive: +2 with Stealth. RC: 4
Total Cost: 19
Disadvantages
Fae Creature (Distinctive Feature, Not Concealable; Always Noticed/Major Reaction; Detectable Only by Unusual Senses; Not Distinctive in Some Cultures) Points: 5
Gnome (Distinctive Feature, Concealable, Noticed, Not Distinctive in Some Cultures) Points: 5
Gnome Characterstic Maxima, Points: 20
Small (Physical Limitation, 2 feet tall, +6 Knockback; All the Time, Slightly) Points: 15
Total Disadvantages: 45
Package Cost
10 + 18 + 4 + 19 = 51 - 45 = 6
Package Options
Burrow Empathy: Animal Handler (Small burrowing mammals), 25/25 small burrowing mammal Follower, Beast Speech (Only works on small burrowing mammals; -2). RC: 12
Curious Spectator: Lip Reading. RC: 3
Outdoorsgnome: Climbing, Navigation (Land), Tracking. RC: 8
Professional Curiosity: Jack of All Trades, 3 PS approriate to gnomish culture. RC: 6
Stealthy: Stealth. RC: 3
Well Read: Scholar, 3 KS. RC: 6
Thanks for reading, look forward to feedback.
Uthanar
PS - Any advice on a formating method or program to use on the boards is also appreciated. I feel that I just barfed up something pretty ugly on the boards when I see other people doing something very nice and neat.
Gnomes: Myths and tales of gnomes speak of these magical creatures and their fickle natures. The myths are easily divided up into two categories of tale. The first is that of the helpful and industrious gnomish worker; the second make them out to be magical troublemakers, walking engines of chaos ready to unleash havoc upon settlements.
The first type of tales of these diminutive folk make them out to be wondrous inventors and craftsmen, able to produce large amounts of work in a small time. These myths often put the gnome into a situation where the other race portrayed in the tale is in desperate need of help, often these other characters are down on their luck cobblers, millers with a mill in need of repair, or a brick-maker fighting to kiln his product before a storm. In these stories, the gnome would come and assist the honorable representative of the story teller’s race, with the gnome’s breakneck pace working or repairing, the craftsman is able to recover from whatever calamity caused their desperation. These tales are far less common than the second types of tales about gnomes.
Gnome tales are frequently a far darker and chaotic look at this race. These tales often involve communities that come under the influence of a gnome. The gnomes of these tales bring powerful magics with them, and are able to reform reality with a simple thought. Often these tales end with only a handful of the original settlers escaping the tremendous power of the gnome, while other villagers become entranced addicts to the gnome’s magic or are casualties of the chaotic energies themselves. This type of gnome tale is far more common and teaches people to be wary of gnomes.
The truth of gnomes is that both tales are true, but the gnomes of one tale are different from the gnomes of another. Gnomes originally come from the faewyld, where they are masters of the powerful magic that dominates that realm, when they come to Ryth they embody the chaotic energies that flow throughout the faewyld, but upon Ryth these same energies are far more dangerous. These gnomes act as rampaging chaos whirlpools moving across the land and leaving a warped trail behind them. Rarely did gnomes leave their own fae woods though, confining these chaotic effects to their woods and some surrounding territory historically. Only recently a large number of gnomes did march outside of their faewoods. During the Godswar large groups of gnomes vacated their forests and rampaged the land with their chaos. Soldiers fielded against these chaotic energies had very little success, and all gave a communal sigh of relief as the gnomes returned to their woods as the Godswar came to an end.
Some gnomes came to settle within the boundaries of Ryth proper long ago. Some might wonder what would bring a creature of pure magic from a realm where they are greater than the kings of Ryth and settle for a mundane existence. The answer to such a question ties into the gnomish curiosity. Gnome curiosity is a permanent, debilitating weakness of the race. Most gnomes are content to explore everything that they can imagine or other fae creatures can imagine, but over the centuries some gnomes have become enraptured with the world of Ryth and the strange races that populate it.
Gnomes born within Ryth, or who spend too long a time inside its mundane borders lose access to their reality altering magic; these gnomes are left with a small, frail form and a great curiosity of the world around them with little understanding of it. Gnome communities are rare sites on the face of Ryth, a few of them do exist, but these creatures seek to hide the existence of these places from other races. These communities are where both young and old gnomes can be found; those who are too young and old to explore the world stay within these small hidden communities taking care of each other. Not all gnomes go exploring the world, in fact most stay very close to home, but wanderlust is a widely accepted condition among the gnomes, and wanderer is a respected profession.
Gnomes are natural craftsmen, able to produce large amounts of work in short amount of time compared to most other races. While this has earned them a reputation through other races tales of them, this reputation is not enough to overpower the fear that many settlements feel when they find a gnome at the gate. Rarely would a gnome be turned away from a community though, for fear that such an action would raise its ire.
As craftsmen, many would believe that dwarves and gnomes would get along well, but often the dwarves find these small creatures to be the height of rude guests. Gnomes, often called knockers by dwarves, have a habit of inspecting craftsmanship by loudly rapping on it. This constantly heard rapping often gets under a dwarves skin, and begins to sound like the knockers questioning the value of everything that he and his kind have put together.
Gnomes have little understanding of personal property or space. Gnomes are seen picking up and inspecting things that they have no right to touch, in the owner’s opinion, and even poke and prod pouches carried by larger folk in their presence. In their wanderings, gnomes can often decide to set up shop wherever they wish. Sometimes this means that the gnome has settled by itself, sometimes they come to a community that has come to appreciate their work, and other times gnomes simply decide to live in the cabinets of other races.
Gnomes traveling outside of gnomish communities have a habit of wearing large conical hats of various bright colors. Gnomes often do this for two reasons that have little in common. The first reason is that the bright color often wards predators away from the gnome, bright colors often being a warning sign of poison or some other malady. The second, gnomes find that larger races have a hard time noticing their small forms and by enlarging themselves in such a fashion with a bright color they become much harder to ignore.
Finally, gnomes are excessively brilliant. Gnomish curiosity of how things works only feeds their own highly developed intellect. Gnomes are able to understand complex machines and how they work with ease, and generally find it easy to reproduce blueprints of such devices. Gnomes powerful minds make them ideal spell casters, just as their small and frail form make them poor physical combatants.
(A warning on gnomes, as a PC it is easy to look at this write up and decide that you are going to play a character who is loud and squeaky, gets into everyone else’s stuff, and makes a general “curious” nuisance of himself. Please don’t, you will only make other players hate you and you will dislike their treatment of you. If you play this race with a little restraint and play your race’s curiosity as a flaw that will bring further adventure for your group, hopefully, everyone will have a good time with your character.)
E-Mail Ramblings to the Player on the Nature of Gnomes:
Gnomes live on both sides of the faewyld currently and have done so for a very long time. In the write up on gnomes it mentions that the gnomes who bring chaos and those who are industrious are separate, that I think is a bit mis worded.
There is no big division in gnomes based on having one ability or another, simply that the industrious gnomes are likely to have a greater control over faerie art or less of a desire to create chaos in those near them. However, an industrious gnome could help in one place and cause havoc in another; just like a chaotic gnome could do the same.
Historically the fae have held power throughout the plains known as the Audran'shee in the amrou language. These plains cover a huge portion of western Ryth, being bounded in by the icy plains and badlands to the north and the river Teremor in the south. Much of what the Korushan Empire once laid claim over was the Audran'shee. Small copses of woods or expansive forests could be claimed as fae woods. These woodlands have a stronger connection to the faewyld, and therefore humanity became wary of them. Crossing back and forth across the Hedge (barrier that separates the faewyld from Ryth) is not something that most fae or other creatures do regularly, and most desired travel is done on select and uncommon faerie trods.
In the faewyld they are not lords of domains, those roles are filled by more powerful fae, but the gnomes don't particularly wish to be tied down to such duties. Similarly on Ryth they have never sought dominion and a great deal of the pain associated with them is more accidental and a byproduct of their magical natures than anything malicious (though there are malicious gnomes at times). The forests that they inhabit being steered clear of by most other sentients is agreeable to gnomes, for while curiosity is a common motivation of the race, they well know that other races can cause them a great deal of harm.
Gnome settlements within Ryth are often small and well built into the natural surroundings. Gnomes are prone to living in natural caves, burrows, tree top houses, or within a semi-hollowed out tree itself. Gnomish settlements are built where there are frequently plentiful resources for these diminutive folk to survive. Fishing, herb and berry gathering, mushroom farming, hunting, and trapping supply a great deal of food for the gnomish diet. Beyond resource gathering, gnomes worry about their shelters, defenses, and comforts.
They like to keep warm and inviting homes, not for visitors so much as for themselves. A gnomes home is their place of security and shelter where they spend time with themselves and those who he invites within. To enter a gnomes home without invitation is extremely rude. However, gnomes do not extend such courtesy to other races, often pushing their way into places where they are not wanted or belong. A gnome doesn't do this out of rudeness, but it seems logical that someone so small as them would not be an intrusion into big folks lives. Gnomes often do socializing in their own communities in communal areas.
Every gnome is expected to have some profession within their community. While nearly all gnomes have some familiarity with resource gathering, some gnomes make a career out of it. Other gnomes may be crafters. To think of appropriate gnomish professions think of a rural village in the mythical good times of history, most of the professions that you would picture there might be an appropriate gnomish profession. Wanderer is an accepted gnomish profession, though a wanderer is expected to take other skills with them. Gnomish communities don't use coin or a strong sense of bartering, individual gnomes give what they can and the community grows because of it.
Small sized animals are important to the gnomes, and burrowing mammals are frequent companions of individual gnomes as well as parts of the gnomish community. Some gnomes are able to speak with these animals, and often this becomes their primary profession. The animals and the gnomes generally have a symbiotic relationship and both help each other frequently.
Gnomish Racial Package
Characteristics
Str -5 (-5)
Con +2 (+4)
Body +2 (+4)
Int +8 (+8)
Ego +3 (+6)
Pre -2 (-2)
Running -2" (-4)
Leaping -1" (-1)
Total Cost: 10 (22 cost - 12 Disad)
Powers
Faeborn: "Mana Manipulation" Luck 1d6 (5 AP); Limited to Organic Armors (Each die suffers -1 result per DEF of organic armor currently worn, unable to use while wearing non-organic armors; -1/2) RC: 3 [This ties into the Faerie Art magic system that is also posted on the boards. Gnomes are innately tied to that magic system, and so have a completely natural inclination to using it.]
Faewyld Traveler: Mental Defense +20 (20 AP); Only to protect against the ravages of the faewyld; -2. RC: 7
Gnomish Longevity: Life Support (Longevity: 200 years). RC: 1
Gnomish Speed Crafting: +2 SPD (20 AP); Only while using a PS; -2. RC: 7
Total Cost: 18
Talents
Avaricious Reader: Speed Reading (x10). RC: 4
Total Cost: 4
Skills
Easily Hidden: +2 with Concealment (4 AP); Self Only -1/2. RC: 3
Forestborn: Survival (Temperate/Subtropical Forests). RC: 2.
Hard to Hit: +2 DCV. RC: 10
Hard to Perceive: +2 with Stealth. RC: 4
Total Cost: 19
Disadvantages
Fae Creature (Distinctive Feature, Not Concealable; Always Noticed/Major Reaction; Detectable Only by Unusual Senses; Not Distinctive in Some Cultures) Points: 5
Gnome (Distinctive Feature, Concealable, Noticed, Not Distinctive in Some Cultures) Points: 5
Gnome Characterstic Maxima, Points: 20
Small (Physical Limitation, 2 feet tall, +6 Knockback; All the Time, Slightly) Points: 15
Total Disadvantages: 45
Package Cost
10 + 18 + 4 + 19 = 51 - 45 = 6
Package Options
Burrow Empathy: Animal Handler (Small burrowing mammals), 25/25 small burrowing mammal Follower, Beast Speech (Only works on small burrowing mammals; -2). RC: 12
Curious Spectator: Lip Reading. RC: 3
Outdoorsgnome: Climbing, Navigation (Land), Tracking. RC: 8
Professional Curiosity: Jack of All Trades, 3 PS approriate to gnomish culture. RC: 6
Stealthy: Stealth. RC: 3
Well Read: Scholar, 3 KS. RC: 6
Thanks for reading, look forward to feedback.
Uthanar
PS - Any advice on a formating method or program to use on the boards is also appreciated. I feel that I just barfed up something pretty ugly on the boards when I see other people doing something very nice and neat.