Author Topic: Gnomes (Read 1528 times)

SquareKnot · « **on:** October 03, 2006, 04:50:21 PM »

I've taken a number of steps in preparation for playing a gnome character. I've read the handbook, the forum sticky post about gnomes, the gnome chapter from "Races of Stone", and everything I can find on the web about D&D/Forgotten Realms gnomes. I've learned that gnomes aren't very popular around here (last month there were more Aasimar, more Tieflings, and more Drow than Gnome characters (see the census). Here are some questions I have:

How much like canonical D&D 3.5/Forgotten Realms gnomes are Layonara gnomes, especially since NWN is D&D 3.0 based?
A lot of cities have 3-5% gnomish populations, but is there a gnome homeland? A Gnomish Voltrex :o
Where did the notion that allgnomeshavetobehyperandtalkreallyfastlikethis come from?
Do gnomes live in burrows? Can they talk to burrowing mammals?
Are there any books (Forgotten Realms/DragonLance/something else) that center on gnomes?
How should a gnome deal with technology. I know this has been a sticking point for other gnome PCs.

If you could help me get my head around what it means to be a gnome in Layonara, it would really help. Thanks

Stephen_Zuckerman · « **Reply #1 on:** October 03, 2006, 05:00:05 PM »

Well, the last gnome player who got really involved with development of the race (that I've really seen, at least) was the all-too-well-known Azaria/Komoda, who, while a decent RPer from all the times I played with her, didn't respect the rules of the server at all. She definately earned her banning, and as fun as it was to RP with her, good riddance. I've been playing a gnomish bard for the last week or so... I must say I've never been a big fan of the whole Gnomesreallyhavetotalklikethisrawrcausethey'resohyperandloveturnips thing. Egads, my spacebar's crying from the neglect!

(Turnips rock, though.) It's also horrible to try and read. Merry has lapsed into that a time or two, though, from my desire to play gnomes "right" for the setting. There really haven't been that many straight gnomes on Layo. A few Deep Gnomes (notably Starr Sapphire, Alexandrite of Her Perfection) yes, and well played, but... The racial difference is quite clear. I'm very curious on more information for my beloved gnomish race, as I played them extensively in PnP, and would like to get more fully into character with my Gnomish PC on Layo.

Acacea · « **Reply #2 on:** October 03, 2006, 06:49:46 PM »

Theeveryonemusttalklikethis and the fact that the race is described as the technological go-tos and yet nothing ever WORKS and all they do leads to disaster, is not something I like or find logical at all. I think it's silly and generally ignore that expectation while not going so far as to expect everyone else to do the same. So I will not ignore theverystrangegnomeswhobreakeverythingtheytouch but it is not likely I would ever play one, as I find it somewhat one-dimensional, like saying all halflings are unfocused idiots who are obsessed with pie, when in fact they tend to be the practical, down to earth folks with a large degree of 'common sense.'

Just because my character is known as an utter spaz (known, not necessarily is), I would never want the race to be depicted as such.

It has seemed like it has happened with gnomes based on either a few characters or group encounters. I don't know where it (the super fast and hyper spaz-bots) came from, that the entire race consists of them, or why it must persist.

Stephen_Zuckerman · « **Reply #3 on:** October 03, 2006, 07:43:16 PM »

Polak76 · « **Reply #4 on:** October 03, 2006, 08:42:27 PM »

Greetings all.

I currently have two Gnomes but do not pplay them the sterotypical way as described in many D&D books.

My thoughts about them are much like Stephens.

Currently I have Mallok (Wizard who claims to be the most powerful magician in the world - in reality he suffers small-man syndrome, is sarcastic, arrogant and extremely stubborn. He is fun to play, sure do give a few laughs and occasionally stirs up an argument or two. He titles himself as 'Mallok the Great!')

My other Gnome is brand new, Raj a Monk of Corath. He's a deeply disturbed, struggling with an inner conflict between rules and retribution. At present I'm allowing him to develop his own personality based on his interaction with others and his deity. He is only lvl 4 thus very green-around-the-ears.

Cheers,
Polak76

J-ser · « **Reply #5 on:** October 04, 2006, 03:48:39 AM »

I've been wanting to start playing a gnome for a while. I had in mind a hyper one that (ofcourse)talkslikethisalotandisalwaysrunningaroundanddoingstuff, along with being a cleric of Shadon. He would prank the adventurers that stand around Hlint and do nothing all day, and would try to con people out of money every now and then. He would use science, magic, and alchemy to pull off all his pranks, somehow staying on peoples good side all the way.
I personally see him as being the sterotype of the gnomes, but thats just me.
And i've seen a GM control a gnome and havehimtalklikethis, though I don't remeber which one it was.

Eorendil · « **Reply #6 on:** October 04, 2006, 07:12:58 AM »

Well, I treat each and every one of my gnomes as an individual. While races have their tendancies I'm with Acacea regarding their stereotypical representations. I've played a successful gnomish inventor, a gnomish racial supremecist (really.. a disturbing individual), a gnomish ranger that had a wild boar as a steed... etc. My feeling is that heroes by their very nature tend to break stereotypes, though they may have some of the tendancies.
My primary gripe about NWN gnomes is the poor pheno representation... that's about it. I'm not sure that I've seen much, if any, gnomish lore. Then again.. players and their characters can go a long way towards fleshing that out.

Faldred · « **Reply #7 on:** October 04, 2006, 09:12:35 AM »

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Acacea - 10/3/2006 9:49 PM

I find it somewhat one-dimensional, like saying all halflings are unfocused idiots who are obsessed with pie, when in fact they tend to be the practical, down to earth folks with a large degree of 'common sense.'

... who are obsessed with pie.

Desicardo · « **Reply #8 on:** October 04, 2006, 09:32:14 PM »

My Desicardon the Brute "Desi" is an odd sort. A barbarian by description, but I play him more as a little guy that has some very definite anger issues. He is very civilized and polite, and a real hoot to be around. He is great company for his friends, but when something happens to get him upset, he goes into a rage and really kicks butt. He is a bit innocent and almost childlike in his personality that comes from living in an isolated gnome community. If you get a chance to talk to him, he has some very different outlooks on life.

CHAzz · « **Reply #9 on:** October 04, 2006, 11:41:17 PM »

......frickin DragonLance, turned my cousins of the dwarves(with less beard, more nose) into Disney rats and the Chipmonks....grumble grumble grumble

Pankoki · « **Reply #10 on:** October 05, 2006, 12:25:47 AM »

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CHAzz - 10/5/2006 1:41 AM ......frickin DragonLance, turned my cousins of the dwarves(with less beard, more nose) into Disney rats and the Chipmonks....grumble grumble grumble

Yep...

Stranzini · « **Reply #11 on:** October 05, 2006, 02:22:12 AM »

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J-ser - 10/4/2006 12:48 PM

And i've seen a GM control a gnome and havehimtalklikethis, though I don't remeber which one it was.

I remember! It was the great gnomish spider killer!

Acacea · « **Reply #12 on:** October 05, 2006, 05:22:59 PM »

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Stranzini - 10/5/2006 2:22 AM

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J-ser - 10/4/2006 12:48 PM

And i've seen a GM control a gnome and havehimtalklikethis, though I don't remeber which one it was.

I remember! It was the great gnomish spider killer!

It wasn't just that one time though. It is indeed how they are portrayed on Layonara, and more than one GM will do so. That was what I was saying--that players and GMs play these HyperSpazGnomes, and yet I see no reason for it to continue when there was no reason for it in the first place, other than "that's how I saw it done on Layo before."

That's all I was saying.

Eight-Bit · « **Reply #13 on:** October 17, 2006, 09:04:59 PM »

Gnomes are Halflings with beards and massive noses. That's my take on them. They're my favorite race to roleplay.

Honora · « **Reply #14 on:** October 18, 2006, 04:57:54 AM »

I'm currently working on the Academy of Goran, and I'm taking a different tack on gnomes as well for the purposes of the Church. I'm tired of gnomes being portrayed as inventive buffoons, with every device ending in an explosion; I'm writing in that at this point, they have such a vast working knowledge base of mechaninces and hydraulics and steam power that they're quite capable and innovative and most of their inventions do in fact work.

The talking fast thing along with the quirkier aspects I'm working on an explaination for; but it's not a hard and fast rule, just as in any race. The race has vestiges of hardwired speed from creation, but as they evolve they've slowed considerably.

Gnomes need more respect. GNOME POWER!

SquareKnot · « **Reply #15 on:** October 18, 2006, 06:28:48 AM »

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I'm tired of gnomes being portrayed as inventive buffoons, with every device ending in an explosion

So am I. I've decided that the reason for all the explosions is pretty simple. The devices made by gnomes that people see are out in non-gnomish lands. These machines are not properly maintained and were probably built by second rate craftsmen. The first rate ones stayed at home, have workshops. and are teaching the next generation. It's the half-trained opportunists that make what humans have in their craft halls and taverns.

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The talking fast thing along with the quirkier aspects I'm working on an explaination for;

My take on this is that Gnomish is a very precise language. It has several words for any particular item, so that things can be described precisely without any ambiguity. Engineers from other races learn Gnomish so they can describe their work better and read the Gnomish texts. Of course, Common is the absolute worst language for this type of work. It's a hobbled together pidgin for the simplest minds, intending to make trade possible. So if you translate a single gnomish word, with its inherant specificity into Common, you end up with 5 times as many words. A ruugatryssan becomes "a weapon composed of a wooden shaft which joins a medium sized hammer head on one end with a hooked shaped blade on the other." That's a lot of words, but to the gnome it's just ruugatryssan. So what's a gnome to do? Either say the whole thing really fast (as non-gnomes don't have the attention span to follow it otherwise) and be accurate, or just say "weapon" and give up all the lovely detail. Depending on the situation, a given gnome will do either as appropriate.

Just a thought from a future gnome. That's the way I'm going to do it, barring opposed canon. Only hyperspaz for detailed things.

Honora · « **Reply #16 on:** October 18, 2006, 06:40:59 AM »

Squareknot: *hugs him* You just got into the writeup

I LOVE your explaination of why they talk so fast! Much better than what I had envisioned...

J-ser · « **Reply #17 on:** October 18, 2006, 03:41:29 PM »

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Honora - 10/18/2006 9:40 AM

Squareknot: *hugs him* You just got into the writeup I LOVE your explaination of why they talk so fast! Much better than what I had envisioned...

Ditto.

I've made my new gnome character, (who works as an inventor sometimes) and I'm trying to find people to see my new "gnomish light rod" to. I just took a dagger and customized it to look like a lightsaber, it doesn't work, but who cares? It lends to RP and defines gnomes a little more.

darkstorme · « **Reply #18 on:** October 19, 2006, 10:25:03 AM »

Gnomish as technical language. I like it. Also, I like the take on why gnomish devices stereotypically malfunction. It makes little sense that a race famed for their inventive abilities would seldom make anything that works properly - at least as a finished product.

On the other hand, a side effect of most alchemical and early industrial experimentation WAS explosions... followed by "I'm fairly certain I know what went wrong!" Not every gnome is MacGuyver.

lonnarin · « **Reply #19 on:** October 19, 2006, 10:36:55 AM »

The only reason the vast majority of lab accidents are caused by gnomes is because the vast majority of lab experiments are conducted by gnomes. It's a fallacy of a stereotype akin to "well there's more churches in Metropolis than Smallville, and there's more crime in Metropolis, so churches cause crime!" while neglecting the population differences. Talking ultra fast is also NOT gnomish, it is a Shadonite phenomena, who while being a gnomish deity, is hardly a Garl Glittergold-esque patriarch of their race.

In pen and paper, I ALWAYS gave them the ability to speak to burrowing mammals like foxes, moles, ferrits and the like... Sadly though, I based the content of such conversations on the animals' low low int scores... so all questions like, "wht do you know about the ogre chieftain?" are met with answers like... "uh, I'm hungry! can you scratch my back?"