Gnome

This humanoid stands a little more than half as high as a human. It has a compact build, dark tan skin, fair hair, and large eyes.

Gnomes are inveterate explorers, tricksters, and inventors. They have a knack for both illusion and alchemy.

Gnomes stand 3 to 3½ feet tall and weigh 40 to 45 pounds. Their skin color ranges from dark tan to woody brown, their hair is fair, and their eyes can be any shade of blue. Gnome males prefer short, carefully trimmed beards. Gnomes generally wear leather or earth tones, though they decorate their clothes with intricate stitching or fine jewelry. Gnomes reach adulthood at about age 40, and they live about 350 years, though some can live almost 500 years.

Gnomes are inquisitive. They love to learn by personal experience. At times they’re even reckless. Their curiosity makes them skilled engineers, as they are always trying new ways to build things. Sometimes a gnome pulls a prank just to see how the individuals involved will react.

Gnomes speak their own language, Gnome. Most gnomes who travel outside gnome lands (as traders, tinkers, or adventurers) know Common, while warriors in gnome settlements usually learn Goblin.

Most gnomes encountered outside their home are warriors; the information in the statistics block is for ones of 1st level.

Combat

Gnomes prefer misdirection and deception over direct confrontation. They would rather befuddle or embarrass foes (other than goblinoids or kobolds) than kill them. Gnomes make heavy use of illusion magic and carefully prepared ambushes and traps whenever they can.

Gnome Traits (Ex): Gnomes possess the following racial traits.

• +2 Constitution, –⁠2 Strength.
• Small size. +1 bonus to Armor Class, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +4 bonus on Hide checks, –⁠4 penalty on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits ¾ those of Medium characters.
• A gnome’s base land speed is 20 feet.
• Low-light vision.
• Weapon Familiarity: Gnomes may treat gnome hooked hammers as martial weapons rather than exotic weapons.
• +2 racial bonus on saving throws against illusions.
• Add +1 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against illusion spells cast by gnomes. This adjustment stacks with those from similar effects, such as the Spell Focus feat.
• +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against kobolds and goblinoids (including goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears).
• +4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against creatures of the giant type (such as ogres, trolls, and hill giants).
• +2 racial bonus on Listen checks.
• +2 racial bonus on Craft (alchemy) checks.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Gnome. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Goblin, Orc.
• Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day⁠—​speak with animals (burrowing mammal only, duration 1 minute). A gnome with a Charisma score of at least 10 also has the following spell-like abilities: 1/day⁠—​dancing lights, ghost sound, prestidigitation. Caster level 1st; save DC 10 + gnome’s Cha modifier + spell level.
• Favored Class: Bard.

Gnome Society

Gnomes get along well with dwarves, who share their love of precious things, their curiosity about mechanical devices, and their hatred of goblins and giants. They enjoy the company of halflings, especially those who are easygoing enough to put up with pranks and jests. Most gnomes are a little suspicious of the taller races⁠—​humans, elves, half-elves, and half-orcs⁠—​but they are rarely hostile or malicious.

Gnomes make their homes in hilly, wooded lands. They live underground but get more fresh air than dwarves, enjoying the natural, living world on the surface whenever they can. Their homes are well hidden, both by clever construction and illusions. Those who come to visit and are welcome are ushered into the bright, warm burrows. Those who are not welcome never find the burrows in the first place.

The chief gnome deity is Garl Glittergold, the Watchful Protector. His clerics teach that gnomes are to cherish and support their communities. Pranks, for example, are seen as ways to lighten spirits and to keep gnomes humble, not ways for pranksters to triumph over those they trick.

The sample gnome warriors presented below had the following ability scores before racial adjustments: Str 13, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 8.

The statistics block below contains details for more than one shape, size, or type of this creature. Use the horizontal scrollbar below it to display the desired one or select from the links below that.

Gnome (Rock) • Forest Gnome • Svirfneblin

Subraces

The information above is for rock gnomes, the most common variety. There are two other major gnome subraces, which differ from rock gnomes as follows.

Svirfneblin

This humanoid stands a little more than half as tall as a human. It has a wiry, gnarled physique, stone-colored skin, and large gray eyes. It is bald.

Also called deep gnomes, svirfneblin are said to dwell in great cities deep underground. They keep the location of these cities secret to protect them from their deadly foes: drow, kuo-toa, and mind flayers.

A svirfneblin has wiry, rock-colored skin usually medium brown to brownish gray. Only males are bald; females have stringy gray hair. The average svirfneblin lifespan is 250 years.

Svirfneblin speak Gnome, Common, and Undercommon.

Svirfneblin Traits (Ex): These traits are in addition to the rock gnome traits, except where noted.

• –⁠2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, –⁠4 Charisma. These adjustments replace the rock gnome’s ability score adjustments.
• Stonecunning: This ability grants deep gnomes a +2 racial bonus on Search checks to notice unusual stonework. A deep gnome who merely comes within 10 feet of unusual stonework can make a Search check as though actively searching, and can use the Search skill to find stonework traps as a rogue can. A svirfneblin can also intuit depth, sensing the approximate distance underground as naturally as a human can sense which way is up.
• Darkvision out to 120 feet and low-light vision.
• Spell resistance equal to 11 + class levels.
• +2 racial bonus on all saving throws (figured into the statistics for the character presented here). This trait replaces the rock gnome’s racial bonus on saving throws against illusions.
• Add +1 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against illusion spells cast by svirfneblin. This adjustment stacks with those from similar effects, such as the Spell Focus feat.
• +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against kobolds and goblinoids.
• +4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against all creatures (figured into the statistics for the character presented here). This trait replaces the rock gnome’s dodge bonus against giants.
• Automatic Languages: Undercommon, Gnome, Common. Bonus Languages: Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Goblin, Orc, Terran. This trait replaces the rock gnome’s automatic and bonus languages.
• Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day⁠—​blindness/deafness (typical save DC 13), blur, disguise self. Caster level equals the svirfneblin’s class levels. The save DC is Charisma-based and include a +4 racial modifier. This trait replaces the rock gnome’s spell-like abilities.
• Nondetection (Su): A svirfneblin has a continuous nondetection ability as the spell (caster level equal to class levels).
• +2 racial bonus on Craft (alchemy) and Listen checks.
• +2 racial bonus on Hide checks, which improves to +4 underground.
• Favored Class: Rogue.
• Level adjustment +3.

Challenge Rating: Svirfneblin with levels in NPC classes have a CR equal to their character level. Svirfneblin with levels in PC classes have a CR equal to their character level +1.

Forest Gnome

This exceptionally small humanoid has moss-colored skin, dark hair, and brown eyes.

Shy and elusive, forest gnomes shun contact with other races except when dire emergencies threaten their beloved homes. They are the smallest of all the gnomes, averaging 2 to 2½ feet in height, but look just like regular gnomes except with bark-colored or gray-green skin, and eyes that can be brown or green as well as blue. A very long-lived people, forest gnomes have an average life expectancy of 500 years.

Forest Gnome Traits (Ex): These traits are in addition to the rock gnome traits, except where noted.

• Pass without Trace (Su): A forest gnome has the innate ability to use pass without trace (self only, as a free action) as the spell cast by a druid of the forest gnome’s class levels.
• +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against kobolds, goblinoids, orcs, and reptilian humanoids.
• Automatic Languages: Gnome, Elven, Sylvan, and a simple language that enables them to communicate on a very basic level with forest animals (this replaces the rock gnome’s speak with animals ability). Bonus Languages: Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Giant, Goblin, Orc. This trait replaces the rock gnome’s automatic and bonus languages.
• +4 racial bonus on Hide checks, which improves to +8 in a wooded area.

Source: Monster Manual (version 3.5), page 131.