Gnome

Skinny and flaxen-haired, his skin walnut brown and his eyes a startling turquoise, Burgell stood half as tall as Aeron and had to climb up on a stool to look out the peephole. Like most habitations in Oeble, that particular tenement had been built for humans, and smaller residents coped with the resulting awkwardness as best they could.

But at least the relative largeness of the apartment gave Burgell room to pack in all his gnome-sized gear. The front room was his workshop, and it contained a bewildering miscellany of tools: hammers, chisels, saws, lockpicks, tinted lenses, jeweler’s loupes, and jars of powdered and shredded ingredients for casting spells. A fat gray cat, the mage’s familiar, lay curled atop a grimoire. It opened its eyes, gave Aeron a disdainful yellow stare, then appeared to go back to sleep.

— Richard Lee Byers, The Black Bouquet

A constant hum of busy activity pervades the warrens and neighborhoods where gnomes form their close-knit communities. Louder sounds punctuate the hum: a crunch of grinding gears here, a minor explosion there, a yelp of surprise or triumph, and especially bursts of laughter. Gnomes take delight in life, enjoying every moment of invention, exploration, investigation, creation, and play.

Basic Information

Anatomy

While halflings were commonly said to resemble short humans, gnomes were more comparable with elves, with whom they shared pointed ears and high cheekbones, or even dwarves, due to their tendency to grow beards and live underground. Many gnomes had a more feral appearance than either, however, with hair that often sprouted from their heads in odd directions.

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

Gnomish hair varied wildly in color from blond and brown to more exotic colors like white, orange, or even green. Gnomish eyes were often—particularly in individuals who are native to the Feywild—glittering black or blue, although more natural eye colors were also known to the race.

Average Intelligence

Gnomes are naturally intelligent and creative race, with a charm about them unusual for other humanoids. Gnomes also had a natural grasp of the arcane, innately possessing the ability to cast the cantrip ghost sound and some possessed the ability to cast prestidigitation and mage hand as well.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Darkvision

Civilization and Culture

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

Gnomes were naturally witty and jovial, and they preferred to overcome obstacles through cunning and innovation rather than the obvious way. Ever curious, gnomes were drawn to adventure more often by a desire to see the world than out of greed or the hope of fame. It was this curiosity, along with their cunning and witty repartee, that made gnomes both entertaining friends and adept arcane spellcasters or scholars.

Average Height

3' 0" – 3' 6" (0.9 – 1.1 meters)

Average Weight

40 – 45 lbs (18 – 20 kg)

Average Physique

Many gnomes were weak compared to other humanoids, though this was far from a universal trait for the race. Like elves, gnomes had sensitive hearing and were often capable of hearing things that other races might miss. Gnomish eyes were also suited for seeing in low-light conditions, to a degree comparable with elves or eladrin.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

The skin of gnomes ran in hue from reddish tans to earthy browns or even shades of gray, with exact hue somewhat dependent upon the ethnic origin of a gnome.