Gnome

Extremely short and generally slim, gnomes are one of the few truly magical races that continue to exist in the material plane. Whether they are quick to display their illusion magic and conversing with the beasts of the forest or able to enchant small, well-crafted objects to perform magical tasks, it is undeniable that these odd beings are fully imbued with magic, despite the Arcane Cataclysm.
However, they pay a terrible price for this power. In the year of the Arcane Cataclysm, dozens of communities of gnomes came together to preserve their magic, undergoing powerful rituals to imbue their hearts with pure, unfiltered magic. As a consequence of this ritual, each gnome carries in their chest a magical artifact that is seen by many as well worth killing over. Gnomes are often hunted and either butchered so their hearts may be used as sources of energy by unscrupulous wizards, or held as slaves in order to perform magic for their masters. Because of this, very few gnomes let others know that they are gnomish, and most try to pass themselves off as particularly short, human-like halflings.
In addition to this demand for their power and bodies, gnomes are also faced with a terrible curse; their enchanted hearts react poorly with other artifacts of similar enchantment. While on the one hand this means that a gnome using magical items such as staffs or rings of power is playing with fire, there is a far more tragic and devastating effect of this curse. Every gnome's heart is a magical artifact that interferes poorly with other magical artifacts; which means that gnomes cannot bear to live in the presence of other gnomes for very long. A small family of two to five gnomes can stand it a short time; if a community much larger than that develops, the gnomes living in it will start to develop sharp chest pains and grow lethargic. Then they begin to have heart attacks, and eventually the more vulnerable members of a population will drop dead, if the population does not disperse.
For this reason, gnomes often set out in the world alone or in pairs when they reach adulthood, and many may never return to visit their parents. The world is a dangerous and savage place for gnomes, and this is one of the reasons they grow rarer and rarer every year.

Basic Information

Genetics and Reproduction

Gnome gestation is only about 20 weeks, and when born infant gnomes (known as "pups") are extremely altricial, often only a few inches long and with semi-translucent skin and tissue. At this stage of development, the pup's enchanted heart can be seen through the skin as a pulsing, glowing golden orb at the center of its large chest. The theory goes that the reason pups are born so young is because after about 20 weeks, their hearts become too powerful for the female to carry inside the body any longer without risking a heart attack.
Pups are often carried by their parents in specially-made slings under their clothing for an additional 40-60 weeks, often held close to the breasts so that they can suckle whenever necessary. Gnome pregnancies are generally very secretive, and many gnomes can hide both their pregnancy and newborn children until after the pup begins walking on its own.
There are anecdotal cases of evil wizards attempting to harvest newborn gnome pups for their hearts; however, it is held that an adult gnome's heart is much more powerful than that of an infant, and modern practitioners of the bloody practice generally hunt for fully developed gnomes.

Growth Rate & Stages

Gnomes mature somewhat slower than humans, reaching sexual maturity at about the age of 20. They continue to age slowly at that point, not reaching middle age and menopause until about 250 years old, and only beginning to look truly old at 350.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Gnomes are extremely perceptive when it comes to magical fields and auras, and can often find sources of magical energy quite easily, due to their magical nature.

Civilization and Culture

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Gnomes are almost always found living among other races, since they physically cannot live in large communities of their own race. They are most often seen in the company of halflings or humans, although several dwarvish communities open themselves as safe havens for gnomes and repel anyone suspected of hunting gnomes for their hearts. Relatively few gnomes are found among these groups of dwarves, however, both because of their troubles with proximity to other gnomes and because they do not wish to live in places that are known to be home to gnomes, for obvious reasons.

Lifespan

480 years

Average Height

2'10"

Average Weight

37 lb

Additional Player Info

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier
2 ft. 4 in.	+2d4 in (2' 6" - 3' 2")
Base Weight	Weight Modifier
28 lb	+2d8 lb (30 lb - 44 lb)