Gnome

Gnomes are a rare and unique race within the continent of Valtara. Known for their diminutive size and mischievous nature, they bring a sense of lightheartedness and whimsy to the world. Their main home is the small town of Hatchberry, where they gather to live and thrive in their own vibrant community. Gnomes in Valtara tend to have a neutral good alignment, emphasizing a sense of fairness, compassion, and a desire to do what is right. While they may have reservations and initial skepticism towards other races, Gnomes are open to allowing individuals of other races to prove themselves as friends. They value genuine character and integrity, often forming strong bonds based on trust and shared experiences.

Reproduction among Gnomes is limited to their own kind, as they can only mate with other Gnomes. This contributes to the preservation of their unique heritage and culture, ensuring the continuation of Gnome bloodlines.

Gnomes share a special affinity for Dwarves, forming close friendships and alliances due to their shared love for craftsmanship and a mutual appreciation for the art of engineering. While Gnomes find humans quaint and fascinating, they often perceive them as too erratic and unpredictable for their liking. However, strong friendships have been known to develop between Gnomes and humans, forged through shared adventures and a mutual understanding of each other's strengths.

Illusions and pranks hold a special place in Gnomish culture, as they take delight in trickery and clever deceptions. Their love for illusions reflects their innate magical aptitude and their ability to bring joy and laughter to their surroundings.

Statistics

• +2 Constitution, -2 Strength.
• Small: As a Small creature, a gnome gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but he uses smaller weapons than humans use, and his lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of a Medium character.
• Gnome base land speed is 20 feet.
• Low-Light Vision: A gnome can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. He retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
• 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.
• +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against kobolds and goblinoids.
• +4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the giant type. Any time a creature loses its Dexterity bonus (if any) to Armor Class, such as when it’s caught flat-footed, it loses its dodge bonus, too.
• +2 racial bonus on Listen checks.
• +2 racial bonus on Craft (alchemy) checks.
• Automatic Languages: Common and Gnome. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Goblin, and Orc. In addition, a gnome can speak with a burrowing mammal (a badger, fox, rabbit, or the like, see below). This ability is innate to gnomes. See the speak with animals spell description.
• 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. A multiclass gnome’s bard class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty.

Alignment

Gnomes in Valtara tend to have a neutral good alignment, valuing fairness, kindness, and the pursuit of what they believe is morally right. However, individual Gnomes may deviate from this general trend, exhibiting different alignments based on their personal beliefs, experiences, and cultural influences.