The Problem with Gnomes in D&D

Gnomes are the best thing in D&D I have fallen in love with them, Gnome haters need to perish. D&D really did gnomes dirty and with a little tinkering I will explain the issues that gnome's face as well as create a couple of gnome subclasses which can help out if you'd like to modify them for your D&D campaign.
Maybe they will allow you play a 'serious' gnome character for once! Reject all those who seek to destroy gnomes - those disgusting individuals.

[@anewhypeiv9898]

"There are no Gnomes in TOLKIEN!!!!" Coming from the group of PCs playing Drow, Tiefling, Dragonborn and bird people.... cool.... thanks guys.

[@trikk9964]

... gnomes were historically The Elves... before the elves... became The Elves.

[@Salad_Propaganda]

"gnomes are boring/bad" then tell me why the hell is my 499 year old gnome chronurgy wizard(who is permanently one day away from dying, his time magic makes it so he doesnt age tho) is so cool? his reason for adventuring: escaping his 6 orc wives.

[@ALookIntoTheEulenspiegel]

Ok, but what does being a gnome have to do with that?

[@Salad_Propaganda]

@@ALookIntoTheEulenspiegel well, sure, a halfling could work, but its a gnome, and gnomes are 100% funnier than any other short race.

[@trikk9964]

@ALookIntoTheEulenspiegel ... only a gnome would push the limits of the existential-meter that far-down the rabbit-hole...

[@ALookIntoTheEulenspiegel]

@@trikk9964 Objection! Halflings are brave to the point of foolhardiness, something like this would definitely still be in-character for a halfling wizard.

[@trikk9964]

@ALookIntoTheEulenspiegel ... wizardry and multiple-wives are well past the capabilites of a race built simply for second and third breakfast.

[@Sammyz_Official]

Bro made 1 banger video and dipped

[@mr7oclock346]

I like playing Gnome characters that are in the same category as Robin Williams. Sure, they know how to tell a story that can make people laugh, but they also have that darkness they hide behind the laughter. I didn't understand it until after he passed, but Robert Williams had a much darker side to his personality, and that can be interesting to play. When you're playing the lovable character that helps their party members and makes them laugh, it can blow the other players minds when they learn about that part of the character. RIP Robin Williams

[@stephenchurch1784]

I really like the pathfinder conception of gnomes. They used to be fey but gave that up to experience mortality. As a cost for getting to experience mortality, they must be constantly seeking out new and intense experiences to stave of the bleaching. The bleaching is a supernaturally accelerated aging that manifests in color progressively drainig from their bodies until they eventually die

[@evilemster3047]

I play the same Gnome in every game I play, but their class is always different. They also exist in their own multiverse that my DMs are fantastic in contributing to. Gnomes are brilliant and such a joy to play

[@dr.strangelove9815]

Gnomes are one of my favorite fantasy races, especially Rock Gnomes/Tinker Gnomes. I find gnomes to be an interesting people as they are more concerned with ideas and things, more so than the usual character. What's more fun than a character adamant about using "smokepowder" to solve most problems, with clockwork weapons, infused with magic in a world where swords and boards are common? Halflings and gnomes are very different peoples, to the extent of contrasting humans to elves. I think most people just don't understand gnomes, they can be funny, but it's the least important trait in my opinion.

[@trikk9964]

... agreed. They are misunderstood... because they are the most complex. The quote that a wizard is never late... applies in the broadest-context to the gnome. They are not born into the world, as much as they are "lensed" into reality when the Universe wishes to speak to humanity through innovative-form. They are the original fey, machine-elves... minor-angels and demons... and their motivations are beyond human-understanding.

[@disguiseanimal5478]

"From the moment I understood the weakness of my flesh, it disgusted me. I craved the strength and certainty of steel. I aspired to the purity of the Blessed Machine." - Mech Gnomes

[@ronmoak329]

You left out svirfneblin

[@DrXtoph]

Love your content! You're the best! This is my obligatory content to improve your results in the KZbin algorithm. :) ❤

[@ashtongiertz8728]

My headcanon is that gnomes are dwarf/halfling hybrids.

[@PeepwoodTV]

As a gnome Connoiseur myself I tip my felt hat to you and wish you all the best for your KZbin Channel! If you keep going like this and add some more personal flare I am sure you will have great success ! May Garl Glittergold guide our tiny tiny steps

[@thiscomment2010]

I love gnomes in every single depiction I've seen. Except dnd, they did gnomes dirty.

[@donaldhagen6151]

This is a solid video, sad to see how few subs!

[@orpheus1138]

They just don't upload regularly. If they did, could easily gain a following I mean this video has 11k views after all.

[@notalonewolf20]

My Gnome is a rogue inquisitive who’s multi-classing into wizard. He wields guns and a cane sword and has a British accent. He’s pretty much a Sherlock Holmes that’ll hide in the cabinets and shoot you.

[@AnOrdinaryJoe]

Kobold player here, I will fight you to the end of time!

[@someirishguy1662]

I like the idea of Gnomes being the light to the dark of Goblins, Witcher series has interesting takes on what Gnomes act like

[@jongailey85]

I recently designed a gnome character for a 1-shot I’m designing. He is a forge domain cleric that reveres Flandal Steelskin, the gnomish god of smithing and mining. He’s a no-nonsense character who takes his work seriously and oversees the ethical use of the resources found in an underground gnomish mine. He travels alongside the party to help them navigate through the mines in search of a stolen artifact that can turn metal into pure gold, which turns out, was stolen by a secret cult of gnomes who seek to defile the artifact in sacrifice to the evil gnome god Urdlen. I think gnomes can be very interesting and can have quite a bit of depth if you give them enough thought.

[@umwha]

This is lacking a mythological based for your suggested subraces

[@DrPluton]

I'm currently playing a rock gnome artillerist artificer in Curse of Strahd. He was a bit arrogant and ended up being attacked by assassins and fleeing Neverwinter after leaving a sizable crater where his home/workshop was. He's now the party troubleshooter who can dish out a decent chunk of damage with his wands and eldritch cannon. I'll admit that the racial abilities aren't great (other than advantage on intelligence, wisdom, and charisma saving throws), but I enjoy playing one of the Forgotten Folk.

[@jimisax1]

Your tin can gnome's got megaman powers

[@AzariahMarinaStarcaster]

Deep gnomes. Just deep gnomes.

[@trikk9964]

... lovely.

[@ToyotaCorolla-en2mv]

I have decided as of last week to make one of my bits having an irrational hatred of gnomes, so im glad i found this video to fuel my anti gnome racism. Dwarves are chill tho theyre alcoholics which i can relate to

[@lordkauck]

i made a gnome fighter be an oompa loompa and tbh everyone loved it because there was many ideas of not only how the fuck the gnome wielded a great axe to throwing the gnome as a projectile weapon to instead of armor and shield guarding me, it was just me doing an oompa loompa dance to dodge attacks as flavor text

[@OliverCovfefe]

for the "mech gnomes", I would recommend the name "Fabricator Gnome" instead

[@aldoushuxley5953]

Gnomes are absolutely broken, gnome cunning is completely ridiculous if you build around it

[@ALookIntoTheEulenspiegel]

How do you build around advantage on saving throws, exactly?

[@swaggyseal]

@@ALookIntoTheEulenspiegel it lets you more easily dump mental stats and play a class with worse saves, like barbarian

[@ALookIntoTheEulenspiegel]

@@swaggyseal You should dump those mental stats, anyway. If you don't get proficiency on a saving throw, then it's not going to matter if you have +1 or -1, it's still very unlikely that you will make your save, regardless.

[@swaggyseal]

@@ALookIntoTheEulenspiegel true, its just a bit more insurance when it comes to the 'bounded accuracy' of 5e

[@ALookIntoTheEulenspiegel]

@@swaggyseal Fair enough, but you still can't make a build around it, I'd argue. It's not like there is a anti-spellcaster class that would particularly benefit from it. Especially with spellcasters being rare enemies in the first place. And doubly so with the gnome's stat increases basically guaranteeing that they're going to be a wizard or artificer. You can't dump your stats as a barbarian, if there is no way that you're going to play a Gnome Barbarian (unless you don't care that much about efficiency, in which case the whole idea of builds is kind of moot, anyway).

[@jimisax1]

I'm currently building a jamaican gnome street magician artificer😊 No high pitch voices here..

[@nodansland303]

Honestly, all my interest in Tales of the Valiant/blackflag died when i learned they were getting folded into halflings. If you want your gnomes to stand out, do what paizo did and come up with a new backstory and culture. Deciding they are just halflings more or less is jist lazy.

[@DrXtoph]

Love your content! You're the best! This is my obligatory content to improve your results in the KZbin algorithm. :) ❤