The Gnomish of Karameikos

This describes the gnomes, of Karameikos for use within Dungeons & Dragons, 3rd Edition and Mystara campaign. Most of the this material is gathered from original D&D0 Expert rulebook and GAZ1: The Grand Duchy of Karameikos (GDK) by Aaron Allston and is merged with the information from Player's Handbook (PHB) pages 16 through 17.

-Joaquin Menchaca

Gnomish Overview

Personality: update

Physical Description: update

Relations: update

Alignment: update

Gnomes Lands: It is well known that the gnomes within Karameikos live in the town of Highforge. What is not known to the world, except for those of the Stronghollow clan, is that gnomes also live in a vast network of caves and caverns and have several towns and some huge cities. The gnomes also live in sky cities, such as Serraine, and also have relations to gnomish communty on Honor Island, there they obtain knowledge of fire elemental physics needed to power their advanced steam engines.

Religion: ?

Language: The Highforge gnomes speak their own language of Sviferden, which is referred to as gnomish for all intents and purposes. The gnomes study linguistics and rigoriously guard the language against dialectal changes, as these are added to the language upon committee decisions. Nevertheless, there are communities, such as those in sky cities within Mystara, where contact is difficult at beast, and their language has diverged to point where the language a noticable dialect.

Names: update

Male Names: update

Female Names: update

Family Names: update

Adventurers:update

Gnomes Racial Traits

Most of these traits are straight from the Player's Handbook on page 17, under GNOME RACIAL TRAITS. Some abilities have been added, which are in green, to match the Mystara campaign.

• +2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma: Gnomes are very intelligent intellectuals, but given this intellectual pursuit have left them with many social inadequacies.
• Small: As Small creatures, gnome gain a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide Checks, but they must use smaller weapons than humans use (PHB96), and their lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of Medium-size characters (PHB142).
• Gnomes base speed is 20 feet
• Low-light Vision: Gnomes can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retian the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
• +2 racial bonus on saving throws against illusions, because gnomes are innately familiar with illusions of all kinds.
• +4 dodge bonus to attack rolls against kobolds and goblinoids (goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears): Gnomes battle these creatures frequently and practice special techniques for fighting them.
• +2 racial bonus on Listen checks: Gnomes have keen ears
• +2 racial bonus on Alchemy checks: A gnome's sensistive nose allows him to monitor alchemical processes by smell.
• Automatic Langauges: Gnomish and one other Common language: Thyatian or Traladaran.
• Bonus Langauges: Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Goblin, and Orc. The gnomes deal more with elves and dwarves more than elves and dwarves deal with one another, and they learn the languagesg of their enemies (kolbolds, giants, goblins, and orcs). In addition, once per day a gnome can use speak with animals as a spell-like ability to speak with a burrowing mammal (a badger, fox, rabbit, etc.). This ability is innate to gnomes. It has a duration of 1 minute (the gnome is considered a 1st-level caster when he uses this ability , regardless of his actual level). See the speak with animals spell description, page 254.
• Favored Class: Alchemist. A multiclass gnome's alchemist class does not count when determining whether she suffers an XP penalty for multiclassing (see PHB56).

History of Highforge

Centuries ago, the gnomes and their allies the Cycincean Empire have barely escaped annihilation from the kolbolds their minding controlling dark masters. Both Cycincean Empire and the gnomish kingdom, located under what is today the hills and mountains of Soderfjord Jarldoms and Ylaruam. Some pockets of gnomes escaped annihilation through their own inventive genius, were able to escape extensive tunnels to a land with a red sun and elsewhere within Mystara. Many of the gnomes that made it to the surface built sky crafts and settled upon floating islands. There they developed their science of flight. One such community that survived settled within an abandoned colony of some great-unknown empire, called Traladara and later Karameikos. This land is largely untamed and undiscovered by most of the world at that time, which was a great advantage that allowed the gnomes to start over and rebuild their kingdom.

The Highforge community was established in secrecy from the dark masters. The gnomes traded mostly with elves and forest folk, and closely guarded their community against other races. Any other race that trespassed upon their area was immediately dispatched. This might be extreme, but given risk of complete genocide, this was a necessary evil.

The Highforge gnomes observed the dwarves in their fruitless mining expeditions into the harsh territory of Traladara. They did not expect the dwarves, but the dwarves were surprisingly resilient. They watched as the dwarves organize themselves against savage humanoids and form the Stronghollow clan. Slowly the gnomes established much needed trade for the dwarves, including some technological gizmos, and eventually came to trust the dwarves. The gnomes invited the dwarves to live within their community for mutual protection against the wild elements like savage humanoids and hideous monsters so prevalent in the land.

After a few centuries the gnomes flourished, and trade was established with distant communities like the flying city of Serraine. All gnomes displaced around Mystara were invited to live in Highforge. The gnomes carefully navigated below the land and established great subterranean communities.

The Highforge gnomes, with prodding from the Stronghollow dwarves, opened limited trade with the local Traladara communities. When the Thyatians conquered these regions, their existence remained a secret, as the Thyatians would dismiss their existence and fairy tales and superstitions of Traladarans. Once the Duke acquired these lands, built and patrolled the roads, the Highforge gnomes, again with strong encouragement from Stronghollow dwarves, established relations, and permitted the Great Caravan, where the large caravan train annually migrates from Highforge to Specularum to trade their unique wares and inventions. This has brought immense wealth to both the Highforge communities and Karameikos alike.

The continued trade and relations with other races was initially resisted, but the Stronghollow clan made good arguments. First, with the extensive mining operations of the Stronghollow clan and the TunnelTrotter clan, the gnomes whereabouts and existence would eventually be discovered by the developing Karameikos. Second, these legendary dark masters desire to keep their existence from the Known World, and by destroying the gnomish kingdom would make the presence obvious to surface dwellers. Finally, the destruction of the Highforge community would make enemies of not only dwarves of Rockhome, but also all those that benefit from the trade of the Highforge community, which includes Thyatis, Ierendi, Minrothad Guilds, Darokin, Sind, Slagovich, amongst other nations.

Gnomish Society

The gnomes admired the Stronghollow dwarves efficiency and their well structured society. They patterned a structure similar to the dwarves corporate structure. However, instead of actually having a single clan divided into corporates and then departments, the gnomes have several clans with a clan leader. Each clan elects a leader as a candidate to be the king, which then is later popularly elected.

Within each clan there are specialists, unskilled laborers, leaders, and as such that have varying levels of wealth.

The gnomes model their society in a similar fashion after the dwarves for the sake of ultimate efficiency, but the gnomes strongly value individual freedom as opposed to the collective group objectives and collective, over the individual. In many ways the gnomes are less efficient than the dwarves, but in other ways the gnomes are more creative and inventive.

Social Standing

As with dwarves, the gnomes take care of their own, and so there are no gnomes that are of the penniless class. The gnomes are stratified much to their role within their clan and society, much like the dwarves. Those that are unskilled laborers do not command as much wealth as those that are specialists or professionals. Likewise, those that excel in their career, or is member of the clanhead's family, is wealthy. The most wealthy are either clan leaders that are more than successful or the ruling family.

Players can elect to either choose to a crafter, i.e. comfortable, or roll for a chance to be wealthy.

Permitted Classes

Generally with Dungeons & Dragons, 3rd Edition any race can play any class, despite how outlandish, bizarre, or freakish the combination may be, or whether it fits in the campaign scope. This game master will not part from this path. Thus if a player wants to play a gnome paladin/pscionist/monk/wizard, but they will find themselves wholly unique witgnome Mystara.

The Highforge gnome have natural tendencies to certain classes. These include Alchemist, Fighter, Cleric, Illusionist, and Rogue. A few Highforge gnomes are also druids and ranger, operating within the Wuflode hills. The help in training animals and patrolling the land againsts dangerous elements that can affect the Highforge community.

Below are the list of classes are how common they are. Very Rare represents that no one studies this craft; rare represents maybe a few people study this profession; uncommon represents more than a few study this profession.

Classes, Common: Alchemist, Cleric, Fighter, Illusionist, Rogue
Classes, Uncommon: Druid, Pscionicist, Psychic Warrior
Classes, Rare: Bard*, Monk**, Ranger***
Classes, Very Rare: Barbarian, Sorcerer, Wizard

* A gnome can become a bard, but substitutes druidic magic in place of arcane magic.
** The Temple of Pure Logic in Haven trains any race their martial system who devote themselves to peace through the pursuit of pure logic.
*** The ranger class is common for elves of Vyalia or hunters of Zirchev. It is rare, but not impossible, for others to be taught this trade.

Prestige Classes

The gnomes are highly advanced in the arts of creating crazy mechanical inventions; they are masters of illusions; and they deep rooted understanding of alchemy combined with herbalism. They also specialize in artificing, and unknown to many there is even small group practicing psionics through the use of crystals. Many of these gnomes specialize in their art and belong and elite group of practictioners.

• Highforge Tekaficer - those that belong to the tinkerking clan often specialize in this class. Some other clans have tekaficers as well, and often compete annually in the contest called Great Inventions that occurs around the same time as the Great Caravan.