While gnomes might seem meek, their skill with illusion magic is unrivaled. Each and every gnome, no matter how small, has some sort of innate magic.
As such, it is not uncommon for gnomes to grow into skilled mages or tinkerers regardless of their connection to gnomish culture.
In appearance gnomes are nearly as varied as humans though they all share a few identifying traits: pointed ears, eyes that seem to glitter regardless of color, and unruly hair. Their skin is most commonly an earthy brown or reddish tan, though it can be any color which falls in the range of the human skin tone spectrum. Unusual hair and eye colors are not uncommon in gnomes, with any color being a possibility; whether this is what nature intended or a result of their affinity for illusion magic, one may never know.
Similarly there is little consensus on how it is the first gnomes came to be. Their magical aptitude and pointed ears lead some to believe that elves are the closest ancestral kin of gnomes, but they share many innate talents similar to dwarves, and their stature is more like those of halflings than anyone else. This uncertainty of their origins does not bother gnomes in the slightest of course, and they tend to enjoy hearing the many varied myths and legends shared about their people. Some of the most treasured gnome historians and poets have devoted their entire lives to studying such tales, and despite their centuries of scholarship none yet have managed to finish a comprehensive archive.
Gnomes have impressive lifespans rivaling that of elves, but they mature at a much faster pace and begin graying and sporting wrinkles by 100. However, they often live multiple centuries, so you can never judge a gnome by their appearance; even the oldest gnomes maintain a level of spryness and vitality that is unheard of among the other heritages.
Characters with gnome heritage share the following traits:
Age. Gnomes mature at about the same rate as humans, and are expected to settle down into adult life by the age of 40. They can live anywhere from 350 to nearly 500 years.
Size. Gnomes range from 3 to 4 feet tall, and weigh around 40 pounds on average. Your size is Small.
Speed. Your base Speed is 25 feet.
Darkvision. Gnomes have adapted to see easily in darkened conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You cannot discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Gnome Cunning. You gain an expertise die on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws against magic.
Gnomish Magic. You know the minor illusion cantrip. Your spellcasting ability for this spell is Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma (whichever is highest).
Gnomes are often overlooked, due in part to living under the veil of their illusion magic. Diverse gnome populations live in almost any territory imaginable—even in cities. Choose one of the following heritage gifts.
Gnomish Agility. Adept at avoiding the attacks of the “Big Folk”, you gain +1 to your Armor Class against creatures of a size category larger than your own.
Into Mist. As a bonus action, or as a reaction immediately after taking damage, you can turn invisible. The invisibility lasts until the end of your next turn, and it ends early if you attack, deal damage, cast a spell, or force a creature to make a saving throw. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before doing so again.
When you reach 10th level, you are an exemplar of gnomekind, and you gain the following paragon gift.
Choose one of the following saving throws: Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution. You gain an expertise die when using the chosen saving throw to resist magic.
Gnomish culture is often accompanied by a constant hum of activity and merriment. These gnomes are known for having eccentric senses of humor, an inquisitive streak, and a knack for creative and technological ventures. While they are often overlooked, their cultures can have major impacts on the areas they inhabit—trees along common roads nearby feature signs advertising bright, exciting parties, and town criers in settlements within walking distance spread word of the annual Artisan’s Fair or the next social occasion of note. Over the course of centuries, gnomish cultures enrich the communities around them.
Gnomes can thrive in bustling cities or in fey forests—though their location will likely influence the culture exhibited. Rarely will you find an isolated community of gnomes that rejects outside influence, as they are often eager to learn about and experience other cultures. While illusion magic is something most all gnomes are gifted with, it isn’t because they wish to hide themselves away from the rest of the world; they simply want to present themselves to the world when they are good and ready to do so. In gnomish culture it is expected that “getting ready” can entail multiple hours of preening and preparation, with the end result often looking as disheveled as the beginning.
While you can choose any culture for your gnome character, the following cultures are linked closely with this heritage: deep gnome, forest gnome, forgotten folx, tinker gnome.
Gnomes have some of the closest ties to the Fey lands of any heritage, rivaled only by elves. While gnomes have lost most of their faerie nature, a few have managed to hang on to it and remain quite fey indeed. Some gnomes are born as fey gnomes, but sometimes, a gnome will transform into a fey gnome, especially if they act like one and spend enough time in a place where faerie magic is common. These fey gnomes aren’t quite true fey but are close. True fey are often the literal embodiment of an idea or emotion, and if the fey loses that idea, they wither away and die. For instance, a dryad is the embodiment of a tree, and should its tree be chopped down, it will likely die, or barring that, go mad and possibly even transform into a different type of fey. A fey gnome, since it is both humanoid and fey, is far more grounded in reality than a true fey can ever be. If you take a fey gnome gift but find you spend no time among fey magic or frequently acting in a way that’s counter to your fey “type,” you may consider exchanging your fey gnome gift for a more mundane one to represent the loss of your faerie nature. It is also possible that a fey gnome may eventually come to so embody their gift that they turn into a true fey. The Narrator and player should work together to decide if this is possible, and if the character should remain a PC, or if they should become an NPC under the Narrator’s control.
The most malevolent gnomes are often transformed into bloody-tooths, more commonly known as redcaps, boggarts, or powries. True redcaps are literally born of murdered blood, while these gnomes are “merely” cruel and capricious beings who desire destruction. Bloody-tooths look much like regular gnomes, but are leaner, with flame-colored eyes and a grinning mouth filled with shark-like teeth. Gnomes with this gift have the following features:
Biter. Your fanged bite is a natural weapon, in which you are proficient. It deals piercing damage equal to 1d6 plus your Strength modifier.
Fey Ancestry. You have the Fey creature type in addition to Humanoid.
Flesh-Eater. You can eat fresh raw meat, bones, gristle, and viscera and not get sick from it—in fact, you likely prefer such food. You can treat 10 pounds (4.5 kg) of such meat as being 1 Supply.
Iron-Skinned. The sheer malevolence of a bloody-tooths turns their skin to iron. While you aren’t wearing armor, your AC is 12 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit. Weighty Blows. You can use Heavy weapons without penalty.
Some scholars believe that the original gnomes were a form of earth elemental before they were transformed into flesh. The earthborn gnomes are those who escaped that transformation. Almost literally made of soil and dirt, with large, pupil-less eyes, pale, yellowish skin, and sandstone-colored hair, these gnomes (also called peches) slowly but inexorably burrow throughout the Fey Lands, filling the earth with countless tunnels that eventually become home to other creatures. Gnomes with this gift have the following features:
Digger. You have a burrow speed equal to your walking speed, and you can dig through nonmagical earth, including packed earth, soil, sand, mud, ice, or snow. You may decide if you leave a tunnel behind you or not. If you wish a tunnel to remain behind you, your burrowing speed is reduced to 10 feet, as you use your time to commune directly with the earth and convince it to keep the tunnel intact. A tunnel made this way will remain intact for 24 hours before collapsing unless you provide additional shoring or support (this will take 15 minutes of work for each 10 feet of tunnel).
Fey Ancestry. You have your choice of either the Elemental or Fey creature type in addition to Humanoid.
Rock-Shaper. You can touch a rock that weighs 20 pounds (9 kg) or less and spend 1 minute molding it into any shape that suits your purpose, as long as it doesn’t exceed 3 feet (1 m) on a side. The Narrator may require you to make ability checks if you attempt to create objects with fine details, such as keys or toolsets. Once you use this ability, you can’t do so again until you complete a short or long rest. Stone objects have the fortified and weighty (×2) traits.
Stone-Eater. You can consume raw or worked metal and gemstones if you want. Each 25 gold worth of nonmagical precious metal or gemstone you eat counts as 1 Supply for you.
Although not as enamored with physical wealth as their dwarven cousins, gnomes are known to love the beauty and utility of gold and gems. Some fey and fey gnomes exemplify this love to the point it becomes an obsession; these fey are most commonly called leprechauns. These gnomes are typically on the short and lean side and often have red or auburn hair and eyes like green gemstones that twinkle with mischief. These fey gnomes love wealth but aren’t always greedy. Some like hoarding gold and gems, while others enjoy giving it away, believing that gold is meant to be spent. Gnomes with this gift have the following features:
Fey Ancestry. You have the Fey creature type in addition to Humanoid.
Leprechaun Magic. You know the prestidigitation and minor illusion cantrips. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this trait. You have a new option when casting prestidigitation: you can create a piece of faery gold as a non-instantaneous effect. This coin looks exactly like a normal gold piece, but a creature can make an Investigation check against your spell save DC. On a success, the creature realizes the coin is fake. This coin lasts for 1 hour, until it is determined to be fake, or until you dismiss it as an action, at which point the coin will vanish. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the spell misty step once per long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Pot of Gold. You can create a container (which must be the size of a typical chest or smaller) that can hold up to 100 coins or gemstones of any type, and which is linked to a special golden key you make. The container can’t hold anything other than coins and gems, and you must supply the coins and gems you wish to place in it.
As an action, you can touch the container and send it and its contents to the Ethereal Plane, or you can touch the golden key and bring it back to the Material Plane, where it will appear in an unoccupied space on the ground within 5 feet of you. If you lose the golden key or it is destroyed or stolen, you can’t summon the container until you find the key or spend 1 hour and 50 gold crafting a new one. This container has no special means of protecting the treasure inside; you must provide your own locks or other protection for it. If another creature gets hold of the key, it can summon your container.
You can create a second container at 5th level, a third container a 10th level, and a fourth container at 15th level. You may choose to link multiple containers to a single key or give each one its own key, although a container can have no more than one key linked to it at a time. At any point, when the container is in the Ethereal, you may choose to use an action to break the key and destroy the container. Any coins and gems in the container are then lost.
While most fey gnomes are rather free natured creatures, some are particularly kind and generous instead who dedicate their life to helping others. Usually known as brownies, dobies, or domovoy, these gnomes are typically quite short and have wizened yet pleasant features. Most are content to live hidden away in a village, where they help the “big folk” in secret in exchange for taking (mostly) unwanted food and goods in payment. Unlike true fey, gnomes with this gift are usually not insulted if their “hosts” give them gifts, provided those gifts were meant in kindness and appreciation—these fey gnomes strongly believe that it’s the thought that counts when it comes to gift-giving. On occasion, these gnomes leave their homes to go wandering, usually if their old hosts left or went out of their way to insult them. Gnomes with this gift have the following features:
Diminutive. You can move through a space large enough for a Tiny creature without squeezing and can squeeze through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide.
Fey Ancestry. You have the Fey creature type in addition to Humanoid.
Fairy Magic. You know the mending cantrip. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast purify food and drink once per long rest. At 5th level, you can cast protection from evil and good once per long rest. Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma (your choice) is your spellcasting ability for these spells, and they require no material components.