The Gnome

From freepik.com

In 1E AD&D, the gnome is a fun race both as a character and as a non-player character.  Gnome males are somewhere between 39 and 45 inches tall and weigh between 72 and 92 pounds.  Gnome males can attain a strength of 18/50 if a fighter.   Females are between 36 and 42 inches tall and weigh between 67 and 83 pounds.  Females can attain a strength of up to 15.  Unlike other races, gnomes do not add to their dice rolls for abilities though their lowest possible strength is a 6.

Depending upon their class, they begin the game at somewhere between 65 (fighter on one extreme) and 124 (illusionist on the other extreme) years old.  Gnomes are considered young adults at 50, mature at 91, middle aged at 301, old at 451, and venerable at 601.  Following the Dungeon Master's Guide, gnomes could live to 770.

Gnome player characters can be fighters up to level 6 depending upon their strength, illusionists up to level 7 depending upon their intelligence and dexterity, assassins up to level 8, and unlimited thieves.  Gnome npc's can also be clerics up to level 7.  Gnomes can be multi-classed characters which can produce some interesting combinations.

The gnome has several advantages in AD&D 1E:

  • Their constitution gives them bonuses to their saving throws against wands, staves, rods, and spells
  • Infravision up to 60'
  • High probability of detecting grade/slope in passages, unsafe walls/ceilings/floors
  • High probability of determining approximate depth underground and direction of travel underground
  • +1 to hit goblins and kobolds in melee
  • Giant class creatures (including bugbear, gnolls, ogres, trolls, giants, and titans) are -4 to hit against gnomes in melee

This can be a really fun character or NPC.  I'm using an NPC in my current campaign that is a 7th level illusionist and thief.  The NPC is of chaotic neutral alignment, has an 18 intelligence and a 4 wisdom.  As an NPC he comes up with great plans but doesn't think through the consequences or likelihood of success, which can be a lot of fun to play as a DM. 

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