While there tends to be a sort of agreement on how elves and dwarfs should be (at least superficially), gnomes are one of those races that are depicted differently in practically every setting. The only real commonality is they're small, but even then their smallness ranges from "child sized" to "pinkie sized".
How does /tg/ like gnomes?
In my head there are gnomes, pic related, and "dnd gnomes" who are usually scrawny halflings.
Tinker gnomes like Warcraft just kind of don't come up when the word is mentioned
What's it with gnomes and pointy hats?
>>43636542
Compensating
>>43636490
The problem with gnomes is they occupy the same space as halflings in terms of historical folklore - invisible wee folk, industrious homebodies. In classical D&D terms if you want to divide them most people - and most source material - have it reversed. Gnomes should be the pranksters tricksters and theives, halflings should be the industrious and comfy farmers. Why? 9/10ths of the halfling pantheon is lawful good (brandobaris being the only cn exception) and the gnomes are the The xact opposite, their patriarchal god and most of their gods are ng to cg
>>43636542
The traditional image of the gnome today is a disneyifed, cartoon folk-history memory of ancient teachers and magi, who wore the famous pointed hats to channel their brain energy. Gnome of course comes from gnosis, the Greek "wisdom", hence 'gnomic'.
>>43636586
Interesting, so the point hat is meant to be a kind of psychic feng shui? Like how monks had shaved tonseurs so they could receive gods wisdom through their heads better
>>43636586
Sounds weak to me. The association of pointy hats with wisdom exist in culture which could never have had any contact with ancient Persia. I'm talking everywhere from Northern Europe to the Inca empire.
>>43636609
>Europe
>no contact with Persia
>laughing vagnarians
>>43636609
Wisdom comes from the head. Large head = large wisdom. Large hat = large head. Large hat = large wisdom.
>>43636595
That's one theory
Later it was turned into the "dunce cap" in a total reversal, named for Duns Scotus the famous medieval scholar.
>>43636609
Garden gnomes as we know them, springing from the original German Gartenzwerge of the Romantic Era, are explicitly based on the Magi as depicted in centuries of Western traditional art.
Sexy.
>>43636621
Maybe the idea was dunces needed it real bad, so they gave them the hat of magical brain energy cause damn nigga u dumb take this
>>43636490
"Paracelsus uses Gnomi as a synonym of Pygmæi, and classifies them as earth elementals. He describes them as two spans high, very reluctant to interact with humans, and able to move through solid earth as easily as humans move through air."
>>43636662
Also, source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnome
>>43636586
>Gnome of course comes from gnosis, the Greek "wisdom", hence 'gnomic'.
>>43638399
Isn't it from nome?
>>43636490
In my language gnom means dwarf.
I still don't accept the existence of gnomes.
>>43639120
You don't have to for the gnomes to accept the existence of you.
>>43636490
>How does /tg/ like gnomes?
Erdicated.
>>43640185
This guy gets it.
There is truly only one 'Gnome', he's a Wizard. The red hat is his magical focus, he uses spells to shrink and multiply himself to steal shit and generally be an asshole magic wizard. People are convinced there is a race of them.
>>43636490
>How does /tg/ like gnomes?
When it comes to the woodland dwelling ones I like the related pic (I own a copy of that gnome in RL).
Outside of the forests my preferred gnomes are tinkerers who enjoy taking things apart and putting them back together differently and screwing around with magic and technology at the same time. Additionally they are generally very flashy. Imagine an entire race attempting to be like the Wizard of Oz to outsiders keeping them from ever seeing behind the frankly camp front they attempt to project.
>>43636490
Never liked them as a player race. I get pretty tired of "short humans with stereotype X".
If I included them in a game they'd be a synonym for pixie, sprite, etc--mysterious fae that might be helpful or hurtful depending on the breaks.
>>43636490
>How does /tg/ like gnomes?
non-existent
The descendants of a dwarven civilization whose mine entrance collapsed. Inbreeding and natreual selection have twisted them into horrific, proto-dwarf creatures. Eyeless, entirely albino, navigating with beards of sensory whiskers and echolocation.
>>43636490
I take them back to folktale roots in my settings. They are little impish like creatures with the red caps and beards, but no bigger than a foot tall. They tend to the forest in a symbiotic sort of way, and live in trees and plants. Almost no communication with the outside world, though they are intelligent enough. They will help out a lost traveler or a weary adventurer. Their interests lie in fungus farming, mushroom cultivating, and water distribution in the forests of the world. They have no interest whatsoever in having relations with the outside world.
