| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Arion Elenim
Senior Scribe
933 Posts |
 Posted - 15 Oct 2002 : 19:40:18
|
Wow...does it occur to anyone else how potentially tough a gnome fighter can be?
With all of those little bonuses and things, the ability to cast some things naturally, height bonuses to AC and abilities concerning goblins and the like....damn!
Any neat gnome fighter stories to share?
|
My latest Realms-based short story, about a bard, a paladin of Lathander and the letter of the law, Debts Repaid. It takes place before the "shattering" and gives the bard Arion a last gasp before he plunges into the present.http://candlekeep.com/campaign/logs/log-debts.htm |
|
|
DragonTouched
Acolyte
USA
26 Posts |
Posted - 16 Oct 2002 : 03:28:34
|
| I've never made such a character myself, but I have to admit this unconventional idea intrigues me. I'd like to hear more from anyone w/ a gnome fighter PC or even ideas for building one. |
 |
|
|
ArcticKnight
Learned Scribe
USA
169 Posts |
Posted - 16 Oct 2002 : 03:33:45
|
| man my dad (yes my dad) has been playing Gnome fighters for years in our campaigns...they kick ass, Forest Gnomes in particular in 2ed rules, start with a 19 THACO, AC is always low as **** due to the bonus -4 to anything medium or bigger...his Gnomes always faired very well in our campaigns, ( that is atleast when hes not getting angry at gnome jokes in taverns and deciding to use the offenders bar stool as a toilet) but thats a different story.... |
"The man who does not read has little advantage over the man who cannot read."
|
|
|
|
The Great Drizzt
Learned Scribe
USA
280 Posts |
Posted - 17 Oct 2002 : 06:50:07
|
Well other than the facts that a short sword is like a 2-handad sword to them and hardly any Armorers make Armor that small, plus, in melee, they cand reach anything above the knee-caps, so whats the point, It's no fun if you can't call head shots! And those abilities are just that, abilities, than doesnt make them fighters at all, so I think the Idea is absolutely poposterous, my brother used to be very avid about playing as gnomes(before he switched to the dark side of the Dwarves j/k Tiax) he never thought that they would make good fighters, well thats only MY opinion , that doesnt mean anything.
The Great Drizzt |
"Don't poke Drizzt, 'tis highly unsociable!" Drizzt Do'Urden -BG1 |
|
|
|
Mumadar Ibn Huzal
Master of Realmslore
1338 Posts |
Posted - 17 Oct 2002 : 17:33:44
|
Sounds like you guys must have had quite some fun at the table ArcticKnight. I haven't played a gnome character myself since my very first D&D character (yikes that's almost 13 years ago), and that was a cleric iirc. I also haven't had much experience with gnome characters in my own campaigns either, yet I do believe they can be very interesting and valuable partymembers.
With the gnomes penchant to use guile and wits to overcome a foe, I believe a gnome fighter is an opponent to be reckoned with. I pity the large oaf who suddenly finds that his knees no longer work, because his tendons have been cut. The only thing his big two-hander is good for at that moment is to function as a crutch. 
Hmmm... the more I think about it, I'll probably make the next character opening in my campaign a mandatory gnome. |
|
|
|
The Great Drizzt
Learned Scribe
USA
280 Posts |
Posted - 18 Oct 2002 : 08:04:38
|
The only Gnome I've really had alot of experience with, was my brothers character Beowulf Redhands the Thief, he rode on a Jaguar, and.......well it's a long story, and now I hate Jaguars, and Gnomes for that matter.*shudders*
The Great Drizzt |
"Don't poke Drizzt, 'tis highly unsociable!" Drizzt Do'Urden -BG1 |
|
|
|
Stoyka Wintercrow
Acolyte
USA
11 Posts |
Posted - 18 Oct 2002 : 21:42:45
|
Greetings
Gnome fighters you say? Hmm.
Well, in my group we have a guy currently playing a gnome druid and he is proving to be fairly effective. In this same group we have another guy who had to play a gnome in some other group and he now (jokingly?) hates gnomes with a passion.
Personally, I liked the idea for the gnome barbarian (Brotherhood of the Badger IIRC?) in the Hero Builders Guidebook. The paw print tattoo on the palm adds a coolness factor (in game world at least) IMHO. For more fun potential, I'd multiclass equally with ranger. If I wanted him to be more useful on the front line in combats, I'd multiclass equally with fighter and probably arm him with a dwarven waraxe, which I think can be wielded two-handed by a gnome if he takes the exotic weapon feat for it.
|
"What's the doppleganger password!?!" |
|
|
|
Rory_Lana
Acolyte
20 Posts |
Posted - 20 Oct 2002 : 17:44:39
|
I personally love gnomes. One of my first characters I ever played was a gnome. Ellywick Nakle, her nickname was Lazuile...for short Laz. Gnomes have some of the greatest minds in all the realms, just look at all the neat things these creative creatures have come up with. They tinker, and play until they have sculpted an intersting little gaget. Plus they are highly magical, magic is a norm to them like Italians and there wine. Okay bad example, but same concept. Not to metion clever, and agile.
I think it's neat how gnomes have there nicknames. A gnome is given it's nickname, which is like a honor to them. For example, if Lorebuck Tallytook is a gemcutter down in the mines. He mined only onx, well his nickname would most likely be onx.
Laz my character got her nickname for the Lapis Lazuile ( which is a stone) that hangs around her neck. The whole "importance of the nickname" was really interesting. Another thing, I like the fact that gnomes are more than just little men with cone red hats. There really isn't a lot of information about gnomes, I think that should change...but hey their not up there in the most favored class so I guess the people with power haven't deemed it necessary to give a lot of fun filled facts about this class. oh well... |
|
|
|
Drummer Boy
Senior Scribe
USA
395 Posts |
Posted - 20 Oct 2002 : 18:24:35
|
| I've never tried a gnome fighter, because I don't really like fighters in general. What's the point of fighting face to face with a fighter when you can backstab just as effectively with a thief and get bonus abilities like open locks and stealth? Well, that's my opinion anyway. |
|
|
|
Drummer Boy
Senior Scribe
USA
395 Posts |
Posted - 21 Oct 2002 : 03:58:57
|
| Yeah!Thieves Rule![8d] |
|
|
|
The Great Drizzt
Learned Scribe
USA
280 Posts |
Posted - 21 Oct 2002 : 06:57:01
|
IMHO, thieves don't belong in Adventuring, they have NO PURPOSE!
They should just stick to the cities and do all that pick pocketing, and burglering and all the other crap the do, they are useless to a band of aventurers IE:
1.Climb walls--where the hell are you gonna find a wall to climb while adventuring? ok, maybe a castle or ruin, or something.
2.Pick pockets--Monsters dont have pockets!
3.Open locks--eh, might come in handy some day.
4.Find and remove traps--ok, thats a good one I guess.
5.Move Silently--ok maybe to scout stuff, but elves can do that!
6.Hide in shadows--.....more scouting
Remember, this is just my opinion!
The Great Drizzt |
"Don't poke Drizzt, 'tis highly unsociable!" Drizzt Do'Urden -BG1 |
|
|
|
Mumadar Ibn Huzal
Master of Realmslore
1338 Posts |
Posted - 21 Oct 2002 : 13:24:48
|
quote:
Originally posted by Rory_Lana
...but hey their not up there in the most favored class so I guess the people with power haven't deemed it necessary to give a lot of fun filled facts about this class. oh well...
Gnomes in the Realms have had, and probably still have the moniker: the forgotten folk. This is especially true for the forest gnomes, only a few druids, rangers and elves have seen these folk at first hand. Rockgnomes and the Svirfneblin (deep gnomes) are only slightly more common. (The Svirfneblin have become a little more know in the North where they have helped defend Mithril Hall against the Drow).
Most gnomes in the Realms have been very reclusive, never straying far from their own, often well hidden, communities. This might account for the scarcity of gnomish adventurers in the Realms. If one goes back to the 1st and 2nd edition products on the Forgotten Realms, one will indeed find only a few references. And most of these appear in tidbits of information provided by Ed Greenwood. This of course doesn’t mean there aren’t any gnomish adventurers around… au contraire, they are there. Only the big folk never take the time to notice the crafty folk.
The fact that they are so rare provides good role-playing opportunities for the player as well as the DM, no matter what their class is.
|
|
|
|
Arion Elenim
Senior Scribe
933 Posts |
Posted - 21 Oct 2002 : 21:00:27
|
Source: Players Handbook, 3ed
Gnomes have the following attributes:
Small: +1 AC, +4 to hide checks
Low Light Vision
+2 save vs. illusions
+1 to attack kobolds and goblinoids
+4 dodge vs. giants
+2 to listen
+2 to alchemy
at will once per day (if INT +10): dancing lights, ghost sound, pretidigitation
Now, while at once this might not seem all of that wonderful, but imagine a battle between a 1st level gnome fighter with the above attributes and a regular human fighter. The gnome's potential ability to confuse and disorient the human fighter with cantrips, as well as the ability to hide and further give the opportunity for hit-and-run tactics seriously lop-sides the battle....
The point: I think we underestimate the so-called "Forgotten Folk" way too much........
|
My latest Realms-based short story, about a bard, a paladin of Lathander and the letter of the law, Debts Repaid. It takes place before the "shattering" and gives the bard Arion a last gasp before he plunges into the present.http://candlekeep.com/campaign/logs/log-debts.htm |
|
|
|
Drummer Boy
Senior Scribe
USA
395 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2002 : 00:46:24
|
quote:
Originally posted by The Great Drizzt
IMHO, thieves don't belong in Adventuring, they have NO PURPOSE!
They should just stick to the cities and do all that pick pocketing, and burglering and all the other crap the do, they are useless to a band of aventurers IE:
1.Climb walls--where the hell are you gonna find a wall to climb while adventuring? ok, maybe a castle or ruin, or something.
2.Pick pockets--Monsters dont have pockets!
3.Open locks--eh, might come in handy some day.
4.Find and remove traps--ok, thats a good one I guess.
5.Move Silently--ok maybe to scout stuff, but elves can do that!
6.Hide in shadows--.....more scouting
Remember, this is just my opinion!
The Great Drizzt
I must beg to differ, Drizzt. I would urge you to look back at what you have previously written to see that you have stated more of their abilities that are useful than abilities that aren't useful. (Sorry for the off-topic post.) |
|
|
|
Arion Elenim
Senior Scribe
933 Posts |
Posted - 23 Oct 2002 : 02:08:53
|
| BTW, IMHO...if you have never found a use for the ability to climb ANYTHING in your campaigns, it is time to get a new DM.....there is only so much fun to be had by walking in a straight line and decimating things.....occasionally one needs an obstacle one can't blast through.... |
My latest Realms-based short story, about a bard, a paladin of Lathander and the letter of the law, Debts Repaid. It takes place before the "shattering" and gives the bard Arion a last gasp before he plunges into the present.http://candlekeep.com/campaign/logs/log-debts.htm |
|
|
|
Drummer Boy
Senior Scribe
USA
395 Posts |
Posted - 23 Oct 2002 : 02:18:40
|
What does IMHO mean (Sorry for the off-topic post, but its been driving my crazy! I have to know!)BTW, Drizzt, you should heed Arion's words of wisdom. (Thieves rule!) |
|
|
|
The Great Drizzt
Learned Scribe
USA
280 Posts |
Posted - 23 Oct 2002 : 07:18:22
|
Ok, they cant use their abilities most of the time though, thats what im getting at, their lame IMHO, thieves suck.
The Great Drizzt |
"Don't poke Drizzt, 'tis highly unsociable!" Drizzt Do'Urden -BG1 |
|
|
|
Drummer Boy
Senior Scribe
USA
395 Posts |
Posted - 24 Oct 2002 : 02:05:10
|
| Ok, I guess I see what you mean. A band of adventurers on the road doesn't really need to climb walls or pick pockets that often, but the abilities are useful in cities, and backstabbing is useful in fights. |
|
|
|
The Great Drizzt
Learned Scribe
USA
280 Posts |
Posted - 24 Oct 2002 : 06:27:00
|
Exactally!
That was my point, but your forgetting one thing, Drow can backstab too, and they don't even have to be a rouge class to do it either, plus, they can get to a x6 damage, where as the rouge classes can only get to a x5, well, it seems that I have once again proven Drow superiority!
The Great Drizzt |
"Don't poke Drizzt, 'tis highly unsociable!" Drizzt Do'Urden -BG1 |
|
|
|
Lord Rad
Great Reader
United Kingdom
2080 Posts |
Posted - 24 Oct 2002 : 09:17:04
|
| IMHO - In My Humble Opinion. See the REALMS-L FAQ for further abbreviations |
Lord Rad
"What? No, I wasn't reading your module. I was just looking at the pictures"
|
|
|
|
Drummer Boy
Senior Scribe
USA
395 Posts |
Posted - 24 Oct 2002 : 15:00:21
|
Thanks, Rad |
|
|
|
Drummer Boy
Senior Scribe
USA
395 Posts |
Posted - 24 Oct 2002 : 15:03:02
|
quote:
Originally posted by The Great Drizzt
Exactally!
That was my point, but your forgetting one thing,Drow can backstab too, and they don't even have to be a rouge class to do it either, plus, they can get to a x6 damage, where as the rouge classes can only get to a x5, well, it seems that I have once again proven Drow superiority!
The Great Drizzt
Ok, I see your point. I didn't even know drow could backstab, and wow, they can get to x6. Well, I still like thives better, but I see what your point is. |
|
|
|
Rory_Lana
Acolyte
20 Posts |
Posted - 24 Oct 2002 : 21:51:07
|
Mumadar, thank you!
I little informations is better than none i guess, but you have a point. The fact that gnomes have so little facts breaks away limitations that some other races face. I, as a player have more say about my character than that of someone playing an elf or human. Don't get me wrong both very highly respected races and have on many times played both. I'm still a huge fan of gnomes, there's something about them.
|
~Tel'Lindar en Mela~ |
|
|
|
The Great Drizzt
Learned Scribe
USA
280 Posts |
Posted - 25 Oct 2002 : 06:36:30
|
yeah, so imagine a Drow thief! they make pretty good ones, theres even a Drow god of thievery named Vheraun(spelling?)
The Great Drizzt |
"Don't poke Drizzt, 'tis highly unsociable!" Drizzt Do'Urden -BG1 |
|
|
|
Mumadar Ibn Huzal
Master of Realmslore
1338 Posts |
Posted - 25 Oct 2002 : 07:54:01
|
quote:
Originally posted by Rory_Lana
Mumadar, thank you!
I little informations is better than none i guess, but you have a point. The fact that gnomes have so little facts breaks away limitations that some other races face. I, as a player have more say about my character than that of someone playing an elf or human. Don't get me wrong both very highly respected races and have on many times played both. I'm still a huge fan of gnomes, there's something about them.
Feel like joining a PbeM game? I'd like to have a gnome character on board... see also Silver Marches PbeM thread under Running the Realms, or the subscribe link in the signature below.
|
|
|
|
Drummer Boy
Senior Scribe
USA
395 Posts |
Posted - 25 Oct 2002 : 15:59:16
|
quote:
Originally posted by The Great Drizzt
yeah, so imagine a Drow thief! they make pretty good ones, theres even a Drow god of thievery named Vheraun(spelling?)
The Great Drizzt
Oooooh.......I have to try thatfwahahahaha |
|
|
|
Mumadar Ibn Huzal
Master of Realmslore
1338 Posts |
Posted - 25 Oct 2002 : 17:55:00
|
quote:
Originally posted by drummerboy465
I've never tried a gnome fighter, because I don't really like fighters in general. What's the point of fighting face to face with a fighter when you can backstab just as effectively with a thief and get bonus abilities like open locks and stealth? Well, that's my opinion anyway.
Next to paladin, my other favorite character class is rogue (prefer the term over 'thief'). Sounds a bit contradictory, however I don’t play my rogues as thieves. They are often more fighter-like types who prefer mobility and lightning fast attacks over heavy armor and cleave-like attacks (in general). The versatility of the rogue off-sets IMO the lack of feats, and even then a multiclass combo with fighter makes up for some of that.
I haven’t tried this combination with a gnomish character yet. The closest to that is a dwarven locksmith in a Greyhawk campaign. His class is rogue and most likely will remain single class. However he walks around in a nice suit of armor and behaves more like a stereotypical fighter going for the frontal melee assault. True, not the most ideal type of character to do so, but combined with another allied combatant and a flanking maneuver, a sneak attack becomes very lethal.
Given the above and the inherent abilities of a gnome... I must say that I'm intrigued by a gnomish fighter-rogue type... could be very annoying for the 'big-folk' adversaries. Even a 20% xp penalty would not be a problem with all the potential role-playing fun derived from such a character.
|
|
|
|
The Great Drizzt
Learned Scribe
USA
280 Posts |
Posted - 29 Oct 2002 : 07:20:52
|
Yeah, you rule Drummerboy!
Drow are sooo cool!
The Great Drizzt |
"Don't poke Drizzt, 'tis highly unsociable!" Drizzt Do'Urden -BG1 |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
Gnome Fighters
