My own take on this little guy…
Gnome Artificer
Raw abilities: Health 3, Will 5.
Class: Artificer
Skills: Alchemist 3, Arcanist 2, Armorer 2, Carpenter 2, Cartographer 2, Scholar 2, Steward 2
Special Gnome wise: Choose from Illusions-wise, “Whatsits”-wise or Potions-wise, take a second wise of your choice following the guidelines in the main book.
Special Trait: Inventive—Artificers yearn to discover new things. They are clever and curious, often fearlessly so. When driving toward a new discovery, they may act with haste or impatience, often with explosive results.
Special Gnome weakness: Gnomes are tiny—smaller than halflings! Their order of might is 2—one less than humans, elves, dwarves and halflings.
Weapons and armor: ÍSlings, daggers, hand axes, maces, swords, leather armor, helmet
Nature: Complaining, Hiding, Mending
Gnome artificers start with a dagger and no armor.
Gnome Nature Questions
Are you intrigued by whirring gears, colorful fireworks or bubbling potions?
• If you enjoy wondrous, dangerous devices, increase Inventive trait by 1, decrease Health by 1.
• If you prefer the simple elegance of a chisel and wood file, your nature increases by 1.
Do you spend your time living or working alone in your burrow or have you moved out to a well-populated area?
• If you prefer solitude and work, increase your Nature by 1.
• If you couldn’t resist the allure of the big towns, your nature remains unchanged.
Are you fearful of being snatched up by an eagle or eaten by a hungry fox?
• If wild predators terrify you (as they should!), increase your Nature by 1.
• If you’re comfortable walking alone through wilderness, replace your a trait with Brave or Foolhardy.
Level Benefits
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Glamour, armor and weapons.
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Speak with Animals: The gnome gains either Bird-wise or Burrowing animals-wise (moles, groundhogs, badgers, mice, etc.) and may speak to these creatures. A circles may be used to find a familiar bird-friend or burrower-friend while in the forest, but a failed circles test attracts the attention of a winged or burrowing monster.
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The Nose Knows: The gnome’s sense of smell is keen, giving him +1D to Scout tests involving smelling smells and +1D to any Alchemist test.
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Kvetch: The gnome may recover from Angry by making a nature test instead of a will test but must do so by complaining loudly and at length about his current state.
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Hearty: Despite his small stature, the gnome is robust and hale, capable of impressive feats of strength and stamina. +1D to Laborer tests and +1D on Health tests to recover from the Exhausted condition.
Glamour
Gnomes have an innate magical ability called glamour and do not require spellbooks to cast certain spells. They take up spell slots and must be memorized as per a magician’s spells . Glamour requires no material components (and cannot make use of components to gain bonus dice) and are illusionary in nature—spirits and the undead, constructs, extra-planar beings and dragons are all unaffected by glamour.
Gnomes start with one 1st Circle glamour at level 1. You may opt to skip a level benefit to gain an additional glamour.
1st Circle Glamour (levels 1-3)
Arcane Semblance: an illusion that changes the gnomes’s appearance
Celestial Music: creates an illusory sound
Dance of the Fireflies: summons motes of multi-colored faerie fire
2nd Circle Glamour (levels 4-5)
Phantasmal Vision: creates an illusory image
Shroud of Shadows: summons illusory gloom and darkness
Veil of the Chameleon: conceals the gnome’s presence