“Gnomes? What are they? Why are they in the Player’s Handbook? I don’t remember any gnomes in the Lord of the Rings!”

Anyway, I’m sorry if this is turning into a rant but I really can’t agree that they’re iconic.

Gnomes are iconic. Eladrin and Dragonborn aren’t iconic. Tieflings are arguably iconic, but not nearly as iconic as Gnomes…

For a lot of folks (myself included), the removal of Gnomes from the PHB while adding other races is an unnecessary change that seems to imply, “this isn’t D&D any more”. While it’s good to shake things up a bit, it’s also good to maintain some continuity with your past.

Why is this such a big problem for so many people? I’ve been playing D&D for decades and I’m the only person I’ve ever known to even make a gnome character. I’ve seen halflings, planetouched people, spellscales, stone children, goliathes and many others but no gnomes.

Plus you also have to remember that they plan on releasing update books in the form of the PHB 2/DMG 2/MM 2 which should be expected as that’s what every edition since practically chainmail did. Gnomes will probably have a write up in the PHB 2 to help fill in space.

If not, I don’t think it’ll be long before there are umpteen homebrewed gnome variants online, suitable for use as a player race.

Personally, I love gnomes. It started with the classic Gnomes book of folklore (with amazing illustrations) as a kid, amped up with the old Dragonlance setting The Time of the Dragon and was solidified by the gnomes in the original Forgotten Realms boxed set.

Gnomes in Taladas (TToD) live in spires alongside the continent’s massive lava lake, create ingenious dropped weapons that they fling on their foes from hang gliders and have an elite warrior caste who undergo a ritual that “kills” them in the eyes of their friends and family — so that, already dead, they know no fear. So awesome.

But that doesn’t sound right … do you smell something burning?

Actually, I like gnomes because they are so versatile. Fey burrow gnomes, tinker gnomes, gem-hunting dwarvish cousin gnomes, leprecauns … you get the point. Whatever you need the little to guys to be, they can be! (Customizable gnomes, a wonderful tool for the GM!)

I actually think it’s ironic that they — being TSR/Wizards, that is — has tried to do that with halflings. They’ve morphed halflings from happy little hungry hobbits into sticky-fingered kender and into these wild lithe barbarians on the Eberron plains. And those are valid creative choices, but they seemed forced.

Somehow, with gnomes, there’s more elasticity. Plug the gnome into whatever (racial-role) hole you have in your campaign, and they’ll fill it admirably. Try it and see.

Honestly, the problem is that Gnomes and Halflings cover the same ground: a short race that lives underground in hilly areas and has some ties to the natural environment.

It’s not a GMing site without a “lemme tell you ’bout MY campaign!” reply, so… My treatment is a bit different: Gnomes are a ‘smaller cousin’ to Dwarves. They are excellent at mechanical and intellectual activities. Gnomes also run the only international banking consortium, and are active collectors and traders in information. Long story short: Gnomes are gnerds.

(FWIW: Halflings are related to Humans, and are a dexterous version of Professor Tolkien’s Hobbits.)