Desert Gnome

Unlike their friendlier cousins, the Desert Gnomes are ferocious fighters and skilled at survival in the harsh desert. Very few of them choose to pursue an adventuring life, preferring to remain with their own kind than with the unusual folk of wetter lands.

Personality: Desert Gnomes are harsh and realistic. They do not believe in luck or fate. They are strongly driven by their code of honour, which is taught to them as children. They never leave an ally in need, even if it risks their own life. Their fatalistic view of life means that they do not get along well with most people, who see them as depressing. They do not share the Gnome's fascination with tricks. They are instead fascinated by tactics and war, the focus of their culture in the dangerous desert. They are not naturally curious but find themselves drawn towards mechanical things though they do not know why. Desert Gnomes collect weapons, armour and other garb of war.

Physical Description: Desert Gnomes share the diminutive stature of their more common relatives and stand between 3 and 4 feet tall. Their skin is always a bronzed tan, a result of the constant sunlight they dwell in. Their hair ranges from red to black, with lighter shades being incredibly rare. Their eyes are always a shade of blue. Desert Gnome males do not grow beards and feel it is a mark of shame to be seen unshaven. For this reason they distrust Dwarves. They generally wear yellow or orange clothing, which they believe allows them to blend into the desert better. Desert Gnomes like to wear a weapon at all times, often it is a dagger which they hang at their belts. They do not like jewellery or other adornment but they do wear rings as a mark of prowess. Each Desert Gnome may don a new ring each time they slay an opponent in combat. Those who reach ten rings are asked to join the Sandworms (detailed in Campaign setting). Desert Gnomes can live to be 500 but the average life expectancy is 200 due to the harsh environment they inhabit.

* Relations: Desert Gnomes get along well with humans, if it can be called getting along. They respect the hardy and adaptable nature of humans and also share their love of war. They distrust Dwarves and Gnomes who intentionally grow beards. Elves disgust Desert Gnomes because of their pacifist nature and reliance on magic to get anything done. Halflings and Desert Gnomes get along surprisingly well considering their different personalities. The Halflings find the Desert Gnomes amusing and the Gnomes are reminded of their own children by the halflings. Half Orcs and Desert Gnomes respect each other for their military ability but seldom form friendships.

Alignment: Desert Gnomes are usually neutral, they prefer not to take sides in wars based purely on beliefs. Those who are lawful are usually the warriors and rulers of Desert Gnome settlements. The chaotic Desert Gnomes are the most likely to become adventurers, as they find their own lives too constricting and need to spend a few years on the road. Evil Desert Gnomes are uncommon but not unknown. They are banished from settlements when their true nature is discovered. Evil Gnomes are typically assassins and rogues.

Desert Gnome Lands: Desert Gnomes dwell in organised camps in deserts or other harsh environments. This choice of living was originally forced but most Desert Gnomes now appreciate the arid beauty of the desert. They dislike being underground, as the lands they inhabit are mostly flat and open. Many Desert Gnomes suffer from claustrophobia. Their camps are typically made near natural springs or streams, and are always close to a source of food. Desert Gnomes have never been known to establish colonies outside of the desert.

Religion: Desert Gnomes worship Kord who they see as a noble warrior and brave soldier. Desert Gnome Clerics are typically the leaders of patrols and regiments and teach the young to value strength over beauty.

Language: Desert Gnomes speak a dialect Gnomish which is derived from the Dwarven tongue. Their particularly dialect is a combination of Gnome, Orc and Human. The language allows the Desert Gnomes to fully describe war and strategy which would otherwise by impossible with the technical Gnome tongue. Hobgoblins sometimes learn Desert Gnome so they can read books on Gnome tactics.

Names: Desert Gnomes do not share the Gnome's obsession with names, preferring a practical title over a number of meaningless ones. All Desert Gnomes are given a name at birth and all share the same clan name. They are also given a battle title after their first combat. These titles are often descriptive and involve the type of opponent that the Desert Gnome faced. Once they earn their battle title, Desert Gnomes only use their given name amongst family.

Male Names: Rasa, Glim, Bendeth, Hurith, Roondar, Fhandis, Kordan and Kalin.

Female Names: Marj, Unis, Shamil, Cyan, Tylar and Anunciata.

Battle Titles: Weaving Blades, Orc Bane, Severed Hand, Worm Slayer, Leaping Axe, Bleeding Beast, Blooded Nomad, Singing Harpy and Witch Slayer.

Adventurers: Desert: Gnomes seldom pursue the adventuring life, preferring the confined life of their clan. Those who do take up the lifestyle are often seeking to prove themselves or to see the world outside the desert. Very few Desert Gnomes experience wanderlust but society encourages those who do. The most common cause to pursue adventuring as a career is to collect more trophies and weapons. Desert Gnomes revel in finding strange new weapons from other cultures.

Desert Gnome Racial Traits

*+1 Constitution and Strength, -1 Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma. Like Gnomes, Desert Gnomes are a hardy race but they also possess superior strength to make desert survival easier. They spend less time studying than other races and so are not overly intelligent. Their lower charisma arises from their fatalistic personalities.

*Small: As small creatures, Desert Gnomes gain a +1 size bonus to Armour Class, a +1 size bonus to attack rolls, and a +4 bonus to Hide checks, but they must use smaller weapons than humans and their lifting and
carrying limits are three quarters of those of medium sized characters.

*Desert Gnome base speed is 20 feet.

*+2 racial bonus on saves against heat because Desert Gnomes are accustomed to unnatural heat.

*+1 racial bonus to attack rolls against Orcs, Desert Gnomes find themselves in combat with these beasts regularly and have developed skills in combating them.

*+2 racial bonus on listen checks due to keen ears.

*+2 racial bonus on Wilderness Lore when in desert due to upbringing

*Automatic Languages: Gnome and Common. Bonus Languages: Orc, Goblin, Elf, Dwarf, Abyssal and Nomadic. Desert Gnomes learn the languages of all of their neighbours as well as the dialects of those they were once allied with. They learn Abyssal due to their proximity to such creatures.

*All Desert Gnomes with an intelligence of 10 or higher may cast Create Water at their current level once per day. This is not a magical effect, it is their ability to find water in any location. This means it cannot be dispelled and does not count as a spell.

*Desert Gnomes are always proficient with Hand Axes and Javelins regardless of class. This comes from the strict military regime that all Desert Gnomes are subject to.

*Favoured Class: Fighter. A multiclass Desert Gnome's fighter class does not count when determining whether he suffers an XP penalty.