Gnomes, gnomes, gnomes!
Party #3: The Wild Hares of Campingstone. Keep the rules in mind:
- I've created these parties at 1st level, then leveled them up to 6th to take a snapshot of their progress.
- Each party is composed of four members, each of whom fills one of the traditional D&D roles. Each team has a fighter (note the lower-case "f"), a divine-magic-user, an arcane-magic-user and somebody who can deal with traps and locks.
- Each race's favored class is represented in its party.
The Party
The Wild Hares are an all-singing, all-dancing, all-gnome theater troupe from the lands surrounding the gnome kingdom of Campingstone. The members met as traveling entertainers and decided, at the urging of Cobbroy, to unite as a troupe to save travel expenses and draw bigger crowds. Each member of the group has an individual act, and the team works together on comedy skits, single-alongs and other group performances. Together, the Wild Hares travel wherever they might find an audience and work together to survive. Though they are primarily performers, they share a sense of adventure that drives them to get tangled in local trouble wherever they go. They are no strangers to monsters and dungeons.
Thematically, the Wild Hares are designed for a story-driven and social style of D&D. Their shared profession should keep them moving from town to town, interacting with NPCs, and generally spending as much time goofing off as smiting evil. I envision of style of play that centers on exotic locations, recurring personalities, intra-party dynamics and a sense of humor. The mechanics bear this out; the characters have a heavy social focus that makes them sub-optimal for dungeon crawling, but more than viable for situations where charm or deception can win the day.
Members
Cobbroy Hornswoggle
Bio
Cobbroy is a very minor nobleman from a landless family in Campingstone. He was trained as a cavalry soldier from a young age, and was thought to have a great future as a knight because of his dashing demeanor and natural connection with animals. When he came of age and it was time to become a real soldier, though, Cobbroy shocked his family by purchasing a pony of his own and setting out to handle animals as a career. As it turned out, he preferred working with animals to fighting and decided to devote his life to what he enjoyed, noble blood or no. He traveled with his trained pony Lolly and put on shows (to little success), offering his services as a trainer to make ends meet. When he met other entertainers traveling the same circuit, he suggested banding together to put on a more robust show. Since then he has drawn much better crowds and has added other animals to his act. Cobbroy is a natural showman with a charming demeanor, a flair for the dramatic and true connection with his animals. His training is as a soldier, though, and although he did not choose war as a career, he keeps his combat skills sharp as the main fighter in the group. He is the team's de facto leader, if only because his intrepid nature leads him to dive into trouble and force the rest of the troupe to follow.
Full-Body Illustration
Mechanics
Cobbroy is extremely important to the team as a combatant. First off, he uses mounted combat, giving him a high ground speed to make up the other gnomes' natural deficit; he will sometimes be the only one who can catch up to a reasonably fast-moving enemy. Secondly, his raw damage makes up for the low damage the other gnomes inflict. Spirited Charge provides lots of damage on its own, and using Improved Feint with Sneak Attack Cobbroy can get Sneak Attack dice with almost every charge (remember that mounted characters have move actions to spare because their mounts are doing the moving). Though mounted combat is sometimes an impractical choice for fighters, it is perfect for Cobbroy. He's small, so his pony can fit into dungeons and other tight spaces. What's more, the team's designed for town adventures, which means lots of village and overland encounters where mobility can be used to full advantage. Using Handle Animal, Cobbroy can slowly train additional animals for his act (he only has his pony at first level). At 6th level he takes Leadership and chooses animals as his followers, reflecting his growing menagerie of show animals. Note that this is massaging the rules just a bit; they don't specifically allow for non-humanoid followers, but they don't forbid it either, and the animals are actually less useful and combat-effective than humanoids would be. At 6th level Cobbroy has a bronze dragon wyrmling as a cohort; this is an orphaned dragon that Cobbroy rescued during an adventure and has raised ever since. Conveniently, it will hit the Very Young age category when Cobbroy hits 7th level, bringing it to the appropriate level for a cohort and making it a suitable mount. Once Cobbroy's got a dragon mount, he'll really come into his own in terms of speed, damage and mobility -- not to mention show business success.
Level 1 Write-up
Fighter 1
Gnome
Neutral Good
HP: 10
AC: 17, 16 flat-footed, 12 touch
Initiative: +1
Racial Abilities (all bonuses factored into totals below):
Small sized (+1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but uses smaller weapons than humans use, lifting and carrying limits three-quarters of those of a Medium character)
Base land speed of 20 feet.
Low-Light Vision: Can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. Retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
Treats gnome hooked hammers as martial weapons rather than exotic weapons.
+2 racial bonus on saving throws against illusions.
Add +1 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against illusion spells he casts. This adjustment stacks with those from similar effects.
+1 racial bonus on attack rolls against kobolds and goblinoids.
+4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the giant type.
+2 racial bonus on Listen checks.
+2 racial bonus on Craft (alchemy) checks.
Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day-speak with animals (burrowing mammal only, duration 1 minute). 1/day-dancing lights, ghost sound, prestidigitation. Caster level 1st; save DC 12.
Str: 12
Dex: 13
Con 10
Int: 10
Wis: 10
Cha: 15
Fort: +2
Ref: +1
Will: +0
Skills:
Handle Animal +6
Hide +5
Listen +2
Ride +5
Armor Check Penalty (not applied above): -3
Feats: Mounted Combat, Ride-by Attack
Attacks:
Lance +3 (1d6+1 one-handed or 1d6+2 two-handed) (Reach weapon)
Heavy Wooden Shield +3 (1d3+1)
Dagger (thrown or melee) +3 (1d3+1)
Armor and Gear:
Studded Leather
Heavy Wooden Shield
Lolly, Warpony
Riding Saddle
2 Daggers total
Speaks:
Common
Gnome
Level 6 Write-up
Fighter 3/Rogue 3 (In order: Fighter, Fighter, Rogue, Rogue, Rogue, Fighter)
Gnome
Neutral Good
HP: 32
AC: 22, 21 flat-footed, 12 touch
Initiative: +1
Racial Abilities (all bonuses factored into totals below):
Small sized (+1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but uses smaller weapons than humans use, lifting and carrying limits three-quarters of those of a Medium character)
Base land speed of 20 feet.
Low-Light Vision: Can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. Retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
Treats gnome hooked hammers as martial weapons rather than exotic weapons.
+2 racial bonus on saving throws against illusions.
Add +1 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against illusion spells he casts. This adjustment stacks with those from similar effects.
+1 racial bonus on attack rolls against kobolds and goblinoids.
+4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the giant type.
+2 racial bonus on Listen checks.
+2 racial bonus on Craft (alchemy) checks.
Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day-speak with animals (burrowing mammal only, duration 1 minute). 1/day-dancing lights, ghost sound, prestidigitation. Caster level 1st; save DC 13.
Str: 12
Dex: 13
Con 10
Int: 10
Wis: 10
Cha: 16
Fort: +4
Ref: +5
Will: +2
Skills:
Bluff +9
Handle Animal +12
Hide +5
Listen +2
Ride +10
Perform +9
Armor Check Penalty (not applied above): -6
Feats: Mounted Combat, Ride-by Attack, Spirited Charge, Improved Feint, Leadership
Cohorts and Followers:
(Cobbroy uses Leadership to gain animals for his act. He gets a net +1 to his Leadership score due to his living conditions: -1 for moving around a lot, but +2 for a "guild, stronghold, etc." because the circus feeds, shelters and defends all of his animals.)
Cohort:
Jaxwell, Bronze Dragon Wyrmling
Followers:
Lolly, Warpony
LePoof, Poodle
Rubyramble, Parrot
Wellby, Ferret
Tumbleweed, Wolf
Class Features:
Sneak Attack +2d6
Trapfinding
Trap sense +1
Evasion
Attacks:
+1 Lance +8 (1d6+2 one-handed or 1d6+3 two-handed) (Reach weapon)
Heavy Wooden Shield +7 (1d3+1)
+1 Dagger (melee) +8 (1d3+2)
Masterwork Composite Longbow (+1) +8 (1d6+1)
Arcane Spell Failure: 50%
Armor and Gear:
+1 Banded Mail
Masterwork Heavy Wooden Shield
Military Saddle
Speaks:
Common
Gnome
Sanzibelle (Full Name: Sanzibelle Slicksilver Claptrap Grogwag)
Bio
Sanzibelle was, until recently, a con-artist and burglar. Her inborn talent for deceptive magic led her to crime early and she never saw a problem with her chosen lifestyle; her desperately poor family had brought her up to put survival first and let morality slide. She soon found herself unwelcome in her hometown and began to travel as a stage illusionist, using that job mainly as a cover to run scams and steal from whatever wealthy households were convenient. The rest of the Wild Hares didn't know of Sanzibelle's criminal practices when they began traveling with her, and except for a few lapses, she's quietly given it up. Though she still has the occasional larcenous impulse, Sanzibelle has developed the moral sense that she lacked in her youth and is trying hard to be a good person; her friendships with the rest of the troupe help, as does her legitimate love of theater, which is a new art for her. Sanzibelle has a sweet, lighthearted demeanor that is sincere but deceptive; it comes from the fact that she's always playing with the people around her. Sanzibelle lies without compunction, sometimes just for fun, and takes on new personalities at a whim. The fact that she's trying hard not to hurt anybody anymore doesn't stop her from playing pranks and trying out harmless deceits just for the challenge. Her friends tolerate these traits largely because they realize that her friendship and dedication to the act is sincere.
Full-Body Illustration
Mechanics
Sanzibelle is the group's expert on rogue skills, illusion, deception and acting. Her primary function is to pick locks and find traps; however, she's actually a more versatile and potent spellcaster than the group's designated arcane caster, who is a bard. Because of the group's town and city milieu, Sanzibelle can use her illusions and enchantment spells to exercise the kind of battle-winning and battle-field controlling power that a conventional wizard would achieve through more physical spells. As an actor and consummate liar, Sanzibelle is the group's natural choice for infiltration and trickery. Her skill at disguise (and later her Hat of Disguise) add to this role, making her both an ideal actor and spy.
Level 1 Write-up
Beguiler 1
Gnome
Chaotic Good
HP: 7
AC: 14, 13 flat-footed, 11 touch
Initiative: +1
Racial Abilities (all bonuses factored into totals below):
Small sized (+1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but uses smaller weapons than humans use, lifting and carrying limits three-quarters of those of a Medium character)
Base land speed of 20 feet.
Low-Light Vision: Can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. Retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
Treats gnome hooked hammers as martial weapons rather than exotic weapons.
+2 racial bonus on saving throws against illusions.
Add +1 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against illusion spells she casts. This adjustment stacks with those from similar effects.
+1 racial bonus on attack rolls against kobolds and goblinoids.
+4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the giant type.
+2 racial bonus on Listen checks.
+2 racial bonus on Craft (alchemy) checks.
Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day-speak with animals (burrowing mammal only, duration 1 minute). 1/day-dancing lights, ghost sound, prestidigitation. Caster level 1st; save DC 11.
Str: 10
Dex: 12
Con 13
Int: 15
Wis: 10
Cha: 13
Fort: +1
Ref: +1
Will: +2
Skills:
Bluff +5
Concentration +5
Disable Device +6
Disguise +5
Hide +5
Listen +2
Open Lock +5
Perform +3
Search +5
Sleight of Hand +7
Armor Check Penalty (not applied above): -1
Feats: Spell Focus: Illusion
Class Abilities:
Armored Mage, Trapfinding
Attacks:
Dagger (melee) +1 (1d3)
Shortsword +1 (1d4)
Shotbow +2 (1d4)
Spells per Day: 5 0-Level, 4 1st Level
Arcane Spell Failure: 15% (Note that this does not apply to spells received from the Beguiler class)
Armor and Gear:
Studded Leather
Disguise Kit
Thieves' Tools
Speaks:
Common
Gnome
Elven
Orc
Level 6 Write-up
Beguiler 6
Gnome
Chaotic Good
HP: 29
AC: 17, 16 flat-footed, 12 touch
Initiative: +1
Racial Abilities (all bonuses factored into totals below):
Small sized (+1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but uses smaller weapons than humans use, lifting and carrying limits three-quarters of those of a Medium character)
Base land speed of 20 feet.
Low-Light Vision: Can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. Retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
Treats gnome hooked hammers as martial weapons rather than exotic weapons.
+2 racial bonus on saving throws against illusions.
Add +1 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against illusion spells she casts. This adjustment stacks with those from similar effects.
+1 racial bonus on attack rolls against kobolds and goblinoids.
+4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the giant type.
+2 racial bonus on Listen checks.
+2 racial bonus on Craft (alchemy) checks.
Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day-speak with animals (burrowing mammal only, duration 1 minute). 1/day-dancing lights, ghost sound, prestidigitation. Caster level 1st; save DC 11.
Str: 10
Dex: 12
Con 13
Int: 16
Wis: 10
Cha: 13
Fort: +3
Ref: +3
Will: +5
Skills:
Appraise +3
Bluff +10
Concentration +10
Disable Device +12
Disguise +10
Hide +5
Listen +2
Open Lock +11
Perform +5
Search +11
Sleight of Hand +11
Armor Check Penalty (not applied above): -1
Feats: Spell Focus: Illusion, Silent Spell, Heighten Spell, Spell Focus: Enchantment
Class Abilities:
Armored Mage, Trapfinding, Cloaked Casting (+1 DC), Surprise Casting (move action)
Attacks:
Masterwork Dagger +5 (1d3)
Masterwork Short Sword +5 (1d4)
Masterwork Shortbow +6 (1d4)
Spells per Day: 6 0-Level, 7 1st Level, 6 2nd Level, 4 3rd Level
Spells Known: Standard Beguiler list plus Ventriloquism
Arcane Spell Failure: 20% (Note that this does not apply to spells received from the Beguiler class)
Armor and Gear:
Bag of Holding Type 1
+1 Chain Shirt
Hat of Disguise
Masterwork Thieves' Tools
Speaks:
Common
Gnome
Elven
Orc
Brawnstro
Bio
Brawnstro is a strongman and bass singer with a decidedly theatrical bent. He was born in a little mining town where his great strength earned him local fame; he decided to use this quirk to escape the town and seek gold and glory on the road. In his over-the-top stage persona he is a macho proponent of gnomish pride and strength. He begins with a brief spiel about gnome heroes of old, then performs various feat of lifting, breaking and rope-snapping with intermittent bursts of song in praise of himself, his audience and gnomes in general. Brawnstro's real personality is not too far from his stage persona, and as a bard he is often called upon to perform even in life-or-death situations. As the most enthusiastic and audience-beloved performer in the Wild Hare Troupe, Brawnstro is an integral part of the team's act. Brawnstro is happy with his life on the road; his only goals are ever-greater glory and improvement upon his impressive physique.
Full-Body Illustration
Mechanics
The idea behind this project was to create a balanced party of each race, always including each race's favored class in the mix. Fitting a bard into a balanced four-person party was tough because the bard can't do any of the four main jobs in a D&D party. For that reason, Brawnstro is a bit of an oddball. He places a close second as the team's most effective combatant, its greatest social asset and its best arcane spellcaster. The idea is that Brawnstro can use his bardic music to aid the rest of the party, dive into combat relying on his high Strength or cast support spells from the sidelines, depending on what each situation calls for. His Strength, which starts at a respectable-for-a-gnome 15, increases steeply to 18 by 6th level. Note that the Natural Heavyweight Feat doubles Brawnstro's lifting capacity, giving him the ability to lift around 700 lbs. over his head by 6th level. His Strength alone makes Brawnstro a surprisingly strong melee combatant for a Bard, though he can't match martial characters. The spell choices I made for Brawnstro reflect his use of music to enrage, soothe, charm or terrify others. Again, this is a character who benefits from town and city adventures where his substantial strength won't be completely overshadowed by monsters and where his focus on performance and enchantment spells will yield him the greatest advantage.
Note: The Natural Heavyweight Feat as written indicates a bloodline of extraplanar origin. It would be possible to give Brawnstro this background and simply make him unaware of it. Personally, I prefer to handwave the fluff and just say that he's got a strange, sturdy physique.
Level 1 Write-up
Bard 1
Gnome
Chaotic Good
HP: 9
AC: 16, 13 flat-footed, 14 touch
Initiative: +2
Racial Abilities (all bonuses factored into totals below):
Small sized (+1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but uses smaller weapons than humans use, lifting and carrying limits three-quarters of those of a Medium character)
Base land speed of 20 feet.
Low-Light Vision: Can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. Retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
Treats gnome hooked hammers as martial weapons rather than exotic weapons.
+2 racial bonus on saving throws against illusions.
Add +1 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against illusion spells he casts. This adjustment stacks with those from similar effects.
+1 racial bonus on attack rolls against kobolds and goblinoids.
+4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the giant type.
+2 racial bonus on Listen checks.
+2 racial bonus on Craft (alchemy) checks.
Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day-speak with animals (burrowing mammal only, duration 1 minute). 1/day-dancing lights, ghost sound, prestidigitation. Caster level 1st; save DC 13.
Str: 15
Dex: 14
Con 16
Int: 12
Wis: 5
Cha: 16
Fort: +3
Ref: +4
Will: -1
Skills:
Balance +0
Climb +4
Concentration +7
Diplomacy +7
Hide +6
Jump +8
Knowledge: History +5
Perform (Sing) +7
Perform (Oratory) +7
Ride +0
Tumble +4
Armor Check Penalty (not applied above): -1
Feats: Natural Heavyweight
Class Abilities:
Bardic music
Bardic knowledge
Countersong
Fascinate
Inspire courage +1
Attacks:
Heavy Mace +3 (1d6+3 two-handed)
Shortbow +3 (1d4)
Spells per Day: 3 0-Level
Spells Known:
0-Level - Daze, Detect Magic, Lullaby, Resistance
Arcane Spell Failure: 15% (Note that this does not apply to spells received from the Bard class)
Armor and Gear:
Studded Leather
Speaks:
Common
Gnome
Goblin
Level 6 Write-up
Bard 6
Gnome
Chaotic Good
HP: 41
AC: 17, 15 flat-footed, 13 touch
Initiative: +2
Racial Abilities (all bonuses factored into totals below):
Small sized (+1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but uses smaller weapons than humans use, lifting and carrying limits three-quarters of those of a Medium character)
Base land speed of 20 feet.
Low-Light Vision: Can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. Retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
Treats gnome hooked hammers as martial weapons rather than exotic weapons.
+2 racial bonus on saving throws against illusions.
Add +1 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against illusion spells he casts. This adjustment stacks with those from similar effects.
+1 racial bonus on attack rolls against kobolds and goblinoids.
+4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the giant type.
+2 racial bonus on Listen checks.
+2 racial bonus on Craft (alchemy) checks.
Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day-speak with animals (burrowing mammal only, duration 1 minute). 1/day-dancing lights, ghost sound, prestidigitation. Caster level 1st; save DC 13.
Str: 18 (16, +2 from Gauntlets of Ogre Strength)
Dex: 14
Con 16
Int: 12
Wis: 5
Cha: 16
Fort: +5
Ref: +7
Will: +2 (+8 against mind-affecting spells and effects)
Skills:
Balance +0
Climb +4
Concentration +7
Diplomacy +7
Hide +6
Jump +8
Knowledge: History +5
Perform (Sing) +7
Perform (Oratory) +7
Ride +0
Tumble +4
Armor Check Penalty (not applied above): 0
Feats: Natural Heavyweight, Force of Personality, Power Attack
Class Abilities:
Bardic music
Bardic knowledge
Countersong
Fascinate
Inspire courage +1
Inspire Competence
Suggestion
Attacks:
+1 Heavy Mace +9 (1d6+7 two-handed)
MW Comp. Shortbow (+3) +7 (1d6+4)
Spells per Day: 3 0-Level
Spells Known:
0-Level - Dancing Lights, Daze, Detect Magic, Lullaby, Prestidigitation, Resistance,
1st Level - Charm Person, Cause Fear, Expeditious Retreat, Hideous Laughter
2nd Level - Calm Emotions, Heroism, Rage
Arcane Spell Failure: 15% (Note that this does not apply to spells received from the Bard class)
Armor and Gear:
+1 Studded Leather
Gauntlets of Ogre Strength (+2)
Battering Ram
Speaks:
Common
Gnome
Goblin
The Astoundishing Swoosh (Full Name: Annajo Crabtoddle Crashmore Swooshinshire)
Bio
"The Astoundishing Swoosh" is the stage name of Annajo Swooshinshire, a cleric of Rill Cleverthrush. Swoosh (as her friends call her) sought out magical training in her adolescence when her purely mechanical pursuits reached a dead end. Swoosh realized that she'd have to learn magic to make the wondrous gadgets that she'd admired since childhood, so she began study as a cleric in the church of Rill. As is typical of gnomes, she is pious without being fanatical; she reveres Rill because he embodies the rules that make the world work. When impending church duties began to worry Swoosh, she decided to take her magic on the road, using both her mechanical and magical skills to delight and educate crowds. Swoosh is a sharp, straightforward and independent woman whose sense of whimsy comes out only in her magical and mechanical wonders. Drawing crowds has never been a problem for Swoosh, but she's only slowly learned to reign in her brassy personality so that audiences don't take her as arrogant. Swoosh loves the daily challenges of living on the road and the thrill of proving her skill to new crowds in every town. She's friendly with the rest of the troupe but keeps a little more distance than the rest of them; she sees her pursuit of knowledge and magical progress as much less frivolous that the goals of the other performers.
Full-Body Illustration
Mechanics
The Astoundishing Swoosh is a pretty simple character. She's a cleric who covers the basic tasks of healing and turning undead, and she's also an asset to the team because of her ability to craft magic items. The Grenadier Feat is largely for flavor; it makes the use of alchemical weaponry a tad more practical and opens up the possibility of taking the Mad Alchemist Tactical Feat later on. In combat, Swoosh will act mainly as a healer, tossing alchemical splash weapons or wading into melee with her mace when she's able. At 6th level her Ornithopter opens up some new tactical options. Swoosh's build is leading up to Craft Construct, which will permit her to create constructs both for combat and for her act.
Note: I gave Swoosh the Artifice Domain, which isn't actually listed for Rill. The only reason he doesn't have it as written, though is because it's non-core; he is the god of invention, so surely his clerics should have access to Artifice. If this weren't permitted in a campaign for some reason, it would be easy enough to make Swoosh a cleric of a cause (such as Gnome Ingenuity) rather than a deity.
Level 1 Write-up
Cleric 1
Gnome
Lawful Good
HP: 10
AC: 18, 16 flat-footed, 12 touch
Initiative: +2
Racial Abilities (all bonuses factored into totals below):
Small sized (+1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but uses smaller weapons than humans use, lifting and carrying limits three-quarters of those of a Medium character)
Base land speed of 20 feet.
Low-Light Vision: Can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. Retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
Treats gnome hooked hammers as martial weapons rather than exotic weapons.
+2 racial bonus on saving throws against illusions.
Add +1 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against illusion spells she casts. This adjustment stacks with those from similar effects.
+1 racial bonus on attack rolls against kobolds and goblinoids.
+4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the giant type.
+2 racial bonus on Listen checks.
+2 racial bonus on Craft (alchemy) checks.
Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day-speak with animals (burrowing mammal only, duration 1 minute). 1/day-dancing lights, ghost sound, prestidigitation. Caster level 1st; save DC 12.
Str: 11
Dex: 14
Con 15
Int: 16
Wis: 17
Cha: 14
Fort: +4
Ref: +2
Will: +5
Skills:
Concentration +6
Craft: Alchemy +9
Craft: Metalworking +7
Craft: Gemcutting +7
Hide +6
Knowledge: Architecture and Engineering +7
Listen +5
Armor Check Penalty (not applied above): -5
Feats: Grenadier
Class Abilities:
Turn Undead 5/day
Attacks:
Heavy Mace +1 (1d6)
Light Crossbow +3 (1d6)
Alchemist's Fire +4 (1d6+1 on direct hit, 2 hp splash damage within 5 ft.) NOTE: Swoosh doesn't start with any Alchemist's Fire, but she can create it using Craft: Alchemy as necessary.
Spells per Day: 3 0-Level, 2 1st Level plus 1 1st Level Domain Spell
Domains: Artifice, Knowledge
Arcane Spell Failure: 30%
Armor and Gear:
Scale Mail
Buckler
Artisan's Tools
Silver Holy Symbol
Speaks:
Common
Gnome
Dwarven
Elven
Draconic
Level 6 Write-up
Cleric 6
Gnome
Chaotic Good
HP: 40
AC: 20, 18 flat-footed, 12 touch
Initiative: +2
Racial Abilities (all bonuses factored into totals below):
Small sized (+1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but uses smaller weapons than humans use, lifting and carrying limits three-quarters of those of a Medium character)
Base land speed of 20 feet.
Low-Light Vision: Can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. Retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
Treats gnome hooked hammers as martial weapons rather than exotic weapons.
+2 racial bonus on saving throws against illusions.
Add +1 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against illusion spells she casts. This adjustment stacks with those from similar effects.
+1 racial bonus on attack rolls against kobolds and goblinoids.
+4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the giant type.
+2 racial bonus on Listen checks.
+2 racial bonus on Craft (alchemy) checks.
Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day-speak with animals (burrowing mammal only, duration 1 minute). 1/day-dancing lights, ghost sound, prestidigitation. Caster level 1st; save DC 12.
Str: 11
Dex: 14
Con 15
Int: 16
Wis: 18
Cha: 14
Fort: +7
Ref: +4
Will: +9
Skills:
Concentration +11
Craft: Alchemy +14
Craft: Metalworking +12
Craft: Gemcutting +12
Hide +6
Knowledge: Architecture and Engineering +12
Listen +6
Armor Check Penalty (not applied above): -4
Feats: Grenadier, Craft Wondrous Item, Craft Magic Arms and Armor
Class Abilities:
Turn Undead 5/day
Attacks:
+1 Light Crossbow +7 (1d6+1)
MW Heavy Mace +5 (1d6)
Alchemist's Fire +7 (1d6+1 on a direct hit, 2 hp splash damage within 5 ft.)
Acid +7 (1d6+1 on a direct hit, 2 hp splash damage within 5 ft.)
Spells per Day: 5 0-Level, 4 1st Level plus 1 1st Level Domain Spell, 4 2nd Level plus 1 2nd Level Domain Spell, 3 3rd Level plus 1 3rd Level Domain Spell
Domains: Artifice, Knowledge
Arcane Spell Failure: 35%
Armor and Gear:
Ornithopter (personal flying machine from Arms & Equipment Guide)
1 Thunderstone
2 Tanglefoot Bags
5 Vials of Acid
5 Vials of Alchemist's Fire
Masterwork Artisan's Tools
Silver Holy Symbol
+1 Chainmail
MW Buckler
Speaks:
Common
Gnome
Dwarven
Elven
Draconic
The Gnome Party Overall: Pros and Cons
I like gnomes. They're unfocused in concept and abilities, which makes it hard to capture their essence in a project like this, but it also leads to quirky characters. Gnomes gain options from their race instead of losing options, especially in classes that play against type; one gnome paladin, cleric or ranger is not just like the next. With the Wild Hares of Campingstone, I tried to cover all of the major niches that gnomes fill and to unite them through showmanship. The race's lack of focus made it easy for me to fill each of the necessary roles in the group without straying from the racial archetype. I have only two complaints. The first complaint is that gnomes don't back up their fluff mechanically -- some racial bennies for tricksters and tinkerers would be nice, but instead we get strange bonuses like the ability to speak to burrowing mammals and racial ability adjustments of -2 to Str and +2 to Con that seem to pull in opposite directions. Secondly, gnomes don't have much to do either mechanically or thematically in a non-social milieu. They get bonuses to save against illusions, a favored class of bard, the ability to speak to burrowing animals, and racial spell-like abilities that are useful almost exclusively against intelligent foes. None of these abilities are worth much in non-social situations such as wilderness adventures and dungeon crawls. I embraced this limitation by creating a party that is explicitly connected to towns and cities. I imagine them being played in a group that has agreed ahead of time to focus heavily on role-playing and not to take on hack-and-slash adventures. The result is a team with unique tactics and flavor that is effective in a wholly different way from most parties.
For a team focused on social encounters, the spell-like abilities and illusion bonuses of the gnome are pretty handy. Because the team won't always be wearing full armor, they'll actually be able to make use of the spell-like abilities from time to time, something that many gnomes in traditional parties can't do because of ASF from their class's best armor type. The racial bonus to Constitution is useful for any character class, of course. The other racial bonuses lend small but significant bonus to various characters in the group: Brawnstro and Sanzibelle benefit from the bonus to the DC of Illusion spells and The Astoundishing Swoosh can use the bonus to Craft: Alchemy. Cobbroy can even get some use of out of Speak With Animals to help train his ferret Wellby and to use him as a scout.
The mechanical drawbacks far outweighed the benefits. Bard is a spectacularly useless favored class, both because of its overall weakness and because it lacks synergy with other classes; a brief dip into Rogue would be the only strong use for this favored class, and with a level of Rogue under one's belt for skills and Sneak Attack, why go on to Bard instead of a full-spellcasting class? The racial -2 to Strength hurts martial characters by requiring them to sink high stats into Strength for little yield. The 20' land speed is less of a problem because gnome-sized mounts are much more practical than horses and make up the deficit; in this party Cobbroy plays that role with his pony, whose land speed can match a medium-sized barbarian or low-level monk. Finally, I must note the utter uselessness of the gnome abilities. They're flavorful, granted, but it would be nice if they had at least one across-the-board useful trait. Compare them, for example, to dwarves (darkvision, stonecunning, familiarity with the very strong Dwarven waraxe) or elves (proficiency with swords and bows, +2 vs. enchantment spells, don't need to sleep, auto-detect secret door). I mean, nothing against badgers, but who the fuck cares what they have to say?
Overall, the Wild Hares are a workaround party designed to make gnome racial abilities work by taking a peculiarly social approach to adventuring. From Cobbroy's Improved Feint to grant Sneak Attack opportunities to the enchantments of Brawnstro and the illusions of Sanzibelle, these characters fill their roles in the party through guile and misdirection. Not only can they function as adventurers, but they can make a living and eventually gain great fame from their traveling show; its nice when characters are capable of achieving in-game goals in addition to leveling up and beating ever-nastier monsters. In their element -- solving mysteries, playing to crowds, infiltrating secret organizations, fighting evil rulers, etc. -- they have many more options that a typical D&D party would have. Granted, they wouldn't last a second in an old-school dungeon crawl, but what are you gonna do? They're gnomes.
