Gnomes and 3.5E

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I play a gnome, and I found this article on the Wizards site: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rs/20030527a

Let's examine what we have different here now, and what we can see in 3.5:

Like elves, gnomes get proficiencies with the hooked hammers. Makes sense now, because that's a gnomish weapon (but you knew that).

So now not only do we have improved saves vs. illusions, the DC for casting them is slightly higher. Of course, +1 to DCs for illusions isn't particulary spectacular, except in the case of Phantasmal Killer.

So the Alchemy skill is replaced by the Craft (alchemy) skill. Huh. I find this a bit silly because Craft is a class skill for practically all classes. But hopefully in the 3.5 PHB, it will be stated that Craft (alchemy) is only a class skill for Wizards, Sorcerers, and Adepts. Because Barbarian alchemists are weird.

Nice to know that Charisma is less of a dump stat now for Gnomes, although it really is only three twinky illusion/fanciness spells.

My initial reaction to this was "What the heck?", and it pretty much still is. I suppose the Bard list will probably be revised to include more illusions and enchantment spells than before, but less evocation/conjuration ones.

 

Bard is a strange choice for favored class. Why bard? Illusionist fits much better. Or even sorcerer.

I have to quote this from PHB's Bard description:
"There are no bardic traditions among dwarves, gnomes , or halflings, though occasional individuals of these races find teachers to train them in the ways of bard"



Other improvements are good, although not necessary at all.

 

I never imagined a gnome as a performing kind of guy, but it does fit with the pranking side of the gnome.

The changes look good, it looks promising.

 

You want someone whom should be a bard and not a thief/illusionist? Jan, the teller of all bad jokes, pranker of the millenia and mix the two classes and you get...


...a bard.

 

The way I read the part about the hooked hammers is that if the gnome takes a class that has proficiency in martial weapons, the gnome will also get the hooked hammer. So a gnome fighter would get hooked hammer, whereas a human one would not unless he took the right Exotic Weapon feat. This would also mean that a gnome sorcerer or wizard would NOT gain proficiency with a hooked hammer since neither of them gain any martial weapons. This description says that the gnome treats the hooked hammer as a martial weapon, not that they get automatic proficiency.

Or am I reading it wrong?

 

Your interpretation seems right to me.