The little but adventurous halflings have undergone some changes in the D&D 2024 Player’s Handbook.
This guide will go over it all with nimbleness.
But wait, that’s putting the horse before the cart.
Artwork by Nathaniel Himawan via Wizards of the Coast
That’s exactly what this guide will cover.
What Is A Gnome?
This is becausethey often hid from people, living in burrows and deep in the forest.
Gnomes by Eric Belisle via Wizards of the Coast
Like, there are gods for that?
They were able to outsmart any predators looking to pick them offwith elaborate trapsand sophisticated tunnels that formed labyrinths.
Maybe that survival instinct is why they typicallylive to be around 450 years old.
Gnomes by Eric Belisle via Wizards of the Coast
You know, a nice median age, not too long, not too short.
Gnome Traits
Gnomes onlyhave three traits, making them a species with one of the least.
Trait Names
Descriptions
Darkvision
you’re free to see in dim light and darkness for 60 feet.
Artwork by Igor Grechanyi via Wizards of the Coast
Gnomish Cunning
You have advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws.
Gnomish Lineage
Pick between two lineages: forest gnome or rock gnome.
Both gain two spells and another bonus.
Artwork by Polar Engine via Wizards of the Coast
Some of the most common saving throws areIntelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.
Then there are the Gnomish Lineages.
There areonly two to choose from, but they both come with some interesting extras.
Artwork by Polar Engine via Wizards of the Coast
You learn and can castSpeak With Animals.
This stays prepared always, meaning thatit doesn’t count against your known spell count.
you could cast Speak With Animalsusing your available spell slotsif you have them.
But there is a very obvious reason for that.
But before we jump into that, the cantrips you receiveare Mending and Prestidigitation.
TheAC of the tiny rig is five,and it onlyhas one hit point.
Artwork by Caio Monteiro via Wizards of the Coast
You give ita function based on one of the spell effectsyou can choose from in thePrestidigitation spell description.
You canhave three of the devicesat any given time.
However, they only lasteight hours before falling apart.
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Hopefully, this list helps that decision.
What Class Should You Consider?
While this might not be the most popular opinion, give it a listen.
Artwork by Nestor Ossandon Leal via Wizards of the Coast
Pick a class that focuses on eitherStrength, Dexterity, or Constitution saving throws.
Would gnomes make fine wizards and warlocks?
You havea better shot of making a Dexterity saving throwsince your class makes you good at it.
Barbarians, fighters, monks, and rangersgo beyond that.
They have both of their saving throws thatdiffer from the ones you have advantage in.
This means that two of your saving throws willhave higher numbers, giving you a better shot of passing.
Let’s use the example of Strength and Constitution saves.
Warlocks get saving throw proficiencies inWisdom and Charisma.
Meanwhile, wizards get them inIntelligence and Wisdom.
This will make you so mentally fortified, in battle and outside of it.
And who couldn’t use extra mental fortifications?
They hadSuperior Darkvision, which allowed them to see for120 feet in dimly lit or dark areas.
They also had a trait calledStone Camouflagethat gave themadvantage on Stealth checkswhenever trying to hide in rocky terrain.
Rock gnomes' ability to create clockwork inventions was also very different.
The gear would last for 24 hours.However, it wasn’tdependent on the Prestidigitation spell.
Going based on Prestidigitation allows you to pickfrom six different functions.
The legacy version of rock gnomesonly had three options.
Rock gnomes alsolose their Artificer’s Lore trait.
Instead, you could only try toconvey things through gesturesand hope that the animal understood what you were saying.
Then, there are some of the changesmade across all species.
This, naturally, rings true for gnomes.
That also applies tolearned languages.
