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Zappie's guide To Roleplaying Gnomes (Request move to A&G)
#1
This article was created by Zappie of Emerald Dream. Zappie is the guild leader of GnomeTech, a roleplaying guild for gnomes.

So you've decided to be a gnome. Good choice! Gnomes are easily the most fun Alliance race to roleplay. After all, we're crazy! Here are the basics about gnomes to get you started.

Contents
1 History
2 Society
3 Names
4 Age
5 Speech
6 Dispositions
6.1 Dwarves
6.2 Humans
6.3 Night Elves
6.4 The Horde
6.5 Goblins
6.6 Troggs
7 Personality
8 Appearance
9 Classes
9.1 Warrior
9.2 Rogue
9.3 Mage
9.4 Warlock
10 Professions
10.1 Engineering
10.2 Alchemy
10.3 Enchanting
10.4 Blacksmithing, Leatherworking, and Tailoring
10.5 Fishing
10.6 Cooking
10.7 First Aid

HistoryThe origins of gnome kind are unknown. They may be related to dwarves. Gnomes were “discovered” by the dwarves, who invited them to live in Dun Morogh with them. The gnomes built Gnomeregan, a high-tech city in the mountains. The gnomes contributed technology and combatants to the Second War, and were decisive in securing victory. In the Third War, however, they did not help. The other races later found that the gnomes had been fighting to save their city from trogg invaders. Knowing that their allies are busy with the Scourge, they did not ask for help, but valiantly (perhaps foolishly) made their last stand alone. On the advice of his trusted advisor Mekgineer Thermaplugg, the High Tinker Gelbin Mekkatorque ordered that radioactive gas be released. Long story short, Gnomeregan was destroyed. The surviving gnomes now live in Tinker Town, the gnomish district of Ironforge, where they are constantly plotting to retake Gnomeregan.

Tip: Your character did not destroy Gnomeregan. I repeat, your character did not destroy Gnomeregan. If I had a dime for every gnome that claims this… well, I'd fashion the dimes into a weapon to kill them. YOU DIDN'T DESTROY GNOMEREGAN!
Tip: Gnomeregan was lost immediately before the time period of World of Warcraft, so your character would not have aged significantly since then. It's been at most 3 or 4 years. (Thanks, Everett)
SocietyGnomish society is largely unstructured. The gnomes have not had a king for centuries. Instead, the High Tinker is elected.

Gnomes do not have any particular religion. A few acknowledge the Light, and some gnomes believe that, like the dwarves, they trace their orgins to the Titans. However, the majority of gnomes eschew spirituality.

Family life is valued among gnomes, as among other races. However, a gnome does not define himself by his family. When a gnome reaches adulthood, he is expected to have made a name for himself (literally – see Names).

NamesOften, the hardest part of creating a character is selecting a good name. But with gnomes, it's easy! Gnome parents name their children at birth, and the gnome takes on a family name that reflects the accomplishments of an ancestor. At adulthood, however, the gnome's surname is changed to reflect his own accomplishments. Most gnomish names are compounds of two words. Some examples of gnome names:

Springspindle Fizzlegear
Gelbin Mekkatorque
Tally Berryfizz
Fizzlebang Booms
Wizzle Brassbolts
Tip: Although gnomes' last names are more interesting, you should use your character's first name as your in-game name. You can use FlagRSP or MyRoleplay to add your last name.
AgeMost roleplayers overlook their characters' age. Sorry, but you don't get much flexibility here. You need to pick an age for your character and act accordingly. That is, if you're elderly, you're probably not a great fighter, and if you're young, you're probably not very mature. Without further ado, here is the table of ages for gnomes:

Adulthood 40

Middle Age 100

Old Age 150

Lifespan 200




Tip: Gnomes live a long time, much longer than humans, orcs, trolls, and Tauren, but not quite as long as dwarves.
SpeechThe heart of roleplaying is conversation, and it's one of the hardest things to master. I shudder when I hear new roleplayers use antiquated English. Your character probably wouldn't say “I smite thee, foul knave, for thou hast killest my dear father!” Only humans get to talk in fancy English, and even they shouldn't take it that far. Gnomes do not talk like that. Ever.

Gnomes are rational thinkers, so they tend to be very prosaic. They don't use fancy metaphors or figures of speech, just blunt (if sometimes convoluted) declaratory. They're intelligent, so they have rich lexicons. However, they're more than willing to bend the rules to get their point across. Long, crazy-sounding words are common, especially for gadgets. Gnomes are eccentric geniuses, so they tend to ramble. Picture that nerdy friend of yours after you ask a math question – he just goes on and on excitedly, and you can't understand a word. That's a good place to start. When a gnome starts talking about his work, he often gets carried away.

If you're not confident in your mastery of gnomish speech, don't worry. Just speak as you normally would and you'll be fine. Just avoid sounding fancy – that's for humans and people who don't know what they're doing.

Tip: When you're ranting about technology, magic, science, etc., what you say doesn't have to be real science – this is a fantasy game, and gnomes thrive on hyperbole. But astute players should be able to make enough sense of it to respond appropriately. Other gnome players, for example, will probably have their characters pretend to understand perfectly.
DispositionsIt may surprise you to learn that gnomes are extremely friendly and open minded to everyone they encounter. Since gnomes tend to be old, they act as almost parental figures to the other races, especially humans, and are always willing to help. It's very difficult to dislike a gnome!

DwarvesThe gnomes' closest allies, who gave them a place to build Gnomeregan, and now shelter the refugees. Though the dwarves are good engineers themselves, they get most of their better contraptions from the gnomes.

HumansGnomes have fought and died alongside humans, and are happy to participate in the human-led Alliance. Gnomes tend to treat short-lived humans as a primitive people that can benefit from their wisdom – whether they want it or not.

Night ElvesGnomes and night elves have very little in common. Gnomes have no interest in ancient customs, nor in protecting nature. Elves disapprove of technology. Nevertheless, the easygoing gnomes treat elves with kindness and respect.

The HordeGnomes still remember the injuries that orcs did them in the Second War. However, they don't hold grudges. Gnomes have no issues with tauren or with trolls, though they don't identify with their spiritual, shamanistic societies.

GoblinsGnomes and goblins are huge rivals. Sometimes the rivalry is friendly, other times it isn't. As a gnome, your character will have nothing good to say about goblins, and will probably take every opportunity to impugn their ethics and their intellect. However, gnomes are respectful even to goblins.

TroggsGnomes really just don't like troggs. Go figure. The subject of Troggs is often a sensitive one, and Allies are expected to respect this.

Tip: It may be difficult to exhibit in the game, but your gnome probably doesn't have any motivation to fight the Horde, except to help the Alliance.
Tip: Gnomes are friendly to everyone, forgive readily, and rarely hold grudges, so be sure to take that into account when crafting your character's personality. Of course that's not set in stone, but if you want a bitter, angry character, you might be better with a human or elf.
PersonalityObviously, gnomes are brilliant. However, gnomes are not wise. A typical gnome is an engineer who makes ingenious but impractical (probably dangerous) devices. That's what makes gnomes fun to roleplay – they're crazy! You can walk around doing absurd, dangerous things that fit your character perfectly.

Now, gnomes are still shrewd. A gnome will not be taken advantage of, and it's very hard to deceive one. In a match of wits, the gnome always wins. Gnomes make excellent merchants when they apply themselves. It's important to note though, that unlike goblins, gnomes are not greedy; they are utterly selfless and eager to please. If a profit can be had, so much the better.

Gnomes are practical, rational thinkers. Your gnome will probably not be fond of poetry or deep philosophical musing. When a human or elf starts waxing poetic, it would be perfectly acceptable to make a factual observation that completely ruins the moment. Gnomes, like dwarves, are not known for their subtlety or their tact.

Neon of Emerald Dream says: One thing I am cognizant of is that Gnomes love to tinker, and not just with technology. When a Gnome establishes a topic of interest, be it swordsgnomeship, arcane arts, history or even on rare occasions philosophy and religion, they meticulously endeavor to learn everything they can about their preferential topic and simultaneously attempt to advance their field of research through careful modifications to previous assumptions and radical departures from the accepted paradigm.
A note on meta-gaming: Gnomes are very smart, so it's usually fine to assume your character knows things. However, make sure you're consistent with their story – an orphan who was a baby when Gnomeregan fell and grew up wandering the streets probably wouldn't know much about the history of the High Elves. And even if your gnome should be knowledgeable, you will often annoy other players if you seem to know too much. So use moderation.

AppearanceThe number one question on any experienced roleplayer's mind is “what should I wear?” Well, gnomes can be difficult to dress, since most clothes simply don't look good on us. A long, flowing robe ends up looking silly, and gnomes in plate look funny (though cute). As a rule, gnomes should wear brightly colored clothing. Bonus points for matching it with your hair! A typical day-to-day outfit might be overalls (tailors can make a blue pair, or engineers can get the Mechgineer's Overalls in Gnomeregan), goggles, and a wrench. Unfortunately I am not aware of any tool belts in game, but that would be a good idea too. Goggles are a gnomish trademark, so wear them! Of course your dress should mimic your lifestyle. An alchemist might wear a lab coat, and a historian might have a suit and monocle. If you can work in a wizard hat, those look fantastic too.

Gnomes approach fashion as they approach everything – the flashier, the better! When an occasion calls for a certain type of dress, take it to absurd extremes. A strange, attention-getting costume is the norm for gnomes.

A gnome can often be seen with a new contraption. I myself never go out in public without my mechanical squirrel. Exploding sheep are also a fine accessory. All gnomes should ride mechanostriders. If you ride around on a horse, ram, or cat, you are a filthy traitor. That is all.

ClassesWarriorGnome warriors are absolutely uncharacteristic, since warriors tend not to be very intellectual, and gnomes are tiny. But that's what makes them awesome! There is nothing better than a tiny gnome in heavy plate armor smashing something with a gigantic mace. Of course, warriors are not completely absurd for gnomes – someone has to do the fighting, after all. I imagine a gnome would consider combat a science in its own right. There's plenty of room for creativity here, so go for it.

Warrior gnomes could be considered a more recent phenomena, as the recent fall of Gnomeregan sparked an increase of gnome warriors looking to defend and liberate their homeland.

RogueAgain, a physical combat class. But gnomes are actually very well suited to be rogues – they're tiny! Gnomes have exceptional dexterity and sneakiness. They can be subtle when they really want to be. As a gnome rogue, you're perfectly suited to be a pickpocket, a professional safecracker, a spy (with spy gadgets of course!), or a criminal mastermind. Just remember, most gnomes are friendly and honest by nature. If the thought of a nice rogue repulses you, you'll have to justify the change in personality somehow.

Neon of Emerald Dream says: As my uncle always used to say, "all gnomes are rogues at heart." Even if not all of us have mastered the technique of stealth, every Gnome has the capacity to hide in places that no other race can reach, move behind obstacles without detection, and show up when they are least expected.

MageA gnome makes an excellent mage. Mages rely on sheer brilliance, and gnomes have plenty of it. As a gnome mage, your character can prattle endlessly about magic (“when the crystals are aligned parallel to the focus of electromagical potential, the cross-dimensional energy impulses will converge…”). Mages are also nice because size doesn't matter in the slightest, only mental prowess. Think Yoda. Gnomes also delight in blowing things up, so make liberal use of fire.

WarlockAh, the gnome warlock. Could anything be more perfect? Combine an eccentric and prodigiously gifted race with a depraved and corrupting class, and you get a whole lot of fun! A gnome warlock can be absolutely insane. If you want to roleplay an evil genius, be a gnome warlock. A warlock is essentially a corrupted mage. When a magic user is overzealous and goes too far (gee, what race does that sound like?), he becomes addicted to magic, and can be an unwitting pawn to the energies he tried to master. Of course, a gnome warlock doesn't have to be corrupt. In fact, if any race could successfully master summoned demons, the gnomes would do it.

Tip: Warlocks don't have to be evil. In fact, most gnome warlocks are not.
ProfessionsEngineeringGnomes and engineering go together like bread and butter. Engineering should be your first choice of profession for any gnome character. Of course, there's absolutely no reason that you can't roleplay most aspects of engineering, even without being an engineer. You should make liberal use of explosives and gadgets. The more exotic the gadget, the better. Designing and building a weird new contraption is a classic gnome storyline.

Gnome engineers sometimes run into problems with god-moding. Gnomes are brilliant engineers, and can do extraordinary things. There is absolutely no contradiction with Warcraft lore when gnomes make absurd contraptions – look at mechanostriders, death rays, nuclear reactors, giant killer robots. But be careful not to be obnoxious. If you're always producing the perfect device at the perfect time, other players will get annoyed. Now, I must admit I'm guilty of this myself (“Zappie takes out her GnomeTech Shadowmeld-Resistant Night Elf Containment System.” or “A GnomeTech Arcane Nullifier Drone enters and places a reflective shield on Zappie.”). But I'm ok with that. I make it work for my character, and those I play with know what to expect, and not to take me too seriously. Gnomes are fun, after all! Just be warned.

AlchemyAlso a good choice, since it's a science. Gnomes should treat alchemy more like chemistry, whereas elves would probably treat it as a more magical art. A gnome will probably ramble about alchemy just as he'd rave about engineering or magic (“If I can procure a sample of partially deionized arcanite extract, it will nullify the ascorbic viscosity of the moonberry juice!”). Alchemy goes well with the mad scientist motif. Jeckel and Hyde anyone?

EnchantingAnother very gnomish profession. Gnomes are experts with magic, and so they make brilliant enchanters. I would predict that enchanting has less creative potential than engineering or alchemy for roleplaying, but it's certainly a viable choice.

Blacksmithing, Leatherworking, and TailoringThese are not gnomish specialties. Gnomes are good at them of course, because they're skilled artisans in general. You can absolutely roleplay a professional tailor or a skilled smith, and do so with plenty of success. They're just less common choices for gnomes.

FishingI have nothing to say about gnomes and fishing, except that you should be careful not to get caught on a fish hook.

CookingGnomes approach cooking much like they approach engineering. They're constantly trying new and strange things. At gnome parties, each guest brings a dish to share, and they all try to outdo each other. There are inevitably some absurd dishes. That is of course enormously fun for roleplayers!

First AidGnomes are very good with first aid, since they're constantly injuring themselves.

Tip: Gnomes are the only race in the game that can't play healers. From a roleplaying perspective, gnomes practice medicine as a science, rather than using magical or spiritual healing.

I hope this guide has been helpful providing the basics of gnome roleplay. Gnomes are great because to play them successfully, all you have to do is have fun! And that's what roleplay is truly about.

(origin: http://www.wowpedia.org/User:Zappie/Zapp...omes#Names)

This Guide is not made by me but i find it usefull and would like to have it moved to the Articles & Guides forum.
Mabra Dragonbasher- A battle hungry dwarven lady, hirable for personal protection and for larger tasks requiring violence.
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#2
Hrr, a very interesting guide to be sure!
I just thought I'd throw in that due to their easy-going and cheerful mentality, arcane corruption works unusually slowly at Gnomish Magic-Users, in comparison to the other races. The Gnomish Mind simply does'nt have the same potential for pride and arrogancy as, say, a Human Mind.
Hogral Coalbeard - Impulsive Explorer
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#3
... It makes me went to create a Gnome warlock. SO. BADLY.

<3 Zappie! This guide is fantastic!
"I am more afraid of one hundred sheep led by a lion than one hundred lions led by a sheep."
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#4
Awesome find Roobald! Tell us when you're going to start your first wild contraption.
[Image: Signature.png]
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#5
Yeah, this guide is really something worth learning from!
Reply
#6
I'll move this to the Articles forum as soon as it's cleaned up and formatted better! Currently, it's rather messy after the port.
Reply
#7
And please, don't ask for something to be transferred to the A&G in the subject. It's rather rude.
[Image: Q1-1.png]

"We are here on earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different."
~Kurt Vonnegut
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#8
Ooh, sorry. Wont happen again troll miss!

Don't eat me!
Mabra Dragonbasher- A battle hungry dwarven lady, hirable for personal protection and for larger tasks requiring violence.
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