Gnome

Overview

Gnomes are small humanoids whose bodies and cultures are unusually sensitive to magical residue. In present ELDRA, they are central to archives, education, trade coordination, magical research, and the patient work of keeping records honest. Their dominant religious and philosophical traditions focus on magical resonance and accurate memory.

Appearance

Gnomes are small humanoids with expressive features. Their connection to magic may appear as subtle glows, flickering sigils, hair that reacts to spellcasting, or small distortions around the hands and eyes when Arcane Resonance is active.

Age and Lifespan

Gnomes usually live 120–180 years. They mature physically only a little more slowly than humans, but gnomish institutions often treat intellectual adulthood as a separate matter. A gnome may be considered socially adult after completing a first public work: a thesis, invention, archive correction, expedition record, spell model, or sworn service to an academy or community.

Culture and Religion

Gnome culture is defined by curiosity, adaptability, and an intimate relationship with magic. Unlike other peoples that seek to control or endure arcane forces, Gnomes accept instability as a natural state. Magical anomalies, unintended outcomes, and unpredictable resonance are treated as opportunities rather than threats.

Gnomes value experimentation and personal insight over rigid tradition. Knowledge is shared freely, debated openly, and constantly revised. While this leads to rapid innovation, it also results in fragmented communities where individual focus often outweighs collective identity. Long-term planning is rare; improvisation is expected.

Socially, Gnomes are expressive, inquisitive, and difficult to intimidate. They tend to approach danger with analysis rather than fear, sometimes underestimating risks that other peoples would treat cautiously. While physically unassuming, Gnomes are rarely ignored for long, especially once magic enters the conversation.

The Twin Wisdom. The religious tradition of the gnomes is the Twin Wisdom, which venerates two complementary principles. The Resonance is the magical flow that defines gnomes as a people, a pantheistic principle that gnomes experience directly through their natural Arcane Resonance ability. The Recovered Word is the principle of correct remembering and accurate documentation, the sacred work of preserving truth against the world’s tendency to forget. Most gnomes practice both principles, with Arcane Gnomes typically leaning toward the Resonance and Spellblade Gnomes typically leaning toward the Recovered Word.

The Twin Wisdom has no central authority. The tradition is organised through scholarly societies (the Resonance Halls and the Houses of the Word) and through apprenticeship lineages. Senior practitioners are recognised as Resonant Masters or Word-Keepers, depending on their primary emphasis. The tradition has close institutional cooperation with the High Elf Crafted Word faith, and many High Elves are formally recognised in gnomish institutions.

People-Specific Traits

When creating a Gnome, choose exactly one lineage: Arcane Gnome or Spellblade Gnome. This choice is permanent unless the GM explicitly approves a story-driven change.

All gnomes share the following trait:

• Arcane Resonance – Gnomes instinctively absorb residual magic, storing it as unstable arcane energy.

Arcane Resonance

Gnomes generate and store Resonance Charges (RC).

• Maximum Resonance Charges = 2 x Magic skill level.

• All Resonance Charges are lost when your Physical Stress Pool is reduced to 0.

Generating Resonance. A gnome gains 1 Resonance Charge when one of the following occurs, maximum once per turn:

• They successfully cast a spell.

• They successfully defend against a magical or elemental effect.

• A spell is cast within 4 meters of them, regardless of source.

Using Resonance. A gnome may spend Resonance Charges up to their Magic skill level per turn to fuel People-specific abilities, stunts, or lineage features.

Arcane Gnome

Arcane Gnomes dedicate themselves to magical theory, resonance control, ritual precision, and the study of spell structure.

Arcane Gnome Traits

• Small Frame – Arcane Gnomes suffer a -1 penalty to Might and Fortitude but gain a +1 bonus to Magic.

• Resonant Focus – Spending 1 RC, when casting a spell, an Arcane Gnome may treat the spell as if it were cast with +1 bonus for non-damaging spells.

• Arcane Stability – Spending 1 RC, Arcane Gnomes gain +1 on spell-related defend rolls.

• Ley Sense – Spending 1 RC, Arcane Gnomes gain +2 to Perception or Lore checks.

• Resonant Consequence – If an Arcane Gnome’s Physical Stress Pool is reduced to 0 by an opponent, all remaining Resonance Charges are dealt to that opponent as Radiant damage.

Spellblade Gnome

Spellblade Gnomes express magical insight through action: the right movement, the right strike, the right decision made before instability becomes disaster.

Spellblade Gnome Traits

• Light-Built Combatant – Spellblade Gnomes suffer a -1 penalty to Might and Fortitude. They may wield melee or ranged weapons with a Might requirement of 2 or lower without penalty and deal +1d4 damage, regardless of their actual Might. They also gain +1 to Stride.

• Arcane Footwork – Once per turn, when a Spellblade Gnome spends at least 1 Resonance Charge, they may immediately move up to their move speed without provoking opportunity attacks for 1 AP.

• Resonant Strike – Once per turn, when a Spellblade Gnome hits with a weapon attack, they may spend 1 Resonance Charge to change the damage type to elemental. This does not alter the damage calculation, only the damage type.

• Spellwoven Reflexes – Spellblade Gnomes gain +1 to defend rolls against opportunity attacks and reactions triggered by movement.

• Resonance Exhaustion – If a Spellblade Gnome begins their turn with 0 Resonance Charges, they immediately generate 1 Resonance Charge. This charge may only be spent on Arcane Footwork or Resonant Strike.