Tall gnomes

[Jeff the Green]

Are there any subraces of gnome that are especially tall, like tallfellow halflings? I'm looking for my changeling who's 5'3", meaning she can shrink to 4'3" or grow to 6'3". Most other races are within that range.

[Greenish]

Whisper gnomes are mentioned to be somewhat taller than regular gnomes, from 3 1/2 to 4 ft. tall.

They're still in the Small size category, but it seems you have some houserules on that.

[Jeff the Green]

They're still in the Small size category, but it seems you have some houserules on that.

Not really. My changeling remains medium. If you go by their height tallfellows should be medium too.

[Palanan]

Not sure if I see the problem. Most people, and certainly most NPCs in a game, won't be going around with a measuring stick looking to verify your gnome's actual height. Why not just present yourself as a gnome who happens to be a little taller than most?

[Extra Anchovies]

Not sure if I see the problem. Most people, and certainly most NPCs in a game, won't be going around with a measuring stick looking to verify your gnome's actual height. Why not just present yourself as a gnome who happens to be a little taller than most?

Maybe the changeling could wear shoes that look like platform shoes, but aren't actually platform shoes, and then get offended when anyone asks why they're wearing the shoes?

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Extra Anchovies
Maybe the changeling could wear shoes that look like platform shoes, but aren't actually platform shoes, and then get offended when anyone asks why they're wearing the shoes?

You know, I was thinking almost exactly the same thing.

Let the changeling wear obvious platform boots, a tall hat and clothing with vertical stripes. People will be so busy assuming she's a gnome with height issues they won't notice she really is a bit taller.

:smalltongue:

[Extra Anchovies]

You know, I was thinking almost exactly the same thing.

Let the changeling wear obvious platform boots, a tall hat and clothing with vertical stripes. People will be so busy assuming she's a gnome with height issues they won't notice she really is a bit taller.

:smalltongue:

Wait! Maybe the tall hat can save this entirely! Make the changeling of regular height for a gnome, but add a cone pointing up from the top of their head to keep them at a minimum body height of 4'3", and then wear a very tall hat to cover the cone! It would look something like this:

http://site.gnomefrenzy.com/images/aarons_wg46_full.jpg
That red hat isn't empty, you know. For added fun, make the height extension into a vestigial eyestalk so people just think you're half-farspawn if the hat falls off.

[Phelix-Mu]

Not really a solution, but in my game I ratcheted up the size of gnomes and halflings a bit, and bumped dwarves up a bit less, and elves towards humans. As written, gnomes and halflings are so small that they are even shorter than kids half the time, which is dumb and strains believability. If a race is consistently 6" below another race, that is plenty in my book, especially to the minds of humans, who start noticing these discrepancies even sooner.

Halflings end up around 4" I think, and gnomes a bit less. Anything under three feet (forest gnome, I'm looking at you) is really hard to believe as being anything other than a fairy.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Phelix-Mu
Halflings end up around 4" I think....

Four feet is at the upper end of what Tolkien gave for hobbits, although apparently they varied quite a bit:


"Their height is variable, ranging between two and four feet of our measure. They seldom now reach three feet; but they have dwindled, they say, and in ancient days they were taller...."

So, you have ancient heroic Tolkien-style halflings. :smalltongue:

[tadkins]

Being a tall gnome kind of defeats the purpose!

[Phelix-Mu]

Four feet is at the upper end of what Tolkien gave for hobbits, although apparently they varied quite a bit:


"Their height is variable, ranging between two and four feet of our measure. They seldom now reach three feet; but they have dwindled, they say, and in ancient days they were taller...."

So, you have ancient heroic Tolkien-style halflings. :smalltongue:

Well, I just didn't want to be stating up 3' tall creatures as strong as the average human. It just...it pretty much is the bleeding edge of my ability to tolerate the fantastic, right there. I like fantasy, but I like things like a token nod to physics, even if it is pidgin, horribly mutilated physics. Toddlers with toddler-sized greatswords (or any other kind of weapon) is just weird.

Anyway, as I said, I think you can substantially condense and move upward the range of demihuman average heights without losing the general narrative effect "halflings are very short." Even a four foot average is VERY short by human standards. And it leaves a bit of room below for gnomes, some of which, as I noted, were straying into pixie territory.

[Chaosvii7]

I like to believe that height is actually mechanically insignificant and that you can be small-sized but the height of a person. Elementals in my games don't look like the blobs they usually do, they look a lot more humanoid and their "size increase" is an aura of their elemental energy that they envelop themselves in.

It's more thematic than anything. As long as people aren't trying to con a free size increase or decrease, then really any height and weight are acceptable to me.

[weckar]

I'm pretty sure the OP is just looking for a shapeshift target, not to appear like one permanently.

[Jeff the Green]

I'm pretty sure the OP is just looking for a shapeshift target, not to appear like one permanently.

Basically. For backstory reasons she needs to have passed as a gnome, which is much more plausible if a 4-foot gnome weren't roughly equivalent to an 8-foot tall human. Yes, they technically exist. Doesn't mean peoples' first reaction won't be to scream 'Photoshop' 'disguise self'.

[Honest Tiefling]

What setting? In some settings, gnomes are pretty fey-like, so I imagine a few throwbacks to a fey ancestor is the equivalent of Jotunbrud, or humans with a tinge of elven blood in some places. This would also serve to excuse any other peculiarities that might crop up, as you simply look a bit like great-great-great-great grandma.

Actually, are elves and gnomes compatible? Both live in forests, so one might imagine that they might be comparably common as elf/human hybrids.