PEACH: Combining Gnome and Halfling

[Stegyre]

I neither need nor want two such races (gnome and halfling) in my campaign setting, but as each has characteristics that I think are appropriate, I'm trying to combine them. What think ye of the following, compared to the standard gnome or halfling (to be called gnomes -- we're giving the Tolkein estate the day off; and forgive me some houserule skill changes that should be obvious):

• +2 Dexterity, –2 Strength.
• Small size.
• Base land speed is 20 feet.
• Low-Light Vision.
• Weapon Familiarity: Gnomes with Weapon Group (picks and hammers) are also proficient with gnome hooked hammers.
• +4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the giant type.
• +2 racial bonus on Craft (alchemy) checks.
• +2 racial bonus on Recon checks to hear something.
• +2 racial bonus on Climb, Jump, and Stealth checks.
• +1 racial bonus on all saving throws.
• Automatic Languages: Common and Runic.
• Spell-Like Ability: 1/day—speak with animals (burrowing mammal only, duration 1 minute).

[awa]

its certainly not over powered. stronger than a half orc weaker than a dwarf its solidly in the 0 la range.

[Morph Bark]

Explain what Recon checks are, please?

[Stegyre]

Explain what Recon checks are, please?

Spot and Listen, combined, somewhat like Pathfinder's Perception skill, except that it does not also subsume d20's Search skill.

@Awa: thanks for the feedback. "Solidly in the 0 la range" is exactly what I'm aiming for.

Related topic (i.e., race adjustments): Half-elves -- how about giving them +1 skill point/level (like human) and allowing them to qualify as elf or human (whichever is better, for the situation) for purposes of feats, classes, PrCs, etc.?

Again, I'm aiming for "solidly in the 0 la range," this time, with a race that (by RAW) is regarded as rather weak.

[awa]

the count as elves or humans thing i would make it so they they count as elves and humans. What i mean is they would qualify for elf only or human only feats and such but they would also be vulnerable to elf or human bane weapons and so on.

a half elf with bonus skills is a good deal stronger but i still feel it falls into the range I set before less than a dwarf more than a half orc just a lot closer to the dwarf.

[Stegyre]

What i mean is . . . they would also be vulnerable to elf or human bane weapons and so on.

That's creating a new vulnerability. I did not think the benefits I was adding merited that sort of counterbalance.

The way I'm perceiving it, a half-elf is "enough like an [elf/human]" to qualify for the good thing ("Yes, you can be a Chameleon"), but not so much to incur the bad things (unless the apply to both elves and humans). So an attacking Ranger would not get a favored enemy bonus if he had only favored enemy (elf) or favored enemy (human), but he would if he had both.

I don't have a logical distinction for why he's elf-enough for the good but not the bad, but the issue here is racial balancing to fix a weak race, not logic.

[awa]

giving them the skill boost should even that out though.