Gnomes that might be tolerable.

[TheAuldGrump]

My view of Gnomes (or, in this case, Nomes) was forever shaped by L. Frank Baum. The Nome king was the closest that the Oz books ever came to a recurring villain - greedy, treacherous, cowardly, and with plans of world domination... in other words, a Mastermind.

The Auld Grump

Thanks. I've been thinking for awhile, "I'd really like to reerad the oz books I haven't read in 25 years, but I don't own the books anymore." and poof -- you lead me to the entire series.  I've already reread the first two books. I'm very happy now.

Heh, glad to help.

I had much the same reaction when I found the site. Now if I can find the Ruth Plumly Thompson Oz books....

The Auld Grump, who still reads children's books.

[Toccata]

Here's my take on one of my favorite variations of gnomes. I just love the idea of a gnome society where secret brotherhoods, cryptography, investigative journalism, espionage, and so on, are elevated to the level of a national pastime.

Rose People
<Flavor Text>
Prerequisites: Career Level 1 only, Gnome
Benefit: Cultures is always a class skill for you. Your Career level is considered to be 3 higher when meeting the prerequisites of any Tradecraft feat. Further, Snoop becomes a favored class for you. Finally, you gain a +2 insight bonus with all skill and Knowledge checks made using Analysis and your base threat range with Analysis becomes 19-20.
Special: This feat may be used to meet the prerequisites of Advanced Skill feats that have "any 1 Basic Skill feat" as a prerequisite.

Rose Watchman
<Flavor Text>
Prerequisites: Career Level 3+, Rose People
Benefit: You gain 1 Science focus or forte and 2 Cultures focuses or fortes. Further, the skill benefits of your Rose People feat also apply to your Sense Motive skill.

Impressions? Suggestions?

[Bill Whitmore]

Further, Snoop becomes a class skill for you.

Snoop isn't a class skill, but judging by the rest of the feat I am assuming you are referring to Analysis.

Special: This feat may be used to meet the prerequisites of Advanced Skill feats that have "any 1 Basic Skill feat" as a prerequisite.

I am concerned how this works with Advanced Skill Mastery.  Does it actually count as a Basic Skill Feat that can be selected with this feat, or does it only unlock the feats, without itself being a Basic Skill Feat?

If you can select it as a Basic Skill Feat for Advanced Skill Mastery, do you then get a +3 insight bonus and 18-20 threat range with both Cultures and Analysis, or just with Analysis.  Or you could go really weird as the Advanced Skill Mastery wording indicates that you increase the bonus provided to +3 and all listed skills have an 18-20 threat range.  If you do it that way, Cultures has no insight bonus, but gets an 18-20 threat range but analysis increases to a +3 insight bonus with an 18-20 threat range.

Also, it is possible future feats may have a prerequisite that is "Any 2 Basic Skill Feats" or the like.

For these two reasons, I would reword it as follows.

Special: Though this feat is not considered a Basic Skill feat, it may be counted as a Basic Skill feat when checking prerequisites for Advanced Skill feats.



Alternatively, try this:

Rose People
<Flavor Text>
Prerequisites: Career Level 1 only, Gnome
Benefit: Your Career level is considered to be 3 higher when meeting the prerequisites of any Tradecraft feat.  Further, Analysis and Culture are always considered class skills and you gain a +1 to your threat range when making checks with these skills.

By dropping the insight bonus and changing the threat range to a bonus instead of a set range, this feat will stack with, rather than overlap, existing skill feats and still allow them to shine with these skills, since gnomes can get 1 better on threat ranges than anyone else.  Also, I dropped the special for this for balance reasons and because most Advanced Skill feats affect the insight bonus that isn't there anymore.

Thematically, this means gnomes don't really have better bonuses than most people, just that they have more "EUREKA!" moments (called critical successes) than most.

The Rose Watchman feat would work exactly as written, even with these change, except now it would enjoy the "always class skill" and "+1 threat range" bonuses instead of an insight bonus on Sense Motive.

[Toccata]

The snoop thing was actually a typo. Should have been "Further, Snoop becomes a favored class for you." (fixed in the original now). Thanks for catching it.

And the "Special" section is following the lead of several other species feats from the Origin of the Species: Classic Fantasy. I think there's a bit of discussion on the subject in the Origin of the Species sub-forum. *Edit* Maybe that was on the old forum. I can't find it now.

[Toccata]

This next pair I had to struggle with so they wouldn't be "Dwarves, only not actually".

Ah, deep gnomes.

Mold People
<Flavor Text>
Prerequisites: Career Level 1 only, Gnome
Benefit: You gain the light sensitivity, shadow-vision, and unnerving I NPC qualities. Further, Intruder becomes a favored class for you. Finally, you gain Tracking Basics as a virtual feat while in any cavern or underground terrain. However, the disposition toward you of any character who doesn’t share your native culture and is aware of your Talent worsens by 1 grade.

Mold Defender
<Flavor Text>
Prerequisites: Career Level 3+, Mold People
Benefit:  Your Dexterity and Wisdom scores each rise by 1. Further, you gain Tracking Mastery as a virtual feat while in any cavern or underground terrain.


And the requisite High Magic favored class feat:

Lore of the Roots
You are privy the ancient secrets of the trees and plants.
Prerequisites: Gnome, high magic campaign quality.
Benefit: You may substitute your Wisdom bonus for your Intelligence bonus when making Profession/Spellcasting checks a number of times per scene equal to your starting action dice. Further, you may choose the Enchanter, Seer, Summoner, or Trickster class. The chosen class becomes a favored class for you.

[Aldus Vertten]

Lore of the Roots

For a moment i tought it was Lore of The ROBOTS   

[Toccata]

 

I think I'll be doing the Tinker variety next.

Though I can't think of a plant to go with the name...might have to break the name-scheme for that one.

[Bill Whitmore]

If you are looking for something to tie "tinkerers" and "plants" together, I would suggest you look here for inspiration.  Even if you aren't trying to link "tinkerers" with "plants", I would still suggest looking there.  I have been to that park several times (since it is about 15 minutes from where I live).  The rides are sub-par (unless you are in the neighborhood of 12 years old), but the gardens there are awesome.

[Toccata]

If you are looking for something to tie "tinkerers" and "plants" together, I would suggest you look here for inspiration.  Even if you aren't trying to link "tinkerers" with "plants", I would still suggest looking there.  I have been to that park several times (since it is about 15 minutes from where I live).  The rides are sub-par (unless you are in the neighborhood of 12 years old), but the gardens there are awesome.

Ah yes, I've seen that place on the Travel Channel before. Pretty cool.
I was just trying to think of a plant to use in the names of the feats for tinker gnomes. My one biggest weakness when it comes to creative stuff is coming up with names.

[Toccata]

Well, after having been distracted for quite a while by various things, I got back on this.

Here's the ol' tinkerers:


Peat People
<Flavor Text>
Prerequisites: Career Level 1 only, Gnome
Benefit: Your Intelligence score rises by 2, but your Strength score drops by 2. Further, Sage becomes a favored class for you. Finally, you gain a +2 insight bonus with all skill and Knowledge checks made using Science and your base threat range with Science becomes 19–20.
Special: This feat may be used to meet the prerequisites of Advanced Skill feats that have “any 1 Basic Skill feat” as a prerequisite.

Peat Foreman
<Flavor Text>
Prerequisites: Career Level 3+, Peat People
Benefit: You gain 3 additional reserve common items at the beginning of each mission, these do not count towards your normal limit. Further, the skill benefits of your Peat People feat also apply to your Mechanics skill.

I tried to make sure they have a nice synergy with Inventor.

Edit: Tweaked the Gnome talent and Moss Guardian attribute modifiers (edited in original posts). I'm planning on two more feat trees at this time, Pine and Sundew.
Edit2: Fixed the virtual feat granted by Mold Defender

[Toccata]

One more down, and one to go.

Pine People
<Flavor Text>
Prerequisites: Career Level 1 only, Gnome, Edged proficiency, Science (Engineering) focus
Benefit: Survival is always a class skill for you. Further, Captain becomes a favored class for you. Finally, you gain a +2 insight bonus with all skill and Knowledge checks made using Survival and your base threat range with Survival becomes 19–20.
Special: This feat may be used to meet the prerequisites of Advanced Skill feats that have “any 1 Basic Skill feat” as a prerequisite.

Pine Sentinel
<Flavor Text>
Prerequisites: Career Level 3+, Pine People
Benefit: You do not suffer temporary constitution damage from failed Fortitude saves prompted by Cold damage. Further, you gain the camouflaged (arctic) NPC quality and take exactly 1 point per die instead of rolling when suffering subdual damage from any Athletics/Forced March check. Finally, the skill benefits of your Pine People feat also apply to your Science skill.

[Toccata]

I think these nasty buggers turned out pretty well.

Sundew People
<Flavor Text>
Prerequisites: Career Level 1 only, Gnome
Benefit: You gain the fey NPC quality and your starting action dice is added to your Constitution when determining how long you can hold your breath. Further, Assassin becomes a favored class for you. Finally, you gain Ghost Basics as a virtual feat while in any swamp, jungle, or aquatic terrain. However, the disposition toward you of any character who doesn’t share your native culture and is aware of your Talent worsens by 2 grades.

Sundew Observer
<Flavor Text>
Prerequisites: Career Level 3+, Sundew People
Benefit: You gain the augmented (flashlight) and shadow-vision NPC qualities. Further, you gain Ghost Mastery as a virtual feat while in any swamp, jungle, or aquatic terrain.

[Krensky]

Flashlight?

[Toccata]

Flashlight?

I was basing my idea for the Sundew feats on some of the crossover between the legends surrounding gnomes (and similar entities) and will-o-wisps, and it seemed more elegant than "you can choose to emit light equivalent to a fire of <blah> size." When I make up the flavor text for them before I use them in any games, I'm planning on putting some kind of reference to it there.

[Krensky]

You might also consider augmented (glowstick), but both seem somehow... kludge-like.

Depending on the tools we're given in FC, letting them cast Dancing lights once a scene. I'm not sure how to price that last one (which is what I think you're really going for and it was D&D's solution to that design goal). I suspect augmented (gadget to cast a 0 level spell once a scene) will be the solution, but it depends on the caliber.