Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

(Nancy Kaufman) #1

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On the world of Krynn
in the Dragonlance setting, rock

gnomes take invention
to extreme heights and are known

for being purveyors
of madcap mayhem. Despite losing

body parts
or gaining scars from various accidents, noth-

ing stops
the tinker gnomes' insatiable quest to experi-

ment
and discover.

Go Big or Co Home. The
creations of tinker gnomes

range from the ridicu
lous to the dangerous. They love to

push the art of invention
beyond its limits, and to explore

the instability of volatile materials. They
cackle with glee

after an ear-splitting bang, and jump
and cavort amid

lethal sprays of lightning. Though
it might be bizarre and

unusual,
a working tinker gnome creation is a rare
thing,

and highly prized. Such inventions include the
following:


  • A chain-driven tomato smasher
    that is also able to fly


  • A lightning-powered portable rat-zapper- good for
    keep-




ing out the vermin


  • A floating metal facsimile of a beholder,
    complete with


disintegrating
eye rays


  • A flock of
    exploding parrots


Fail Often, Fail Happy. These inventors
are delighted

by every explosion,
every melted mess, and every heap of

smoking wreckage.
Failure is part of the eventual solution

and something
to be celebrated. A truly epic failure might

be
cause for a great celebrat ion in the community.

per imentation and discovery.
Even though rock gnomes

appre
ciate the practical aspects of their endeavors,

they
also find satisfaction in creating items that
have no

true usefulness. Many an
inve ntion is celebrated just

for being beautiful to beho
ld or for be ing complex and

intricate in its const
ruction, and the a rtists who create

such things are as esteemed as those who
specialize in

designing tools.

Exploration is a par t of invention , as
the gnomes see

it, so there's nothing wrong with creating
machines and

CHAPTER 5 I llAU'LINGS
AND GNOMES

artifacts that seem to
have no purpose. The gnomes who

produce these works of art are using new
ideas and new

approaches, breaking through old boundaries
and ad-

vancing the frontier of knowledge. Fo
r instance, an art-

ist might create a beautiful articulated
sculpture whose

pieces can be manipulated in a unique
way. Another

artisan might take that idea and
apply it to a new form of

invention- but no one forgets that
it was the artist's idea

that blazed the trail for that journey.

ALCHEMISTS

Rock gnome alchemists
explore the nature of minerals

and chemicals, curious
to see what happens when they

mix cer tain substances
with other compounds or with

raw magic. Most alchemists
, even those who busy them-

selves with experimentation
and new ideas, can produce

a number of useful
substances, such as alchemist's fire,

antitoxin, super slippery goo, stone melting
compound,

stirge repellent, and glow-in-the-dark
paint.

ARTIFICERS

Rock gnome artificers construct
exquisitely tooled and

enameled pieces of machinery
, often weaving magical

properties into their work.
Artificers often develop a rep-

utation for a par ticular style
and type of work. For exam-

p le, a friendly
gnome artificer might create lovable
me-

chanical pets and companions,
while a grumpy gnome

might make snapping critter
constructs with sharp teeth

and claws. Gnome artificers
can become famous, with

their works highly sought after by nobles
, wizards, and

other collectors.

An artificer's inventions might include
items such as a

lock box that opens with a verbal command
or a series

of gestures, a clockwo
rk critter designed to respond to

simple comman
ds, or a common magic item (such as

those introduced in Xanathar's
Guide to Everything).

TUNNEL
VISION

When
they are at work, rock gnomes hole up
in their

workshops
with "Do Not Disturb" signs hung
on the

door.
It isn't uncommon for gnomes who are
working on

their projects to spend
most of their time in seclusion,

and even when they
emerge (for meals or othe r reasons),

they are often deep in thought and oblivious
of their

surroundings. In the safety of the burrow,
they seldom

come to harm because of this vulnerability.
But even

city-dwelling gnomes can fall prey
to this sor t of obses-

sion as they
pursue their projects, and in such cases

it's much safe
r for them to stay in their homes, since
a

gnome wandering the streets deep
in thought is liable to

walk into a moat or be run over
by a wagon.

FOR
EST GNOMES

As the companions
of nature and its animals, forest

gnomes
learn from their surroundings as if from a
mas-

ter teache
r. They evade incursions into their wood
ed

realm by great numbers of
humans and other races, but

they a id individuals and small
groups whom they deem

worthy of their help. They
create lovely gardens, organic

sculptures,
and wondrous emerald jewelry-
that pre-

cious
green stone being their favorite of all
gems.
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