Gnomes
gnome.png

History

Gnomes are master craftsmen, far more so than any other race. They are short and often bearded, although other than size their bodies are similar to those of the humans. Some believe the Gnomes to be humans who have evolved into smaller beings, as a result of spending generations underground digging in mines, although it is unwise to make such a claim to the face of a Gnome.

Rather than land, the Gnomes favor underground fortresses, linked with cave systems where they ensure a water supply, an air supply and food supply without the requirements that the "surface dwellers" have, such as sunlight or arable land. These fortresses are raised and constantly expanded, as each Gnome must spend at least ten years of his or her life serving the fortress before entering adulthood. Within these vast fortresses, the Gnomes not only go about trying to survive, but they also spend their lives trying to become better craftsmen in various areas, such as metalworking or stonework (as they call those who work with crystals). Living up to 400 years before they perish, their craftsmanship is honed to perfection and armor or weapons crafted by them have no equal amongst the other races. Because of their underground cave systems, they are also ensured a fairly steady supply of crystals.

The Gnome society is a mix of feudalism and democracy, with a Low King at the very top of the hierarchy. The Low King dictates who is to control various fortresses by appointing barons to rule them. Meanwhile, the Low King is himself (or herself) elected through a public vote where all Gnomes of adulthood participate and the Low King sits on the throne until dead.

Given their ability to thrive without access to surface resources, one would imagine that the Gnomes would have been fairly successful at establishing a power base before the Cataclysm. The Gnomes, sadly, have a tendency to get drawn into lengthy wars, not to mention their fortresses that constantly come under attack, particularly from the Greenskin. The reason the Gnomes get involved in such lengthy conflicts is mainly because of the fundamental pillar in Gnome culture: honor. After every battle, each slight to a Gnome's honor is written down and stored in great tomes. These tomes, called Grudgebooks, are held inside the fortresses of the Gnomes and it is the duty of all members of the hold to ensure that the grudges are "cleared", by bringing the offender to "justice". Of course, all conflicts merely add more grudges, and thus the Gnomes are locked by their honor in an ever-increasing spiral of violence and death.

The Gnomes caught somewhat of a break during the Cataclysm, even though practically all of their fortresses were destroyed by shifting earth. The Gnomes themselves were at the time occupied with raids on nearby Goblin settlements and thus above ground. With the loss of their fortresses, so too were their Grudgebooks destroyed. This led to long discussions held by the surviving Gnomes. The fact that the grudges were written down ensured their authenticity. Did this mean that without the books the Gnomes were now honorless? Or was it, as others claimed, that the many small grudges had simply been replaced by the greatest grudge of all – a grudge against those who caused the Cataclysm? Regardless of what the elders argued, the fact is that the Gnomes came away from the Cataclysm relatively unscathed and had time to rebuild a few fortresses before the other races realized their weakness when not defending their keeps. In addition, the Gnomes had by luck managed to save their most important resource of all – the skill of the gnomish smiths and stoneworkers.

Faction Strengths/Weaknesses

Strengths

Earthbond Each Earth Shard power will produce 1 Material in the connected city.

In addition, each Earth shard power will produce one extra mana per turn. This bonus is still affected by the Anti-magic faction ability, making it 0.75 by default.
Great Fortresses All units defending a city gain +10% to their Defenses per city level.

Gnomes build extra-strong "Hedge Walls" and Forts, requiring half the production to complete and granting an extra +5/+10 Spell Resist to defenders
Great Hammers Unlocks the War Club, which has a higher attack against Men and Fallen, the Battle Hammer which has a higher attack than a Warhammer and the Sledge, a Maul that can be wielded one-handed.
Crossbows Faction replaces standard bows with Crossbows. Crossbows penetrate armor, but are even slower to fire.
Light Plate This faction crafts Light Plate Mail instead of Chainmail at the Armor technology. Light Plate has a better defense but is heavier than Chainmail
Magma Forge All Magma Forges produce +1 Growth in the connected city.

Weaknesses

Rude All trades by this faction are perceived as having a 20% lower value.

In addition, all income of Influence is reduced by 50%
Anti-magic All mana income from shrines and other buildings is reduced by 25%.

In addition, Gnomes may not build any improvements on Life Shards and must raze any they capture.
No Death Forge This faction may not build or benefit from Death Forges

Bloodline

Bloodlines apply to all units of this race.

UnitstatIcon.png Blood: Gnome +10 Carrying Capacity. +20 Spell Resistance. Mana cost for tactical spells are increased by 25%. Offensive spells cast by a Gnome deals 25% less damage.

Gnomes hate all Greenskin and receive a +10 Accuracy bonus when attacking any unit with race: Greenskin. Gnomes suffer -10 Resistance to physical attacks from all Oversized enemies, unless the Gnome also counts as Oversized.

Gnomes count as:
Humanoid
Different Genders

Gnome Champions may not pursue the Path of the Mage. Gnome Champions may not learn the following spelltraits: Life3, Life4 or Life5.

Special Traits for Unit Designs

These traits are exclusive to this faction and can be used for their Unit Designs.

Trait Cost Effect
Rune:Fire 10HourGlass_Icon.png
1Icon_Crystal.png
+1 Fire attack, +0.5 Fire Attack per level.

This trait costs 1 Crystal per unit member. It cannot be selected at the same time as any other Rune trait.
Rune:Cold 10HourGlass_Icon.png
1Icon_Crystal.png
+1 Cold attack, +0.5 Cold Attack per level.

This trait costs 1 Crystal per unit member. It cannot be selected at the same time as any other Rune trait.
Rune:Lightning 10HourGlass_Icon.png
1Icon_Crystal.png
+0.5 Lightning Attack per level.

This trait costs 1 Crystal per unit member. It cannot be selected at the same time as any other Rune trait.
Rune:Protection 10HourGlass_Icon.png
1Icon_Crystal.png
Unit gains +15 Resistance to magical attacks (Fire, Cold, Lightning, Poison, Arcane).

This trait costs 1 Crystal per unit member. It cannot be selected at the same time as any other Rune trait.
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