A fanbook. Gnomish army list. final pdf 11.03.11

[Baardah]

Here is a Ruleset i've bin working on for a gnomish army. C&C most welcome. I havent gotten far on the magic items bit but everything else is about done. it migth need alot of tweaks though and maybe some playtesting if someone would like to help out

see last post for armylist pdf

[Knight Errant]

Pretty cool. Did you create all the art yourself?

[Baardah]

No not all. Some is stolen from whfrp book. 1 st Ed. Oop one.

[Jellitin]

I have a few questions...
For one, why can a Lord choice only take as many points worth of magic weapons as a hero choice? (Master Mechanic/Mechanic)
What are these tinkertrinkets that keep being mentioned?
What is the statline for the Halfling captain?
What are you using for models for this?
I have to say, this is really creative, and I like the Alchemist set-up. When I saw them I almost flipped out, as they are related to dwarfs, but the potions idea is pretty fabulous. I like the tunnelfighter's ability to take sapper detachments, and I have to say this looks pretty great.

[Baardah]

I have a few questions...
For one, why can a Lord choice only take as many points worth of magic weapons as a hero choice? (Master Mechanic/Mechanic)
What are these tinkertrinkets that keep being mentioned?
What is the statline for the Halfling captain?
What are you using for models for this?
I have to say, this is really creative, and I like the Alchemist set-up. When I saw them I almost flipped out, as they are related to dwarfs, but the potions idea is pretty fabulous. I like the tunnelfighter's ability to take sapper detachments, and I have to say this looks pretty great.

First of all the armylist is far from finished.
the Idea behind the whole army list is a kind of variation of dwarfs, as the gnomes in WHFRP was a cousinrace to the dwarfs.(called petty dwarfs for slang for instance)
The Master Mechanic is supposed to have the a higher Magic Item allowance. its a simple mistake due to lack of proofreading.
same goes for a halfling captain. however i'm not shure if want to make him as a 1 wound character with magic item allowance or a regular hero. i'll get it inthere sometime anyway.

abot the alchemy; At first i didnt want to give em casting at all by teh reason you mention, them being related to dwarfs so much. But since i wanted them very scientific (in a medieaval way) i thought of alchemy and I'm quite satisfied.
The tinkertrinkets is still on the workingblock. its supposed to be a kind of magic item list, but none of em will be magic. I think of em more as a range of more or less sane inventions to make small buffs. just to be able to use those 5 points you lack to make 1500 points excactly. I also want to make tinkertrinkets available to champions. so the reason you don't get to see what they are is that they re't finished yet.
same goes for a magic items list.

As for models: I have found that regular goblins make for the best conversion basis. At least as I wiew the gnomes they are abit smaller than dwarfs, have pointy ears and big noses aswell as beards. The only thing goblinmodels lack is beards
check out some conversi9ons i've done here
http://www.asrai.org/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=16969

Thanks for comments and anny suggestions are most welcome

[Baardah]

I'm thinking of getting more done on this project over christmas. I was thinking of "rewriting" the fluff abit. I think i'll move the gnome capital to Albion. Something like: When the great catastrophy hit the worlds edge mountians and the greenskins and skaven attacked the dwarf hold, they had already ran through the gnomish towns in the foothills --->A great refugee caravan travelled to Barak Varr where the dwarven navy sailed them to albion. Where Glimdwarrow was founded....
I think i might use a Celtish/Scottish imagery to base the culture on. And ofcourse the affinity to mechanics and tinkering, crazy inventions etc.
Magic for gnomes will still be through alchemy and potionmaking. Not shure how i'll link this up to 8th ed. magic system yet though.

I'll also try to develop some tinkertrinkets and magic items. I have quite a few ideas now.

I'm also expecting an order from Hoard o bits to arrive soon, so i can start to work on a modelrange for the little buggers

If anyone has a bit of interest and have some suggestions they are more than welcome to help out

There is one idea i would like some feedback on though. The mechnought armour was originally supposed to be a special heavy armour for characters similar to the HE dragonarmour or the dwarven gromril armour. Now i'm thinking of making it a "mount" instead. I'm thinking a gnome sitting in a contraption similar to a 40K dreadnaugth or similar. Making the character a monstrous infantry.
what about that?

And would a Spacemarines dreadnaught with a little fantasyfication fit as a startingpoint for a conversion. My concern is that it would look like a to perfect machine. Any thoughts? or any ideas for alternative models?

[Christars]

Hmm, pretty cool. Admittedly I rarely understand why people would want to create new races when those races don't really exist (saying that if you wrote a list for Halflings only, which we know are out there, then sure, but gnomes? Never 'eard of 'em), but I respect the dedication you've put into the project.

Alas, my only skill seems to be the one of critique, so, after a short read-through I've got the following issues:

Mechnought Armour: 6 points for 4+ Armour Save? Then that's not even an option, but an unavoidable must and you might as well start the buggers in Mechnought Armour.

Physician: I don't know if Armour Saves are the best way of representing healing. You might want to copy Festus from Warriors of Chaos or Medics from 40K and make them give the unit, say, a Regeneration (6+) or (5+) (but 5+ is very powerful, especially when you can have multiple units with it).

Pneumobots: The Flame Cannon is way overpowered. A unit of three could easily pour out 6D6 S4 hits with -3 to saves in close combat (breath weapons in close combat), every turn! And anyway, compare S4 -3 Armour Save to a Dragon (say... a Chaos Dragon? Those are the ones I know...) - They've got a S2 -3 Save breath and a S4 breath. And both of them are one use only. The Dragon is a Lord Mount and costs over 360 points... of course those points go into a lot, but my point remains the same.

Boltbows: The Boobytrap is SICK I tell you, SICK. 15 points, then a Large Blast, S5 and no armour saves? So you get run down by a unit of, say, Chaos Warriors, and then what? You wipe them out? 15 points? Even against small, "cheap" units of dedicated artilleryhunters, you'll do a lot more damage than 15 measly points, especially seeing as how you even made the boobytrap so that you'll only loose half victory points and no panic to nearby Gnomes. I'd say small blast, maybe S5 but no ignoring armour saves (but if you ditch partials then that's still a lot of hits, don't complain) and drop the half victory points / no panic - rules. Maybe even "activates on a 3+ / Ld test" or summat. Especially the half victory points thingy would go against the feel of 8th ed, where either you get full points or none.

Lastly, you might want to have someone proofread it. I totally understand and I don't try to sound mean to you, but accessibility is greatly increased by general good grammar. For example, write "been" instead of "bin".

But, like I said, it's a cool list. Keep at it!

[Baardah]

Thanks for the input. Its easy to get carried away when making up new units. Nice that someone gives a heads up so that it can be corrected

As for the gnomish existance in the Warhammer world, i have them from Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, which was my introduction to warhammer. I played WHFRP for 4-5 years before i started with battles. All the background is based around the excisting background in the WHFRP books (at least 1st ed. that i played....dunno about the later editions)

The whole idea actually started when I was abit cheap with my hard earned cash, but still wanted another bolt thrower for my dwarf army. I had an unasembled Goblin chukka laying around and i started to convert it. this is the result.


When i was done i felt they where spot on as to how i imagine gnome to look, thus my idea was born.....

As for grammar. You're right I have never proof read it. I have mainly concentrated on layout and getting enough material. And also i started this when i didnt even know about 8th edition. Thus there is lots of thing i need to change.

About the Pneumobots I'm thinking of making em much simpler: Not so many special rules. But there is supposed to be two different kinds of the bot. 1 regular monstrous infantry type unit, and a bigger Charactermount version. Might save the flamerthing for the large one.

As to the boobytrap, i was inspired by the dwarf rune that does something similar, but i might have overdone it. Anyway. expect new things to come to this project.

Finally, here is a WIP of a pneumobot

[Christars]

...woah.

[Frimbleglim]

Those bolt-thower crew are amazing. They remind me of Astrix the Gaul.

[Baardah]

Finished the Pneumobot for the December contest.

[Fnords]

Insane how nice that machine looks, you got true skill. Damn loving that one. Great work!

[Baardah]

Thanks alot Highly appreciated. Now i might have to make 5 more

[Baardah]

So i looked at the timeline of the warhammer world in the big red book yesterday, and I think I found a good spot where I introduce the gnomes to the timeline.
I'm thinking of starting with the oldones making a race of strong-minded and curious small creatures called gnomes for whatever reason the old ones created any race. They are fond of metals and elements all from the start and have a strong need to figure things out. A need to explore what makes things tick.
They initially live east of the worlds edge mountains in the southern part of what's now called the ogre kingdoms.
When the great maw occurs in the timeline I think I'll write in the gnomes need to explore the thing leading to a chisma and the corruption of large portions of the race. They change under the influence of warpstone and this leads to degeneration of the gnomes into the gnoblars.
Those that survive this corruption unharmed migrate west and settles in the foothills of the worlds edge mountains. With time they also inhabit the foothills on the western edge of the mountainrange.
Make friends with the dwarfs.... Etc.
When the great catastrophe breaks the dwarven nation the gnomes take a real beating and migrates with help from the dwarven navy of barrack varr to Albion. Some still remains in the old world along the edges of the worlds edge mountains and in the midden moors west in the empire. Quite many also lives in marienburg where they travel between the old world and Albion.

Any thoughts on this anyone? Does it fit?

[Frimbleglim]

Where did the idea of gnomes being artificers and gemcutters come from. World of Warcraft has it and it is one of the things that most puts me off the game.

Dungeons and Dragons has Gnomes and although some of them build golems and other weird contraptions the trademark trait of the gnome is it's affinity for illusion magic and practical jokes. A trait I love.

[Christars]

Well, the problem with your timeline is that it makes quite a few claims to the TRUTH (sorry for capitalising) of some major parts of GW fiction; for example, I don't think there's any way you could get away with the Gnomes --> Gnoblar - thingy, since Gnoblars are greenskins, thus closely related to the Orks, rather than being Warpstone mutants.

All in all, the Gnomes are rather tricky... might be they fitted easily into the Warhammer world sometime in the past, but you'd have to be more careful now. I'm not saying it can't be done, but try not to poke too many historical facts around.

[Baardah]

The thing is that I have checked abit on the background of the origins of greenskins. And what i've found isnt much. The warhammer history says that they are not creations of the old ones. There is only a vague mantioning of them being introduced to the world by pure accident by the old ones when they entered through their stellar gateways. So iI went to look in other fantasy background, and a theory on the origins of orcs in the Lord of the rings universe is that orcs where once elves, but was broken into the twisted beings that orcs are through torture and torment by evil powers. This is not a rare occurance in fantasy literature.
The background of the gnoblars says nothing more than that they are a kind of greenskins.

Anyway i'm approaching this as I imagine how GW would go forth implementing a new race to the Warhammer world and I imagine that they would try to link the history of the new race to the excisting warhammer lore.

[Baardah]

Where did the idea of gnomes being artificers and gemcutters come from. World of Warcraft has it and it is one of the things that most puts me off the game.

Dungeons and Dragons has Gnomes and although some of them build golems and other weird contraptions the trademark trait of the gnome is it's affinity for illusion magic and practical jokes. A trait I love.

All fantasy I have played is war hammer fantasy roleplay. The gnomes in there (introduced in a book called apocrypha now!) had the following traits. Tinkerers and inventors, good at mining and smithing, great jesters ( there was an NPC that was Karl franz' court jester and a spy), good spies and thieving bastards the lot of them. And bait grumpy too, specially if someone called them "petty dwarfs"

This is fairly consistent of most fantasy I've read where gnomes appear.

[Baardah]

This is some ideas I have so far on tinker trinkets

Tinker Trinkets
Tinker trinkets are items with extraordinary abilities. It is equipment that has been produced in the many inventorshops that can be found throughout gnomish settlements. Tinker trinkets are NOT magic items, but can be chosen by Gnomish characters and champions with points from their magic item allowance.

Orwell Tickitok’s Clockwork pixies
Clockwork pixies are small brass automatons with razorsharp claws and pincers. Some fly, some crawl and all are annoying and potentially dangerous.
Any model able to strike a model with clockwork pixies have a -1 to hit penalty.
20 points

Fizzwinkles Mechanical wings
Able Fizzwinkle was an excentric, even by gnomish standards, inventor who had a fascination with flying. Thus he invented a set of mechanical wings. He did however believe a little too much in his invention, when he set off of a cliff and plummeted to his death. Afterword his invention was perfected by his followers, and now comes both as rotors or flapping birdlike wings. But no one has yet had the guts to try and take off of a cliff again
Infantry only. Models with the mechanical wings have the hover specialrule.
25 points

Ogfry Bucklewrench’s Pistoned Armenhancer
What Ogfry Bucklewrench lacked in physical prowess he mended with his enginuity and wit. That was a good thing because he was so thin and frail that he even struggled to lift his tools. The solution he came up with was a set of mechanical arm braces that was propelled by a steam engine he carried on his back. whenever he lifted his arms the contraption enhanced his movement with steamgenerated power.
A model with an armenhancer has +1 S, but also -1 to initiave
10 points

Willy Frocks Farseeing scope
Willy Frock was one of the first Gnomes to land in Albion and was one of the founders of Glimdwarrow. To aid his kin to easier see through the fogs and mists that covered their new home, Willy invented the Farseeing scope. Not only does it allow the bearer to see very far, but an unintended sideeffect was that it also allowed the user to partially see through objects.
The bearer of a farseeing scope ignores penalties to to hit for longrange and soft cover when using a ranged weapon. A mechanic with this device that is within 3” of a warmachine that can use indirect fire (stonethrowers) may halve the result of the artillerydice for determining scatter on a “hit”.
20 points

Ferrick Bangbuck’s Chainblade
Ferrick’s father was a lumberjack and for his fathers 100 birthday Ferrick gave him his masterpiece invention, a blade with a barbed chain that spun around it. The blade allowed the lumberjack to easily cut down trees and soon became a hit among the lumberjacks and Ferrick became a wealthy man as orders for this foraging tool started streaming in
The wielder of a Chainblade makes armourpiercing attacks

[Baardah]

In between writing on the army list ( I decided to ,more or less, start over to get it to fit the new edition) I have also been workin' on the start of a model range for this army list

A swivel gun crew (start of it anyway)



Some core fighters


A lord in a gnomish battle suit ( slightly converted warmachine model)


Some reaper models a female caster (alchemist) and a thief (first of a unit of 5 or 6 spies (scout unit))


Common goblins are the basis for my conversions I think they fit perfectly the way I imagine gnomes in fantasy to look.

What do you think

[Christars]

I must agree that the Goblins look great with beards... slightly funny, of course, but that's not a bad thing (quite the opposite)!

I kinda like the other models, but watch out so you don't combine too many different model "styles" (that is, too different models from too different companies) - it can work out but requires some care, so that the army looks cohesive.

[Frimbleglim]

I like the models... Actualy I love the models, but to my mind gnomes look more like this:

I have sculpted a gnome to the Warhammer scale from scratch. It stands about 3/4 of an inch high and is slender. I will post an image.

And there should be a "gnome giant slayer" unit. Gnomes (in full plate armour) that count as str 6 when attacking anything on a 40mm base and str 8 when attacking anything on a 50mm or larger base with both shooting and close combat attacks and gain a 3+ ward against any such creatures. Oh, and have heroic killing blow and a 2+ ward save against actual giants as well.


PS. I'd like to see gnome wizards with shadow magic too. Gnome illusionists are awesome.
PPS. Images posted here: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=19737

[Baardah]

I have actually thought of a "slayer unit". My thought went like this; gnomes in the WHFRP games loved fishing ( had fishing along with mining or smithing as a mandatory skill) so I thought of fishing--> whaling-->whales are big creatures--> techniques for killing a whale is applicable in monster slaying so a maritime looking unit of whalers? I haven't managed to get all thrilled about my own idea, but it could be cool. Maybe the champion could carry a big harpoon. ( S5 or 6 and D3 wounds?) modelling wise I could get use of the night goblin nets, and of course they would carry great weapons and javelins.

I thought of adding a hero class caster that could choose shadow magic. An illusionist. Thought it might be enough to only make shadow available to a lvl 2 since magic in my gnomes army is intended to be limited to the potions of the illusionists. Of course i have to rethink the entire potion system now since it was written with 7 th ed. As a basis.
Could make it simple though and give lord casters( alchemists) the lore of metal and illusionists shadow.

The whole point was to make a race more into medieval science than magic so I initially though alchemy was more fitting. But then there is the tradition for gnomes as illusionists in general fantasy.

Anyway a new 8th ed PDF is on the way.....nice that someone bothers to give feedback on my little "useless" project

[Frimbleglim]

Not a useless project at all. Gnomes are the definition of awsome .

[Frimbleglim]

The reasoning behind gnome giant slayers in D&D (which was the first proper GW game and likely the basis for later games) was basicaly that gnomes being 3' tall (or 5' in the case of your gnomes) are always fighting things bigger than themselves (apart from goblins who are too thick to be much of a threat to a well trained gnome and unlikely to see though illusions).

Now gnomes aren't the kind to be bullied just because their enemy happens to be bigger than they are so they developed a fighting style that allows them to kill things bigger than they are with ease. Here is the discription from the D&D supliment.

In every gnome community, only a select few individuals
of extraordinary courage take up the mantle of giant-slayer.
Relying on a combination of agility, combat prowess, and
pure craftiness, the gnome giant-slayer is the bane of all
creatures who use their size to terrorize the small or weak.
The champion of those far-too-often trampled underfoot, the
gnome giant-slayer stands far taller than his stature would
suggest. As the ultimate believers that “The bigger they are,
the harder they fall,” these doughty battlers actively seek out
ogres, trolls, giants, and the like to slay. Some also utilize
their training to take on other immense opponents, such as
umber hulks, monstrous vermin, and even dragons.
Most gnome giant-slayers are fi ghters or rangers, although
some paladins and clerics also take up the path of giant slaying. Rogues who favor looting the dens of ogres and the like
also become giant-slayers. Monks make excellent giant-slayers. Arcane spellcasters rarely take up this class, since it
largely depends on toe-to-toe interaction with immensely
powerful creatures.
Gnome giant-slayer NPCs are often lauded as heroes or celebrities within gnome communities. They might serve as captains
of the guard, trainers, or in other positions of authority. Some
pass down their mantle from generation to generation, granting the bravest son or daughter a treasured nickname such as
“Trollbane” or “Giant-Crasher.” Those who work for their own
purposes might still enjoy some measure of popularity but
prefer to remain aloof from political venues in favor of pursuing personal gain. Of course, many look to adventure to prove
their mettle; rare indeed is the gnome giant-slayer who hasn’t
bearded his share of trolls or fire giants in their very lairs.

The D&D rules are something along the lines of: a sufficintly powerful gnome soldier can choose to become a gnome giant slayer. As they train and gain experience (level up) they gain the following special rules (translated for non D&D players into warhammer type rules).

Favored Enemy: Giant (makes their attacks against giants better with their level)
Crafty Fighter (when not in heavy armour gains armour save bonus against giants and other big things)
Slippery (when a giant tries to pick him up he is better than normal at breaking free)
Close Shot (can use a ranged weapon agaist a giant when in close combat)
Fast Movement (self explanatory, so they can actualy catch the giants)
Improved Mobility (better at fleeing from combat with giants)
Annoying strike (makes giants worse at attacking with each unsaved wound)
Defensive roll (basicaly gives them a ward save)

You would want to cut down these rules in warhammer for simplicity but I think it's a pretty cool idea.

I agree with the lore of metal for gnomes as well as shadow. By the D&D description they might also have beasts as every gnome is capable of talking to burrowing mammals of any kind.