Excerpt from Dungeons & Dragons: Taladas

GNOMOI

  The gnomoi are one of the two branches of gnomes living in Taladas, the other being the minoi. The gnomoi are the "true" gnomes. Gnomoi place great faith in their technology, which is greater than all of the other races of Krynn combined. Gnomoi have mastered steam engines and coiled springs. They use steam-powered ships, clockwork timepieces, and ore-refining plants for high-grade steel, as well as mundane objects such as screws, pulleys, drive shafts, toothed gears, music boxes, and mechanical toys.
  Personality: Unlike the minoi, the gnomoi are organised and logical, traits that result in greater success for their inventions and devices. However, logic and organisation do not mean practicality. While the gnomoi can build devices that function correctly (as opposed to the disastrous results of the minoi), they do not necessarily build things that are useful or sensible. All gnomes, the gnomoi included, have an inordinate love of devices and constructions to the point where they will overbuild a device – simply to make it "better."
  Physical Description: In appearance, the gnomoi are no different from other gnomes. What differences that do exist are variations according to region and clan. Indeed, gnomoi and minoi are physically identical.
  Gnomoi stand about three feet tall and weigh between 45-50 pounds. All gnomoi have richly brown skin, the tone of polished wood, with white or black hair, blue or violet eyes, and straight white teeth. Males sometimes grow soft, curly beards and moustaches. Gnomes are short and stocky, but their movements are quick and their hands are deft and sure. Gnomoi often develop wrinkles around the age of 50, and have rounded ears and large noses.
  Relations: Gnomoi maintain their best relations with humans and dwarves, people who have some appreciation of gnomoi skill and ingenuity. In return, the gnomoi respect the particular abilities of these races, considering them quite talented (for non-gnomes). Gnomoi are cautious when it comes to minotaurs and Mischta. On the other hand, gnomoi just can't seem to understand the "savage" races – elves, bakali, goblins, and so on – and are treated with superstition and fearful contempt.
  Alignment: Gnomoi are usually lawful, and tend towards neutrality. More than a few adventuring gnomoi are of good alignment; exposure to other races brings gnomoi a greater appreciation of the welfare of others.
  Gnomoi Lands: Gnomoi settlements are well-defended, carved out of hexagonal columns of rock that were forced up by the Cataclysm. These mighty citadels are built in the Spire Mountains that separate the Great Burning Sea from the Indanalis, and among the Basalt Columns that lie between the Ring Mountain ranges. Gnomoi live where others could not, right on the edge of the Great Burning Sea; they smelt the molten lava flows of Hitehkel to obtain high-strength alloys for their advanced tinkering.
  Religion: Above all others, the gnomoi worship Reorx, the forger and creator of their race. Though religious services and priests among them are rare, gnomoi venerate Reorx and have faith in his continued guidance of their race. They believe that the universe is a complex device of Reorx's creation, and that the physical alterations that occurred in the wake of the Cataclysm were Reorx's gift to his chosen people. Gnomoi theology does not consider the loss of miracles after the Cataclysm (and later in the Fifth Age) to have been of any great significance. Some gnomoi also choose to venerate Udras the Alchemist (an aspect of Sirrion) or Shinare the goddess of industry, whom they petition to inspire smoothly-functioning machines.
  Language: Gnomoi speak their own language, which has two main dialects: Hitehkel and Boli. Gnomish has its own unique alphabet, which is related to the glyphic script used to write Dwarvish.
  Names: Each gnomoi has three names. A gnomoi's true name recounts the character's entire family tree, extending back to creation. This history occupies a single, enormous word that can easily fill a large book. Though each gnomoi knows her complete name (or at least the first few thousand syllables), most use a shortened form of address that merely takes half a minute to recite. This shorter name lists the highlights of the character's ancestors' lives. In casual conversation, gnomoi use even shorter names, only three or four syllables long. These names express the basic nature of the gnomoi, and may be altered or appended to from time to time.
  Male Names: Burukoymar, Domonicus, Drishurocolus, Gesedstaen, Gimolus, Thelvaraen.
  Female Names: Aracano, Cahmetinaru, Livialantho, Narivinu, Ostholalo.
  Adventurers: Gnomoi adventurers are occasionally forced to begin a life of exploration after being stranded far from home by a flying machine gone wrong. More often, though, a gnomoi character chooses to travel among the other races of Taladas as tinkerers and craftsgnomes, selling minor inventions and masterwork objects to finance exploration into their personal interests.

Gnomoi Racial Traits

• +2 Intelligence, –2 Wisdom.
• Small: As Small creatures, gnomoi gain a +1 bonus to Armour Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but they must use smaller weapons than humans and their lifting and carrying limits are three quarters of those of Medium-size characters.
• Gnomoi base speed is 20 feet.
• Low-Light Vision: Gnomoi can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish colour and detail under these conditions.
• +2 racial bonus on Knowledge and Profession skill checks involving mechanics or tinkering.
• +4 racial bonus on Craft skill checks involving the creation of technological devices.
• +1 racial bonus to attack rolls against fire minions and goblinoids (goblins and hobgoblins): Gnomoi battle these creatures frequently and practice special techniques for fighting them.
• +4 dodge bonus against ogres: This bonus represents special training that gnomoi undergo, during which they learn tricks that previous generations developed during their battles with ogres. Note that any time a character loses his positive Dexterity bonus to Armour Class, such as when he's caught flat-footed, he loses his dodge bonus too.
• +2 racial bonus on Listen checks: Gnomoi have keen ears.
• +2 racial bonus on Alchemy checks: A gnomoi's sensitive nose allows him to monitor alchemical processes by smell.
• Automatic Languages: Gnomoi. Bonus Languages: Auric, Dwarvish, Hobgoblin, and Ogre. Gnomoi deal more with dwarves fairly frequently, and they learn the languages of their enemies (hobgoblins and ogres).
• Gnomoi, like other Krynn gnomes, do not gain any innate spell abilities.
• Favoured Class: Wizard. A multiclass gnomoi's wizard class does not count when determining whether he suffers an XP penalty for multiclassing (see Experience for Multiclass Characters, page 56 of the Player's Handbook).