Svirfneblin

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Scourging through the interweb while looking for more in-depth information about Deep Gnomes, I came across an old article issued in the Dragon magazine.

Thought I'd share, this is obviously not 'EFU-canon', but still an interesting read with several interesting quirks!

[hide="The Folk of the Underworld"]"The Folk of the Underworld"
The svirfneblin point of view
by Eric Oppen, [Dragon#131]

Of all the underground-dwelling races of demi-humans, the svirfneblin, or deep gnomes, differ least in outlook from their surface-dwelling cousins. Having moved underground voluntarily (instead of fleeing a lost war, as the drow and duergar did), the svirfneblin have less animosity toward the world in general and their surface-dwelling kin in particular. [See “The Gnomish Point of View” in the Best of DRAGON® Magazine Anthology, Volume 3.]


Gnomes and deep gnomes

Like surface gnomes, svirfneblin love jewels and do exquisite work with them. Their jewelry is a much-prized article of trade in the underground world, purchasing things the deep gnomes cannot make themselves. Svirfneblin and gnomes share an affinity for jewels that closely parallels the dwarven and duergar skills with metal, or the elven love of living things.

Another area of similarity between deep and surface gnomes is their sense of humor. Pranks and practical jokes are a major source of svirfneblin amusement, and are often turned into a form of defense or attack, particularly against larger races. Svirfneblin jokes tend to be grimmer than those played by surface gnomes, since many of these jokes are played on enemies. A svirfneblin who successfully defiles a shrine to Lolth without the drow catching on is regarded as a hero, just as is the surface gnome who palms off a necklace of strangulation on an enemy by representing it as a magical necklace of some other sort. To the svirfneblin, an enemy’s discomfort is extremely humorous, particularly if it proves fatal.

Svirfneblin culture differs in several ways from that of the surface gnomes. One obvious difference is the apparent dominance of svirfneblin males in all professions having to do with the world outside their settlements. No female svirfneblin willingly leaves the settlement, except in the case of a dire emergency. There are two reasons for this. First, the relatively low birthrate among deep gnomes makes it imperative that the females (who are much more important in a society with a low birthrate) be protected from the terrible dangers of the underworld as much as possible. Second, whereas most surface gnomes confront relatively stupid enemies such as orcs, goblins, and kobolds, deep gnomes must deal with exceptionally intelligent foes such as the derro, drow, duergar, and kuotoans. These dangers make deep gnomes reluctant to risk their female population outside of their protected settlements. Svirfneblin do not understand or approve of female surface-gnome adventurers, and they do not like to see female adventurers of other races, though they tolerate them. They see female drow, however, as being as despicable as the males (if not worse), and they treat them both much the same.

Deep-gnome culture differs from that of surface gnomes in another way. Surface gnomes are on close terms with burrowing mammals, but svirfneblin have much more powerful allies in the form of earth elementals. It is said that the first rulers of the deep gnomes forged this relationship by signing treaties and making alliances with the leaders of the earth elementals. In any case, those who would otherwise have exterminated the deep gnomes tread cautiously around them, since many svirfneblin can summon up powerful help on short notice. The dangers of their environment make this alliance of great benefit to deep gnomes. For the sake of game balance, deep gnome PCs have a greatly reduced chance of summoning earth elementals (as noted in Unearthed Arcana, page 11; otherwise, everyone may want to be a svirfneblin, and svirfneblin PCs will be much too powerful. Perhaps a svirfneblin PC should be required to go through a lot of effort to summon an earth elemental, requiring about six hours of absolute rest afterward. Otherwise, a svirfneblin PC should have only a 5-10% chance per level of successfully performing such a summoning.


Character classes

Svirfneblin clerics are usually very influential in their communities. They act as judges, doling out rewards as well as punishments to those who deserve them. The svirfneblin realize that, in the threatening environment in which they live, peaceful arbitration of disputes is essential to survival. As a result, svirfneblin clerics usually have numerous healing spells at their command; they also usually have a number of spells designed to allow the user to find out the truth. In case of squabbles within the group, the svirfneblin cleric usually does his utmost to work up a solution that is agreeable to both sides. When negotiations with other races are necessary, svirfneblin clerics usually speak for their people.

Svirfneblin fighters have a lot in common, mentally, with their surface-dwelling cousins. These characters see themselves as .giant killers," much as do surface gnomes. When enemies are physically smaller than the deep gnomes (as are the jermlaine), the svirfneblin are usually more merciful than they would be to larger opponents. Resentment of being .talked down to by larger folk runs deeply and bitterly with this race.

Like their surface-dwelling kin, deep gnome fighters have no inhibitions about using various tricks and traps to make up for their relatively small size. A wily svirfneblin general can earn a wonderful reputation as a warrior without ever fighting a pitched battle. Because of their low birthrate, svirfneblin do not regard each other as expendable, and every possible avenue is explored to avoid direct confrontations with foes.

Svirfneblin illusionists hold very high status among their fellows. Other deep gnomes respect the long hours of study that are necessary to train an illusionist, and a well-placed illusion has saved many a svirfneblin community. Only the fact that some of their worst enemies, such as the duergar, are immune to illusion spells limits illusionists usefulness. Conscious of their high standing, svirfneblin illusionists are usually full of pride in their accomplishments â€" “cocky.” - describes their manner well.

Svirfneblin thieves and thief-acrobats usually take up the trade for the same reasons members of other underground dwelling races do: to serve their community and people by plundering enemy goods, to aid exploration parties with their skills at climbing and lock-picking, and to strike from the shadows at the backs of enemies. Like other gnomish thieves, svirfneblin of this class adore puzzles and often try to steal something thought unquestionably
safe, merely to find out if it can be done.

Svirfneblin assassins are the grimmest of their race. Like other gnomes, they enjoy a joke, but they prefer .gallows humor over anything else. They hold higher status among svirfneblin than surface-gnome assassins do in their societies, for the same reasons that other underground-dwelling peoples grant assassins higher status than they receive on the surface. Open warfare or interclan feuding could spell universal doom; thus, when a deep gnome is sentenced to death, an assassin is usually dispatched to do the job. As with other underground peoples, assassins also do much of the fighting against enemies of other races. Since deep gnomes are small and, some think, easy to enslave, the presence of assassins among them is one way to ensure that slavers will probably regret it bitterly. Assassins are sometimes added to commando-style raiding parties, with orders to eliminate certain powerful opponents during the raid. Assassin guilds do not exist as such among the svirfneblin, though informal networks exist through which they gain their training.

Since the deep gnomes have long childhoods (which often last for the better part of a century), multiclassed svirfneblin are not uncommon. If a young deep gnome is seen as having talent in more than one area, he receives training in more than one profession. Multi-classed deep gnomes hold higher status than single-classed ones do, and in the councils, their word usually carries much weight.


Underground neighbors

Svirfneblin live in a dark, dangerous world, and have many enemies, but the most bitter feud is the one they carry on with the drow. Svirfneblin and drow hate each other, and both sides delight in mutual torment. Svirfneblin often force drow prisoners to slaughter spiders, and the drow retaliate with interest when they catch svirfneblin. Competition for food, living space, and gems embitters relations already poisoned by the difference in alignment between drow and svirfneblin.

The svirfneblin hardly know that surface elves exist. When they first encounter surface elves, svirfneblin are usually nonplussed at finding elves with such different coloring, who do not worship Lolth, and who share a lot of their outlook with the deep gnomes. Once their initial suspicion is overcome, the svirfneblin will be very curious about surface elves, peppering them with questions about their lives.

The second most bitter feud carried on by the svirfneblin is with the duergar. The gray dwarves and svirfneblin compete for food and living space, as do the deep gnomes and drow. Dwarven greed, inflamed to a white heat in the duergar by their worship of Abbathor (Unearthed Arcana, page 111), makes them passionate hunters of deep-gnome caches of gems. Not surprisingly, the deep gnomes retaliate whenever possible. One revenge tactic the svirfneblin favor is slipping into a duergar treasure vault and emptying it out, then putting a few traps on it that the gray dwarves aren’t aware of. When the two races manage to meet peacefully, the svirfneblin are incapable of understanding the duergar regard for dignity, and find it difficult to resist playing pranks on these stolid folk. Puncturing the dignity of others is regarded as great fun, but it does get the svirfneblin into many fights.

Svirfneblin regard other dwarves with some suspicion .at least until the surface dwarves establish clearly that they are not in sympathy with the duergar. Svirfneblin pranks are not popular with surface dwarves, but the absence of a history of warfare between the races keeps the pranks under control.

Svirfneblin barely know halflings exist. The halfling life of peaceful pastoralism generally appeals to deep gnomes, although the deep gnomes have a hard time believing that life can really be that quiet and peaceful. When svirfneblin and halflings meet, the halflings, small size helps the svirfneblin feel friendlier and less threatened. Of course, svirfneblin who’ve lost cherished jewels to halfling thieves are an exception to this rule.

Svirfneblin do not like half-orcs any more than they do other humanoids, such as orcs or goblins. Since svirfneblin live a lot farther down in the underworld than orcs generally do, they seldom meet halforcs, although they are aware of the well-earned reputation half-orcs have on the surface. A party containing half-orcs can expect a chillier reception from deep gnomes than would otherwise be the case, but this reception will not be as bad as that given if the party included drow or duergar. To the deep gnomes, their occasional run-ins with orcs are not nearly as pressing a problem as their wars with other horrors of the underworld. Most deep gnomes would much rather deal with a whole tribe of orcs than with one mind flayer.

Humans are viewed neutrally by deep gnomes. In general, humans meeting deep gnomes can expect the same treatment they afford the svirfneblin. As with any outsiders, the deep gnomes will play pranks, but no real harm is ever intended, unless the humans intend to harm the pranksters. Svirfneblin respect humans with abilities they don’t have, such as the ability to use magic. Humans who have attained higher levels in classes available to the svirfneblin are also treated with respect. Often, the svirfneblin make offers to hire humans with skills they need. The deep gnomes can be trusted in these deals, and humans taking up their offers can expect to return to the surface when their contracts are completed much richer than they left it.

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