Nymphs, Gnomes, and Species of Sundara

For those who've been keeping up with all my Species of Sundara releases, you've no doubt picked up on my theme of keeping the same fantasy creatures we know from older games, but trying to show them in a different light by making them unique to this setting in some way, shape, or form. We started with elves, turning them into creatures who fluidly adapted, becoming wildly varied based on their philosophy or environment. The dwarves were the children of the ancient giants, meant to finish the details of the world whose foundation they had laid. Orcs were the results of elves experimenting and changing too much, until they became something entirely new, and halflings were the little cousins of the dwarves, made almost by accident.

It was only a matter of time till I reached the last of the first run, and I wanted to talk about them this week... gnomes.

Seriously, get your copy today if you haven't!

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Gnomes and Nymphs, Oh My!

The traditional role of gnomes in fantasy RPGs is (or at least has become) the manic pixie party member. Gnomes are often cast as creatures whose minds move so quickly, or in such unusual ways, that they often focus more on whether they can do something rather than if they should do something. Practical jokers, inventors, tinkerers, and more, in some games their ancestry is left vague, while in settings like Golarion they're full-on fey creatures who return to the First World upon their deaths.

The queen waits for me... but time moves differently there than here.

I wanted gnomes in Sundara to feel unique and different, rather than just being a zanier halfling option. Something inherently magical and unusual, but which was still different from the options I'd seen in other settings which offered its own odd history and unusual background flavor.

And in the event you haven't grabbed your copy of Species of Sundara: Gnomes (available for either Pathfinder or DND 5E), the ancestry of gnomes is that they are the children of nymphs. Representations of nature in its most potent forms, nymphs have been rightly feared and revered across Sundara for generations. Gnomes were, in many cases, meant to take over the lesser responsibilities of these nymphs so they could conserve their strength and rest. In other cases they became agents who delivered the nymph's will and messages beyond the bounds of their own domains.

And when many of the nymphs vanished, it was the gnomes who remembered. Who honored their departed mothers, and who minded the land they'd left behind.

As Varied As The Land Itself

Of all the species of Sundara that have been released thus far, the gnomes are probably the ones that have the most possibility... and that's including the elves! For every kind of nymph out there, from black water swamps to rushing rivers, to mountain ponds and deep forests, there's a type of gnome. Not only that, but gnomes have the potential to shift and change, altering their traits as they take on new, unique aspects.

How and why this happens can seem arbitrary. A gnome may have been born in a swamp, only to find the dark shadows disappearing from their hair and their eyes growing bright when they make their new home on a white water rapid. A gnome from a deep, clear stream might find their nails growing thick and their skin sallow as their old home stagnates, dammed up until it becomes little more than a bog. Some gnomes will change based on the people they meet, and the entities who bless them, but others may remain unchanged their whole lives through, stoically maintaining themselves despite all the currents that surround them.

And while there are only 5 variations in this first splat book, there's potential for more going forward should the audience make their desire for more content like that known!

Remember To Check Out The Other Species of Sundara!

If you enjoy my take on gnomes, and you want to see what other changes I've made to the core species we're all so used to, make sure you take a moment to check out the rest of the Species of Sundara series that's been coming out the past few months! And if you like them, don't forget to check out the rest of my Sundara: Dawn of a New Age setting as well!

- Elves of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Elves are one of the most quintessential fantasy creatures... but if you want to see more than just high elves, wood elves, and elves of the sun and moon, then this supplement has you covered!

- Dwarves of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): The children of the primordial giants who were meant to fill in the details of the world they'd made (or so the myths say) there are as many kinds of dwarves as their are kinds of giants... and possibly more, depending on who is keeping count.

- Orcs of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Supposedly a creation of the elves, none can say for certain exactly how or why orcs have been made. What most agree on is that these creatures are far more than most may think at first glance.

- Halflings of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Little cousins to the dwarves, halflings are tough, clever, and not to be underestimated. From living beneath the hills, to taking up residence in the deep forests, halflings in Sundara come in quite a variety!

- The Blooded (Half-Elves and Half-Orcs) [Pathfinder and DND 5E]: When orcs and elves mix their bloodlines with other creatures, the result is one of the Blooded. This inheritance takes many forms, and it can even wait generations before manifesting when the right combination of individuals come together to have a child.

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