Svirfneblin (Deep Gnomes) (Comp. Book of Gnomes and Halflings)

Svirfneblin (Deep Gnomes)

To most surface dwellers the gnomes of this race are mysterious denizens of the Underdark about whom little is known. Those who judge by appearance see them as stunted and gnarled creatures and believe them to be the Rock Gnomes' evil counterparts, the gnomish equivalent to the Drow and Duergar. In truth, they are no more evil than their more numerous cousins; their sinister reputation is merely the result of ignorance. The Deep Gnomes are the most reticent of all the gnomish subraces, surviving in an extremely hostile environment entirely by their own wiles.

"Svirfneblin? I loathe them--they are fit only to die on the tip of a Dark Elf's sword! They scurry about the sunless realms with tenacity. We kill them wherever we find them, and still they return! They show no fear of our Drow mages, even when dozens of them perish at a time. Even the priestesses of Lolth, while they slay the sniveling gnomes in mass, do not inspire enough terror to stop their malicious intrusion!
"And why do they come? The answer is gems. They thirst for precious baubles with a ferocity I have never seen. They will drive their tunnels into the farthest corners of the Underdark, and this is what makes them a threat to me and my people.
"I give you a tale of Desselderekathe, a great cavern network not so very far from my own home. Its mere existence was naturally a threat to us, and thus--more than a century ago--we sent an army to destroy it. I myself commanded a company of lizardriders in the assault.
"Our Drow forces struck them from all sides. My own cavalry entered through the cavern ceiling and rode down the walls, striking into the heart of Desselderekathe before the foe knew they were attacked. Our mages cast clouds of poison gas that settled into the city's low places, and into these we drove the screaming little pests.
"Within a few hours it was over--not a single Deep Gnome remained alive within the walls of Desselderekathe! We withdrew in triumph, and I myself was decorated by the matron mother of our city's greatest house! Yet within a decade we heard reports that renegade Deep Gnomes had moved into the abandoned ruins. We set a garrison in the place, but they suffered ambush and other treachery--and it proved too expensive to station a full army in what was otherwise a worthless shell. Though there were in fact some gem-bearing rock formations in the region, the excavation proved too troublesome to warrant the return. Seventy years ago we abandoned Desselderekathe, and now I hear that the place is again full of Svirfneblin! I suppose we'll have to do it all again, and I know these runts will not allow us to simply repeat our first attack. We shall have to devise a new tactic, one which may well be more costly in terms of Drow lives. And for what? Simply to insure our destiny, and our right to live in peace.
"You see now, I trust, why the Svirfneblin are fit only to be hated, loathed, and despised?"

--Fassyth Yssarial, Secondboy of House Twylleenimor, Imperial Drow City of Qaucium.

These diminutive inhabitants of the Underdark are as tenacious at survival as the just-cited opinion by their mortal enemies indicates. Unlike their Rock Gnome cousins, they have no friendly neighbors to ally themselves with, forcing them to become entirely self-reliant. Only the few who have won their trust know that they are in many ways as social and artistic as other gnomes.

Why do they endure this frankly hostile environment? The answer is simple: they are drawn by the lure of gemstones, which is more pronounced in the Deep Gnomes than in any other subrace.

The gem that most draws the interest and devotion of the Svirfneblin is the ruby, which is the predominant symbol of the race. The Deep Gnomes view these crimson stones with reverence approaching awe--so much so that they are never used for mundane practices such as ornamentation of garments, weapons, or armor. Rubies are reserved for sacred purposes and are often employed to decorate artifacts that are dedicated to the Svirfneblin gods. They are also favored by Deep Gnome monarchs, so much so that a Svirfneblin king or queen might have a full ring of rubies around his or her crown, with others of the precious stone set in the throne and sceptre.

Svirfneblin average between 3 and 3 1/2 ' in height, rarely exceeding this norm by more than an inch or two. They are creatures of wiry muscle and tough bones, slightly thinner than their surface cousins but possessing as much strength as any other gnome.

Like their cousins of the other gnomish subraces, Svirfneblin have prominent noses. Otherwise their faces are much narrower. Many males have completely hairless bodies; most females have only thin and stringy hair, which they wear no longer than shoulder length. A Deep Gnome's skin is rock-colored, predominantly brown or gray. Eye color is always a shade of gray, sometimes so dark as to be almost black.

The Svirfneblin are not so long-lived as their surface-dwelling kin, living to an average old age of only about 250 years; a good number meet a violent demise before this time is up. They mature relatively quickly, however, with the first quarter century of life considered childhood and the next two decades as a period of disciplined adolescence. A Svirfneblin is assumed to reach adulthood somewhere around the age of 45 or 50, though this milestone is not marked by any grand ceremony such as is performed by the Rock Gnomes. Indeed, the Deep Gnomes don't even keep track of the passage of days, so there is no way to record one's actual "birthday."

The most valued common skill among the Svirfneblin is that of the miner, with perhaps 75% of any given community's adult males devoting themselves to that pursuit. Svirfneblin miners are exceptionally able with pick and shovel, capable of chiseling a passage through solid stone more quickly than Rock Gnomes or even dwarves. While mining is broken into specializations, such as choppers (who do the actual pickaxe work), scouts (who locate promising veins for excavation), and haulers (who carry the tailings away from the scene), a Deep Gnome miner will be reasonably proficient at all aspects of his trade. The most alluring target of the Svirfneblin miner is, naturally, gems. However, these diligent diggers will also pursue veins of metal, including gold and silver, and they also occasionally gather a stockpile of coal or iron ore--from which they make a very passable steel.

A smaller percentage of the Svirfneblin work force (perhaps 10%) is engaged in the processing and finishing of the gemstone material excavated by the miners. These include polishers, smelters, carvers, and smiths. Though they lack a bit of the exceptional detail skill of the Rock Gnomes, in the other areas they are at least as proficient as their surface-dwelling cousins. Indeed (and unlike Rock Gnomes), Svirfneblin blacksmiths can possess exceptional skill. Their weapons and tools are generally made by Deep Gnome artisans, and these are nearly the equal of the products of the highest level of dwarven craftsmanship or Drow weaponsmiths.

Perhaps because suitable habitat is harder to find in the Underdark than on the surface, Deep Gnome communities tend to be larger than those of the Rock Gnomes. Generally the Svirfneblin live in thriving cities located in deep cavern networks, often with more than a thousand residents. However, these communities are generally separated by great distances from any others of the same subrace, and thus they tend to be more insular than the towns of the gnomes who dwell on or near the surface. Indeed, most Deep Gnomes live out their lives without ever seeing another Svirfneblin community beyond the one in which they were born.

Still, festivals and celebrations are as common among these gnomes as they are on the surface--it's just that the Svirfneblin don't travel from far distances for the gatherings. Instead, each community tends to have its own special observances, and though the whole city will turn out for many of them it is rare that any outside guest would be admitted. Also, these celebrations are not tied to recurring cosmic events, such as solstices or eclipses; instead, they occur when the city's priests declare that they are due. These instigations occur more for political and psychological reasons than by any regular passage of time.

In fact, it's worth noting that Svirfneblin don't even measure the passage of their lives in years--after all, the cycle of seasons has little meaning amid the eternal chill of the Underdark. However, if the priests notice that the production of the workers has begun to lag, or tempers are growing short among the chieftains and warriors, they will act hastily to initiate a grand festival full of pomp and song, good food and potent (one hesitates to say 'good') beverage.

Svirfneblin festivals are often invoked to recall great events of the past, though again these recollections bear no calendar relationship to the occurrence being commemorated. However, if teams of miners are preparing to embark on one of the periodic quests for new gems that propel so much of Svirfneblin activity, then the priests and illusionists will recall stories of grand expeditions in the past, even trotting out sacred objects encrusted with the jewelry made from the proceeds of these previous missions. Similarly, if a war is being contemplated, or a raid against some marauding monster becomes necessary, the warriors will be sent off with tales of great military campaigns in the past. It's interesting to note that these war stories are not all tales of victory--the Svirfneblin, perhaps because of the many defeats they have suffered over the years, have a keen interest in doomed causes and will draw considerable emotional support from the story of a dramatic last stand made by their forefathers. Even cautionary tales, such as the obliteration of a city by treacherous Drow attack, are related at these celebrations and used as a warning against future lapses of vigilance.

Another unique aspect of Deep Gnome society is that roles are far more rigidly determined by sex than in any other gnomish culture. Males perform all of the mining and warrior work that occurs beyond the borders of the community cavern, as well as most types of jobs within the city as well. Females concern themselves almost exclusively to the vital tasks of raising and preparing food (in the great mushroom farms that are a part of every Deep Gnome city) and the care of the young. In fact, females venture out of their cities so rarely that even the Drow have never encountered any in the neutral territory of the Underdark. Both sexes wear nondescript clothing which, with their ability to stand absolutely motionless, helps them avoid being spotted by enemies.

Besides the many types of fungi that are the staples of the Svirfneblin diet, Deep Gnomes sometimes maintain a small herd of rothe or other underground mammals. They are also fond of fish, and each city is likely to have several shallow lakes where blind trout and other subterranean delicacies are bred and captured. Deep Gnome women are responsible for tending of all these food sources and serve as the fishers and cooks as well as the farmers and herders. Also, salt is an important part of every Deep Gnome meal and is one of the most valued commodities in the trading of the Underdark. In fact, most Svirfneblin food is so heavily salted that a typical surface dweller would find it quite unpalatable.

As a beverage the Svirfneblin prefer for daily use a pungent brew made (naturally) from fungi, fermented by a unique process that involves great amounts of salt and not a little fish protein. It is highly intoxicating, tasting somewhat like an oversalted and watery fish chowder. It has been tasted by a few courageous non-Svirfneblins who (when they finally regain their voices) tend to decline a second serving.

The Svirfneblin also distill a strange drink known as Gogondy about which little is known other than it is deep red in color, kept in wrought iron bottles, and potent beyond belief. It has been called the finest wine in the world and is said to grant strange visions to those who drink it, but more than one human who drank it has promptly fallen asleep for decades or died after the first glass with horrified looks on their faces. The Deep Gnomes prize Gogondy almost as much as rubies and will only give or trade it to their most trusted friends, making it rare indeed.

The Svirfneblin survive in domains that are populated by many implacable enemies. The two most dire among these are the kuo-toa and the Dark Elves, who continually seek to drive these gnomes from territory they consider rightfully theirs. Illithids (mind flayers) often attack individual Deep Gnomes, considering them something of a delicacy, but never in such numbers as might drive away such tasty prey. Svirfneblin rarely encounter surface-dwelling gnomes, and the latter find them little less puzzling than do those of other races.

The cities of the Deep Gnomes are vast and complex places. Many layers of caverns, tunnels, and buildings are connected by narrow corridors and spiraling staircases. Generally, however, at least the central part of the city will occupy a single large cavern, with narrow streets winding among tall stone buildings. If large stalagmites are present, high-ranking Svirfneblin will claim these and excavate the interiors for the private homes; most residences, however, are carved into the natural bedrock of the earth.

Because of the confined nature of the environment, the home of the typical Svirfneblin family is more crowded than that of their surface-dwelling cousins. Parents and children will likely be crowded into a single, rather small, chamber. Families tend to be small, however, so this is rarely more than a half-dozen individuals. They are not so clannish as the Rock Gnomes, so that the population of a city is generally an amalgamated mass of Deep Gnomes, with overriding clan structure dividing the city.

However, they also tend to be rather quick-tempered and fractious (again, by comparison to other gnomish subraces). Every Deep Gnome city is ruled by both a king and a queen, each independent of the other yet equally powerful. The king's province is mining and protecting the community; the queen controls the food supply and is responsible for the day-to-day lives of the citizens. Both posts are determined by popular choice: when a monarch dies, a contest is held to select the best possible replacement, with the winner becoming the new ruler.

Svirfneblin worship the same pantheon as their Rock Gnomes cousins (although they conceive of these beings as Deep Gnomes). Urdlen plays a large role in Deep Gnome mythology, with cautionary tales of how he snared many an unwary Deep Gnome being a staple of any Svirfneblin's upbringing.

Table 2: Deep Gnome Ability Scores

Ability	Minimum	Maximum
Strength	6	18
Dexterity	6	19
Constitution	6	18
Intelligence	3	17
Wisdom	4	18
Charisma	3	16

Ability Score Adjustments:

+1 to Wisdom; +1 to Dexterity;

-1 to Intelligence; -2 to Charisma

Languages: Deep Gnome; Gnome Common; Underworld Common; Drow; Kuo-toan; earth elemental language (a curious "language" without words consisting solely of vibrations; each different pitch conveys a different message).

Infravision: Yes (120')

Special Features: Deep Gnomes have a number of special abilities detailed fully under the entry for Svirfneblin in the FORGOTTEN REALMS® appendix to the MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM® accessory (MC3):

Detect Underground Features-- Svirfneblin are very good at determining slopes (1-5 on 1d6), depth (1-4 on 1d6) and direction (1-3 on 1d6) underground, and unsafe stonework (1-7 on 1d10).

Magic Resistance --Deep Gnomes have a base magic resistance of 20% and gain an extra 5% for every level beyond the 3rd.

Saving Throw Bonuses-- Svirfneblin gain a +3 bonus to all saving throws except those against poison (for which they receive a +2 bonus instead).

Inherent Illusionist Powers --All Deep Gnomes radiate non-detection. In addition, all have the innate ability to cast blindness, blur, and change self once per day.

Freeze in Place --Svirfneblin can remain absolutely still for long periods, giving them a 60% chance to remain undetected by any observer, even one with infravision.

Surprise Bonuses --Deep Gnomes are only surprised on a roll of 1 on 1d10; they surprise opponents 90% of the time.

Defense Bonus --The typical Svirfneblin warrior has a Armor Class of 2. Deep Gnomes become harder to hit as they gain experience in dodging in combat, causing their Armor Class to improve by one point for every level beyond 3rd, to a maximum of AC -6.

Combat Bonuses --Svirfneblin make and wield stun darts, throwing them to a range of 40 feet, with a +2 bonus to hit. Each dart releases a small puff of gas when it strikes; any creature inhaling the gas must save versus poison or be stunned for 1 round and slowed for the four following rounds. Elite warriors (3rd-level and above) also often carry hollow darts with acid inside (+2d4 to damage) and crystal caltrops which, when stepped on, release a powerful sleep gas.

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