Publication:Unearthed Arcana/Gnome Paragon

Gnome Paragon
Curious, intelligent, and likable, gnomes move easily through the societies and communities of other races. They enjoy a strong sense of loyalty to clan as well as the pull of new experiences offered by adventure. While these sometimes opposing motivations get some adventuring gnomes into trouble with family and clan, gnome paragons successfully blend both aspects of their race's nature. They serve as an example to others of how to promote and protect their community and clan while at the same time constantly searching the world for new and interesting opportunities.

Adventures: Gnome paragons adventure for the sake of discovery. They are curious and social individuals who can balance the demands of clan life with the joys of travel. Many gnome paragons blend their love of adventure with their duties to their clans by traveling and adventuring only during the summer months, returning in the autumn to their homes with news and skills learned during their travels.

Characteristics: Personable and curious, gnome paragons get along well in most communities, and they often provide a lively diversion wherever they go. Socially adept enough to know when their questions are wearing thin on their companions, gnome paragons nonetheless share their race’s propensity for long strings of seemingly unrelated questions. This lighthearted behavior does not make them silly or weak, however; they are calm and likable in most situations, but determined and sometimes ruthless when protecting their friends and communities.

Alignment: Gnome paragons are almost always good-aligned, with an equal balance of neutrality and chaos represented among the class.

Religion: Seldom religious themselves, gnome paragons are curious about religion and sincerely interested in the traditions of others. Those gnome paragons who do follow the teachings of one deity almost always worship a deity of knowledge or travel, the two disciplines that appeal most to the paragon’s inquisitive nature.

Background: Gnome paragons have incredibly varied backgrounds, much more so than the paragons of any other race except humans. They travel unusual and individual paths toward achieving their status as paragons, and most do so without realizing it. Burgeoning gnome paragons are so involved in the nature of their race and the love of new experience that they seldom realize they champion and demonstrate the greatest virtues of gnomekind.

Races: Gnome paragons, like many other gnomes, prefer the company of dwarves over that of other races—but they enjoy social interaction with nearly any race. Gnome paragons are sincerely interested in experiencing what other races have to offer, making their company appealing to all but the most reclusive or staid individuals. Gnome paragons are even willing to interact with monstrous creatures, and good-aligned individuals from normally evil races find themselves welcome in gnome communities due to the efforts of gnome paragons.

Other Classes: Gnome paragons enjoy adventuring with members of any class. They benefit greatly from fighting beside or behind a larger, stronger melee combatant. They are adept in social situations that many classes find taxing. And they provide minor spellcasting support that benefits many combinations of allies. Gnome paragons even get along well with the paragons of other races, finding the magnified characteristics of racial paragons both entertaining and instructive.

Race: Gnomes.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Die: d6.

Class Skills
The gnome paragon's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Swim (Str).

Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) x4.

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the gnome paragon class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Gnome paragons are proficient with all simple weapons and with light armor.

Spells per Day
At 2nd and 3rd level, a gnome paragon gains new spells per day and spells known as if he had also gained a level in bard. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (bard class features, and so on). This essentially means that he adds the level of gnome paragon to his level in bard, then determines spells per day, spells known, and caster level accordingly.

If a gnome paragon has no levels in bard, this class feature has no effect.

Illusion Aptitude (Ex)
A gnome paragon may add his class level to his caster level to determine the effects of any illusion spells he casts, including those gained as innate abilities of the gnome race. This bonus stacks with the extra spellcasting levels gained from the gnome paragon's spells per day entry (see above).

For example, a 2nd-level wizard/3rd-level gnome paragon's caster level is 2nd for most wizard spells but 5th for wizard spells of the illusion school (and 4th for his innate spell-like abilities dancing lights, ghost sound, and prestidigitation). A 3rd-level bard/2nd-level gnome paragon's caster level is 4th for most bard spells but 6th for bard spells of the illusion school.

This increased caster level affects only spells that the character can cast; it does not give him access to higher-level spells or more spells per day.

Keen Senses (Ex)
A gnome paragon's racial bonus on Listen checks and Craft (alchemy) checks increases to +4.

Mirror Image (Ex)
At 2nd level, a gnome paragon gains the ability to cast mirror image once per day as a spell-like ability with a caster level equal to his gnome paragon level.

Ability Boost (Ex)
At 3rd level, a gnome paragon's Charisma score increases by 2 points.