Gnome Vs Halfling 2024

Despite their diminutive size, the gnome and halfling are two of the most popular races in Dungeons & Dragons. The short folk have a storied history in the game, having been featured since its inception and becoming some of the most beloved race options for players and dungeon masters alike. But like the rest of D&D, the gnome and halfling have undergone changes over the years. Today, we’ll take a look at the latest iteration of these iconic races and their many variants.

Gnome

Gnomes have never been one of the more combat-oriented races in the game, and for good reason. They prefer to live peaceful lives, working in the fields or in their workshop, crafting toys for children and helping poor cobblers spin straw into gold. They’re an inquisitive and witty race that love to tinker with things, and they’re usually content to stay out of other races’ fights.

Gnome are on relatively friendly terms with other fey (including elves) and get along with dwarves, though they don’t count goblins as friends or allies and are suspicious of giants. Their reclusive nature is often interpreted as cowardice by other races, but they simply don’t have much at stake in the wars of the larger world and would rather avoid them if at all possible.

Among the most famous variants of gnomes are the Deep and Forest gnomes, which were introduced in the 1st edition AD&D Player’s Handbook in 1994. Forest and Deep gnomes are distinct from other subraces of gnome because they’re closer in appearance to non-Tolkienated elves. Those who don’t wish to use the D&D subraces can still make their characters more unique by using the “Halfling Family” or “Gnome Ancestry” subcategories.

The D&D 2024 rules for gnomes feature several new advancements, including a new base walking speed of 30 feet and tweaks to some of the existing DnD 5e subraces. The rules also include two new gnome subcategories, Forest and Rock. The following table shows the differences between the 2024 gnome subcategories and their 2014 legacy versions.