Forest Gnomes speak Gnome as well as Elf, Sylvan, and a simple language that enables them to communicate on a very basic level with forest animals.

Combat

Gnomes make heavy use of illusion magic and carefully prepared ambushes and traps whenever they can.

Spells: Gnomes with Intelligence scores of 10 or higher may cast dancing lights, ghost sound, and prestidigitation, each once per day as a 1st-level wizard (spell failure penalties for armor apply).

Speak with Animals (Sp): Once per day a gnome can use speak with animals as a 1st-level druid to communicate with a burrowing mammal (badger, fox, rabbit, etc.).

Gnome Traits (Ex): Gnomes benefit from a number of racial traits.

• Small: Gnomes gain a +1 size bonus to AC and attack rolls and a +4 size bonus to Hide checks, but they must use smaller weapons than humans use, and their lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of Medium-size creatures.
• Forest gnomes have the innate ability to pass without trace (as the spell).
• Low-light Vision. Gnomes can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination.
• +2 racial bonus to saving throws against illusions.
• +1 racial bonus to attack rolls against kobolds, goblinoids, orcs, and reptilian humanoids.
• +4 dodge bonus against giants.

Skills: Gnomes receive a +2 racial bonus to Listen checks, for their keen hearing, and to Alchemy checks, because their sensitive noses allow them to monitor alchemical processes by smell. Forest gnomes receive a +4 racial bonus to Hide checks, which improves to +8 in a wooded area.

Forest Gnome Characters

A forest gnome's favored class is illusionist.